Year 8: Key Dates

INSET Days (school closed for students): -Friday 23rd November 2018 -Monday 21st January 2019

Year 8 Parents’ Evening:

Thursday 23rd May 2019 4pm – 7pm

Welcome to our

Year 8 Information

Evening 2018

Mr J Cregg Headteacher

E-Safety – Mrs Drury

Curriculum, Assessment & Reporting– Mr. Clarey

English – Mr. Poole

Mathematics – Miss Davidson

Science – Ms Gibani

Tonight’s Event

Year 8 Information Evening 2018

Please ensure you have an Information Booklet

Tonight’s slides will be published on the school’s website

School Website www.priestnall.stockport.sch.uk

School Website www.priestnall.stockport.sch.uk

Please ensure that we have your correct email address

School twitter account @PriestnallSch

Show My Homework www.showmyhomework.co.uk

Student & Parent/Carer logins as previously

Homework Club Every day in the Library 8:00am – 8:45am 3:15pm – 4:30pm

‘Frog’ Learning Platform

Logins are as previously

‘Frog’ Learning Platform

Online portal for: • Attendance Information • Half-Termly Reports • Priestnall Post (weekly newsletter) • Exams Information • etc.

During Year 11: Each extra hour per day on the Internet, playing video games or watching TV one grade lower in two GCSE subjects

Each extra hour per day doing homework or reading one grade higher in four GCSE subjects

Research by Cambridge University

(2015):

E-Safety

Mrs Drury Curriculum Leader: Computing & Business

Studies

E-safety

Support materials

Parental guides on our website

Suggested Guidelines • Work in partnership with school • Keep an open dialogue with your child • Understand what your child is doing on-line

and learn how to do the same thing • Don’t agree to apps or social networking sites

until you have checked them out first. For example, do they provide others with unrestricted access to your child?

• Respect social networking sites’ age restrictions – no under 13s. The rule is there for a reason.

Suggested Guidelines • Monitor your child’s on-line activity – and

make sure your child knows this. This includes mobile phones.

• Limit access to the internet • Keep devices out of bedrooms • In the case of on-line abuse, bullying or

threats, keep the evidence, report to 101 and report to CEOP.

• Model good practice • E-safety evening

Curriculum &

Assessment Mr T Clarey

Deputy Headteacher

Looking ahead

The Class of 2022!

Year 8: What lies ahead?

Year 8

Year 7

Momentum and progress needs to be maintained during Y8. It is a key year for ultimate success in Year 11

Year 8: the bridge • Year 8 is a ‘bridge’ to Year 9 and the

start of GCSE courses… • The qualifications that will shape future

opportunities

Year 9

Year 8

Year 8: the bridge • Year 8 work is planned to take students

towards their future • All subjects • To develop the Skills, Knowledge &

Understandings for future success

Year 8

Year 9

Year 7

A crucial year for progress • From the enthusiasm & ‘novelty’ of Y7 • Building on prior knowledge, skills and

understanding • Establishing greater appreciation of

transferable skills and subject linking • Building Growth Mindsets- the power of

‘yet’

A crucial year for progress • From the enthusiasm & ‘novelty’ of Y7 • Building on prior knowledge, skills and

understanding • Establishing greater appreciation of

transferable skills and subject linking • Building Growth Mindsets- the power of

‘yet’ • (Opportunities for ‘broader’ Educating for Life:

DLDs, trips & visits, sports & clubs!) • Homework projects

Homework projects

A crucial year for progress • New National Curriculum content

following on from Year 7 • New skills, knowledge & understanding

• Preparing students for new significantly

more demanding GCSEs in all subjects • GCSE approaches are explored and

developed in Year 8

Curriculum Organisation: Y7

Heavily ‘blocked’ – subject groupings: Literacy-themed & Numeracy (Number/Pattern/Space)

Curriculum Organisation: Y8

Less ‘blocking’: Setting decisions by English, French, Maths Science, Tech & PE*

Reported as WAGs (Working at ‘Grades’) • Classwork • Homework • Tests* • End of Year Exams (May/June 2019)*

* end of Y11 exams have gained importance and therefore familiarity with exam preparation and procedures is crucial

Attainment & Progress

Communications • Website/ e-mail • Interim reports (Targets, WAGs, AtLs):

– Start of November 2018 & half-termly thereafter • Interim reports will be published on the

Learning Platform (VLE) • Interim reports will contain Action Points for

each subject – relating to the topics covered during the half-term

Communications • Website/ e-mail • Interim reports (Targets, WAGs, AtLs):

– Start of November 2018 & half-termly thereafter • Interim reports will be published on the

Learning Platform (VLE)

• Parents Evening: 23rd May 2019

Targets & Aspirations • Individual end of Y8 targets are set for all

subject areas– based on prior attainment. • These indicate minimum expected

outcomes at the end of Y8 • These are currently being reviewed by

subject teachers in light of initial WAGs -and as the year progresses- to ensure appropriate levels of challenge

Looking ahead

2022! It will soon be here…

Year 8:

A crucial year for progress!

English

Mr Poole

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Year 8

As with Year 7, each lesson is directed towards a particular Assessment Focus for Reading or Writing. Schemes of work alternate each half term between a reading focus and a writing focus. Within all schemes there are opportunities for speaking and listening activities such as role play, discussion and formal talks.

The revised curriculum has always been broad and vigorous in English, and therefore the national changes have not had a huge impact on what we deliver. However, there are two areas we began to focus on in detail over the last two years, and will continue to address this year: The ability to think independently and sort through problems. The grammatical and technical accuracy within a piece.

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Grammar teaching through writing pieces. Developed by Educational research team at Exeter University. In trials the groups on the trials improved their writing scores by 20%, compared with 11% for the students who didn’t.

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Dystopian Fiction Extracts used within lesson highlight the development of this genre from writers such as Orwell up to modern day examples (The Hunger Games, Divergent etc.) Writing the World This is a non-fiction based scheme that focuses on reportage and documentary-style writing.

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Studying the effects grammatical features have on a reader. Discussion: critical conversations about language. Authentic texts rather than texts created to exemplify a grammatical point. Creative imitation, language play and experimenting Grammatical terms are in the forefront but built into lessons.

Study of extracts from nineteenth century texts. Opportunities for extended writing tasks within reading schemes of work. All assessments revised or developed to mirror the styles of questions they will face in their GCSE.

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Macbeth

To Kill a Mockingbird/Freak the Mighty

War Poetry/War Literature

Romeo and Juliet

Of Mice and Men

Power and Conflict Poetry

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Once a fortnight students have a timetabled library lesson. This is to enable them to take books out of the library but also to extend their reading within a focused context. However independent reading is an essential element of making maximum progress in English, and this should be encouraged at home.

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Students are assessed on a short piece and a longer piece of reading or writing each half term. This will depend upon whether the programme of study has a reading or writing focus. For each assessment they will be awarded a national curriculum level with a sub-level – e.g. 6c. At the end of the year they will sit a formal examination in the hall which will be an extended reading task. The final overall level awarded at the end of the year will take into account both in-class assessments and the exam.

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• English Ambassadors • Reading groups • Grammar skills club • Theatre visits • Visiting authors • Poetry competitions

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Encouraging your child to read and even reading with them. Having access to a range of newspapers and magazines – and other non-fiction resources. Study guides and work books are available in the library to help with both reading and writing skills.

Maths

Miss Davidson Curriculum Leader: Maths

Initial Setting • Students in year 8 are put into groups

according to their Mathematical ability following assessment in Year 7.

• If any students appear to be misplaced, we make changes throughout the year accordingly.

New National Curriculum

• Fluency • Problem Solving • Reasoning

Fluency • become fluent in the fundamentals

of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.

Problem Solving

• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

Reasoning

• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.

Year 8 Scheme of Work

• Basics review • Higher algebra • Triangles/circles an formulae • Statistical methods • Multiplicative Reasoning

• What is the area of this rectangle? Problem solving/more open ended questions: • Which square has the same area as this rectangle? • Find all the rectangles with whole-number side

lengths that have the same area as this one. • How many rectangles have an area of 100cm2?

Explain. • If I halve the length and double the width, what

happens to the area? What if I double the length and halve the width? Explore…

20cm

5cm

Homework

•

Username: ddmmyyinitialsinCAPS@priestnall Password: ddmmyyinitialsinCAPS

Website: www.vle.mathswatch.co.uk

Homework tasks Homework deadline

This is what you will see when you login to MathsWatch:

When you score full marks on a question, it turns green.

Type your answer in the box given, then submit

If you need help to answer the questions, use the video clips at the bottom of the page.

Equipment Your child will need the following for their

Maths lessons: • Pen • Pencil • Ruler • Rubber • Protractor (angle measurer) • Compass • Calculator ( Available from the Bridgewater office for £5)

Assessment • Students are assessed twice during Year 8.

• Week 27 (week before Easter break)

• Week 36 (end of June 2019) • We use full GCSE papers at the

appropriate level.

Assessment

• Results analysed and areas for improvement identified.

• Sets will be discussed after each assessment.

• KS3 Progress meetings to identify any students in need of intervention if below target.

Any Issues

kate.davidson@priestnall.stockport.sch.uk

Science

Ms Gibani Head of Science

Year 8 Course Overview

• The KS3 Scheme of Learning (SoL) has been written “in-house” and focuses on the core skills needed in Science. In Year 9 pupils begin their GCSE ‘foundation’ course.

• Some GCSE concepts are now included at KS3. This should better prepare pupils for the new Science GCSEs which are more rigorous.

Year 8 Scheme of Work • Food & Nutrition • Combustion • The Periodic Table • Fluids • Plants & Reproduction • Light • Energy Transfers • Breathing & Respiration • Metals & their uses • Sound • Unicellular Organisms

Assessment • Once every half term, students will complete an

assessment based on scientific core skills/content.

• Students will get a record of their results which will allow them to track and analyse their progress.

• The assessment after the Christmas holiday will be a written exam.

• In addition, a formal, written exam will be taken by all Year 8 students at the end of the year.

Parental Support is a website for homework, revision &

independent learning.

www.pearsonactivelearn.com

Username = school log in (DOB and initials) eg 100601AB

Password = Password01

• Your child will be assigned a set of Active Learn tasks that must be completed each half-term

www.pearsonactivelearn.com

An electronic, interactive version of the textbook accessible from the website

It includes a range of guided, interactive learning activities that include short and extended

answer questions. It provides instant automated marking and feedback.

There is a tracking screen to show your child’s progress and attainment

Homework • Some of the homework tasks this year will be

project based.

• Some projects may involve making a model. Please encourage your child to take photographs of their models to stick in their exercise book.

Homework projects

Homework projects

Homework • Some of the homework tasks this year will be

project based

• Some projects may involve making a model. Please encourage your child to take photographs of their models to stick in their exercise book

• All homework tasks will be uploaded to “Show My Homework”

Revision Resources • The Priestnall VLE will have resources for all the units taught.

There are also exam tips and many other helpful support areas

• Revision Guides are available from the school library at a cost of £5.50 if they haven’t been previously purchased in Year 7

• Encourage the use of revision websites/revision material

creation software/apps such as: • www.bbc.co.uk/revision • www.s-cool.co.uk • www.gcsescience.com • www.schoolscience.co.uk • www.flashcardmachine.com

Extra Support from School

• Each Science teacher has set aside time each week advertised as “Office Hours”, when they will be available to provide some help and advice for students (these have been posted on the school website) – These sessions are to help with classwork,

homework, advice and guidance on revision etc