Physics

Assessment

The course structure focuses on knowledge acquisition whilst continually building on prior knowledge, building meaningful schema throughout. A range of DNAs are used at the start of every lesson and focus on knowledge recall; this will also form the basis of a prior knowledge check and highlight any misconceptions. We will introduce new concepts using visual resources and videos, encouraging students to make connections within and between units. We ‘model the method’ so that students are clear about how to structure their answer in a systematic way and use correct mathematical and scientific notation. Students are given time in lessons to apply this new content and are shown unfamiliar style questions so that they become resilient. The questions we select will vary in style and difficulty so that all students are supported and stretched. Students are encouraged to self mark so that they can address mistakes/misconceptions within the lesson. This will also enable them to become more confident as they complete the task. There are opportunities for students to make connections with real life applications and with other topics where this can be applied. We model how to approach extended writing questions and explicitly teach Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary. There is a high-accountability expectation of 4-5 hours Independent Study to be completed each week. Very often this will require students to consolidate knowledge of what they have learnt and consist of a selection of graded exam-style questions. This may take the form of last lesson, last week, last month so that students are continuing to tap into their long term memories. Twice per term students will complete a purposeful topic based assessment and will receive detailed feedback and model answers. All classwork, notes and assessments will be kept in a folder and students must bring this to every lesson.