GWA SIXTH FORM YEAR 11 SOFT TRANSITION TASKS - Great ...

GWA SIXTH FORM
       YEAR 11
SOFT TRANSITION TASKS
        2020

CONTENTS
Subject                      Page
Art Textiles                 3
Biology                      4
Business                     5
Chemistry                    6
Computer Science             7
Drama                        8
English Language             9
English Literature           10
French                       11
Geography                    12
History                      13
Law                          14
Maths                        15
Music                        16
PE                           17
Philosophy and Ethics (RS)   18
Physics                      19
Politics                     20
Product Design               21
Psychology                   22
Sociology                    23
Spanish                      24

Art Textiles                              Mrs Plenty

    Something to think
    about…
    What is the importance of art
    textiles in society today?

    Something to look at…
    Studio21 showcasing the work of
    textile artists.

    Something to watch…
    A range of videos all about
    creativity and fashion voguevid

    Something to read…
    An article that documents the
    history of fashion from 1900-1970:
    fashionhistory
    A daily blog all about textile art:
    selvedge

                                                       3

Mrs Rodway and
Biology                         Mr Barrington-Wilding
  Something to think about…
  Should there be more strict
  regulation of antibiotics? Should
  genetic screening be offered to
  all through a health plan, should
  it be mandatory?

  Something to listen to…
  The Natural Selection Podcast
  The Infinite Monkey Cage Podcast
  The Life Scientific Podcast

  Something to watch…
  Life – Coming to Netflix
  Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution
  of the Origin of Species

  Something to read…
  Free GCP Transition Book
  Biology Reading List

                                                        4

Business                                                Mr D Smith
  Something to think about…
  Ethical Issues…
  Do businesses have a moral obligation to a wider group of
  people than just their shareholders/owners?
  Should business be doing more to care for the
  environment?
  Is it right that many fashion brands make use of cheap
  labour in countries like India and Bangladesh?

  Something to listen to…
  There are some great Business Podcasts:
  Local to Global with Nick Hewer
  FT Start-Up Stories
  The Bottom Line

  Something to watch…
  Dragon’s Den and The Apprentice are great for
  business.
  Inside the Factory series from BBC
  The Business Insider YouTube channel
  The FT Company Stories videos are great
  There are also lots of good documentaries on
  Netflix/Amazon, such as The Founder, Steve Jobs –
  Billion Dollar Hippie and The American Factory

  Something to read…
  Pick any stories that interest you in the business
  news on the BBC and the Guardian Websites.
  ‘The Undercover Economist’ by Tim Harford is an
  easy read. The book (or audiobook) is broken into
  chapters and you don't need to read the lot in one
  go.
  Another good one is Freakonomics by Steven Levett
  Or any good business Autobiography like Richard
  Branson, Alan Sugar, Karen Brady and Jo Malone

                                                                     5

Chemistry                                      Mr N Holbourn
   Something to think about…
   What role is chemistry playing in our current Virus
   global challenge?

   Something to listen to…
   Chemistry For Your Life
   Melissa and Jam

   Something to watch…
   The Magic of Chemistry
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g8lANs6zpQ

   Something to read…
   The Periodic Table- Primo Levi
   Haunting reflections of a Chemist who survived
   Auschwitz.

                                                               6

Computer Science                                Miss Ryan
  Something to think about…
  Is it possible to create a program that can
  look at the code of any other program and
  decide if that other program will ever stop
  running?

  Something to listen to…
  TWIT Podcast (This Week in Tech).
  Available on Spotify, Apple and Google
  and the TWIT website.

  Something to watch…
  BBC Click – The episodes on BBC iPlayer
  are plentiful and highlight key
  development in technology as well as
  discussing the wider impact of tech on the
  world.

  Something to read…
  ‘Brown Dogs & Barbers: What's Computer
  Science All About?’ A great introduction to
  lots of Computer Science concepts or try
  YouTube Computer Science crash course.

                                                            7

Drama                                           Miss Stevens

 Something to think about…
 Theatre is one of the oldest forms of
 entertainment, why is it so longstanding? How
 can theatre be used to change the world?
 What makes a good performer? What makes a
 piece of theatre memorable? What is the
 future of theatre?

 Something to listen to…
 Podcasts: NT Talks- The National Theatre
 Podcast.
 What The Musical- Two friends discuss a new
 musical each episode with special guests.
 Hamilcast- A Podcast exploring the
 phenomenon of Hamilton the Musical.

 Something to watch…
 The National Theatre YouTube Channel is
 currently streaming a fantastic play each
 Thursday which is available for one week.
 Explore TED Talks on the Puppetry of War
 Horse, Women telling stories in theatre, and
 why Live Arts matter.

 Something to read…
 Plays! Any play would be fantastic. Aim for a
 mix of traditional and contemporary. Amazon,
 NT Bookstore, and World of Books have an
 array.
 The Theatre pages for The Independent and
 The Guardian for news, reviews, interviews,
 and opinion pieces.

                                                               8

English Language                                      Mrs Houghton

  Something to think about…
  Where does the English language originate? Do
  different groups of people use the English language
  in different ways? How can language be used to
  exert power or to alienate others? When do children
  learn to speak? And, how do they acquire language?
  Do all children acquire language at the same time?

   Something to listen to…
   Podcasts: Linguistic discrimination : An in-depth look
   at racism, sexism and discrimination in linguistics.
   The History of the English language: an exploration
   of our language and its development over history.

   Something to watch…
   Explore TED Talks on child language acquisition and
   on the link between accents and identity.

  Something to read…
  The BBC News website has some brilliant articles on
  all areas surrounding the English Language – any of
  these would be beneficial to read.
  This is also an interesting article on Americanisms in
  the English Language.

                                                                     9

English Literature                                          Mrs
                                                       Houghton
   Something to think about…
   What defines ‘good’ literature? Do you think
   there are minor and forgotten texts that are not
   viewed as literature but should be? How are
   ideas about gender and society represented in
   literature? How are ideas about class and
   equality represented in society?

   Something to listen to…
   Podcasts: A History of Literature : An in-depth
   look at an array of different novels.
   Radio 3’s The Verb explores different topics and
   styles of literature each week.
   Literary Friction: a monthly conversation on a
   theme with author interviews, books recs and
   lively discussion.

   Something to watch…
   Shakespeare’s Globe to Globe showcases
   productions from across the world.
   Explore TED Talks on reading globally and the
   danger of a single story.
   On the BBC, classic books are considered with a
   fresh eye.

   Something to read…
   Any type of literature! The reading list on the
   summer work is a great place to start, but any
   form of literature would be beneficial. Aim for a
   mix of traditional and contemporary texts.
   Amazon and World of Books have an array of
   cheap texts.
   Literary Hub is full of fantastic articles, book
   recommendations, interviews etc

                                                                  10

French                                Miss Woolford

  Something to think about…
  How does language reflect our
  identity? How and why do languages
  evolve? What do we lose when a
  language dies out?

  Something to listen to…
  Follow the latest in the Francophone
  world on www.tv5monde.com and
  www.france24.com

  Something to watch…
  Listening to French radio stations is a
  great way to improve your French.
  Follow this link to listen to RTL – the
  perfect general-interest radio station.
  https://tunein.com/radio/RTL-1043-
  s6617/

  Something to read…
  You will find some great articles for
  young adults in the magazine
  Phosphore. You can follow on
  Instagram #magphosphore or on
  Twitter @phosphoremag.

                                                      11

Geography                             Miss Bracey

  Something to think about…
  Why is geography important? How is
  everything interconnected? What does our
  future look like?

  Something to listen to…
  Overheard – National Geographic
  RGS Online Lectures
  Ask the Geographer Podcasts

  Something to watch…
  Planet Earth
  Anatomy of a Superstorm
  Chasing Coral
  Seven Worlds, One Planet

  Something to read…
  Factfulness
  Prisoners of Geography
  Adventures in the Anthropocene
  Population: 10 Billion

                                                    12

History                        Mr Withers, Miss
                              Biddles, Mr Clarke
  Something to think about…
  At what point did people feel it was
  important to be part of a country? Why
  did people demand rights and
  representation?

  Something to listen to…
  ‘You’re Dead to Me’ BBC History podcast
  ‘How to invent a country’ BBC podcast
  (especially those on Garibaldi)

  Something to watch…
  BBC Series History of Britain
  Youtube: 3 minute history

  Something to read…
  Ed Podesta, Enquiry History Italian
  unification 1815 to 1871

                                                   13

Law                                         Mrs Harris

 Something to think about...
 What examples of injustice in the UK can
 you think of? If you could change one
 thing in UK law what would it be and
 why?

 Something to listen to…
 How do jury members cope with giving
 the death sentence in US?
 https://www.npr.org/2019/06/21/734403
 611/lindy-lou-isonhood-can-you-move-on-
 after-a-capital-punishment-trial

 Something to watch…
 Follow a real police investigation
 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m
 00085r7/panorama-the-hunt-for-britains-
 slave-gangs
 And a murder trial:
 https://www.channel4.com/programmes/
 the-trial-a-murder-in-the-family

 Something to read…
 Fiction book classic: To Kill a Mockingbird
 by Harper Lee
 An article on a case that led to a change in
 the law
 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-
 47724697

                                                         14

Maths                                           Miss Walker
 Something to think about...
 What is mathematical proof, what are the
 different types of proof and why do
 mathematicians need to prove things?
 Investigate the proofs to some of the
 problems you've known about since early
 in your mathematical career (e.g. how
 many different ways are there to prove
 Pythagroas' Theorem?)

 Something to listen to…
 HegartyMaths is providing regular
 sessions aimed at year 11 students with
 the aim of strengthening your core skills to
 allow you to hit the ground running at the
 start of your A Level studies! No log in
 needed.

 Something to watch…
 The advanced maths support programme
 are providing great online resources for
 maths between year 11 and year 12
 or catch up on the Cambridge maths Christmas
 Lecture series from Hannah Fry here

 Something to read…
 Can you link them to the Maths reading
 list? If not here are some options: Why do
 buses coming 3s? Rob Eastaway, Fermat's
 Last Theorem Simon Singh, The Codebook
 Simon Singh, Hello World Hannah Fry.

                                                              15

Mrs Shannon &
Music                                 Mrs Hutchings
  Something to think about…
  Why do people still listen to Classical Music?
  What place does it have in today's society?
  Think about where you might hear Classical
  Music. What impact does it have on today's
  Music? What are the origins of Popular Music?
  When did Popular Music start?

  Something to listen to…
  Classic FM Hall of Fame short stories
  podcast

  Something to watch…
  Powerful Classical Music which will
  make you either get up and dance or sit
  down in awe:
  Play it loud - Powerful Classical Music

  Something to read…
  www.musictheory.net .
  The Basics, Rhythm and Metre, Scales and Key
  Signatures, Intervals, Chords, Diatonic Chords,
  Chord Progressions and Neapolitan Chords.

                                                      16

Philosophy & Ethics
                                                Miss Hughes
   Something to think about…
   Why is it so important for humans to have
   answers?
   Why do we need to know if God exists?
   Why dedicate your life to something that
   may not even be real?

   Something to listen to…
   Plenty to think about on the BBC (BBC In
   Our Time)

   Or, question everything at Philosophy Talk
   (Here)

   Something to watch…
   Philosophy ninja is always good
   (Philosophy Ninja )

   As is Morgan Freeman…of course! (Tasters
   here - full programme on Netflix)

   Something to read…
   Sophie’s World (Gaarder)
   Philosophy of Religion: The Big Questions
   (Stump and Murray)
   Sexism and God-Talk (Radford Ruether)

                                                              17

Physical Education                                              Mr. Cook and
                                                                Miss Cleaver
    Something to think about…
    Technology in Sport; cheating or evolution? Should a
    performer use dynamic or static stretching before
    competition? Should global events such as the Olympics
    include all countries regardless of political issues?

    Something to listen to…
    Zonal Marking Podcast
    Podcasts discussing topical sports talking points.
    ‘Sportsworld’ and ‘Flintoff, Savage and the Ping Pong
    Guy’, both available on BBC Sounds.

    Something to watch…
    Game changers on Netflix is a really interesting watch,
    covering new developments in Sports nutrition. With an
    ever-changing world, there are lots of different opinions
    of what is best for our bodies, but when it comes to this
    topic, is there a correct answer? TED Talk on the
    evolution of sports performance
    Sports role on our society

    Something to read…
    Good Books: ‘How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the
    Psychology of Mind Over Muscle’ by Matt Fitzgerald and
    ‘Bounce: the Science of Success’ by Matthew Syed.
    https://sport.yougov.com/ is a Sports research company
    with lots of interesting, though provoking articles. Also
    check out https://www.uksport.gov.uk/ for everything
    Team GB and https://www.eis2win.co.uk/resources/ for
    interesting stories about upcoming athletes and much
    more.

                                                                               18

Physics                                    Miss Gill
 Something to think about…
 There are lots of stars and lots of
 planets. Why have we not detected any
 radio signals from these worlds?

 Something to listen to…
 ‘The Infinite Monkey Cage' is a light-
 hearted podcast available on BBC
 Sounds, covering a whole range of
 science topics

 Something to watch…
 There are some classic episodes of the
 long-running BBC Horizon series on
 BBCi-Player

 Something to read…
 Try a few articles in the New Scientist
 A bit more demanding, perhaps!

                                                       19

Politics                         Mr Clark & Mr Smith
   Something to think about…
   What are your views on Brexit?
   Do you think that more powers should be
   given to the Scottish, Welsh and Northern
   Irish governments?
   Is voting worth it? Can it affect anything?

   Something to listen to…
   Talking Politics
   FT Politics Podcast
   Today in Parliament
   Politix and Chill

   Something to watch…
   The Andrew Marr Show
   Politics UK
   UK Parliament

   Something to read…
   Any good political Autobiography
   Newspapers

                                                       20

Product Design                                           Mrs Flynn
   Something to think about…
   As product designers, we play an important role
   in shaping our future. The products we create
   have the power to transform how societies think,
   feel and behave. We must be conscious of the
   social and ethical responsibility that we have; we
   can proactively drive positive change within our
   communities.

   Something to listen to…
   Could things be better? How? In this funny,
   breezy talk (Ted talk, search for the secret of
   design), the man behind the iPod and shares
   some of his tips for noticing and driving change.
   Also, Philippe Starck (search for Design & Destiny)
   reaches for the very roots of the question "Why
   design?"

   Something to watch…
   Here is a published list of the top 15 YouTube
   channels for Product Designers. They cover lots of
   different areas from industry tips to design
   processes and even how to get started! (click
   here)

   Something to read…
   We rarely think about the design of the objects
   we use everyday. The fact is you're not supposed
   to; these everyday objects have been
   meticulously designed to work so well that you
   never have to notice them - that’s what good
   design is all about. Take a look at ‘The 50 Most
   Iconic Designs of Everyday Objects’ (click here)

                                                                     21

Psychology                                Mrs Harris /
                                          Miss Lydford
   Something to think about…
   What do you think is the cause of human
   behaviour? Do we have a choice about
   the way that we behave?

   Something to listen to…
   BBC Radio’s “ALL IN THE MIND” examines
   various psychology topics each week, like
   tolerance in the brain and exercise to
   prevent depression.

   Something to watch…
   Derren Brown: The push- available on
   Netflix.
   The Stanford Prison experiment.

   Something to read…
   Simply Psychology. Psychology review
   magazines available via Hodder
   education.
   Hidden valley road: Inside the mind of an
   American family- Robert Kolker (a book
   on schizophrenia).

                                                         22

Miss Lydford /
Sociology                                    Mrs Harris
   Something to think about…
   To what extent does out social class
   background affect our life chances?

   Something to listen to…
   Student podcast on globalisation
   https://audioboom.com/posts/5177715-
   student-podcast-on-defining-globalisation

   Something to watch…
   Short films on various sociological topics
   on ShortcutsTv.

   Something to read…
   The sociology review via Hodder
   education.

                                                           23

Spanish                                      Mr Cirera

  Something to think about…
  Start thinking about what your main
  reason for studying Spanish at A-Level
  is and carry out some research on a
  specific Hispanic topic you are
  interested in.

  Something to listen to…
  Listen to some music by Spanish or
  Latin American artists, looking for the
  lyrics and reading them as you listen to
  the songs. Singing along really helps
  with accent and speaking practice!

  Something to watch…
  If you have Netflix, you could watch
  some Spanish series which are very
  popular at the moment and will help
  you with your understanding
  (examples: Élite, Gran Hotel, Tiempos
  de Guerra, Las Chicas del Cable, etc.)

  Something to read…
  To get up to date with Spanish news
  and current affairs, take a look at the
  daily Spanish newspaper
  www.elpais.com online

                                                         24