YEAR 9 - Castle Newnham School
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YEAR 9
Curriculum Newsletter
Welcome to our Year 9 study them the other way around. Reminders/Key dates:
Spring term curriculum ‘Blood Brothers’ is a story about twin Spring term 2021
newsletter. brothers separated at birth and brought up 5 January - 26 March
in households with very different economic
In this introduction I would like to focus on circumstances. The play does contain Half term
home learning (previously called home- occasional offensive language, but this 15 February - 19 February
work) and its place in supporting learning language is in the context of children
happening in school. Easter Holiday
misunderstanding the meanings of the 29 March - 12 April
Throughout the secondary years we words and is presented in an age- (returning on the 13 April)
support pupils in developing their appropriate way.
independent learning skills so that when If you have any further questions about Parents’ evening
they reach Key Stage 4, in Year 10, they this, then please contact Mrs Sturge. TBC
are able to access and revise work 20 January
covered in lessons independently. We ‘Lord of the Flies’ tells the story of a group
work towards this by expecting pupils in of school boys who are stranded alone on
Years 9 to complete the tasks set on a desert island with no adults. The novel PLEASE NOTE!
Satchel One, ensuring they meet explores the challenges involved in terms
deadlines and organise their time of democracy and power struggles Planned curriculum
effectively. Pupils are also encouraged to within society, as well as addressing may be subject to
start reviewing content learned in lessons bullying and morality. some changes in
and starting to build up revision notes. order to support
Parents are able to sign in and monitor What can you do to support your child? remote learning.
homework being set, see deadlines and Discuss the texts with your child - which
feedback on completion. Login details for characters do they like/dislike? Ask them
this were sent out last term, but should you to explain what has happened so far to
need to access them again please email you, and how they feel about the events
secoffice@castlenewnham.school they describe. Can they see any parallels
It is really important to challenge the myth with the world they live in today?
that lots of homework being set by a
school equates to high standards and Wider reading:
expectations. In fact, research has clearly There is an excellent summary of ‘Lord of
shown that short sharp bursts of the Flies’, as well as information and
homework, requiring pupils to review analysis of key characters and themes on
knowledge, practise their understanding or this website:
recall key information, is much more https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/flies/.
effective.
The newsletter was written prior to lockdown but
Similarly, there is useful revision materials
the content being taught this term remains for ‘Blood Brothers’ here:
unchanged. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/
zxv7sg8
Find out more about the playwright Willy
ENGLISH Russell and the other works he has
produced here:
http://www.willyrussell.com/
What are we doing this term?
Find out more about William Golding, the
This term, pupils will study ‘Blood Brothers’ author of ‘Lord of the Flies’ here:
and ‘Lord of the Flies’. The year group has https://www.william-golding.co.uk/
been split in half, so one half will study
‘Lord of the Flies’ followed by ‘Blood
Brothers’, and the other half of the year will
Spring
Year 9
SCIENCE PE (cont….)
Year 9 will continue with GCSE science content. After mouth guard. We also recommend bringing spare
completing a chemistry unit on atoms, elements and shoes/football boots and socks to change into, as
compounds, they will move on to start their first unit of lacrosse will be taught on the field. Pupils will also be
physics, which covers energy stores and transfers of expected to dress appropriately to exercise and we
energy. therefore ask that pupils are wearing sufficient layers to
be outside, without wearing their coat.
With strict COVID guidelines in place, all classes have
now used a science lab to complete some of their Please note - this is subject to change.
required practicals.
MATHS GEOGRAPHY
The Year 9s have already got through so much this year To start the term, we are completing our study of China,
and are finishing this term by starting to explore considering its place in the world as an emerging
multiplicative reasoning. At the end of each unit, this economy and its influence on climate change. This will
term, pupils have had the opportunity to use their notes be followed by learning about current changes in China
to complete an open book end-of-unit test. Staff and – what these are, why they are being implemented and
pupils have found these very useful, because it has how successfully.
helped staff identify the areas of the unit that pupils have
Following formal assessment in January, we will move
struggled with and has also given pupils the confidence
on to ‘By the Sea’, a topic missed during lockdown,
that their hard work and diligence are paying off.
where pupils will learn about coastal processes and how
Year 9s are currently still taught in mixed attainment these shape landscapes. Pupils will consider how we
groups and most puplis are thriving very well; with use coastal landscapes, and how physical and human
emphasis on hard work and a positive attitude towards processes interact to change our world, including how
work. we manage coastlines today.
Next term, we will continue with our work on Our next topic will be about a far hotter part of the world
multiplicative reasoning. Following on from that, we will – The Middle East. Throughout learning this year, there
start to develop a deeper understanding of sequences, is an emphasis on climate change, its causes, impacts
equations, inequalities and proportionality. These will be and the increasing concern about it – both global and
followed by a unit on constructions. It is therefore of local. Pupils are also having to apply previous learning
utmost importance that pupils are well equipped to increasingly often, and more independently, in
participate fully in these lessons, so items like answering geographical questions.
protractors, a pair of compasses, rulers and
Homework quizzes are set regularly on
calculators are a necessity.
ShowMyHomework and are designed to help pupils to
To ensure pupils have sufficient time to recover over the remember information – and for longer. Pupils should
holidays, the maths department will not be setting have at least two attempts at each quiz – at least one
homework to be completed. However, we want to day apart.
re-emphasise the importance of supporting learning in
Pupils can best support themselves in learning and
school with skills-focused homework. Well done to the
making progress by giving of their best in lessons and
many who have been doing this regularly. If your child is
during homework activities. The BBC Bitesize KS3
having issues getting onto the ‘Mathswatch VLE’, then
Geography site also has good synopses of topic
please do not hesitate to contact us via email or
information.
telephone.
Happy New Year from all of the maths department.
HISTORY
PE Our Year 9s have just begun their topic on Britain and
Europe since 1900. This topic will see them study the
causes of the Great War and its effects such as the
To begin the new calendar year, pupils will be getting Great Depression and the rise of dictatorships. Our
stuck in with learning first aid. Once this part of the pupils will also investigate the changes that have taken
curriculum is complete, year 9 will move on to lacrosse, place in British society since 1945, in terms of culture
netball, hockey or OAA (outdoor and adventure and technology.
activities) for the remainder of the spring term. For
lacrosse and hockey, we do require pupils to wear a
Spring
Year 9
ART DANCE (cont….)
Year 9 pupils will look at the theme ‘Food’ and will be see how the constituent features also help to
looking at both healthy, and unhealthy foods. Pupils will communicate choreographic intent. A version of
look in detail at the different techniques of artists such Revelations is available on YouTube for pupils to watch
as: Nancy Standlee, Claes Oldenburg and at home.
Wayne Thiebaud. They will be developing their
proficiency in using oil pastels, paint and collage.
Pupils should start to collect images of different foods for
their sketchbooks.
FILM STUDIES
Pupils will begin to put their newly learned theoretical
MUSIC knowledge into practice by continuing to create film
excerpts to prepare for assessment. Pupils will also
begin to analyse ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ using their
knowledge of Film Form.
Pupils will develop instrumental skills on keyboard,
ukulele, guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals and will
learn to perform a four chord pop song as a class
(‘Someone you loved’ - Lewis Capaldi).
Pupils will be completing a ‘GarageBand’ from Scratch
unit where they will learn how to use a Digital Audio
Workstation (DAW) effectively and will learning to
sequence their own 4 chord compositions.
After half-term pupils will be working with a famous
theme and exploring different musical ways in which this
can be varied and developed, using the elements of
music and exploring changes in tonality and rhythm.
They will explore how composers have used variation
form in a selection of music from different times and
places.
In addition to listening and appraisal, performance and
composition lessons, pupils have a fortnightly music
theory lesson to support their learning and
understanding of the elements of music.
DRAMA HOSPITALITY and CATERING
This term pupils will be performing and presenting Year 9 pupils produced some fantastic Christmas
monologues. Pupils will choose a monologue that they cooking last term and we were very proud of their
will rehearse and stage during lesson time. Pupils will gingerbread houses and Christmas cakes!
need to demonstrate and showcase the performance They will continue cooking this term, focussing on some
skills (vocal and physical) that they have been learning of the GCSE ‘high skills’ to equip them for Year 10.
since Year 7. This will be an opportunity to stage a solo
piece with full production values: costume, lighting and Please help us by ensuring pupils are organised with
sound. their ingredients and as always, please let us know if
you require support with this.
DANCE
Year 9 will be continuing to explore different professional
works in Dance. For this term, the class will be
introduced to the pioneering work ‘Revelations’ by Alvin
Ailey. In practicals, pupils will be learning the repertoire
of different sections found within the work, to explore
how movement communicates clear meaning to an
audience. Theoretically, pupils will analyse the work to
Spring
Year 9
HOSPITALITY and CATERING MFL (cont….)
(cont….) Switzerland. The key grammar focus towards the end of
the spring term will be using the conditional tense
(saying what you ‘would do’) to express opinions.
Mr Hochdorfer and Miss Von Rüden (our two
exchange teachers from Bamberg, Bedford’s twin town
in Germany) are working alongside Mrs Millard in
German lessons, deepening pupils’ knowledge of
German-speaking culture and the German language.
What can you do to support your child?
Helping your child does not mean having to know
French or German. Similar to the advice in English, en-
courage them to become ‘word detectives’, making links
with English and other languages that they know will
help them to guess what words mean. In order to
achieve a good pass and the higher grades at GCSE
level, that is grades 5-9, it is essential that pupils have
an understanding of verb usage, and of the past, present
and future tenses. The most effective way to learn verbs
and items of vocabulary is by practising, little and
often. Some pupils prefer to use a vocabulary sheet,
whilst others prefer to use free language learning
websites such as Duolingo and Memrise. All pupils
MFL should already have a Memrise account and this
enables them to access courses directly linked to what
they are learning in school. Castle Newnham also
subscribes to the Pearson Active Learn online
What are we doing this term?
Resources. All pupils have an account and teachers are
French setting homework on this site.
Pupils will begin the term by preparing for the end of
module assessment. As well as listening and reading
tests, this will include a short piece of writing entitled ‘A BPE
person that I admire’ which will be prepared in class,
prior to the assessment week, and then written from
memory. They will then start a new module which looks This half term, pupils will continue with the topic ‘How do
at different types of leisure activities. Leading up to half I know what is right and wrong?’ They will be applying
term, pupils will talk about the benefits of doing sport both religious and non-religious ethical frameworks to
and discuss how they use technology. After half term, key ethical questions including, ‘Is war acceptable?’ and
they will describe reading habits and listening to music, ‘Should euthanasia be legalised?’ Pupils will then move
using negative structures. Towards the end of term, on to look at whether religions are part of the problem or
pupils will talk about television programmes, actors and the solution for the world’s problems. They will consider
films, using comparatives. the role that religion has in global conflict and supporting
the victims of war, the role that religion has in laws
Last term we were joined by Mrs Bradley who will be surrounding relationships and we will look at local,
with us while Miss Vandewyer is on maternity leave. national and international religious responses to creating
She has a wealth of experience and we are pleased to a tolerant world. It is important that pupils have a good
welcome her to our Modern Languages team at Castle understanding of current affairs because it will help your
Newnham. We wish Miss Vandewyer all our very best child to engage in discussions and evaluate opinions, so
as she leaves to have her baby. encouraging them to watch or read the news would be
helpful.
German
Pupils will begin their term by preparing for the first
assessment on the topic of ‘Die Schule’ (school). They
will then discuss and compare the German school
Design Technology
system, school rules and school trips with those at their
own English school before starting a new module which
We will look at developing pupils’ Computer Aided
looks at different types of leisure activities. Leading up
Design skills and Computer Aided Manufacturing using
to the half term break, pupils will discuss reading habits
the 3D printer. They will then look at timber and boards,
and music preferences. After half term, pupils will
understanding how timber is transformed into different
describe different types of television programmes and
sizes of wood and types of board. They will then use
films, and talk about sport, with a particular focus on
timber to create a multifunctional piece of furniture.
Spring
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