Heads of Year updates

Juniors

Well done to all the juniors for completing the assessments working hard and making good progress last term. Lots of commendations awarded this week. I would like to mention in particular for their efforts this week:

Form 1 Neo, George, Berat, Luke, Freddie and Zack

Form 2 Edward, Henry, Theo and Charlotte

Form 3 Connor, Tommy, Daisy, Tabitha and Kann

Once again Juniors have been producing some great work in science, they have been busy making element cubes, touring the solar system and drawing out electron configurations. I have seen some amazing examples of work uploaded.

In History students have been learning about Edward IV’s sons who went missing. In art the students have been creating wallpaper designs, giving me some inspiration to do a little DIY during the break.

I look forward to reading all those Pirate stories the students have been busy writing up this week.

I have thoroughly enjoyed both teaching and leading the Juniors this year. I look forward to seeing you all on my return. Mrs Bramley

 

Form 5

From Friday the 5th June please contact ksamson@buckswood.co.uk regarding Form 5 issues.

The form 5 have been fabulous and a pleasure to work with. I wish them all a relaxing holiday and best wishes in their future studies.

Buckswood offer numerous subjects in IB and A Level and students are currently choosing their subjects. Please follow this link:

https://www.buckswood.co.uk/permissions-forms/subject-options-form-2020-21/

The form 5 have continued to work hard on the Teams online learning platform this week their final week of official lessons. Taster sessions for Form 5 will run next week onwards.

 

Lower Sixth

Regarding the Lower 6th students, attendance has been good this, the first week back after the half-term, as has Attitude to Learning – so well done to all those students who hit the ground running! A special mention to Marcos P-M who received a commendation for being the first student on the IB to hand in both his TOK presentation, second draft, and his Extended Essay – 4000 words no less.

On the A Level side, a special mention to Honey-Rose B and Millie M for results in Assessment 5 and to Mikhail D for making excellent progress in Biology. And a big shout out to all the students on the IB for attending multiple Access Times this week – it’s got to be a record!

I look forward to participating in Alexander H’s Extended Essay investigation into the effects of meditation and Ignacia M-S’s Extended Essay investigation into the various effects of certain stimulants (let’s not mention stress) on blood pressure. If you’re round Buckswood this month – please take part!

This week they start UCAS preparations with Mr Shaw,

 

A student and parent guide to work to be completed in the next 3 weeks

SCIENCE

Special mentions to:

The wonderful Upper 6 Biology and U6 Chemistry students (Emily, Agnieszka, Elvis and Panashe) for their continued and extremely high standard of work and effort.

Wishing the very best of Luck to all our A2 students in their future university and subsequent career.

Lower 6 Students (Teddy, Millie, Reinis and Mehdi) who are all working extremely hard in AS Chemistry.

Special mentions to Form 4 students for their huge effort and high scores on Seneca assignments set in science: Zola, Kyesi, Hoi Lei, Pau, Jing Ying, Sophie, Kai Ho Kevin.

Special mentions to Mitchell, Kyesi, Hoi, Zola, Zidane and Jing ying  for their high scores in their May assessment for combined science.

Special mentions to Pau, Zola, Ziyi,  Kyesi and  Emil for their high scores in triple science assessment.

 

Mathematics

Form 1: They will continue transformations.

*Translations

*Enlargement

*Reflections

*Rotations

Form 2: They will continue fractions, decimals and percentages.

*Equivalent proportions

*Percentages of amounts

*Finance questions involving percentages

Form 3: They will start trigonometric ratios

*Sin

*Cos

*Tan

Form 4:

3D solids

Similarity

Graphs of trigonometric functions (higher only)

Also form 1s and 2s will sit the UK Maths Challenge. They should start solving Sunday Puzzles ?

Form 4 Mathematics- This weeks top performers are Luca S who was the winner of the Four-Fours Mathematics Challenge and Indigo S who achieved the perfect score in the end of term assessment.

 

English

Form 1 will continue understanding the adventure story model in The Hobbit and continue with their developing literary skills

Form 2 will be embarking on an exciting educational adventure with a short project to help promote independent learning skills

Form 3 will be dancing and prancing in fairy land with Shakespeare at the height of his comedic powers and continuing with language studies to help consolidate all of the years learning.

Form 4, well on the way to GCSE success will continue with their play, An Inspector Calls focusing on the unfairness in society as perceived by Priestley and being introduced to the horrors of Victorian England with reminiscences of The Elephant Man from the author and witness of the time.

Form 5 will go their separate academic ways and those lucky enough to have chosen A Level Literature will be whisked into the world of The Great Gatsby, amazed by the shocking nature of Victorian Poetry and outraged by the satire of 60s playwright Joe Orton in an intensive course of study devised by Mr Lappin. More than enough to wet anyone’s whistle as Orton might have said.

 

 

MFL Department:

Junior School:

During the next three weeks the students will continue with their normal syllabus using the book we were using in class. Because some students left the books in school, we always send a copy of the page they need to work. When we are explaining new grammar we will pre-record the lessons with a Power Point where we explain the new topic with examples.

We also expect students to do revision as requested by the teachers. Advice will be given at the end of term about what they need to do during the summer to be ready to start in September. Junior students have responded very well to Online teaching.

Form 4:

Form 4 are following the book syllabus. The process is the same as the one followed for Junior school. Form 4 is going to received precise recommendations on what to revise during the summer. This will include, mainly, verb tenses and conjugation. They will receive worksheets to prepare during the summer as holiday homework to hand in to their teacher in September.

A-level:

Lower 6 students in the A-level course will be advised on the book and film they have to prepare for next year so that they can read it during the summer. They will also be revising grammar (verb tenses and conjugations)

IB:

Language A: Students will continue analysing texts on the topics included in the Syllabus (this half term the topics are: racism, colonialism, xenophobia, national identity). Some students are working on their Extended Essays in Language A. They need to continue working on this during the summer. They will also start preparing the chosen topic for their 1000-words Essay, and chosing the Global Issue to select the book and essays to read for their IOC.

Language B: This term they will be following the topics in their textbooks (Compartir el planeta: Ecourbanización, Naturaleza y asfalto, Turismo active y comprometido, Abuelas solares, El agua de los Andes).

During the summer they are expected to finish reading the books for their IOC.

 

ESOL

Juniors – IE and Form 3 students are returning to their original teachers, who know them well. The curriculum will continue seamlessly.

Lower 6 – this year group will continue to focus on academic English with a focus on speaking skills for the IELTS exam.

 

History

Form 1:Henry V11 – Was he a Gangster?Who were the Tudors?  This includes a research project to create a time-travel brochure.  Find attached the study guide.

Form 2: The Victorians:  Were the really the Good Old Days?  This includes a research task. Find attached the study guide.Victorian Detectives:  Investigating the ‘Jack the Ripper’ murders.

Form 3: Understanding the Holocaust.Was the use of the atomic bomb justified?

The Civil Rights Movement.For those opting for GCSE History:  write a brief history of the pandemic.  This links to the GCSE paper 1 – The History of Medicine c1250-the present day.

Form 4: The American West 1876 – 1895, The End of the Indian Wars

A Way of Life Destroyed, Preparing a summer research plan for:  “Describe the ways in medicine changed during WW1”

LS History: What impact did  Thatcher’s Governments have on Britain 1979-1997?

Preparing Coursework. Summer coursework reading plan.

 LS Politics:

Core ideologies: Liberalism; Socialism; Conservatism.

Confirming summer reading plan e.g. Machiavelli ‘The Prince’ or JS Mill ‘On Liberty’

IB: Right-wing Authoritarian States case study:  Fascist Italy.

 

 Art

Sixth Form have already started their full-A-level (art & photography) and have begun work on their  Component 1 coursework “Personal Investigation” – they choose the theme/topic. They have been provided with a detailed guideline as to what they are required to do to full-fill exam board requirements and a guide to take them step by step through the Personal Investigation. They are currently working on their Statement of Intent which is the beginning of the Investigation of the Starting Point.

The Form 3 are studying art/craft/design related to the visual arts used in making movies. They were required over half-term to investigate a movie genre of their choice: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Batman or Harry Potter. They are now looking into what a concept artist/costume/prop designer does and what the type of art they produce looks like. They will then decide which of these areas they would like to work in and create something original for their selected movie.

Form 2 are studying art and photography in black and white and will then move on to colour.

Form 1 are studying different art and design related to different jobs in the visual arts industry. Surface designer, storyboard artist, and toy designer.

 

Geography

Form 1: Glaciation: how glaciers move, glacial landforms of erosion and deposition, recognising landforms on an OS map.

Form 2: Climate change: Consequences of climate change and how we might manage impacts of climate change globally and locally.

Form 3: Coral reef biome, Tundra and Taiga biome.

Form 4: Hot deserts and desertification.

L6th: Changing patterns within urban areas and managing urban issues (deprivation).

Global: Working on Paper 1 critical thinking exercises. Start of AS project.

 

Football Academy

Our Football Studies group will be working on developing a football themed project.

They are to take a particular focus (such as racism, sexism, unemployment etc) and create a project to tackle their target issue. This will give participants a hands on approach and will cover finance, management, research and team working (as they will be in smaller groups).