Chemistry

Course summary

We aim to provide students with the knowledge of interactions between biological, chemical, and physical systems that enable them to explain everyday experiences. We endeavor to empower students with the knowledge required to continue questioning the world around them beyond their Grace journey. Students will gain key skills that will facilitate their investigation of scientific ideas both theoretically and practically, as well as through extra-curricular events, encouraging a healthy curiosity about the nature of the universe. This allows our students to "think like a scientist", from both a knowledge and skills-based perspective. Science at Grace Academy will foster an approach that allows our students to recognize the diversity of scientists and promote and ignite aspirations for a career in a scientific field. Topics: • Atomic structure • Amount of Substance • Structure and bonding Atomic structure is an essential bridge from GCSE to A level as it builds on familiar concepts and introduces new ones that are foundational to the understanding of ALL topics to follow. Likewise, ‘Amount of Substance’ improves their fluency in using ‘moles’ in calculations (a skill first introduced at GCSE) but in much more sophisticated contexts. These skills are then needed to access all topics to follow. Structure and bonding is another key building block to understanding the later concepts in Organic and Inorganic chemistry (particularly in explaining the properties that various functional groups bring and trends in the periodic table).