This strand is organised into three substrands:
The key idea of particles was clearly established in the previous Framework, and is widely recognised as fundamental to chemistry.
This strand builds on work conducted in Key Stage 2, where pupils will have learned to:
The progression of this substrand is to use, apply, develop and evaluate particle models. This begins with the formulation of a simple particle model, then developing the explanation of phenomena through its use and manipulation, to the critical evaluation and justification of the use of a 'good enough' model. The development of this model through this area of the programme of study underpins subsequent chemistry substrands but is also a key skill that is developed through the How science works strand.
The progression of this substrand is the identification, explanation and application of patterns in chemical reactions. This builds on the Particle models substrand to identify why some chemical reactions occur, through to developing an understanding of the sub-atomic structure of elements and linking this to the reactions that may or may not take place as a result of the electron configuration of atoms.
The progression of this substrand is the identification, explanation and application of patterns in chemical reactions. It starts to look at the trends of reactivity and uses these to predict outcomes of reactions. It also develops the domestic and industrial applications that relate to these patterns and considers the social, economic and political implications of alternatives.
