2020-21 Curriculum Ks3 Homework Extension Activities
2020-21 Curriculum Ks3 Homework Extension Activities
2020-21 Curriculum Ks3 Homework Extension Activities
Biology
Grow your own food. This can be anything from cress on the window sill to a small vegetable
patch in the garden. Radishes grown in just a few weeks. Food production is covered in Year
11.
Build a Cacti and Succulents collection. An excellent plant to own as it has some of the most
obvious adaptations. We cover this topic in Year 10.
YouTube has myriad videos. Students can look at Brainiac clips but progress onto more
advanced topics quickly. Avoid any evolution videos as these can have hidden agendas.
Evolution is covered in Year 11 and 13.
Popular science books are a great way to get interested students into science. A good one is
“How to Dunk a Doughnut”. A good way is to go to a local bookshop and pick out a few titles.
We have a limited number to loan in school. We encourage further reading at all levels but it
is essential at 6thForm.
The British Trust for Ornithology www.bto.org run annual garden bird surveys and others that
run through the year. A bird table in the garden is a good idea and can be used all year round.
Taking data in this way is at the core of what ecological biologists do all the time.
A visit to a museum is a good idea. The Think Tank at Millennium point in Birmingham is an
ideal place to start with changing displays. This is a good way to encourage students into
Biology at all years.
Each biology student has a textbook which is rarely used in school lessons and should already
be at home. Staff avoid using questions from this book so as to allow parents to make full use
of it at home.
Ben Goldacre,
Wynn Kapit and Lawrence M Elson,
Chemistry
Good scientists have curious minds. Scientific discovery rarely arises from a Eureka moment
but rather someone saying ‘That’s odd’…………
Take your voyage of scientific discovery outside of the lab with ‘Illustrated Guide to Home
Chemistry Experiments; All Lab, No Lecture (DIY Science)’ by Robert Bruce Thompson or,
perhaps more manageably, ‘Chemistry in Your Kitchen’ by Matthew Hartings.
Of course chemistry can be consumed elsewhere. The following websites are all worth a visit
if the visual and audible are more to your taste (but books are best):
ChemGuide http://chemguide.co.uk/
Simon Flynn,
Nick Mann and Theodore Gray,
Bunpei Yorifuji,
Chinese
The following online project-based resources for Chinese are suitable for all KS3 students
http://mandarinexcellence.edublogs.org/mep-resources/year-7/
http://mandarinexcellence.edublogs.org/mep-resources/year-8/
Anthony C. Yu,
Computer Science and ICT
Year 7
Name Purpose Link
Code Club Choose a tutorial to expand/begin your https://www.codeclub.org.uk/projects
coding journey in HTML, Python or Scratch
Note: Enjoyed it? Why not join Year 7 code
club Monday lunchtime.
Teach ICT Great place to look up key terms for topics http://www.teach-ict.com/glossary/A.htm
you are studying in class
ECDL Video tutorials for Excel, PowerPoint, Word http://edividers.co.uk/index.php/ecdl
Year 8 and 9
Name Purpose Link
ICT Lounge Websites dedicated to preparation for the https://www.ictlounge.com/html/overvie
IGCSE exam. Great places to revise for the w_new.htm
ICT Info theory exam. https://www.igcseict.info/
Craig ‘n’ Want to find out a bit more about what http://student.craigndave.org/
Dave studying computer science in Year 10 is like?
Watch the videos here. There is a 5-minute
video on every topic in the GCSE computer
science specification.
W3C Want to find out more about HTML and CSS https://www.w3schools.com/
schools or even using JavaScript to add some
dynamic content to your website. Learn
more here.
Khan Tutorials to learn about JavaScript, HTML https://www.khanacademy.org/computin
Academy and CSS. g/computer-programming
Malorie Blackman,
Robert Harris,
Fusion 360
Download the software and create a free 3-year account. There are
many on-line tutorials that can be used to develop your 3D CAD skills
using Fusion 360.
Google SketchUp
Download the software. It is free. There are many on-line tutorials that can be used to develop your
3D CAD skills using Google SketchUp.
Flat-Pack Furniture
You can learn a huge amount by helping to assemble flat-pack furniture. Look closely at the materials,
components and fixtures being used. There is a local IKEA store at Wednesbury.
Product Analysis
Everything that you use has been designed and manufactured. You can learn a lot by looking closely
at the products that you use in your home. Consider the materials, manufacture, scale of production,
ease of repair, sustainability and ergonomics.
Packaging Symbols
Look closely at the packaging of products that you buy. Is the packaging needed? Can it be recycled?
Could it be reduced? What symbols are there on the packaging?
Scrap Book
Look through magazines and newspapers for articles that relate to D&T, engineering, architecture
and sustainability. Cut them out, stick them into the scrap book and then annotate the cuttings with
your analysis.
Product Disassembly
You can learn a lot about products by taking them apart. Try separating every single component part.
To recycle efficiently every material and component must be separated. How are the components
joined? Is the product designed for easy disassembly?
YouTube
There are many excellent video clips relevant to D&T, engineering, manufacturing and architecture.
Books
Read a book from the D&T department reading list.
Alberto Alessi,
Dan Cruickshank,
Design Museum and Sophie Lovell,
Design Museum and Deyan Sudjic,
Brian Larkman and Gerald Witcomb, (How to do it series)
Barbara Radice,
Stuart Walker,
English
1) Read more!
Read one of the books on the whole-school wider reading list, and improve your English skills in the
process by answering one or more of these questions each time you finish reading.
Challenge yourself whenever you read a fiction or non-fiction text ...
Comprehension
What happened in what I have just read?
What new information have I learned?
Critical reading
What has the writer hinted or implied?
What ideas has the writer made me think about?
Key quotes
Which phrases or sentences stand out?
What is the shortest quote I can find that summarizes a key point?
Analysing writers’ choices
Did a technique used by the writer awake my imagination? Can I name that technique?
Evaluating text
What thoughts or feelings do I have about what I have just read?
Have my thoughts or feelings changed during my reading? Why?
Context
How does what I have just read link to what I know of the writer and their times?
How does life in the text compare to my life?
You should already be reading fiction and non-fiction texts for at least 15 minutes each, every day
outside of lessons, as part of your literacy education. Answering the questions above is designed to
enhance your thinking about texts.
2) Write more!
Keep a diary
Write a short story about events in your day,
thoughts or feelings you’ve had, or just
about whatever occupies your mind.
“I would consider my diary serves the same
purpose as going for a walk or a run. They
are all physical ways of clearing a mental
landscape.” — Nick Murphy
“Who else but me is ever going to read these letters?” ― Anne Frank
Ask your parents if they need any letters writing to the local council etc. and have a go at
drafting for them.
Write for the QM Observer; speak to Mr Kolaric about opportunities to write news stories.
Open a Goodreads account: write then publish your own reviews of books.
3) Watch quality drama!
Discuss the merits of excellent films or television shows you have
seen with family or friends.
Watch one of these plays (some of which are available on DVD):
Age 12+
Willy Russell, Our Day Out
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC94IOtTJrc>
George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTpD0mQ4LUM>
Agatha Christie, Witness for the Prosecution
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjEIsGauX04>
Age 15+
Michael Scott’s Ancient Greece: The Greatest Show on Earth gives a history of Greek tragedy,
a bedrock of later literary form <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAkLTWQUbG8>
Michael Wood’s In Search of Beowulf introduces you to Anglo-Saxon literature
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C0sFXU0SLo>
James Shapiro, The King and the Playwright is a historically focused series about
Shakespeare’s “middle period <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRFF2rd0_uk>
Adam Nicholson’s When God Spoke English covers the writing of the Authorized Version of
the Bible and how it took its place in English Literature
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa4f9c8lnog>
Armando Iannuci in Milton's Heaven and Hell offers a light-hearted look at a dark topic
taking in the surprisingly interesting life of John Milton
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j__itIVgOk>
Stephen Fry and the Gutenberg Press explores the invention of the printing press which
transformed literature <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa4f9c8lnog>
5) Visit literary locations!
Visit sites of literary importance such as Sarehole Mill, Birmingham; Stratford-upon-Avon,
Warwickshire; Haworth, West Yorkshire; Whitby, North Yorkshire. The website
http://www.lithouses.org and the Twitter handle @literarybritain have more suggestions for outings.
Try doings some research and reading something by the author before you go or while you're there.
Non-fiction
Anne Frank,
Lynne Truss,
Stanley Wells, (free for Kindle)
Drama
Comics: Astérix, Bob et Bobette, Boule et Bill, Gaston Lagaffe, Lucky Luke, Les Shtroumpfs
and Tintin
Gavin Pretor-Pinney,
Christopher Somerville,
Whitley Strieber,
Joe Simpson,
History
Watch some television documentaries:
Year 7
Battlefield Britain, Dan Snow series: esp Battle of Hastings
History of Britain, series 1, Simon Schama
Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives series
Year 8
Roots, BBC TV series
History of Britain, series 2, Simon Schama
Dan Snow, Battlefield Britain: Naseby
Henry VII, The Winter King. BBC
The Pendel witch child, Youtube
British History's Biggest Fibs With Lucy Worsley - Episode 1: War of the Roses, BBC
Year 9
All Quiet on the Western Front: book & film
BBC GCSE history Bite size, The First & Second World Wars & 20th century
Active learning
Local castle visits: Warwick, Kenilworth
Museums: Walsall Leather Museum, Black Country Museum, Inge street housing
(Birmingham’s Back-to Back housing)
Family history World War I research: Commonwealth War Graves Association.
Michael Arnold,
John Man,
Ian Mortimer,
Mathematics
In addition to set homework in line with the school policy, this website provides more stretching
questions as well as mathematical challenges.
http://www.drfrostmaths.com/
Listening…..the following artists link with topics covered in Years 7-9 (You Tube)
Eric Taylor,
Physical Education
The NHS states that ‘to maintain a basic level of health, children and young people aged 5-18
need to complete at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day’ (range from moderate i.e.
cycling and playground activities, to vigorous activities i.e. running and rugby). On three days
a week, these activities should involve exercises for strong muscles and exercises for strong
bones. Keep a record/diary each week of the physical activity you complete on a daily basis
to judge whether you are meeting this target.
Calculate your Resting Heart Rate by finding your pulse (carotid pulse = neck or radial pulse =
wrist). Now calculate your Maximum Heart Rate (220-age = MHR in bpm). Calculate your
aerobic training threshold (60-80% of MHR) and anaerobic training threshold (80%-90%). Your
task is to exercise either aerobically or anaerobically and record your heart rate in the middle
of your activity to ensure you meeting the heart rate thresholds.
Measure your own height and weight, then calculate your own BMI.
Keep a food diary for two days, writing down everything you eat and drink, and then use your
diary to answer the following questions: is your diet balanced (explain your answer) and what
do you need to add/remove from your diet to make it balanced?
Think about a sport/activity that you do with other people. List the social health benefits you
have gained from this.
Prepare a warm-up for a sport you take part in regularly, remembering to include a pulse-
raising exercise, stretching and joint mobilisation exercises, sport specific drills and a
psychological warm-up. Lead others through your warm-up.
Describe two injuries you have experienced as a result of taking part in sport and physical
activity. How were they treated? How long did they take to heal? What, if anything, could you
have done to avoid the injury?
Athletics – research an Olympic Record for your chosen activity (name of athlete,
distance/time, year of the record and their country of origin). Figure out the difference
between your result and the Olympic athlete.
Anon,
Graeme Fowler,
Simon Hughes,
Jonathan Trott,
Marcus Trescothick,
Physics
Please visit the RPE department’s website and Twitter feed for a wide range of extension activities:
www.qmgsrpe.co.uk
Twitter: @QMGSRPE
Simon Blackburn,
Stephen Law,
Plato, , and
Voltaire,
Spanish
Learn verbs from grammar section at back of text book
o AR/ER/IR verbs
o Irregular verbs
o Reflexive verbs
o Stem-changing verbs
o Present tense
o Immediate future tense
o Perfect tense
o Imperfect tense
Practise numbers by counting items around the house
Write a list in Spanish of important dates for your family
Practise times by writing out your daily routine with times
Make labels in Spanish for items round the home
Keep a diary in Spanish
Write some menus in Spanish
Write a timetable of household jobs to be done by the family
Write out your school timetable in Spanish
Write a list of Christmas presents in Spanish
Look through a family photo album and describe the people/what is going on Watch Spanish
cartoons – online/see staff
Use language learning websites with self-marking exercises on vocabulary and grammar:
Languages online.org.uk
Learn vocabulary – lists at the end of each chapter in the text book.