Lower Secondary Science — Year 1

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Unit 1: Thinking Like a Scientist
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can plan and carry out a fair test, work safely with common apparatus, measure accurately in SI units, and turn results into tables, graphs, means and conclusions. These are the skills every later unit uses, so this unit comes first. It has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, two home practicals with virtual-data alternatives (the paper-towel test in Lesson 2 and the toy-car ramp in Lesson 5), and a 30-mark unit test. Every practice question has a stepped solution and feedback that names the misconception behind each wrong answer. No calculator is used. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core, B7–B9): The curriculum’s process skills (equipment handling, observing, classifying, comparing, measuring, predicting, analysing, evaluating, designing) and scientific attitudes (curiosity, respect for evidence, flexibility in ideas, reflection). These run through every BECE paper, especially the practical-style questions Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stage 7): Thinking and Working Scientifically: purpose and planning (7TWSp), carrying out scientific enquiry (7TWSc), and analysis, evaluation and conclusions (7TWSa) UK Key Stage 3 (Year 7): Working scientifically: scientific attitudes, experimental skills and investigations, analysis and evaluation, and measurement (SI units) US NGSS Middle School: Science and Engineering Practices: asking questions, planning and carrying out investigations, analysing and interpreting data, and using mathematics Students will be able to: tell observations from inferences, and write testable questions, hypotheses and predictions identify independent, dependent and control variables, and plan a fair test with a control and repeats name common apparatus, recognise hazard symbols and choose precautions for an investigation measure in SI units, convert between units and read scales and a meniscus correctly draw results tables and graphs, calculate means and ranges, spot anomalies and write conclusions All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used (US: “color”, “meter”). Safety notes appear wherever a practical needs one.

  • Lesson 1 · How Did Washing Hands Save Thousands of Lives?
  • Lesson 1 Exit Quiz: Asking Scientific Questions
  • Lesson 2 · What Makes a Test Fair?
  • Lesson 2 Exit Quiz: Variables and Fair Tests
  • Lesson 3 · Is the Lab Dangerous?
  • Lesson 3 Exit Quiz: Apparatus and Safety
  • Lesson 4 · How Long Is a Piece of String?
  • Lesson 4 Exit Quiz: Measuring and SI Units
  • Lesson 5 · What Do the Numbers Say?
  • Lesson 5 Exit Quiz: Tables, Graphs and Means
  • Year 1 Unit 1 Test: Thinking Like a Scientist (Section A)

Unit 2: Cells: The Building Blocks of Life
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can explain what makes something alive, describe the parts of plant and animal cells and their jobs, use a microscope and the magnification formula, and explain how specialised cells form tissues, organs and systems. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, home practicals with virtual-data alternatives (yeast in Lesson 1, a model cell in Lesson 2, onion skin in Lesson 3, a water-drop lens in Lesson 4), and a 30-mark unit test. Magnification calculations use the formula triangle and numbers chosen to work without a calculator. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B7.1.2.1.1 structure and function of animal cells; B7.1.2.1.2 functions of plant cell organelles; B8.1.2.1.1 prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells; process skills: equipment handling (the microscope), observing, drawing and measuring Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stage 7): Biology – Structure and function (7Bs): cells as the unit of life, plant and animal cell structures and functions, specialised cells, and cells → tissues → organs → systems; characteristics of living things UK Key Stage 3 (Year 7): Cells and organisation: cells as the fundamental unit of living organisms, using a light microscope, functions of cell parts, similarities and differences between plant and animal cells, unicellular organisms, hierarchical organisation US NGSS Middle School: MS-LS1-1 (living things are made of cells), MS-LS1-2 (functions of cell parts), MS-LS1-3 (body as a system of interacting subsystems) Students will be able to: use MRS GREN to decide whether something is living, dead or never-living, and tell excretion from egestion label an animal cell and state the job of the nucleus, cytoplasm, membrane, mitochondria and ribosomes label a plant cell, explain the cell wall, chloroplasts and vacuole, and compare plant and animal cells use a light microscope safely, and calculate total magnification and image or actual size in mm and µm explain how specialised cells suit their jobs, order cell → tissue → organ → system → organism, and tell prokaryotic from eukaryotic cells All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used (US: “color”, “fiber”). Safety notes appear wherever a practical needs one.

Unit 3: Particles and States of Matter
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can use the particle model to explain diffusion, the properties of solids, liquids and gases, changes of state, evaporation and the water cycle, expansion and gas pressure. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, home practicals with virtual-data alternatives (food colouring in Lesson 1, the squash test in Lesson 2, a cooling curve in Lesson 3, drying cloths in Lesson 4 and a bottle thermometer in Lesson 5), and a 30-mark unit test. Every practice question has a stepped solution and feedback that names the misconception behind each wrong answer. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B7.1.1.1.1 classify materials into solids, liquids and gases; B7.1.1.1.2 and B7.1.1.1.3 the importance of liquids and solids to life; B7.2.1.1.1 and B7.2.1.1.2 the water cycle and its importance; process skills: observing, classifying, predicting, measuring temperature Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stage 7): Chemistry – Materials and their structure (7Cm): the particle model of solids, liquids and gases, and changes of state; Changes to materials (7Cc): diffusion; Earth – Cycles on Earth (7Ec): the water cycle UK Key Stage 3 (Year 7): The particulate nature of matter: properties of the three states, changes of state, diffusion in liquids and gases, gas pressure; Physics – Matter: physical changes, the particle model, energy in matter US NGSS Middle School: MS-PS1-4 (particle motion, temperature and state of a substance), MS-ESS2-4 (the cycling of water through Earth’s systems, driven by the Sun) Students will be able to: describe the particle model and use it to explain diffusion and why it is faster when hot describe and explain the properties of solids, liquids and gases using particle arrangement and movement name the changes of state, read heating and cooling curves, and use melting and boiling points to predict states and test purity compare evaporation and boiling, explain what speeds up evaporation and why it cools, and describe the water cycle explain expansion and gas pressure using particles, and give uses and problems of expansion All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used (US: “vapor”, “color”). Safety notes appear wherever a practical needs one.

Unit 4: Forces Around Us
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can identify contact and non-contact forces and their effects, calculate weight with W = m × g, explain friction and air resistance, find resultant forces and apply Newton’s first law, and use Hooke’s law for springs. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, home practicals with virtual-data alternatives (a shoe friction test in Lesson 3, the coin-on-a-card trick in Lesson 4 and stretching with water bottles in Lesson 5), and a 30-mark unit test. Calculations use the formula triangle and numbers chosen to work without a calculator; g = 10 N/kg on Earth. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B7.4.4.1.1 state and explain Newton’s first law of motion; B7.4.4.1.2 applications of the first law (seatbelts, objects that keep moving until stopped); process skills: measuring force, recording and analysing data Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stage 7): Physics – Forces and energy (7Pf): forces as pushes and pulls in newtons, contact and non-contact forces, mass and weight, gravity, friction and air resistance, balanced and unbalanced forces, force diagrams UK Key Stage 3 (Year 7): Forces: forces as pushes or pulls, contact and non-contact forces, forces measured in newtons, weight and mass (W = m × g), friction and drag, balanced forces, forces deforming objects and Hooke’s law US NGSS Middle School: MS-PS2-2 (motion depends on the sum of the forces and the mass), MS-PS2-4 (gravitational interactions depend on mass), MS-PS2-1 (forces come in pairs, introduced) Students will be able to: describe forces as pushes and pulls, name contact and non-contact forces, and draw force arrows tell mass from weight, and use W = m × g (and its rearrangements) on Earth, the Moon and other planets explain friction, air resistance and streamlining, and give ways of increasing and reducing friction find a resultant force, decide whether forces are balanced, and use Newton’s first law to explain motion and seatbelts calculate extension, use Hooke’s law and read force–extension graphs, and tell elastic from plastic deformation All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used (US: “meter”, “aluminum”). Safety notes appear wherever a practical needs one.

Unit 5: Sorting Living Things
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can classify living things into the five kingdoms, use scientific names, sort vertebrates and invertebrates into their groups, describe the housefly’s life cycle and how flies spread disease, sort plants into their main groups, and use keys and describe variation. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, home activities with virtual-data alternatives (sorting organisms, a fly survey, a leaf sort and a hand-span survey), and a 30-mark unit test. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B7.2.2.1.1 the life cycle of the housefly; B7.2.2.1.2 the housefly as a health hazard and its control; B8.1.2.1.2 classifying organisms; B9.2.2.1.1 incomplete metamorphosis (grasshopper, introduced); Understanding the Environment: types of plants and animals Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stage 7): Biology – Structure and function (7Bs) and Ecosystems (7Be): classification of organisms, vertebrate and invertebrate groups, plant groups, dichotomous keys, variation within species UK Key Stage 3 (Year 7): Inheritance, chromosomes, DNA and genes: differences between species and variation within a species (continuous and discontinuous); Interactions and interdependencies: classification using keys US NGSS Middle School: MS-LS1-4 (animal behaviours and plant structures in reproduction, through life cycles), MS-LS4-2 (patterns of anatomical similarity used to classify organisms), MS-LS1-5 (environmental and genetic factors affect growth) Students will be able to: classify organisms into five kingdoms and explain species and scientific names sort vertebrates into fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals using their features sort invertebrates, describe complete metamorphosis in the housefly and explain how flies spread disease sort plants into mosses, ferns, conifers, monocots and dicots use and write dichotomous keys, and describe continuous and discontinuous variation and its causes All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used. Safety notes appear wherever an activity needs one.

Unit 6: Mixtures and Separation
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can tell pure substances from mixtures, explain dissolving and solubility using particles and conservation of mass, and choose and describe separation methods: sieving, filtration, evaporation, crystallisation, distillation, chromatography and magnetic separation. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, home practicals with virtual-data alternatives (evaporating water samples, dissolving races, separating sand and salt, a solar still and felt-tip chromatography), and a 30-mark unit test. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B8.1.1.1.1 identify types of mixtures and their components; B8.1.1.1.2 design and carry out processes for separating mixtures (sieving, filtration, evaporation, distillation, chromatography, magnetism); process skills: equipment handling, observing, evaluating Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stages 7–8): Chemistry – Properties of materials and Changes to materials (7Cp, 7Cc, 8Cc): pure substances and mixtures, dissolving, solubility and saturated solutions, conservation of mass in dissolving, separating mixtures (filtration, evaporation, distillation, chromatography) UK Key Stage 3 (Years 7–8): Pure and impure substances: the concept of a pure substance, mixtures including dissolving, diffusion in liquids, simple techniques for separating mixtures (filtration, evaporation, distillation and chromatography), identification of pure substances US NGSS Middle School: MS-PS1-2 (analyse properties of substances to identify them), MS-PS1-4 (particle motion), MS-ETS1-2 (evaluate design solutions: solar stills and separation methods) Students will be able to: tell pure substances from mixtures and use melting and boiling points to test purity use the words solute, solvent, solution, soluble, insoluble and saturated, and calculate the mass of a solution separate insoluble solids by filtration and dissolved solids by evaporation and crystallisation describe simple distillation and explain how it produces pure water from salt water carry out and interpret paper chromatography to identify the dyes in a mixture All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used (US: “vapor”, “color”). Safety notes appear wherever a practical needs one.

Unit 7: Energy: Stores and Transfers
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can describe energy stores and transfers, use energy chains, apply the law of conservation of energy, read and draw Sankey diagrams, calculate efficiency, explain how electricity is generated, and compare renewable and non-renewable resources. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, home practicals with virtual-data alternatives (an energy hunt, a bouncing-ball test and a can solar water heater), and a 30-mark unit test. Calculations use simple numbers and percentages without a calculator. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B7.4.1.1.1 forms of energy, including potential and kinetic energy and mechanical energy; B7.4.1.1.2 daily applications of energy; B7.4.3.1.1–B7.4.3.1.3 conservation and conversion of energy and conserving energy for the future; B7.4.2.1.1 and B7.4.2.1.2 forms of electricity generation and their impact; B8.4.1.2.1 renewable and non-renewable sources Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stages 7–8): Physics – Forces and energy (7Pf, 8Pf): energy is conserved, energy stores and transfers, dissipation, energy changes in devices; Science in context: energy resources and their impacts UK Key Stage 3 (Years 7–8): Energy: energy changes and transfers, conservation of energy, dissipation, comparing energy values, fuels and energy resources, efficiency (introduced) US NGSS Middle School: MS-PS3-5 (energy transferred when kinetic energy changes), MS-PS3-2 (potential energy and arrangement), MS-ESS3-3 and MS-ESS3-4 (human impact of resource use) Students will be able to: name energy stores and ways energy is transferred, and write energy chains apply conservation of energy and explain dissipation, using Sankey diagrams calculate efficiency as a percentage and use it to compare devices explain how power stations, hydroelectric dams, wind turbines and solar cells generate electricity, and describe their impacts classify energy resources as renewable or non-renewable, compare them and suggest ways to save energy All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used. Safety notes appear wherever a practical needs one.

Unit 8: Rocks and Soil
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can describe how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks form, explain weathering, erosion and the rock cycle, describe how soil forms and what it contains, compare sandy, clay and loam soils, and explain how fertile soil is maintained and protected. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, home practicals with virtual-data alternatives (testing stones, a shaking-jar erosion model, measuring air in soil, a soil drainage test and a compost pot), and a 30-mark unit test. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B8.5.5.1.1 and B8.5.5.1.2 physical properties of soil types (sandy, loamy, clay) and how they support crop production; B7.2.3.1.1 and B7.2.3.1.2 plant nutrient sources and organic and inorganic fertilisers; B9.3.4.1.1 preparing manure from plant and animal waste; B9.5.1.1.1 scientific methods of waste management (composting) Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stage 7): Earth and Space – Planet Earth (7Ep): igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, soils and their formation, fossils; Cycles on Earth (7Ec): the rock cycle UK Key Stage 3 (Years 7–8): Earth and atmosphere: the composition of the Earth, the structure of the Earth, the rock cycle and the formation of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks; Earth as a source of limited resources US NGSS Middle School: MS-ESS2-1 (cycling of Earth’s materials), MS-ESS2-2 (geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface), MS-ESS3-3 (monitoring and minimising human impact: soil erosion and waste) Students will be able to: describe how the three rock types form and identify them from their texture, porosity and the acid test explain physical, chemical and biological weathering, erosion and deposition, and follow routes through the rock cycle describe how soil forms, name its parts and layers, and measure its water and air content compare sandy, clay and loam soils and explain their drainage and suitability for crops explain plant nutrients, fertilisers, compost and soil conservation All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used (US: “fertilizer”). Safety notes appear wherever a practical needs one.

Unit 9: Food and Digestion
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can name the nutrients and their jobs, describe a balanced diet and deficiency diseases, test foods for starch, sugar, protein and fat, describe the digestive system and how food is absorbed, and explain the roles of teeth and enzymes, including tooth decay. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, home activities with virtual-data alternatives (reading food labels, energy needs, the paper fat test, a gut model and tooth brushing), and a 30-mark unit test. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B7.3.1.1.1 the concept of food and the need for digestion; B7.3.1.1.2 what happens to food at each stage of the digestive system; B7.3.1.1.3 end products of digestion; B8.3.1.1.1–B8.3.1.1.3 the mammalian tooth, types of teeth and their functions, causes and prevention of tooth decay; B7.5.2.1.1 food and health; B9.1.2.1.1 biological molecules (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids) Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stages 7–8): Biology – Life processes (7Bp, 8Bp): the human digestive system, nutrients and a balanced diet, deficiency diseases, enzymes; food tests (TWS) UK Key Stage 3 (Years 7–8): Nutrition and digestion: content of a healthy diet, calculations of energy requirements, consequences of imbalances (obesity, starvation, deficiency diseases), the tissues and organs of the digestive system, the importance of enzymes, the role of bacteria US NGSS Middle School: MS-LS1-3 (the body is a system of interacting subsystems), MS-LS1-7 (food is rearranged through chemical reactions to support growth and release energy) Students will be able to: name the seven nutrient groups, their jobs and good sources, and compare foods using labels describe a balanced diet, energy needs and the causes of scurvy, rickets, anaemia, kwashiorkor and obesity carry out and interpret tests for starch, glucose, protein and fat describe the path of food and the jobs of the organs of the digestive system describe types and structure of teeth, explain tooth decay, and name the enzymes and products of digestion All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used (US: “esophagus”, “anemia”). Safety notes appear wherever an activity needs one.

Unit 10: Electricity and Circuits
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can build and draw circuits, identify conductors and insulators, describe current and voltage in series and parallel circuits, use the resistor colour code, explain what diodes, LEDs and capacitors do, and use electricity safely, including working out energy use and cost. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, practicals with virtual alternatives (conductor tester, series currents, series and parallel, a diode test and a home energy audit), and a 30-mark unit test. No mains electricity is used in any practical. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B7.4.2.2.1 assemble and explain basic electronic components (junction diodes, colour-code resistors, capacitors) in a circuit; B7.4.3.2.2 components in home devices and the P-N junction diode; B8.4.2.2.1 electronic components in circuits; B9.4.2.2.1 forward and reverse bias (introduced); B7.4.3.1 conductors and insulators; electrical safety at home Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stages 7–9): Physics – Electricity (7Pe, 9Pe): circuits and symbols, conductors and insulators, current and voltage in series and parallel circuits, measuring with ammeters and voltmeters, resistance UK Key Stage 3 (Years 7–8): Electricity and electromagnetism: electric current, measured in amperes, in circuits; series and parallel circuits; currents add where branches meet; potential difference, measured in volts; resistance; domestic fuel bills, power ratings and kilowatt-hours US NGSS Middle School: MS-PS3-3 (design a device that changes energy transfer), MS-PS3-5 (energy transferred to or from an object); 4-PS3-2 and 4-PS3-4 (electric currents transfer energy; building circuits) as background Students will be able to: build circuits, draw them with standard symbols and sort materials into conductors and insulators describe current and resistance in series circuits and measure current with an ammeter compare current and voltage in series and parallel circuits and use a voltmeter explain what resistors, diodes, LEDs and capacitors do, and read the resistor colour code use electricity safely, explain fuses and earthing, and calculate energy in kWh and its cost All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used. No practical uses mains electricity. Costs use cents as an example; teachers can swap in their own currency and price.

Unit 11: Acids and Alkalis
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can recognise acids and alkalis at home and in the lab, use indicators including a homemade red cabbage indicator, use the pH scale and universal indicator, explain neutralisation and name salts, and describe the reactions of acids with metals and carbonates, with tests for hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, home activities with virtual alternatives (label survey, red cabbage indicator, pH testing, vinegar and baking soda neutralisation, and a balloon carbon dioxide activity), and a 30-mark unit test. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B9.1.1.1.3 characteristics and strength of common acids and alkalis using indicators; B8.1.1.1 acids, bases and salts at home (introduced); neutralisation and its everyday uses, including soil liming and tooth care; acid rain (B9.5.3 environmental effects, introduced) Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stages 7–9): Chemistry – Properties of materials and chemical reactions (7Cp, 7Cc, 9Cc): acids and alkalis, indicators, the pH scale, neutralisation, reactions of acids with metals and carbonates, naming salts UK Key Stage 3 (Years 7–8): Chemical reactions: defining acids and alkalis in terms of neutralisation reactions; the pH scale for measuring acidity and alkalinity; indicators; reactions of acids with metals to produce a salt plus hydrogen; reactions of acids with alkalis to produce a salt plus water US NGSS Middle School: MS-PS1-2 (analyse properties of substances before and after they interact to decide whether a reaction has occurred), MS-ESS3-3 (human impact, such as acid rain) as background Students will be able to: recognise acids, alkalis and bases at home, read hazard labels and work safely use litmus, red cabbage and phenolphthalein to classify solutions use the pH scale, universal indicator and pH meters, and link pH to strength explain neutralisation, name salts and describe uses such as antacids, toothpaste and soil liming describe reactions of acids with metals and carbonates, test for hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and explain acid rain damage All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used (US: “neutralization”, “color”); “sulfur” follows current international usage. Safety notes appear wherever an activity needs one.

Unit 12: Earth in Space
Unit overview By the end of this unit, students can explain day and night, years and shadows, the cause of the seasons, the phases of the Moon, solar and lunar eclipses, and describe the Solar System, including the inner and outer planets, asteroids, comets and meteors. The unit has five lessons of 10–15 minutes, home activities with virtual-data alternatives (a shadow stick, a torch model of the seasons, a Moon diary, an eclipse model and a toilet-roll Solar System), and a 30-mark unit test. Standards covered: BECE Science (GES/NaCCA Common Core): B7.3.2.1.1–B7.3.2.1.2 the Solar System and the inner planets (including Mercury and Venus) and their paths; B8.3.2.1.1 the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune); B9.3.2.1.1 non-planetary bodies (asteroids, comets, meteors); B9.4.1.2.3 formation of shadows; B9.4.1.2.4 eclipses Cambridge Lower Secondary Science (Stages 7–9): Earth and Space – Cycles on Earth and Earth in space (7ES, 8ES, 9ES): day and night, seasons, phases of the Moon, eclipses, the Solar System and its bodies UK Key Stage 3 (Years 7–8): Space physics: our Sun as a star, other stars in our galaxy; the seasons and the Earth’s tilt, day length at different times of year, in different hemispheres; the light year; gravity in the Solar System US NGSS Middle School: MS-ESS1-1 (model of the Earth–Sun–Moon system for phases, eclipses and seasons), MS-ESS1-2 (the role of gravity in the Solar System), MS-ESS1-3 (scale properties of Solar System objects) Students will be able to: explain day and night, the Sun’s apparent path, years and leap years, and how shadows change through the day explain the seasons using the tilt of the Earth’s axis, in both hemispheres describe and explain the phases of the Moon explain solar and lunar eclipses, umbra and penumbra, and how to watch safely describe the Sun, planets, asteroids, comets and meteors, and the scale of the Solar System All questions are original and written for this course. British spelling is used. Moon phase drawings are as seen from the Northern Hemisphere; the caption notes the change for the Southern Hemisphere. Never look directly at the Sun.