S3 parent info term 4 2016

1. Stronsay School Parent Information
Term 4, 2015-16
S3
Dear Parents/Carers
Please see below some of the key topics your son/daughter will be studying during this term.
If you would like further information on any of the following, please contact the individual
teacher at the school.
S3 English – Term 4
S3 becoming S4 May onwards.
 Poetry—vocabulary
 Studying the work of well-known poets
 Myths and legends
 Basic literacy skills
S3 Maths – Term 4
 Lifeskills Maths
 Foreign exchange
 Statistics
 End of unit testing
S3 Biology– Term 4
 Photosynthesis: Two staged process, Chemical energy and Limiting factors
 Respiration: The chemical energy, Energy release and respiration processes
 Assessments: End of unit one testing. National 4/5 where appropriate
S3 Chemistry – Term 4
 Acids and Alkalis: Disassociation on water into hydrogen and hydroxide ions, pH,
Neutralisation and Titration
 Assessments: Short report
o End of unit one testing. National 4/5 where appropriate

2. S3 French – Term 4
On est citoyen du monde (Citizen of the world)
 Where I live: Your local area : Things you can do in your town/village - Tourist
information in your local area.
 Town vs. the countryside: Advantages/disadvantages of living in a town
Advantages/disadvantages of living in the countryside - Comparisons between town and
country life.
 Recycling: Environmental advice - How to be environmentally friendly at home - What you
do to help the environment
 Importance of languages: The importance of learning a language - How another language
can be useful in a personal and professional context.
S3 RME – Term 4
 Funerals in other religions
S3 Geography – Term 4 (S2 transition to S3)
For the first part of this Term, Weeks 1-4, students currently in S2 will be studying
the following Topic:
Why do People Choose to Live in Different Places?( 4 Weeks ).
• What is the Equatorial Forest like?
• What would it be like to live in the Tropical Rainforest?
• What are Hot Deserts Like?
• What would it be like to live in the Hot Deserts?
Once transition into S3 has taken place, those students choosing to continue with Geography will
be involved with the study of the following:
Rural Geography
 Changes in the rural landscape in developed countries related to modern developments in
farming including diversification, impact of new technology, organic farming, genetically
modified crops & government policy.
 Changes in the rural landscape in developing countries related to modern developments in
farming such as genetically modified crops, impact of new technology, bio- fuels.
S3 History – Term 4 (includes S2 transition to S3)
During this Term students will be involved in the study of the following topics:
National 4 Coursework:
Completion of Coursework started last Term.
Migration and Empire 1830-1939 ( Module 3 ). ( 6-8 Weeks )

3. • The British Empire.
• Immigration into Scotland of Irish, Jewish, Italian & Lithuanians immigrants. For each
group consider:-
1) Explain why they came to Scotland.
2) Describe where they settled.
3) Describe the impact of these groups on Scotland.
S3 Art and Design – Term 4
Interdisciplinary project linking Art and Craft. Experimenting with textile techniques and
mixed media to represent textures and colours found in nature, particularly the sea and beach.
Techniques may include dying fabric, embellishing, batik, marbling with inks, watercolour painting
etc. Pupils will explore the possibility of incorporating different materials such as paper, fabric,
found objects and natural materials. They will be encouraged to experiment and produce
samples in handmade sketchbooks to be developed into a final contemporary, piece.
S3 Music – Term 4 Vocal Music/Performing
This term the S3 class will begin to study Vocal Music. They will learn National 3 musical
concepts associated with Vocal Music including opera, musicals and popular music.
Pupils will also be continuing their studies in Performance. Pupils will regularly practise on two
instruments and this will culminate in a performance day in June where pupils will perform to
each other/teachers. They will self-reflect on their performance highlighting areas for
improvement together with aspects they thought went well.
S3 Health and Wellbeing
In health and wellbeing this term, pupils will focus on recognising their achievements and
learning, by using their learning logs to create their end of year profiles. Pupils will also
continue to work on XL and completing their portfolios of work, with the main focus on the
Planning for Personal Development unit, which will also link to their profiles. They will be
encouraged to celebrate success and look to the future in planning their own next steps.
S3 PE – Term 4
Secondary pupils will be participating in athletics and striking and fielding games this
term, weather dependant. Pupils will be introduced to, and develop specific athletic
skills including throwing, jumping and running. Adaptations and variations of games such
as cricket, rounders and softball will hopefully be enjoyed in the sun.