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Physical Science and Optional courses Department

Physical Science

I. Brief introduction

Physical science course is offered only for grade 8 students.

Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems and the physical science course taught in the 8th grade mainly covers the basic and important topics in physics and chemistry.

To serve a wider variety of students, a diverse curriculum is offered, including advanced courses as well as courses designed to attract and hold the interest of students whose natural inclinations lie elsewhere.

Standard Level(S) is designed to offer the core materials of the subject. Honored Level (H) is intended to extend the academic realm of students who demonstrate interest and talent in the subject.

II. Teaching principles and expectations

In physical science classes, teachers aim to improve the students’ ability to learn independently and enable them to apply knowledge to real world situations.

Students are expected to:

 learn independently and believe in their own need to evaluate and understand

 understand that physical science needs to be considered as a connected, consistent framework

 stress understanding of the underlying ideas and concepts

 believe that ideas learned in physical science are useful in a wide variety of real-world contexts

 consider mathematics as a convenient way of representing physical science phenomena

 make the effort to use information available to them to modify and correct their thinking

III. Teaching aims and objectives

The physical science course aims to develop students’ interest in physics and chemistry with an understanding of a range of concepts, processes and skills. Students should become independent learners and apply their knowledge of physical science to a variety of situations in real world. Students are expected to understand how the ideas of physical science are acquired, tested and applied. Students will appreciate that physical science is a science basic to any understanding of other sciences and technology.

Students should be able to demonstrate:

 the knowledge of fundamental principles in the areas of both physics and chemistry.

 the capacity for problem solving and the ability to apply the principles and laws of physical science in a variety of situations.

 a command of practical laboratory skills.

 the skills of effective scientific communication.

 the ability to evaluate scientific information.

IV. Contents

In the one-year study of physical science, students will learn about the following topics:

 The metric system

 The properties and structure of matter

 Elements and compounds

 Chemical reactions

 Motion and force

 Work and machines

 Heat

 Sound and light

 Electricity

 Magnets and electromagnetism

Optional Courses

I. Brief introduction

To cater to the different needs and interests of students, our school provides a variety of optional courses for middle school students to choose from. Students have one-hour optional class every week to develop their interests and enhance their extra-curricular knowledge and skills.

II. Course areas and objectives

The more than 100 interest and literacy development courses are in the following areas:

Arts

Different levels in art courses include basic art education, performance arts and practices, and the development and presentation of specialized art skills.

PE

Different levels in sports courses include personal basic sports skills, team sports skills, exercise habits and sportsmanship, specialized sports skills, and international and domestic sports competitions.

World Languages

Several common world languages are available, such as Japanese, French, and German, further promoting the development and understanding of multiple languages and cultures.

Multi-area Interest Development

These courses provide a variety of experiences for different interests, varying from IT courses and electronic courses to home economics and flower arrangement.

III. Course contents

Category A: P.E. Courses

(1) Table Tennis (2) Basketball (3) Karate (4) Football (5) Tennis (6) Tae Kwon Do

(7) Badminton (8) Swimming (9) Kendo (10) Baseball (11) Chinese Chess (12) Volleyball (13) Cheer-leader (14) Darts (15) Sports Yoga

Category B: Art Courses

(1) Sketching (2) Tradition Chinese Painting (3) Pottery (4) Cartoon Painting

(5) Woodcut Painting (6) Water-color Painting (7) Chinese Calligraphy (8) Piano Skills

(9) Piano Improvisation for Pop Music (10) Chinese Dance (11) Drama (12) Pop Dance

(13) Body Shaping (14) Wind Ensemble (15) Vocal Skills Training (16) Movie Music Appreciation (17) Chamber Music for Strings (18) Computer Music (19) Improvisational Piano Performance

(20) Guitar (21) Electro Band (prepare electric guitar or bass) (22) Ensemble for Chinese Traditional Instrument (23) Dance Yoga (24) Classical Concert Appreciation (25) Musical Theater

(26) Ireland Tap Dance (27) Group Singing

Category C: Languages

(1) Shanghai Dialect (2) Japanese I (3) Japanese II (4) Korean (basic) (5) French (basic)

(6) German (basic) (7) Spanish (basic)

Category D: Comprehensive Course

(1) Plane Model (2) Home Economics (No food Allergy) (3) Flower Arranging (4) Handwork (5) A Robot Studio （LEGO） (6) Electric Handwork (7) Simulated Driving (8) Yearbook（1 school year）

Category E: Subject Courses

(1) News Report (2) Introduction to Chinese Culture (3) World Culture Comparison

(4) Advanced Flash Animation (5) Advanced Image Design (6) Biology Workshop