Download key stage 4 - Science Search

SP0549
Appendix 2a:
Survey of Soils-Related Education and Awareness:
Review of the National Curriculum for Science
The National Curriculum sets out the full and statutory entitlement to learning for all
pupils in state schools. It determines the content of what will be taught, and sets
attainment targets for learning. It gives teachers, pupils, parents, employers and their
wider community a clear and shared understanding of the skills and knowledge that
young people will gain at school. All pupils follow the science National Curriculum
throughout compulsory schooling to age 16, i.e. the end of Key Stage 4.
There is no requirement for independent schools to follow the National Curriculum,
but many use the QCA’s (Qualification and Curriculum Authority) Scheme of Work
and also textbooks that are linked to the National Curriculum. Most independent
schools teach GCSE and A-level courses.
The National Curriculum can be found online at http://www.nc.uk.net. The numbered
references in the tables below (e.g. 2/3a) refer to the Programme of Study of the
National Curriculum. National Curriculum topics that afford opportunities to include
soil have been identified.
KEY STAGES 1 & 2
The DfES standards site http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/search has 30 different
references to activities involving soil at Key Stages 1 and 2, taken from the Science
Scheme of Work. The scheme of work shows how the National Curriculum
programme of study, and the attainment targets (levels of knowledge, skills and
understanding), can be translated into practical plans. Following the Scheme of Work
is optional.

KEY STAGE 1
Programme of Study
references to soil
There is no specific mention of soil
at this stage
Topics affording opportunities to include soil.
2/3a
2/5b
2/5c
3/1c
to recognise that plants need light and water to
grow
identify similarities and differences between local
environments and ways in which these affect animals
and plants that are found there.
care for the environment
recognise and name common types of material, (for
example, metal, plastic, wood paper, rock) and
recognise that some of them are found naturally
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
KEY STAGE 2
Programme of Study references
3/1d
Topics affording opportunities to include soil.
2/1c
to make links between life processes in familiar animals
and plants and the environments in which they are
found
2/3a
the effect of light, air, water and temperature on
plant growth
2/3c
that the root anchors the plant, and that water and
minerals are taken in through the root and transported
through the stem to other parts of the plant
2/4a
to make and use keys
2/5a
about ways in which living things and the environment
need protection
2/5b about the different plants and animals found in different
habitats
2/5f
that micro-organisms are living organisms that are often
too small to be seen, and that they may be beneficial
(for example, in the breakdown of waste, in making
bread) or harmful (for example, in causing disease, in
causing food to go mouldy).
3/1b
that some materials are better thermal insulators than
others
to describe and group
rocks and soils on the
basis of their
characteristics, including
appearance, texture and
permeability
3/2a
3/2b
3/2e
3/3a
to describe changes that occur when materials are
mixed (for example, adding salt to water)
to describe changes that occur when materials (for
example, water, clay, dough) are heated or cooled
the part played by evaporation and condensation in the
water cycle
how to separate solid
particles of different sizes
by sieving (for example,
those in soil)
3/3b
3/3c
3/3d
that some solids (for example, salt, sugar) dissolve in
water to give solutions but some (for example, sand,
chalk) do not
how to separate insoluble solids from liquids by filtering
how to recover dissolved solids by evaporating the liquid
from the solution
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 KEY STAGE 3
The DfES standards site http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/search has 18 different
references to activities involving soil at Key Stage 3 in the Science Scheme of Work.
Programme of Study references
2/3d
Topics affording opportunities to include soil.
2/1c
ways in which some cells, including ……… root hair
cells, are adapted to their functions
2/3c
that nitrogen and other elements, in addition to carbon,
oxygen and hydrogen, are required for plant growth
the role of root hairs in
absorbing water and
minerals from the soil
2/4a
2/5a
2/5c
2/5e
3/1g
3/1h
3/2b
3/2d
3/2e
3/2f
3/2i
3/3d
3/3f
about environmental and inherited causes of variation
within a species
about ways in which living things and the environment
can be protected, and the importance of sustainable
development
how some organisms are adapted to survive daily and
seasonal changes in their habitats
how toxic materials can accumulate in food chains
that mixtures (for example, air, sea water and most
rocks) are composed of constituents that are not
combined
how to separate mixtures into their constituents using
distillation, chromatography and other appropriate
methods
about the variation of solubility with temperature, the
formation of saturated solutions, and the differences in
solubility of solutes in different solvents
how forces generated by expansion, contraction and the
freezing of water can lead to the physical weathering of
rocks
about the formation of rocks by processes that take
place over different timescales, and that the mode of
formation determines their texture and the minerals they
contain
how igneous rocks are formed by the cooling of magma,
sedimentary rocks by processes including the deposition
of rock fragments or organic material, or as a result of
evaporation, and metamorphic rocks by the action of
heat and pressure on existing rocks
about possible effects of burning fossil fuels on the
environment (for example, production of acid rain,
carbon dioxide and solid particles) and how these
effects can be minimised.
to use indicators to classify solutions as acidic, neutral
or alkaline, and to use the pH scale as a measure of the
acidity of a solution
about some everyday
applications of
neutralisation (for example,
the treatment of
indigestion, the treatment
of acid soil, the
manufacture of fertilizer)
3/3g
how acids in the environment can lead to corrosion of
some metals and chemical weathering of rock (for
example limestone)
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KEY STAGE 4
Programme of Study references
There are no specific references to
soil
Topics affording opportunities to include soil.
2/1b
how substances enter and leave cells through the
cell membrane by diffusion, osmosis and active
transport
2/3d
the importance to healthy plant growth of the
uptake and utilisation of mineral salts
2/3f
how plants take up water and transpire
2/5a
how the distribution and relative abundance of
organisms in habitats can be explained using ideas
of interdependence, adaptation, competition and
predation
2/5b
how the impact of humans on the environment
depends on social and economic factors, including
population size, industrial processes and levels of
consumption and waste
2/5c
about the importance of sustainable development
2/5f
the role of microbes and other organisms in the
decomposition of organic materials and in the
cycling of carbon and nitrogen
3/2l
the importance for agriculture of converting
nitrogen to ammonia
3/2m how nitrogenous fertilisers are manufactured, their
effect on plant growth, and the environmental
consequences of over-use
3/2q
how the carbon cycle helps to maintain
atmospheric composition
3/2r
how the sequence of, and evidence for, rock formation
and deformation is obtained from, the rock record
2006 ONWARDS
From 2006 there will be a revised National Curriculum (Key Stage 4) in Science.
There is no mention of soil in the Breadth of Study for this new Curriculum revision.
However, opportunities for the teaching of soil exist in the Environment, Earth and
Universe section:
8a – the effects of human activity on the environment can be assessed using living and
non-living indicators
8b – the surface and the atmosphere of the Earth have changed since the Earth’s
origin and are changing at present
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SP0549
Appendix 2b:
Survey of Soils-Related Education and Awareness:
Current assessment of soil education at Key Stage 4 Science
The study of science is compulsory for all children until they leave school aged 16, at
the end of Key Stage 4. The minimum requirement is for the study of a Single Award
GCSE in science, although the majority of children take a Double Award course.
Fewer children take all three science subjects of biology, chemistry and physics.
Soil is rarely included in science courses leading to GCSE, as evidenced by the total
references to soil, cited below, taken from a popular Double Award course (AQA
GCSE Modular Science).
AQA GCSE MODULAR SCIENCE - Specification A (Current)




80% of pupils following a modular science course take this examination.
There is no reference to soil in the Summary of Subject Content.
No specific details about soil are demanded.
Three references are made to soil as shown in the table below.
Module 02: The Maintenance of Life
Module 03: The Environment
Module 06: Earth Materials
Green plants obtain the raw materials they need to make
this food from the air and the soil.
Plants often compete with each other for space, and for
water and nutrients from the soil
Why is limestone such a useful material?
Quicklime reacts with water to produce slaked lime
(calcium hydroxide), which is used to reduce the acidity of
the soil.
.
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SP0549
Appendix 2c:
Survey of Soils-Related Education and Awareness:
Future provision of soil education at Key Stage 4 Science
The QCA have recently published a new Criteria for Science. These criteria define the
subject-specific essentials for GCSE specifications (syllabuses) in Science subjects.
There is no reference to soil in the Indicative Content for GCSE Science and GCSE
Biology/Chemistry/Physics specifications, which has been sent to the examination
boards in England (these revisions do not apply in Wales). However, the Indicative
Content states that pupils should understand the effects of human activity on the
biosphere based on field measurements of biotic and abiotic factors, and this,
therefore, would provide an opportunity for learning about soils and their functions.
The specification for GCSE Additional Science requires that pupils study that
‘plants...(use) mineral salts from the soil…’ and this requirement is also in the
specification for GCSE Biology providing another opportunity for soils education.
The new courses will available to all schools from September 2006, and the
specifications are in the process of being completed. All three English examination
boards, AQA, Edexcel and OCR, are developing GCSE courses in response to the
new GCSE Criteria for Science. ‘21st Century Science’ is one such response, which
OCR is currently piloting in 77 schools.
 OCR GCSE SCIENCE E: SINGLE AWARD PILOT
The following references are made to soil in specific modules and science
explanations.
MODULE C4:
Food matters
MODULE C5:
Radiation and life
Science Explanation 4
Interdependence of living things
Science Explanation 5
The chemical cycles of life
Science Explanation 13
Radioactivity
Do food producers really need to use so many chemicals or is
organic food better? How do fertilizers and other agricultural
chemicals affect crop yields? Plants need to absorb minerals
for growth from the soil.
(Students should) appreciate that use of the same land each
year to grow crops means that chemicals containing nitrogen,
potassium and phosphorus are lost from the soil, and that
unless these are replaced, the land will gradually produce less
and less food;
Describe how synthetic fertilizer is used in intensive farming to
improve crop yield but can harm soil structure and lead to
pollution of water sources
Data analysis: Investigate the effect of incident light on the
temperature inside a transparent container of soil (i.e. a model
greenhouse).
Plants use glucose and chemicals (minerals) from the soil to
make all the other chemicals that they need to live and grow.
Farmers use the same land over and over again to grow plants
THE
CHEMICAL
CYCLES OF LIFE
and animals for food. This means that
chemicals
containing
nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus are lost from the soil.
Unless these are replaced, the land will gradually produce less
and less food
We are irradiated and contaminated all the time because of
RADIOACTIVIT
radioactive materials in the air, in building materials, in the
soil
and in our food. Medical treatments, and occupational or
medical exposure to radioactive materials, increase the dose
that some individuals receive. The dose received by people who
are regularly exposed to radiation is carefully monitored.
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SP0549
Appendix 2d:
Survey of Soils-Related Education and Awareness:
Review of the National Curriculum for Geography
The National Curriculum for Geography is compulsory in state schools for children
up to the age of 14, at the end of Key Stage 3. The following tables list topics
affording opportunities to include soil, taken from the DfES standards website:
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes2/secondary
KEY STAGES 1 and 2
Programme of Study references
There is no specific mention of soil
at these stages.
Topics affording opportunities to include soil.
Vocabulary. In this unit, children are likely to use… land use,
environment, repair, damage, pollution slopes, valleys, streams,
soil They may also use words specifically associated with the
locality.
Investigating our local area: features in sequence, locate their
village and school on maps at a range of scales, plan routes…
Wider context Physical and human features Links with other
places Skills Collect and record evidence Undertake fieldwork
Make maps and plans Use maps Use secondary sources Use
ICT
Key stage 2 Year 3 Rocks, soils and water in our local
environment (Combined science [unit 3D] and geography [units
6 and 14] long unit)
KEY STAGE 3
Programme of Study references
5a describe and explain
environmental change
(for example deforestation,
soil erosion)
6e(ii) how the ecosystems of
this biome are related to
climate, soil and human
activity
Topics affording opportunities to include soil.
How is this vegetation type related to climate, soil and human
activity? Show pupils how to 'design your own plant'. Ask them
to draw the plant using only the adaptations chosen and
annotate its features, justifying their selection in relation to
climate and soil characteristics.
Build up an annotated flow or systems diagram on the board, to
demonstrate the interrelationships between a named vegetation
type and climate, soil and human activity.
Why do people choose to live in active zones? Provide a further
set of labels giving 'positive' and 'negative' factors for living in
specific locations, e.g. 'Ash and lava from earlier eruptions of
Mount Pinatubo had provided a deep and fertile soil, ideal for
rice growing'; 'In 1985 Nevada del Ruiz in Colombia erupted.
How do people live with earthquakes and volcanoes?
Ask pupils to examine the advantages of volcanic activity, e.g.
geothermal power, fertile soils.
How can a resource be planned and managed?
Provide pupils with suitable issues, e.g. soil erosion, waste
recycling and landfill, wind energy, water supply, pollution of
seas/lakes.
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SP0549
Appendix 2e:
Survey of Soils-Related Education and Awareness:
Current assessment of soil education at Key Stage 4 Geography
The study of Geography at Stage 4 is not compulsory. Pupils may choose to take a
full GCSE course or a Short Course, equivalent to half a GCSE and combine it with
e.g. a history Short Course.
The table below lists references to soil from typical courses.

AQA GEOGRAPHY GCSE and GCSE short course - current
GCSE and
GCSE short course
GCSE and
GCSE short course
GCSE and
GCSE short course
GCSE and
GCSE short course
GCSE
GCSE
GCSE
GCSE
GCSE
Appreciate that areas affected by tectonic activity
present both advantages and disadvantages for
settlement e.g. the threat of volcanic eruption
versus the fertile soils for farming as on the slopes
of Mount Etna, Italy.
Values and attitudes to tectonic activity may
include the unwillingness of some people to accept
the hazard of the need to use the fertile soils
through to those who would advise abandonment
of areas prone to tectonic activity.
Sample studies of agricultural changes. The social,
economic and environmental consequences to be
covered e.g. soil erosion and over production in
MEDCs and soil erosion and salinisation and
inappropriate technology in LEDCs.
The contemporary solutions being suggested to
ensure sustainable development in farming regions
to include soil conservation, EU policies such as
quotas, set aside the stewardship schemes; organic
farming and appropriate technology
Description and explanation of the main vegetation
and soil characteristics of tropical rainforests,
coniferous woodlands and savannah (tropical)
grasslands
Adaptations of the vegetation in the three ecosystems
to the soil and climate
The human uses of tropical rainforests – the social and
environmental effects of logging, road building, mineral
extractions, slash and burn on the soil, hydrology,
vegetation and local (indigenous) people
The human uses of savannah grasslands – the effects
of drought, population pressure, over-cultivation,
overgrazing causing soil erosion and desertification.
Strategies that may be employed to reverse the
process
Distribution and explanation of farm types in the
UK…Explanations are to take account of the
social, political, economic and environmental
factors affecting farming – relief, soils, climate,
market, finance, labour, politics and choice.
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