At Thornaby we discover scientific knowledge through the exploration of the key Big Ideas that underpin all science understanding. We revisit these ideas throughout the 5 years of study and explore them in greater depth as the students knowledge deepens.
The Big Ideas are;
- Objects can affect other objects at a distance and changing the movement of an object requires a net force to be acting upon it.
- Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter everywhere. Electrical power fills the modern world with artificial light and sound, information and entertainment, remote sensing and control.
- The total amount of energy in the Universe is always the same but energy can be transformed when things change or are made to happen
- Waves carry energy from one place to another and can also carry information
- Matter is composed of tiny particles called atoms. Elements show periodic relationships in their chemical and physical properties. These periodic properties can be explained in terms of the atomic structure of the elements.
- Chemical reactions involve rearrangement of atoms in substances to form new substances.
- The composition of the Earth and its atmosphere and the processes occurring within them shape the Earth’s surface and its climate.
- Organisms are organised on a cellular basis and require a supply of energy or materials.
- Organisms require a supply of energy and materials for which they are often dependent on or in competition with other organisms.
- Genetic information is passed down from one generation of organisms to another and the diversity of organisms, living and extinct, is the result of evolution.
Science 