Topic title: Sports Science
Year group: 8
When taught: Spring term
Overview: Sports Science helps students develop links between their bodies and the forces and motion involved with sport. The topic has two elements. We start by discussing respiration and how an athlete can transfer energy efficiently from their food, then build on the fundamentals of force and motion started in the rocket science topic in year 7. Ideas of balanced and unbalanced forces are extended to introduce the idea of acceleration. We also begin to look at the idea of representing motion graphs, this develops graphs skills introduced in CSI Bourton.
What the students targets for this topic?
| I know the word equation for respiration |
| I know how the body takes in oxygen and releases carbon dioxide via the alveoli |
| I can state how the body transports glucose and oxygen to cells for respiration |
| I know that the heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs and oxygenated blood to the body |
| I know the difference between aerobic and anaerobic respiration |
| I can calculate speed using a formula |
| I can draw a distance/time graph |
| I can interpret a distance/time graph |
| I can identify if a force is a contact or non-contact force |
| I know what the unit is for force |
| I can construct free body diagrams to show balanced and unbalanced forces |
| I know the difference between mass and weight |
| I can state Newtons 2nd law |
| I can describe the motion of an object from the resultant force |
Why is this important to know?
- Sport science helps students develop links between their bodies and the forces and motion involved with sport.
Where does this link into our past and future learning?
- The topic has two elements. We start by introducing respiration and how an athlete can get energy efficiently from their food, we then build on the fundamentals of force and motion started in the rocket science topic in year 7.
- Ideas of balanced and unbalanced forces are extended to introduce the idea of acceleration. We also begin to look at the idea of representing motion graphs, this develops graphs skills introduced in topic 1 CSI Bourton.
- Respiration is developed in detail in the B9 topic in year 10. As it is so fundamental to organisms’ energy release, reference is made to respiration throughout KS3 and KS4.
- Ideas of force and Newton’s laws and motion are developed in KS4 in the P8 -P10 topics. A greater mathematical understanding is required as well as describing more abstract examples.
How will we be assessed on this topic?
- There will be an end of unit test in class to formally assess the skills developed. There will be online homework quizzes to help students practice their skills.
What makes a strong piece of work in this topic? What are teachers hoping to see?
- Attention to detail.
- Knowing and developing an understanding of Newton’s laws.
- Graphs with neatly labelled axes, a scatter graph with equal spacing between numbers. Graphs should be labelled on both axes, with units, equally spaced numbers on each axis, crosses used for data points and a line of best fit.
- At the highest level, pupils will be able to rearrange equations and manipulate units in calculations.
What key words are there in this topic?
What can I try if I want to stretch and challenge myself on this topic?
- Find out what a sports scientist does as a job.
- Draw distance and speed time graphs for your journey to school.
What wider reading can be done on this topic?
What does a sports scientist do? Click here
How does playing sport benefit your body? Click here
