Science at key stage 3    (Year 9)

• to use ideas about feeding relationships in a new context
• to combine ideas from different sources

• that different parts of plants are food sources of different kinds
• that some parts of plants are starch stores
• about the products of photosynthesis
• how plants respire

• to relate together ideas about feeding relationships and photosynthesis

• to identify relevant information and summarise it in a table
• that plants require a range of minerals for healthy growth
• that fertilisers supply these minerals to crop plants

• to decide which factors are relevant to a question
• how to deal with factors that cannot be controlled
• to decide which measurements/observations to make
• to draw conclusions from results and explain the significance of these
• to evaluate the method in terms of the data obtained

• that the organisms living in a habitat compete with each other for resources from the environment
• how treating fields with selective weedkillers affects food webs

• to plan and carry out an investigation involving sampling
• to present a report of their findings using tables and graphs
• to recognise and use scientific terminology effectively and accurately

• that the organisms living in a habitat compete with each other, eg for food resources from the environment
• to represent feeding relationships using pyramids of numbers
• that the numbers of a population of predators influence the numbers of prey organisms

• that toxins enter a food chain when plants take them in or are in contact with them
• that as animals feed on plants they may accumulate toxins taken in by the plant
• that at each step of the food chain persistent toxins are accumulated in the carnivores and that this process is bio-accumulation
• about advantages and disadvantages of using pesticides

• to recognise the standpoint of the author of a text
• to evaluate how effectively information is presented in whole texts
• to evaluate conflicting evidence to arrive at a considered viewpoint

• about environmental factors that influence plant growth
• to consider the advantages and disadvantages of a controlled environment for growing crops

• to apply knowledge and understanding about plant growth to solve a problem
• that different approaches to crop production contribute to sustainable development
• to present ideas as drawings and diagrams

• to identify key points about a scientific issue
• that there is often a balance of advantage and disadvantage in development