Science Scheme of Workfor the State of Qatar

Science scheme of workfor the State of Qatar

Grades 10 to 12advanced

Developed for the Education Institute by CfBT

3 | Qatar science scheme of work | Grades 10 to 12 advanced © Education Institute 2005

Contents

1 Introduction 5

2 Outline of the units for each grade 7

3 Units of work: Grades 10 to 12 advanced 35

Grade 10 advanced 41

Grade 10 advanced biology 45

Grade 10 advanced chemistry 99

Grade 10 advanced physics 143

Grade 11 advanced 205

Grade 11 advanced biology 209

Grade 11 advanced chemistry 275

Grade 11 advanced physics 321

Grade 12 advanced 387

Grade 12 advanced biology 391

Grade 12 advanced chemistry 455

Grade 12 advanced physics 507

Background to this document

The new Curriculum Standards for Arabic, English, mathematics and science lie at the heart of Qatar’s education reforms. The standards draw on international expectations for what students should know, understand and be able to do at each stage of their schooling.

The new standards were introduced into Qatar’s Independent Schools in September 2004.

This optional scheme of work for science is a long-term teaching plan. It consists of units of work for each grade showing how the standards can be taught. It has been developed by the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT), who also developed the standards, guided by the staff of the Education Institute.

Local curriculum specialists and teachers have helped to ensure that the scheme of work reflects Qatari values and culture and is relevant to the needs and interests of Qatari students.

The complete scheme of work covers Grades 1 to 12. This document contains the materials for Grades 10 to 12 advanced. Similar documents contain the science scheme of work for other grades.

Acknowledgements

The questions on the assessment pages include some that are based on, or are adapted from, released items used in the international tests TIMSS (1993) or TIMSS-R (1998), or example items for TIMSS 2003, all published by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, The Hague, Belgium; some have their origins in the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level examinations administered by Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR). The activities in the science scheme of work for Grades 10 to 12 include some drawn from materials published by the Department for Education and Skills, England. We are grateful to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority for England, OCR and the Department for Education and Skills for agreeing that these examples may be used. Some of the activities and assessment questions include diagrams and questions from other sources. The sources of such diagrams and questions are acknowledged on the pages where they appear. We are grateful to those individuals, companies and institutions who have agreed that their diagrams and questions may be used in this publication.

Disclaimer

We are not responsible for the actual content of any materials suggested as information sources in this document, whether they be printed publications or on a website. We have checked all the website references at the time of writing but the constantly changing nature of the Internet means that some sites may alter at a later date.

We have made every effort to trace all copyright holders. We apologise for any acknowledgement omissions and welcome any additions or amendments for inclusion in any reprint.

Conventions used

The spelling conventions used in the scheme of work are based on standard British English.

The units of measurement and abbreviations used in the scheme of work are the Système Internationale (SI) units. They are written in their internationally recognised form: for example, the word centimetre and its abbreviation cm are used. Thin spaces, not commas, are used to separate groups of three digits in numbers with more than four digits: for example, 48746, not 48,746.

Numbers and symbols are written using Roman or Greek script. Equations and formulae are presented from left to right.

Schools will need to make their own decisions about spelling conventions and how numbers, symbols, equations and formulae are presented to students in lessons and learning resources, taking account of the language of instruction and the age of the students.

1

Introduction

This introductory section is intended to give some guidance about how schools might use the scheme of work.

Decisions about how best to teach the curriculum standards are left to schools. Each school can develop its own policies for lesson planning, teaching and learning, and assessment, so that as many students as possible achieve the standards expected for their grade.

There is no requirement for Independent Schools to use the scheme of work. Schools may use as little or as much of it as they find helpful, supplementing the materials or adapting them where appropriate to meet their students’ needs and the teaching time that they have available.

A scheme of work

The cycle of planning, teaching and assessment is a continuous one. Good teaching is based on good planning, and good planning is informed by effective assessment.

The Qatar scheme of work for Grades 1 to 12 is a long-term plan to help schools to achieve the aims for science, stated in the Introduction to the standards. It interprets the new curriculum standards and translates them into coherent, manageable teaching units: in Grades 10 to 12 advanced, typically about 5–18hours of work.

The scheme shows how the units can be distributed within each grade and across grades in a sequence that promotes continuity and progression in students’ learning. The units then act as a guide to teachers when they create their lesson plans.

Modifying the scheme of work

Adding further material

There is no right or wrong way to present a scheme of work: it can be set out in any way that is useful to teachers.

Schools that choose to use the scheme of work may decide to add further details to it, such as:

• extra notes to help teachers to interpret the scheme of work: for example, teaching points, references to ICT, common misunderstandings, suggestions for extension activities and for homework;

• more ideas for differentiated activities to cater for students who are very able or who need extra support;

• further assessment activities to help teachers to judge students’ progress;

• suggestions for links that can be made across subjects such as Arabic and English, or science and mathematics;

• out-of-school activities that can enhance learning in school.

Changing parts of the scheme of work

Some schools may decide to modify the whole scheme of work, the units for one or more grades, or particular units. Some possible modifications are to:

• emphasise or expand particular parts of the scheme;

• vary contexts, resources or activities to take account of the different interests of boys and girls;

• add to one or more units some objectives based on standards for a higher grade in order to give students opportunities to progress more rapidly;

• identify the essential supporting standards that need to be taught before the grade-specific standards;

• give students more time for particular aspects of the scheme, or opportunities to revisit knowledge and skills in different contexts;

• adapt activities to provide greater support for students with difficulties in language or literacy, or for students who are being taught in English.

The support provided for students with difficulties in language and literacy or who are being taught in English could include:

• reducing the amount of written work and reading;

• giving students the opportunity to clarify their ideas through discussion, the use of diagrams and other visual aids, and the use of apparatus, rather than relying on written materials.

There is more advice on teaching science in the medium of English later in this document (see page 39).

Reviewing an existing scheme of work

Some schools may already have a scheme of work that they have developed. These schools may want to review their scheme of work and supplement it with parts of the scheme of work in this document.

Some questions to ask when reviewing an existing scheme of work are as follows.

• How firmly is the scheme linked to the standards?

• Does it build up concepts in an organised, systematic and rigorous way?

• Does it identify what students are expected to learn, and how students’ learning may be assessed?

• Does it describe appropriate teaching and learning activities? Are the activities linked to the learning that they are intended to promote?

• Does the scheme provide opportunities to develop ICT skills and, where appropriate, links with other subjects, such as mathematics?

• Are the resources needed to teach the scheme identified? Are these resources appropriate to the age and ability of the students?

• Does the scheme indicate the time needed to teach each unit, consistent with your school’s timetable for science?

• Is there enough detail in the scheme to help teachers when they plan lessons?

• Does the scheme allow for some flexibility when it is used?

2

Outline of the units for each grade

Content of the scheme of work

The Qatar scheme of work for science:

• draws the standards together into coherent, manageable teaching units;

• indicates the approximate number of teaching hours for each unit;

• orders the units across two semesters of the school year so that they build on preceding work, link with other units and prepare students for the next grade;

• develops sufficient detail in each unit about what to teach and how to teach it for teachers to be able to create a series of lesson plans from it.

The flow of the units reflects continuity and progression in students’ learning throughout the school year. The sequence provides one or more opportunities to revisit particular standards or groups of standards throughout the course of the year. This gives students the chance to consolidate their learning in a range of contexts and to make connections between different aspects of the subject.

The example diagram on the right shows how units of work are organised and sequenced in the scheme of work for Grade 10 advanced.

The diagrams sequence units within the three content strands of the science standards in Grades 10 to 12 (biology, chemistry and physics). It is anticipated that students will follow teaching programmes in biology, chemistry and physics concurrently.

The diagrams summarising the units also indicate the break between the first and second semesters. This is a rough guide only. Schools should carry on teaching the units regardless of when the break occurs.

The diagrams illustrate only one way of grouping the standards and ordering the teaching units for the grades. Schools can decide:

• to use this model in full;

• not to use the model; or

• to customise individual units or vary the order to suit their own circumstances.

3 | Qatar science scheme of work | Grades 10 to 12 advanced © Education Institute 2005