Parkhill Secondary School

Parkhill School Science Department

Mission statement

The Science department will continue to develop in order to meet the needs of the learners, with the aim of developing an understanding of the modern world of Science, with its many developments and issues. The department will aim to relate the learning to aspects of Science in the modern world with an appreciation of the many contributions that Science has given to the world in the past. “How does the world work?” will be a question that will be continually referred to.

Rationale and aims

The sciences framework provides a range of different contexts for learning which draw on important aspects of everyday life.

Learning in the sciences will enable the pupil to:

·         Develop curiosity and understanding of the environment and my place in the living, material and physical world

·          Demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of the big ideas and concepts of the sciences

·          Develop skills for learning, life and work

·          Develop the skills of scientific inquiry and investigation using practical techniques

·         Apply safety measures and take necessary actions to control risk and hazards

·         Recognise the impact the sciences make on my life, the lives of others, the environment and on society

·         Recognise the role of creativity and inventiveness in the development of the sciences

·          Develop an understanding of the Earth’s resources and the need for responsible use of them.

·         Develop as a scientifically-literate citizen with a lifelong interest in the Sciences

·          Establish the foundation for more advanced learning and future careers in the sciences and the technologies.

·         To have an understanding of the scientific world around them.

Course outlines.

S1 – S3   Broad general education.

The pupils will cover all 5 of the key areas listed below and progress through different levels as appropriate. Each area creates challenges, such as problem solving and working together and covers all aspects of Science from the past present and future. Pupils are given choices in their learning as they progress through the school.

•  Planet Earth
•  Forces, electricity and waves
•  Biological systems
•  Materials
•  Topical science.

S4 –S6

Pupils may be entered into the new National examination system, where a more in depth look at the sciences will take place, in order to gain SQA certified qualifications. Active learning and scientific enquiry will be encouraged. There is a continuous development of the National courses available to the learners. Courses offered at present are:

National 2 Science in the Environment, which covers:

·         Living things

·         Resources, Forces and Energy

·         The Environment

      National 2 Practical experiments:

            The course is very practical with as many aspects of science covered through experiment and evaluation. The pupils are given a choice in their learning.

      National 3 Science: A course that covers all major aspects of modern science with topics such as:

·         Human health

·         Applications of Science

·         Fragile Earth

The topics can all be taught and recognised by the SQA as single units, with all three units being the full qualification.

National 3 Physics:

The course covers aspects of Physics, which is a great course for problem solving and understanding the modern world around us, such as electricity and communications. The course can be taught as single units or all three units passed will give the full National 3 Physics qualification. The units are:

·         Electricity and Energy

·         Radiation and waves

Dynamics and Space