Nuffield Science Year 9

Year Nine of Nuffield Science for Key Stage Three was written to provide a clear transition into the 14-16 curriculum. Two teaching sequences were devised for Year Nine, either as an integrated course or as a co-ordinated course divided into biology, chemistry and physics.

Principles

Two basic principles underpinned the planning of the course: * It was to be transitional bridging the gap between the process-oriented, exploratory work of earlier years and the more conceptualised approach to science to come later. *It was to be activity-based implying not just that there should be plenty of practical activities but also that learning should be a student-centered, active process.

The topics

Topic A Materials in the world about us

Topic B Living earth

Topic C Energy

Topic D Chemical patterns (chemical change, elements and compounds)

Topic E Weather and landscape

Topic F What is life?

Topic G Communication (communications and astronomy)

Topic H Rocks, minerals and metals

Topic I Control (magnetism, electricity and electronics)

The resources

The activity sheets form the core of the course. They are supported (for teachers and technicians) by the teachers' guide and, for students, by the pupils' book. Sometimes the pupils' book presents a context from which the activities arise: sometimes it provides applications of science studied in the activities. There are many questions in both the activity sheets and the pupils' book. The suggested activities are varied. They include practical investigations, teacher demonstrations, data analysis, designing and making, guided reading, purposeful writing, discussion and debate as well as puzzles and quizzes.