Year 7 Curriculum
Art is an inspiring, and exciting subject packed with fun activities that will help you become more creative and imaginative. You will learn many exciting new skills such as painting, printmaking, sculpture, drawing and digital art. Art gives you the power to express yourself and you will learn in a supportive and encouraging environment. Many students love Art as it allows them to solve problems in an original and personal way, everybody has their own style and their own ideas and Art encourages you to share those in new and skilful ways.
In Year 7, students explore the visual elements of Art (particularly line, form, tone and colour). We teach you how to use these elements to express your own ideas and show you how other artists have used them to full effect. Get ready for lots of fun new techniques, experimenting and finding out how tools and materials can help you create something truly inspiring!
Enrichment opportunities are aplenty in Art! Students have the opportunity to go on numerous trips around the UK to museums and galleries. We give students the opportunity to exhibit their work at the end of year Summer Exhibition. Students also have the opportunity to enter competitions and have their work featured on our Twitter page.
In Year 7 you will:
- Undertake creative projects that involve selecting, using and combining multiple applications to achieve goals, including collecting and analysing data and meeting the needs of known users
- Create a range of digital artefacts for a given audience, with attention to trustworthiness, design and usability
- Understand a range of ways to use technology safely, respectfully, responsibly and securely, including protecting their online identity and privacy. Recognising inappropriate content and conduct and know how to report concerns
- Design, use and evaluate computational abstraction that model real-world problems and physical systems, through block-based and text-based programming, using logical reasoning to compare alternative algorithms for the same problem, developing efficient and effective solutions to given problems
Design & Technology
Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, students have the opportunity to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Within DT students learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable designers. DT at HA is divided into three discrete subject areas, Product Design, Textiles and Food, covered by all students throughout the year via a rotation system. Year 7 is very much about students becoming acclimatised to the unique working environments the DT suite of subjects offer, and understanding the importance of working safely within these specialist areas. The emphasis is on skill acquisition, through an active learning methodology. By the end of the year we would expect our students to be able to:
- Understand Design And Technology's impact on society and the environment and the responsibilities of designers
- To identify and solve design problems and understand how to reformulate problems given to them
- To analyse the work of past and present design professionals to develop and broaden their understanding of design
- To use research and exploration to identify and understand user needs
- To understand and use the properties of natural materials to achieve functioning solutions
- To be able to name and safely use basic textiles hand tools
- To be able to safely set up, operate and control the sewing machine and name the main parts
- To be able to show resilience when work is difficult or goes wrong, and a willingness to put it right in order to achieve a quality product
- Understand the properties and uses of materials, in particular thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics
- Use manufacturing processes to change the structural integrity of materials
- Understand the use of formers to aid and improve construction accuracy
- Gain knowledge and experience of the use of basic hand tools to form and shape materials
- Develop an understanding of correct use of PPE and following workshop health and safety procedures
- Build upon their passion for designing and making
- To use research and exploration to identify and understand user needs
- To able to explain how to reduce the risk of food poisoning following good hygiene and safety rules
- To understand the impact of food miles on the environment
- To have a greater understanding of the importance of using the different tools and equipment safely in the kitchen
- To be able to weigh and measure with more accuracy
- To be able to use the temperature probe correctly.
Drama is a subject that prepares students socially. They learn how to use a creative mind and work within a team. Students will learn how to gain confidence via a range of varied skills.
- Drama helps develop language and communication skills
- Encourages children to cooperate
- Supports numeracy skills
- Helps children to understand the world around them
- Develops emotional intelligence
- Assists physical development
- Develops creativity
By the end of Year 7 Learners are expected to have gained an understanding of development of voice, movement, gesture, proxemics and use of stage.
- Gain an understanding of terminology and make use of it within performance
- Create a piece of drama based on a stimulus
- Incorporate script and structure within a piece of drama
English at Holderness Academy.
Our students embark on a literary journey which provides the opportunity to become language explorers and develop a pleasure for reading.
Our English journey begins with a trip to the gothic world of Frankenstein followed by the excitement of battle in Beowulf.
William Shakespeare then provides us with an insight into ancient Rome through the play of Julius Caesar.
We are then transported to the world of Greek mythology before landing back in modern day with the exciting tale of Percy Jackson.
our students to become avid readers, skilled writers and confident speakers.
We do this through…
Teaching to the top with academic rigour and through the threshold concepts of:
Awareness of Impact
Structure & Coherence
Accurate Spelling, punctuation and grammar.
You will increase your knowledge of the local area and the world using map skills to locate the UK and other areas studied in the world. We also use computers to use GIS. We show you how to use Google maps and collect information.
Human Geography. Interesting given the times we live in! We study settlements and their patterns, how and why they were formed. Why there are different land zones and apply simple urban models. We compare rich and poor countries known in geography as Developed and Developing cities. We also look at an NEE Newly emerging economy in China and find out about some of the challenges facing China as a NEE.
Physical Geography. My Favourite! We try to understand the patterns and processes that affect weather around the school. We look deeper as to why people and the environment cause climate to change over a short and long term.
Fieldwork. Yet another favourite! To carry out environmental and microclimate enquiry around the school site. To be able to apply your enquiry skills to carry out a fieldwork enquiry along the coast.
Are you ready for the challenge of Geography?
In History we study Britain and its place in the wider world from the Roman Empire to the present day. We look at the Native American Indians and how they were affected by the arrival of white Europeans in the 1600s. We also study the Middle Ages, the ages of knights, castles and plagues! Year 7 is finished off with a look at the Tudors and Stuarts before looking at the British Empire and both World Wars in Year 8.
You will explore and investigate all of the aspects of maths from algebra all the way to transforming shapes. By the end of Year 7 you will have a thorough understanding of the basic mathematical skills so that you can build on this knowledge in the years ahead. You will have an online homework account where you can practise, make progress and even play mathematical games. You will have the chance to be placed onto the maths leader board where you can win prizes and stamps.
MFL (French, German & Spanish)
- The Languages Faculty aims to produce confident, capable and articulate linguists who can work independently in their Speaking and Writing with a range of vocabulary, the present tense and high frequency structures
- We aim to make parallels between English and target language grammar and linguistic patterns to support our students becoming confident and clear communicators
- Our students are able to express opinions and offer justifications
Learning is themed around topics and issues which gradually introduces increasingly complex levels of language to stretch and challenge students. High focus on listening and speaking skills in Year 7 allows our pupils to develop confidence in those two skills and helps develop confident communicators.
We also feel it is important to introduce and embed the teaching of cultural topics so our pupils understand similarities and differences to prepare them well to be global citizens. We hope this develops a natural curiosity for other cultures and traditions outside of the UK.
We want to ensure our students value the importance of languages and of being able to communicate with others from other cultures for a variety of purposes.
The overall aim in Year 7 is for students to experience music in as many different ways as possible, pupils come into the school with a wide range of previous experiences, some have never done any music before and others have multiple instrumental lessons. The idea of focussing on the voice initially is to show pupils that they all have their own instrument regardless as to what they have done in the past and can all get enjoyment from using their voice and expressing themselves. The ukuleles and keyboard skills topics are all differentiated to different ability levels but again is about pupils experiencing different ways to create music, understanding a little more about historical context and having the opportunity to work as an ensemble.
Main outcomes are:
- To play and perform confidently using their voice, ukuleles and keyboards in a range of solo and ensemble contexts mastering the art of technique, developing fluency, accuracy and expression
- Developing the understanding of staff notation and other relevant notations appropriately and accurately in a range of musical styles, genres and traditions
- To develop a deepening understanding of the music that they perform and to which they listen, and its history
- To understand the key musical elements
Welcome to Holderness Academy PE!
We aim to make you fitter, stronger and more resilient. We have some amazing facilities which include a large 3G Football pitch, Sports hall, Gymnasium, Fitness suite and Dance studio. We are a green field site and are lucky to have a vast secluded field space.
We offer core PE to all year groups and educational courses in Sports Science, GCSE and A level PE. Whilst you are with us you will enhance your skills and expertise in the following sporting activities: Football, Hockey, Rugby, Dance, Gymnastics, Netball, Badminton, Fitness, Rounders, Athletics, Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball, Softball and Table Tennis. We also provide many extra curricular opportunities, residential ski trips and sports tours across Europe. In recent years our extra-curricular teams have been National Champions in Rugby League and Football. We have great links with many clubs and we are very proud of our former students who are playing football and rugby league professionally.
More information regarding sport at Holderness Academy can be found here.
Come join us and discover your full potential!
Philosophy & Ethics
Philosophy & Ethics will be a brand new subject for you!
In this lesson, we will ask some of the big questions in life, including 'why are people religious?' and 'what makes you, you?'.
We start by looking at what religion is - what does it mean to be a follower of a particular religion? You will also consider your own views about religion, before moving on to think about what contributes to your identity - what makes you, you. We will also look at different relationships in your lives, what influences your decision making and whether religion has had any impact on your identity. We will then look at how religion does have an impact on identity by looking at the six major world religions in more detail - Judaism, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. We also consider non-religious viewpoints, including Humanism.
In your Philosophy & Ethics lessons you will have the opportunity to develop a range of characteristics, including demonstrating respect and kindness.
Why study science? Science is discovery!
Science helps us to understand the world around us. Everything we know about the universe from plants and animals to space is the research of scientific research and experiments.
We study biology, chemistry and physics and we develop your knowledge and understanding of your body and the World around you! Think about modern farming, medicines, energy sources, communication, leisure, transportation and conservation all of these come from scientists asking the questions and then finding the answers. As scientists we ask questions to everyday problems and then carry out practical investigations to find solutions.
What colour is a flame with sodium in it? Let's find out using a Bunsen burner!
In your Science lessons you will have the opportunity to develop a range of skills such as analysing, problem solving, practical and mathematical skills.