Science Curriculum

Intent of Science

Science at Thurston Community College should be a subject that opens the eyes of students to an explanation of the world around them. 

Explored both through the individual disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics and the very nature of how science works the students will develop the knowledge and skills needed to understand the world as it is now, and be able to face the challenges of the future.

Threads of powerful knowledge in Science

1.   The 10 Big Ideas in Science that drive the curriculum content:

• All material in the universe is made of very small particles
• Objects can affect other objects at a distance
• Changing the movement of an object requires a net force to act on it
• The total amount of energy in the Universe is always the same but energy can be transformed when things change or are made to happen
• The composition of the Earth and its atmosphere and the processes occurring within them shape the Earth’s surface and its climate

• Our solar system is a very small part of one of millions of galaxies in the Universe
• Organisms are organised on a cellular basis
• Organisms require a supply of energy and materials for which they are often dependent on or in competition with other organisms
• Genetic information is passed down from one generation of organisms to another
• Diversity of organisms, living and extinct, is the result of evolution.

2. Understanding the role of science, scientists and the scientific method:

• Science assumes that for every effect there is one or more causes 
• Scientific explanations, theories and models are those that best fit the facts known at a particular time
• The knowledge produced by science is used in some technologies to create products to serve human ends 
• Applications of science often have ethical, social, economic and political implications
• Developing the literacy and mathematical skills needed to interpret an ever changing world.

Cultural reading and enrichment in Science

• STEM club and the CREST Awards
• Trips and visits 

Links to Further Information

• A KS3 Science Curriculum Map
• B KS4 Combined Science Curriculum Map
• C KS4 Triple Science Curriculum Map
• D A Level Biology Curriculum Map
• E A Level Chemistry Curriculum Map
• F A Level Physics Curriculum Map
• G Science Assessment Marking and Feedback Approaches