English: 

This term, year 8 students are studying the novel Noughts & Crosses. Students will read the book as a class and then work to analyse the novel; working on their comprehension skills, as well as practising the skills of language and literature analysis that will stand them in good stead for their future studies. 

 

Maths:

Mozart and Applegate:

Our topic for this half term is on angles in parallel lines and polygons. This includes angle rules, notation and investigating angles between parallel lines and the transversal. We will identify and calculate alternate and corresponding angles and solve complex problems with parallel line angles, before constructing triangles and special quadrilaterals. Then we will investigate the properties of special quadrilaterals before solving problems involving their interior and exterior angles. After half term we will be studying the data handling cycle; including drawing and interpreting bar charts, line graphs, pie charts and choosing the most appropriate diagram to present different data. We will finish the year learning how to present and interpret grouped quantitative data. 

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Adler:

This term in Adler class we will be looking at brackets, equations and inequalities. This will be followed by sequences, indices and percentages. To finish the academic year we will be covering standard form and number sense.

 

Science:

During the summer term, learners once again will be covering all three disciplines of science. In biology, we will learn about unicellular organisms. Rocks, weathering and erosion is the chemistry topic this term and within physics, we will learn about energy transfers as well as Earth and Space.

 

History:
In History this term, we will start by investigating the beginnings of what would turn into the British Empire and examine how and why it expanded, before looking at how extensive it was at its height. After half term, we will be looking at the Mughal Empire in India and how the East India Company managed to take control of large parts of India. We will investigate how this led to the Indian Mutiny (or War of Independence) and eventually the creation of the British Raj. We will then investigate how India gained its independence and examine the long term impact of the British Empire around the world.

 

Geography:
In Geography this term, we will start by exploring the topic of climate change (especially the impact of human-induced climate change) before looking at the physical, human and environmental geography of Asia. After half term, we will be finding out about China; its history, population distribution and how this is linked to its physical geography. We will also be investigating life in a mega-city and some of the economic initiatives that China has undertaken to make it a successful economic power, as well as look at how this has impacted the environment.

RE:
In RE this term, we will be exploring many aspects about Buddhism. We will examine: the life of Buddha, how Buddhists believe they should lead their lives, the different groups of Buddhists, features of monastic life, temples as well as significant places in Buddhism. We will also explore Buddhist scriptures, daily life for Buddhists and some of the major festivals that Buddhists celebrate.

 

PSHE: 
During the final term of this academic year, learners will be discussing and exploring topics around self confidence, managing their behaviour, emotional literacy and mindfulness. We will then move onto topics such as prejudice, stereotypes, discrimination and internet safety - please see our school website for further details.

 

ICT:
This term, we will build upon animation skills already learnt in CDM using Adobe Animate. This will include using Motion Tweens and Shape Tweens where the software is used to span between points set by the learner, before investing how to make multi-stage animations. We will utilise the Python programming language (which is used in professional environments) to display messages on screen, take user inputs and make the code make choices based upon them. Learners who may already have skills in this area will have a more advanced scheme to follow.

 

CDM (Creative Digital Media):
Learners will create a short video of their choice during the summer term. This will require them to experiment with or expand their knowledge of digital video cameras, create a plan (including a script), film their plan and edit their video using Adobe Premiere Pro.

 

Music: 
We will be finishing our walk through musical history by looking at the development of Jazz. This follows our work on Blues and Rock ‘n’ Roll and will tie in with many of the same themes and ideas. We will also be performing a range of jazz classics and working on our stylistic performance skills. 
During the last half term we will be diving into all things Musical! Looking at the history and makeup of musicals and musical theatre and working our way towards modern musicals and the impact of Disney on our West End Theatres!

 

Art: 
Some classes and individuals are still completing their Expressionistic style portraits transformed into WANTED posters. When these have been completed, we will create a wooden or clay model dragon/animal/creature of choice for an exhibition. We will also be creating stencils to work with our visiting spray artist as well as creating insect and butterfly designs with a visiting felt artist. 

PE:
This term, learners will be completing a summer term sports unit, in which they will learn what a summer sport is as well as working on their fine motor skills to support movement and a healthy active lifestyle. We will also work on the skills involved when throwing, kicking and catching. Learners will take part in gameplay which will work on enhancing their social skills, communication and teamwork which all link in with our core British values.

Mandarin:

This term, learners will be introduced to the spoken and writing components of Mandarin learning. For the former, pinyin and tones are introduced, and for the latter, the radicals and characters are presented. Specifically, we will learn how some basic characters evolved from pictographic writing and became radicals to constitute part of the meaning of the characters. 

We will also learn about and recap vocabulary around family members, weather, means of transport, food and vegetables. 

We also aim to integrate Chinese culture within lessons; for example  - Chinese calligraphy, Chinese chess and mahjong (tile based game).