Getting Ready for A Level Study at Cheadle Hulme

Sixth Form

Getting Ready for A Level Art and Design The AQA A Level in Art, Craft and Design will be linear over two years. We will begin by developing skills and creativity through the creation of portfolio work. During this time, you will gain valuable experience in a wide variety of Art, Craft and Design processes. This collection of work is a chance to broaden your outlook and interest in Art, experiment with processes and materials previously unexplored and delve deeper into the context behind Art and Artists. You will then start your Personal Investigation project towards the end of Year 12 and work on this until you begin your exam project in February of Year 13. Your Personal Investigation will allow you to be individual about the direction of your project. In the past we have explored; Motion, Journeys, Stream of Consciousness, Wildfowl and Poultry and The Unexpected Beauty. It is vital that you broaden your knowledge of artists and designers in order to give you the best start.

Try not to focus on a specialism at this stage, be open to inspiration from all genres of Art, Craft and Design.

Please visit a gallery over the summer and be prepared to feedback upon your return.

Manchester Art Gallery

Whitworth Art Gallery

Getting Ready for A Level Biology A Level Biology is a two year course which will give you the opportunity to study a range of topics such as biochemistry, physiology and environmental biology. Many students who enjoy and successfully complete this subject typically progress onto a range of degree courses including: Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science, Biochemistry and Biological Sciences. Skill A Level Biology at Cheadle Hulme Sixth Form is an extremely popular option and provides an excellent platform for undergraduate study by helping you enhance skills such as:

x Developing knowledge and understanding of different areas of Biology and how they relate to each other

x Demonstrate a deep appreciation of the skills, knowledge and understanding of scientific methods

x Competence and confidence in a variety of practical, mathematical and problem solving skills

x Being aware of how society makes decisions about scientific issues and how the sciences contribute to the success of the economy and society.

Knowledge The AQA A Level specification is organised into eight topics which are then sub-divided into shorter sections within the course. The knowledge you will acquire includes:

Year 12 Year 13 Topic 1 – Biological Molecules

Topic 5 – Energy Transfers in and between organisms

Topic 2 - Cells

Topic 6 – Organisms response to changes in their internal and external environments

Topic 3 – Organisms exchange with their environment

Topic 7 – Genetics, populations, evolution and ecosystems

Topic 4 – Genetic Information, Variation and relationships between organisms

Topic 8 – The control of gene expression

Organisation A Levels are intended to prepare students for undergraduate study. Strong organisation from the start is key to ensuring you develop solid independent study skills during your time in Sixth Form. You will be expected to complete the following on a weekly/fortnightly basis: Question packs Detailed revision notes Homework sheets Formal Assessments will also take place once every three weeks. We expect students to ensure that their folders are kept up-to date and organised from the beginning. Over the summer holiday, ensure that you purchase a lever arch file for your Biology notes.

Textbooks We strongly recommend purchasing the Essential Maths Skills for Biology texbook. This can be purchased from the Science Department at a discounted rate at the start of the academic year. Essential Maths Skills for AS/A Level Biology ISBN-13 9781471863455 There is also a Practical Biology textbook that we recommend. This can also be purchased from the Science Department at a discounted rate at the start of the academic year. AQA A Level Biology: Practical Biology ISBN-13 9781471885587 Finally, students are provided with student notes thoughout the year as part of their studies. However, if you would like a textbook to accompany your Biology A Level we recommend: AQA Biology A Level Second Edition Student Book by Toole & Toole ISBN: 9780198351764 Recommended summer reading The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne Bad Science by Ben Goldacre The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins River out of Eden by Richard Dawkins. Genome by Matt Ridley Life by Richard Fortey Mapping the Deep by Robert Kunzig Silent Spring by Rachel Carson Almost Like A Whale by Steve Jones It would be very useful to look over the separate science topics in a revision guide if you did not take separate science for GCSE

Getting Ready for A Level Business Overview

x University courses in the fields of business and management are amongst the most popular worldwide, at both undergraduate and graduate levels of study. A Level Business is an extremely popular option and provides an excellent platform for undergraduate study by helping you enhance SKILLS such as:

x Developing a critical understanding of organisations, the markets they serve and the process of adding value

x Being aware that business behaviour can be studied from the perspectives of a range of stakeholders

x Acquiring a range of skills including decision-making and problem-solving x Awareness of the current structure of business and business practice.

What you need to do over the summer break

x If you are sure you will be doing Business get hold of a copy of the Edexcel Textbook (see right). Read the first chapter. This will give you a good feel for the material we will be covering in the first few lessons – you will be much more comfortable with our early work if you have read around the material in advance

x Get your folder organised – you will need a big lever arch file and some lined A4 paper. You will need some dividers as well

x Start to get into the habit of taking time to look at Business news - start with the BBC News/Business/ pages and the same on The Guardian and Telegraph websites. These usually carry very up to date stories and they do it in an accessible way

x Look at www.tutor2u.net/business/blog - a great resource which will become more useful to you as the course progresses. It carries daily updates from respected and trusted contributors

x Take an interest in relevant features on broadcast news – you need to have a good feel for what is happening in the real world regarding Business

Recommended Websites to visit http://www.tutor2u.net/business/topics http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business http://www.ft.com/home/uk Knowledge The Edexcel A Level specification is organised into four logical themes which sub-divide the content into familiar and relevant sub-categories. The KNOWLEDGE you will acquire includes:

Theme 1 - Marketing and people Meeting customer needs The market Marketing mix and strategy Managing people Entrepreneurs and leaders

Theme 2 - Managing business activities Raising finance Financial planning Managing finance Resource management External influences

Theme 3 - Business decisions & strategy Business objectives and strategy Business growth Decision-making techniques Influences on business decisions Assessing competitiveness Managing change

Theme 4 - Global business Globalisation Global markets and business expansion Global marketing Global industries and companies (multinational corporations)

Habits A Levels are intended to prepare students for undergraduate study and it is clear that if you can develop these independent study skills during your time in the Sixth Form, you will begin university with a head start. You will not achieve your potential if you do not put in the work outside of the lesson. Developing independent study skills and positive learning HABITS are vital if you are to succeed in A Level Business and reading is one of the core activities of independent learning. A suggested reading list is shown below: Reading List How I Made It: 40 Successful Entrepreneurs Reveal How They Made Millions (Rachel Bridge) An essential read about starting your own business. Successful entrepreneurs are interviewed about how they spotted a gap in a market, and developed a USP. The Google Story (David A. Vise) An interesting investigation into the culture at Google, includes insights into the four day working week and soft management styles. The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer (Jeffrey Liker) Covers Japanese Management Techniques such as Kaizen and TQM. Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India Are Reshaping Their Futures and Yours (Tarun Khanna) An investigation into Asia’s two growing economic powers. Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur (Sir Richard Branson) The autobiography of Britain’s most famous entrepreneur. The Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham) The classic book on stock market investment, as recommended by Warren Buffet.

Getting Ready for A Level Chemistry A Level Chemistry is a two-year course, which will give you the opportunity to study a range of topics such as organic, inorganic and physical chemistry. Many students who enjoy and successfully complete this subject typically progress onto a range of degree courses including medicine, dentistry, chemistry and chemical engineering. Skills A Level chemistry at Cheadle Hulme Sixth Form is an extremely popular option and provides an excellent platform for undergraduate study by helping you enhance SKILLS such as:

x Developing knowledge and understanding of different areas of chemistry and how they relate to each other

x Demonstrating a deep appreciation of the skills, knowledge and understanding of scientific methods

x Competence and confidence in a variety of practical, mathematical and problem-solving skills

x Being aware of how society makes decisions about scientific issues and how the sciences contribute to the success of the economy and society.

Knowledge The AQA A Level specification is organised into organic, inorganic and physical chemistry. Examples of some of the KNOWLEDGE you will acquire includes: Year 12 Year 13 Atomic Structure Thermodynamics Amount of Substance Rate equations Bonding Acids and Bases Periodicity Transition Metal Chemistry Group 2 and Group 7 Chemistry Carbonyl Compounds Alkanes and Alkenes Aromatic Chemistry Halogenoakanes Amines and Amino Acids Alcohols Polymers Organic Analysis Organic Synthesis

Organisation A Levels are intended to prepare students for undergraduate study. Strong organisation from the start is key to ensuring you develop solid independent study skills during your time in Sixth Form. You will be expected to complete the following on a weekly/fortnightly basis: Lesson question packs Detailed revision notes Homework booklets Formal assessments will also take place regularly. We expect students to ensure that their folders are kept up-to-date and organised from the beginning. Over the summer holiday, ensure that you purchase two lever arch files for your Chemistry notes.

Textbooks We strongly recommend purchasing the following textbook to accompany your Chemistry A Level: Lister and Renshaw AQA Chemistry A Level Year 1 Second Edition Student Book ISBN-10: 019835181X In addition, the following revision guide is highly recommended and covers Year 12 and Year 13 content. CGP New A-Level Chemistry: AQA Year 1 & 2 ISBN-10: 1782943005 There is also a Maths for Chemistry and a Practical Chemistry book that we recommend. These can be purchased from the Science Department at a discounted rate at the start of the academic year. Essential Maths Skills for AS/A Level Chemistry ISBN-10: 1471863492 Practical Chemistry for AS/A Level Chemistry ISBN-10: 1471885143 Recommended summer reading Make sure that you revise your GCSE “Amount of Substance” topics: Mole calculations Reacting masses Empirical formulas % Yield (Separate science) Atom economy (Separate science) It would be very useful to look over the separate science topics in a revision guide if you did not take separate science for GCSE

Getting Ready for A Level Computer Science By developing new applications in science, engineering and business, Computer Science is changing the world, and changing people’s lives. Over the duration of the A Level course you will study software and hardware, and information and communication technologies, to equip you with the skills needed for further study or employment in Computer Science. Organisation You will need basic stationery including a lever arch file, dividers, plastic wallets, pens, pencils and rulers. You will also need to have an appropriate structure in place for organising your digital work. Each of these aspects will be considered part of your Computer Science folder which should be kept up-to-date. Knowledge During your A Level in Computer Science you will develop your knowledge of the following languages: Python SQL HTML, CSS and JavaScript Little Man Computer Over the summer you should practise these skills using a mixture of the websites listed below. There is a lot to learn in Year 12 so it is vital you have familiarised yourself with each of the languages listed before we start. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs6nmQViDpUw0nuIx9c_WvA (ProgrammingKnowledge channel) https://www.codecademy.com/ http://www.w3schools.com/ http://www.pythonschool.net/ http://peterhigginson.co.uk/LMC/ use tutorials from: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDiO28BvB-s9aWQdwKEyjwQ Habits Computer Science is a particularly complex subject. To really succeed at it, you will need to put in a lot of work outside lesson, both in developing your programming skillset, applying new knowledge and learning theory. You must be able to meet deadlines and work independently with focus.

Getting Ready for A Level Drama and Theatre Research into theatrical practitioners Complete research into the following individuals/theatrical movements/companies who have made direct developmental contributions to theatre. Develop your understanding of their background, theatrical intentions and conventions.

x Frantic Assembly x Forced Entertainment x Bertolt Brecht x Antonin Artaud x Jacques Lecoq x Constantin Stanislavski

Reading Texts that we will study:

x That Face by Polly Stenham x A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams x Woyzeck by Georg Buchner

Further reading to develop your theatrical knowledge: x The Empty Space by Peter Brook x An Actor Prepares by Constantin Stanislavski x Any play by Jim Cartwright, William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Harold Pinter, Arthur

Miller, Tennessee Williams, Oscar Wilde, Henrik Ibsen, Sophocles, Sarah Kane, Caryl Churchill.

Further preparation

x You will need an A4 ring binder with dividers x You will need to bring a pencil to every lesson to annotate scripts x Analysis of live theatre forms a large proportion of the course. Therefore, see as much

live/recorded theatre as possible.

Getting Ready for A Level Economics The AQA A Level in Economics will be split over two years. This will be a new subject to all of you so it is very important that you do some groundwork over the summer holidays. What you will need to do over the summer break

x If you are sure you will be doing Economics get hold of a copy of the AQA Text (see right). Read Part 1 Chapter 1 and Part 2 Chapter 6. This will give you a good feel for the material we will be covering in the first few lessons – you will be much more comfortable with our early work if you have read around the material in advance.

x Get your folder organised – you will need a

big lever arch file and some lined A4 paper. You will need some dividers as well.

x Start to get into the habit of taking time to

look at Economics news - start with the BBC News/Business/Economy pages and the same on The Guardian and Telegraph websites. These usually carry very up to date stories and they do it in an accessible way (bear in mind that the newspapers have some political bias – see if you can identify differences in their approach).

x Try to get into the habit of looking at newspapers for economics stories. Look at David Smith’s column on p5 of the Sunday Times Business section. It will take you no more than 10 minutes to read.

x Look at www.tutor2u.net/economics/blog - a great resource, and one which will become

more useful to you as the course progresses. It carries daily updates from respected and trusted contributors. The Tutor2U site will be a very useful resource as the course progresses, as will www.economicsonline.co.uk.

x Take an interest in relevant features on broadcast news – you need to have a good feel for

what is happening in the world.

x Have an understanding of what is happening to key economic indicators in our economy: GDP, Unemployment, Inflation, the Balance of Trade, the exchange rate (Dollar and Euro) and Interest Rates. A great website for this data is www.tradingeconomics.com - why not make a table and keep a record of the data? You can also make comparisons with other key economies such as USA, China, Germany, Japan, France, Brazil, Russia and India.

Getting Ready for A Level English Language Reading Studying English Language will introduce you to all sorts of interesting topics and knowledge about language that you have never encountered before! Try to get ahead by reading some websites and blogs about language research today. Try any of the following as a starting point - each website is full of activities, questions and resources which will help to strengthen your knowledge: http://www.englishbiz.co.uk/grammar/index.htm http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/exlist/list.htm http://www.babelzine.com/ http://www.wordsoftheworld.co.uk/ http://www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/recent.html http://englishlangsfx.blogspot.co.uk/

David Crystal ‘A Little Book of Language’ In this charming volume, a narrative history written explicitly for a young audience, expert linguist David Crystal proves why the story of language deserves retelling. From the first words of an infant to the peculiar modern dialect of text messaging, "A Little Book of Language" ranges widely, revealing language's myriad intricacies and quirks. In animated fashion, Crystal sheds light on the development of unique linguistic styles, the origins of obscure accents, and the search for the first written word. He discusses the plight of endangered languages, as well as successful cases of linguistic revitalization. Much more than a history, Crystal's work looks forward to the future of language, exploring the effect of technology on our day-to-day reading, writing, and speech.

Bill Bryson ‘Mother Tongue’ Only Bill Bryson could make a book about the English language so entertaining. With his boundless enthusiasm and restless eye for the absurd, this is his astonishing tour of English. From its mongrel origins to its status as the world's most-spoken tongue; its apparent simplicity to its deceptive complexity; its vibrant swearing to its uncertain spelling and pronunciation, Bryson covers all this as well as the many curious eccentricities that make it as maddening to learn as it is flexible to use. Bill Bryson's classic Mother Tongue is a highly readable and hilarious tale of how English came to be the world's language.

Deborah Cameron ‘The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do Men and Women Really Speak Different Languages?’ Popular assumptions about gender and communication-famously summed up in the title of the massively influential 1992 bestseller Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus-can have unforeseen but far-reaching consequences in many spheres of life, from attitudes to the phenomenon of "date-rape" to expectations of achievement at school, and potential discrimination in the work-place. In this wide-ranging and thoroughly readable book, Deborah Cameron, Rupert Murdoch Professor of Language and Communication at Oxford University and author of a number of leading texts in the field of language and gender studies, draws on over 30 years of scientific research to explain what we really know and to demonstrate how this is often very different from the accounts we are familiar with from recent popular writing.

David Crystal ‘Words Words Words’ Lexicography is not just an exercise in linguistic accounting, writes preeminent English language scholar David Crystal in this exceptionally lively and erudite little book. "It is a voyage of lexical exploration and discovery". In Words, Words, Words, Crystal takes readers on a fascinating linguistic adventure, exploring the English language in all its oddity, complexity, and ever-changing beauty. Traveling from word origins and word evolution to wordgangs, wordrisks, wordplay, wordgames and beyond, Crystal shares his immense knowledge of, and equally immense delight in, language. He celebrates new words, old words, words that "snarl" and words that "purr", elegant words and taboo words, plain English words and convoluted gobbledegook, eponyms and antonyms, spoonerisms and malapropisms, and a host of other written and spoken forms. Words, Words, Words offers invaluable insight on such subjects as ·how to estimate the size of your vocabulary ·the functions of jargon ·when clichés are necessary ·the value of slang words ("the chief use of slang/is to show you're one of the gang") ·how to create your own "semantic field" ·dialect humor ·how to become a word detective ·how to keep a record of your child's words ·and much more! With illuminating sidebars featuring everything from common word origins and sample definitions from the dictionaries of Samuel Johnson and Ambrose Bierce to a passage from Finnegan's Wake and the winning entries of The Guardian Text Message Poetry Competition, Words, Words, Words will both satisfy and spark the curiosity of anyone who has ever been intrigued, befuddled, or awed by words and myriad ways we use them.

Ambitious in scope and exceptionally accessible, The Myth of Mars and Venus tells it like it is: widely accepted attitudes from the past and from other cultures are at heart related to assumptions about language and the place of men and women in society; and there is as much similarity and variation within each gender as between men and women, often associated with social roles and relationships. The author goes on to consider the influence of Darwinian theories of natural selection and the notion that girls and boys are socialized during childhood into different ways of using language, before addressing problems of "miscommunication" surrounding, for example, sex and consent to sex, and women's relative lack of success in work and politics. Arguing that what linguistic differences there are between men and women are driven by the need to construct and project personal meaning and identity, Cameron concludes that we have an urgent need to think about gender in more complex ways than the prevailing myths and stereotypes allow.

Mark Forsyth ‘The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language’ The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language. What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? Mark Forsyth’s riotous celebration of the idiosyncratic and sometimes absurd connections between words is a classic of its kind: a mine of fascinating information and a must-read for word-lovers everywhere.

Organisation During the course of the year, you will be given lots of interesting articles, transcripts, blog entries and advertisements to read, and so you will need to have a very well organised folder. Make sure you have a lever arch folder, dividers, plastic wallets, highlighters, A4 lined paper and stationery by your first lesson. Analysing language principles in use In the first unit you will study, we will be exploring the relationship between the purpose, audience and genre of a text, the producer and the reader. To prepare you for this, please collect a variety of different text types that you encounter on a daily basis. This means that any text with words on it could be included. This could be:

x Text messages x Newspaper articles x Clothes labels x Flyers x Blurbs x Packaging x Posters x Blogs x Speeches x etc.

Please try to find at least a range of text types. For each type, make notes on the intended purpose and audience of the text and how the writer has used language with these factors in mind. You may also like to consider how groups of people or concepts are represented in each text. For example, are there stereotypes of a particular gender or age group evident in the text? Developing Advanced Subject Terminology For A Level Language, a students’ use of subject terminology is very important. A great way to help you revise, learn and remember subject terminology is through the memrise website: https://www.memrise.com/course/352535/chhs-english-grammar-glossary/

Getting Ready for A Level English Literature: ‘Aspects of Tragedy’ and ‘Elements of Crime’ What connects an Elizabethan play about a jealous husband tricked into murdering his wife by an ambitious social-climber, a poem about the sinking of the Titanic, an American classic novella about two migrant workers battling against the odds, and Mozart and Da Ponte’s Don Giovanni? Tragedy, of course! How about a headless body shoved up a chimney in a locked room, a dead sea-bird, a sailor tortured by the sprits of revenge, well-groomed moustaches, vegetable marrows, and a train crash? That’ll be ‘elements of crime’! But what makes a text fit into a particular genre (category) like this? By choosing to read for an A Level in English Literature, you have opened the door to new cultures, histories, and experiences. Well done! At this level, you move beyond thinking about single texts and instead consider to what extent those texts conform to, or surprisingly invert, their associated genres. Are there key patterns between these texts? Is the text typical of what you have experienced so far? How so? Where does it differ? Why? It’s those questions (and a fair few more besides) which we’ll be pursuing. To do that requires – you guessed it – knowledge and wider-reading. What you will need to do over the summer break Reading

x You’ve been issued with a wider-reading list alongside your set texts (there’s a copy on the website, too) and these act as a great starting point. Read (or watch) a few of them for each genre and start looking for similarities in plot, characterisation, setting, beginnings, ending, etc. The more the better. Plus, it’s a good excuse to re-watch Sherlock.

x Read or watch a good film/play version of Othello, too, and see how it compares. Getting your texts

x If you are sure you will be doing English Literature, then you’ll need the set texts for the first year. Get the suggested editions with the same ISBN numbers (Amazon is great for second-hand ones – plus you might have a ‘Half-Blood Prince’ moment and get extra notes!) so that you have the same page numbers as your teachers and fellow students and the same numbers as the exam copies, where relevant.

x Get the right editions because: a) there is lot of excellent reference material in the Arden Shakespeare edition of ‘Othello’, for example; b) it’s easier if we’re all working from the same page numbers; c) It makes it easier to locate key sections in the blank exam copies.

Shakespeare, William, Othello. Arden Shakespeare Third Series, 2016ISBN-13: 978-1472571762 Christie, Agatha, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Harper, 2013 ISBN-13: 978-0007527526 Organisation During the course of the year, you will be given lots of interesting articles, handouts and extracts to read, and so you will need to have a very well organised folder. Make sure you have a lever arch folder, dividers, plastic wallets, highlighters, A4 lined paper and stationery by your first lesson. Happy reading and see you then!

Getting Ready for A Level Study in French The AQA A Level in French is a two year course which is split into two halves, with the first year at AS level and the second year at A Level. All of the exams are taken at the end of Year 13. Languages at A Level can be a jump from what you are used to at GCSE, so it is very important that you do some revision and practise your language skills over the summer holidays. Preparing over the summer break

x Get hold of a copy of the AQA Text book (pictured) and/or grammar book on the book list, so you can start to get a feel for the topics and the level of language. You will be much more comfortable with our early work if you have read around the material in advance.

x Organise yourself – you will need a big lever arch file, dividers and lined

A4 paper. Grammar Grammar forms the building blocks of your language learning and your understanding needs to be secure in order that you can express yourself freely on topics we will cover. It will really help if you revise the following grammar points, including irregular verb forms where appropriate:

x Articles, gender x Adjectives and agreement x Present tense x Perfect tense – formation with avoir and être x Imperfect tense x Future tense (near future and ‘futur simple’) x Conditional mood x Different pronouns and how to use them x

Good language learning websites include www.languagesonline.org.uk and www.Realfrench.net. The Heinemann A Level Grammar Practice book on your reading list will also provide thorough explanations and practice exercises to do. You will also certainly need a vocabulary book. Revise your GCSE vocab lists, note down words that you come across in articles/books or films. Get into the habit of working on your vocabulary daily. France in the world As part of the A Level course for French you will need to develop your ability to use web-based resources to research unfamiliar topic areas. You will also need to build a good working knowledge of French history and current affairs. Tips to help with this whilst developing your reading/listening skills and building vocabulary:

x Try to get into the habit of reading French news and magazine articles on topics you are interested in, the topics in the book and news stories. If you’re familiar with the stories in English, it will make understanding them easier. Reading articles like this is a fantastic way to build cultural literacy as well as improve your understanding of sentence structure and acquire new vocabulary (without even realising it, often!) A good way to do this is to add popular publications to your social media feed - or get the app on mobile devices for the latest news (excellent for vocabulary)

x Le Monde.fr Le Figaro Paris Match Grazia.fr L’’equipe.fr France 24 TV5 Monde

x Watch/listen to the news bulletins and videos on on http://www.tv5mondeplus.com/ (click on ‘Emissions’ or Vidéos’ tabs for a selection or search under “7-jours-sur-la-planete” for good news bulletins)

x Also try listening to French radio / adverts. You will find a wide choice via www.listenlive.eu/france

x Read the information on the following link to better understand France’s profile in the world and in history: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17298730. Read Overview /Facts /Leaders /Media /Timeline.

Reading, Films and Culture Reading French fiction books and watching French films (both old and new) is also an excellent way to see how the French language and syntax works and enriches your French vocabulary. Your use of language during the A Level course will vary from opinion based essays and debate to appreciation and critique of arts and literature. You should try to read a French book for pleasure. To start off with, try a story in French which you are already familiar with in English, or a shorter French fiction book which interests you. Even if you only just understand the gist of the story at first – it is excellent practice. You could also start with a parallel /bilingual text so that you can check your understanding as you go. Good examples include: Le Petit Prince – Antoine de St Exupér y ISBN-13: 978-2070612758 Le Petit Nicolas - René Goscinny ISBN-13: 978-2070364237 Penguin’s Parallel Text French Stories 1 (edited by) Pamela Lyon - ISBN 0-14-002385-2. La Liste de mes Envies – Grégoire Delacourt ISBN 978-2709638180 Often books are available on www.amazon.fr and sometimes cheaper at second hand prices too.

Getting Ready for A Level Geography Studying A Level in Geography will help you to develop a range of essential skills for both higher education and the world of work. Through exciting topics, you will understand the nature of physical and human geography whilst unpicking the debates surrounding contemporary challenges facing the world today. As a department we believe that wider reading is the best way to gain a substantial head start for September. Expectations Actions

Knowledge

You will need to have some background knowledge of general geographic topics and issues affecting the world today.

Develop your subject knowledge by: Watching the news on a regular basis Reading the following books: Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling Diversify by June Sarpong Freakonomics by Steven Levitt The World Without Us by Alan Weisman Watching the following films: Slumdog Millionaire, Blood Diamond, The Constant Gardener, Sicko, Supersize me, Hotel Rwanda, First They Killed my Father, Before the flood, A Plastic Ocean Visit places in the local area: Manchester City Centre (Spinningfields, the Northern Quarter, Piccadilly), Salford Quays, the Peak District.

Skills

You are expected to be familiar with places around the world. In particular students need thorough knowledge of places in the UK.

Boost your knowledge by: Putting a world map in your room Test your knowledge using http://www.sporcle.com/search/?p=1&s=world

Organisation

It will be your responsibility to keep your notes neat and organised. It would help if you arrived with everything ready.

Get ahead by purchasing your equipment 2 lever arch files- one for physical geography and one for human geography. Lined paper Highlighters File dividers

Getting Ready for A Level German The AQA A Level course in German is a two-year course which is split into two halves, with the first year at AS level and the second year at A Level. All of the exams will be taken at the end of Year 13. Working at A Level can be quite different from what you are used to at GCSE, so it is very important that you do some groundwork over the summer holidays. What you will need to do over the summer break

x If you are sure you will be doing German get hold of a copy of the AQA Text (see book list). Have a look at Unit 1.1. This will give you a good feel for the material we will be covering in the first few lessons – you will be much more comfortable with our early work if you have read around the material in advance.

x Get your folder organised – you will need a big lever arch file

and some lined A4 paper. You will need some dividers as well.

x Try to get into the habit of listening to German radio stations, either through a relevant app on your phone or the internet at home.

x Try watching German films, YouTube clips or German TV. www.ard.de www.zdf.de are the

two state broadcasters.

x Have a go at reading German newspaper articles on topics you are interested in; www.spiegel.de is a good starting point. www.nachrichtenleicht.de is a website that covers last week’s news stories in easy to understand German.

x Download and use free apps like “tagesschau” (news), “duolingo” (language learning) or

“memrize” (vocab training) to keep in touch with German over the summer.

x Take an interest in relevant features on broadcast news – you need to have a good feel for what is happening in Germany, Europe and the wider world.

x Take every opportunity to broaden your vocabulary. Revise your GCSE vocab lists, note

down words that you come across in articles/books or films. Get into the habit of working on your vocabulary daily.

x Take stock of your GCSE German grammar knowledge. What are you good at? What do you

need to revise before the course starts in September? www.german.net has a multitude of exercises and explanations on German grammar.

Enjoy your summer break and look forward to starting the next chapter in September!

Getting Ready for A Level History The AQA A Level in History will be split over two years. We will cover AS material up to June in Year 12. You will then begin with an independent study of your own choosing; and enter the final examination in June of Year 13. What you will need to do over the summer break If you are sure you will be doing History get hold of a copy of each of the AQA texts that you will be using (see below). Read the introductions in each book. This will give you a good feel for the material we will be covering in the first few lessons – you will be much more comfortable with our early work if you have read around the material in advance. British Unit - Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition: 1906-1957:

x Watch Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain. Season 1: A New Dawn. It is available on YouTube. It will give you an understanding of Britain at the turn of the century as well as covering some of the additional material we will be covering during the year.

x You could also purchase and read The Making of Modern Britain Paperback by Andrew Marr.

x You could also watch one of the following two films: Michael Collins or The Wind That Shakes the Barley both give a good introduction to the troubles in Ireland.

Russian Unit - Tsarist and Communist Russia 1855-1964:

x Watch the series Lucy Worsley’s Empire of the Tsars, available on YouTube. Episode 3 is particularly useful for our course.

x If you enjoy a good novel Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy gives a fantastic insight into the 19th Century Russian world.

You will need two big lever arch files one for each unit. Get your folder organised – you will some lined A4 paper, dividers and plastic wallets.

Getting Ready for A Level Law Overview Many lawyers would describe Law as the system of rules and regulations that govern a country. As law students you will study the justice system in England and Wales and learn how to apply it, focussing on the impact of Law on everyday life. Whilst many believe the law is always clear cut you will discover that laws originate from a variety of places and as a result laws are often challenged. Law is frequently associated with crime and punishment which will form a large part of your studies. However, you will also learn about civil justice and the impact of law on individuals as we begin to explore human rights and the nature of law in society. A Level Law is an extremely popular option and provides an excellent platform for undergraduate study by helping you enhance Skills such as:

x Developing an understanding of the legal process including the influence of politics on the law

x Acquiring a range of skills including decision-making and problem-solving What you need to do over the summer break

x If you are sure you will be doing Law get hold of a copy of the OCR AS/A Level Law Book 1 Paperback. Read the first chapter. This will give you a good feel for the material we will be covering in the first few lessons

x Get your folder organised – you will need a big lever arch file, A4 lined paper and file dividers. Highlighters are essential as are a range of coloured pens

x Start to get into the habit of taking time to look at legal developments in the news - start with BBC News and then move onto The Guardian, Telegraph and Times websites. These will provide you with daily changes in the law throughout the world

x Watch the news or listen to Radio 4 (Law in Action programme)– they often debate current legal and political issues – (something happens in the High Court in London almost every other day)

x Watch Prime Ministers Questions – they show the Prime Minister being questioned live in Parliament by the Opposition

x Watch some of the videos on the Youtube Law Bank channel – you will find the ‘Introduction to Criminal Law’ video a useful starting point (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheLawBank)

Recommended Websites to visit https://www.theguardian.com/law http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/lawreports/ https://www.thelawyerportal.com/

Knowledge The OCR A Level specification is organised into six themes which will be examined over 3 separate papers. The Knowledge you will acquire includes: TOPIC 1: The Legal System Civil Courts and Alternative Dispute Resolution Criminal Courts and Lay People Legal Personnel Access to Justice

TOPIC 2: Criminal Law Rules of Criminal Law General elements of Criminal Liability Fatal offences Non-fatal offences Offences against property Mental Capacity defences General defences Attempts

TOPIC 3: Law Making Parliamentary Law Making Delegated Legislation Statutory Interpretation Judicial Precedent Law Reform

TOPIC 4: The Law of Tort Rules of Tort Law Liability in Negligence Occupiers’ Liability Tort of Land Vicarious Liability Defences Remedies

TOPIC 5: The Nature of the Law Law and Morality Law and Justice Law and Society Law and Technology

TOPIC 6: Human Rights or Contract Law What are human rights How do human rights impact on the law How does the law protect human rights Or Formation of a contract Breach of Contract Remedies to a broken contract

Habits A Levels are intended to prepare students for undergraduate study. You will not achieve your potential if you do not put in the work outside of the lesson. Developing independent study skills and positive learning Habits are vital if you are to succeed in A Level Law and reading is one of the core activities of independent learning. A suggested reading list is shown below: Reading List On Liberty (Shami Chakrabarti) - A discussion of human rights combined with a critical view of why individuals’ rights are paramount in upholding democracy Memoirs of a Radical Law (Michael Mansfield, QC) - An autobiography of a leading criminal defence QC; it offers insight into the idiosyncrasies of the English legal system and how it has changed from the late 1960s to the present day Letters to a Law Student (Nicholas McBride) - Advice for the prospective law student

Getting Ready for A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics This document provides a brief overview of the different maths A Levels we offer in Cheadle Hulme Sixth Form, as well as explaining the work you need to do in preparation for Year 12 and some of the equipment requirements of A Level Mathematics. Making Your Decision: The decision to study A Level Mathematics is a hugely rewarding choice. It is the most popular A Level in the country and it both opens up future opportunities and brings the pleasure of overcoming challenging problems. It is not, however, an easy subject. It should only be taken on by students who are enthusiastic about the challenge. A Level Mathematics consists of two thirds pure maths and one third applied maths. The pure maths builds on fields such as algebra, geometry and trigonometry that have been previously studied, whilst introducing important new techniques such as calculus, logarithms and formal proof. The new A Level specification dictates that the applied element will now consist of a combination of both statistics and mechanics. Applied maths allows the interpretation of the world through mathematical modelling with statistics facilitating understanding through the analysis and interpretation of data whilst mechanics focuses on trying to resolve the processes behind physical phenomena. Given the intellectual demand of the course our entry requirement is at least a grade 7 in GCSE Mathematics. This is because we do not believe your experience at A Level would be a positive one without a high level of prior achievement. If you are not sure about A Level Maths then you may wish to consider Core Maths instead. This is a qualification developed from the feedback of employers, universities and professional bodies as valuable preparation for higher education and employment. It excellently complements subjects such as chemistry, biology, psychology, geography or economics where additional mathematical competency is an essential tool. It is an option we would strongly urge any students taking these subjects without A Level Maths to consider. It is completed in Year 12 as a fourth subject and is equivalent to an AS in UCAS points. For students with particularly strong enthusiasm for maths there is the additional option of Further Maths A Level. It is very highly regarded but this is partly because it is so demanding, and this is why the course requires a Grade 8 in GCSE Maths. It is a very challenging A Level but it really allows mathematicians to stand out. This is an excellent choice for facilitating the study of subjects such as maths, physics, engineering or computing at university. Due to its difficulty we only offer Further Maths as a fourth option but, unlike in most subjects, you will sit the fully accredited AS exam at the end of Year 12 with the option to continue to A Level if you are successful. In addition to these qualifications we will be running timetabled sessions throughout next year giving ‘problem solving’ opportunities for those enthusiastic about maths. These will also be useful for those interested in sitting additional exams as part of their university applications. These possibilities are not limited to A Level Further Maths students and we will offer support to anyone who is looking to study maths at a higher level.

Preparatory Thinking: If you are considering studying mathematics at A Level it is vital that you are fluent in algebraic manipulation skills and have a good understanding of powers, surds and trigonometry. These are all ideas encountered in your GCSE work however they need to be fresh and strong in your mind when you begin your new studies. Some examples of the kind of questions you would be expected to be comfortable with are: Make h the subject of: ℎ

2+9ℎ+8ℎ2+4ℎ+3

= 𝑘 − 5 Fully simplify and rationalise: (3+√2)

7(1−√3)3

(1−√3)5(3+√2)5

Solve the simultaneous equations 𝑥 − 2𝑦 = 4 and 12

𝑥+𝑦= 𝑥 − 𝑦

The importance of feeling comfortable with this level of maths means thorough preparation before the course begins is essential. There are a large number of websites that will support you with this but you are welcome to use www.mymaths.co.uk using the CHHS username ‘cheadle’ and password ‘algebra’. There is a ‘homework for fun’ option on each topic and this does not require a personal logon. Alternatively, you could use your GCSE revision resources. You will be formally tested early in the first term, and you need to be ready for this if you are to keep up with your studies. Resources Required: As you may be aware 2017 was the first year of a new A Level specification and one new requirement was the greater integration of technology. This means that in addition to purchasing text books you will need a calculator for A Level Maths with the ability to perform iteration and produce summary statistics. There will also be a requirement that the calculator stores probabilities for standard distribution data, a function that your existing calculator may not have. Further Maths students will also need to perform calculations with matrices up to 3x3. To meet these demands and more, we are recommending the Casio FX-991EX ‘Classwiz’ calculator which covers all the essential functionality of the new specifications. These are widely available from a number of retailers but we are able to supply them for £18.95 through the school’s ‘parentpay’ system. If you are keen to invest in a higher specification calculator, that you are still allowed to use in examinations, then many of the staff in the department use the Casio FX-CG20 Graphic Calculator. This offers a number of additional features that you may find beneficial such as different data representations and graphing functions.

Core Mathematics What is Core Maths? The new ‘Core Maths’ qualification is designed to better prepare students for the mathematical demands of study, employment, and life. Why should you study Core Maths? Core Maths has been designed to help with other A Level subjects – in particular with science, geography, business studies, psychology and economics. The aim of the qualification is to maintain and develop real-life maths skills. What you study is not purely theoretical or abstract; it can be applied on a day-to-day basis in work, study or life. The skills developed in the study of mathematics are increasingly important in the workplace and in higher education; studying Core Maths will help you keep up these essential skills. Most students who study maths after GCSE improve their career choices and increase their earning potential. Why Core Maths rather than A Level Maths? Core Maths is for pupils who have an interest in Maths or are studying A levels with some mathematical content, but who feel like a full A level would be too demanding. If you miss out on a Grade 7 at GCSE then this is a way of continuing to study Maths at a higher level. What do you need? You will need a Grade 6 or above in mathematics at GCSE. How is it assessed? This qualification from September 2018 will be run as a one year course, with both exams taking place in May 2019. There are two 90 minute papers, one covering analysis of data, maths for personal finance and estimation, and the other focusing on statistics. Will it be recognised by universities and employers? Core Maths is a new course but already several universities have come out in strong support of it. Even subjects like history now recognise the importance of statistics and so a Core Maths qualification will help you hit the ground running at university. Employers from all different sectors are also firmly behind the Core Maths qualification. Many roles in today’s workplace require high levels of budget management and problem-solving skills; Core Maths will be a useful tool in equipping you with these skills. What is it worth?

.

Want more information? To discuss this in more detail please speak to Mrs Ewing, Miss Clifford or Dr Woolley

Getting Ready for A Level Media Studies Throughout the two year course we will explore a wide variety of media texts. In class we will focus on extracts from moving image, radio and print texts rather than watching, reading or listening to texts in the entirety. For you to have a wider understanding of the media concepts it would be beneficial for you to consume whole media texts. The summer holidays provide an ideal opportunity for you to consume whole media texts without the pressure of studying them in depth. If you can get hold of them, consuming at least some of each of the following media texts would stand you in good stead: Watch: Straight Outta Compton (Film) Life on Mars (BBC TV Drama) The Bridge (BBC 4 TV Drama – available on iplayer) Listen to: BBC Radio 4 Late Night Woman’s Hour (This can be done via listening to one of the podcasts on the BBC radio website if you do not want to listen at the time it is broadcast 11pm Friday) Read: Zoella’s online blog and explore her general online presence. Attitude online magazine. http://attitude.co.uk Main preparation task is to watch Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Dream’ music video (2016) and make some notes on what points you think the music video is making. This will form the basis for the first few lessons.

Getting Ready for A Level Music Study Book To help prepare you for the new course, please purchase the following Study Guide and Theory Book, which we will use and refer to during lessons.

x Rhinegold: AQA AS and A Level Music Study Guide (for exams 2017/18 onwards) – Richard Knight & Richard Bristow

x ABRSM: Harmony In Practice – Anna Butterworth (Practice book only – Answer book not required)

Theory You will also need to brush up on your theory skills. Here are a few suggestions of books and resources that can help you.

x musictheory.net x teoria.com x eMusictheory.com x tonesavvy.com x Pass Grade 5 Theory, by Dorothy Dingle x Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory: A Complete Self-Study Course for all Musicians, by

Andrew Surmani, Karen Farnum Surmani & Morty Manus Listening Below is a listening list for you to work through over the summer. There is a list of ‘Set works’, which are either key pieces, composers or artists that we will study over the A Level course. Familiarise yourself with their work, and dip into a few of the suggested listening pieces, albums, films or musicals. The Wider Listening list comprises of key pieces throughout each musical period so you can get a feel for how the orchestra developed and how music developed throughout the Western Classical Tradition. It is important to become more confident in listening to and appraising music, so this is the first step. Set Works (Pieces or Artists that we will be studying in depth) Western Classical Tradition 1650-1910 (compulsory)

x Baroque solo concerto – Purcell, Sonata for trumpet and strings in D major Z.850 (complete); Vivaldi, Flute concerto in D Il Gardellino op.10 no.3 RV428 (complete); Bach, Violin concerto in A minor BWV1041 (complete)

x The Operas of Mozart – Le Nozze di Figaro k.492: Act 1 The piano music of Chopin, Brahms and Grieg – Chopin: Ballade no.2 in F major op.38; Nocturne in E minor op.72 no.1; Brahms: Intermezzo in A major op. 118. no.2; Ballade in G minor op.118 no.3; Greig: Norwegian march op.54 no.2; Notturno op.54 no.4

Pop Music – Named Artists to be studied & suggested listening x Stevie Wonder – albums: For Once in My Life; Talking Book, Key of Life x Joni Mitchell – albums: Ladies of the Canyon; Blue; Court and Spark x Muse – albums: Absolution; Black Holes & Revelations; The Resistance; The 2nd Law x Beyoncé – albums: Dangerously in Love; B’day; I Am…Sasha Fierce; 4 x Daft Punk – albums: Homework; Discovery; Random Access Memories x Labrinth – albums: Electronic Earth; Take Me To The Truth

Music for media – Named Composers & suggested listening (You can also watch the films) x Bernard Herrmann – Films & Soundtracks to: Citizen Kane (1941); Vertigo (1958); North by

Northwest (1959); Psycho (1960); Taxi Driver (1975) x Hans Zimmer – Films & Soundtracks to: Pirates of the Caribbean ‘Dead Man’s Chest’

(2006); Inception (2010); Gladiator (2000); 12 Years a Slave (2013); The Dark Knight Rises (2012); Rain Man (1988); The Lion King (1994)

x Michael Giacchino – Games, TV and Film Soundtracks: Call of Duty or Medal of Honor (Gaming); Lost (TV); Up; The Incredibles; Mission Impossible III; Star Trek into Darkness

x Thomas Newman – Film Soundtracks: American Beauty; Skyfall; Spectre; Saving Mr. Banks; The Shawshank Redemption; Finding Nemo

x Nobuo Uemastsu (Gaming) – Game Soundtracks: Final Fantasy; Fragments of memories; Lost Odyssey; Blue Dragon

Music for theatre – Named Composers & suggested listening (Watch the musical if you can) x Kurt Weill – Musical Soundtrack: Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny; The Threepenny

Opera x Richard Rogers – Musical Soundtrack: Oklahoma!; Carousel x Stephen Sondheim – Musical Soundtrack: Sweeney Todd; Into the Woods x Claude-Michel Schönberg – Musical Soundtrack: Miss Saigon; Les Miserables x Jason Robert Brown – Musical Soundtrack: The Last Five Years; Parade

Wider Listening List Renaissance Palestrina – Sicut cervus Victoria – O quam gloriosum Holborne – Pavane “The image of melancholy” and Galliard “Ecce quam bonum” Byrd – Mass for four voices Baroque Vivaldi – Le Quattro Stagioni Handel – Water Music Suites Handel – Messiah Bach – Cello Suite No. 3 Bach – Brandenburg Concertos Classical Mozart – Horn Concerto No. 4 in Eb major Mozart – Symphony No. 40 Mozart – Overtures from The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute Mozart – arias from The Magic Flute – Queen of the Night, Pamina, Tamino Haydn – String Quartet Op. 33 No. 2 “The Joke” Haydn – String Quartet Op. 76 No.3 “The Emperor” Romantic Beethoven – Symphony No. 3 Beethoven – Symphony No. 5 Beethoven – Symphony No. 9 Brahms – Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 Schubert – Piano Quintet in A major (The Trout) D.667 Schubert – Der Tod und das Madchen Schubert – Winterreise Grieg – Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake Berlioz – Symphonie Fantastique Wagner – Liebestod (Tristan und Isolde) Wagner – The Ride of the Valkyries (Die Walkure) 20th Century Debussy – La Mer Debussy – Pour le piano Stravinsky – The Firebird Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No. 2, Op.18 Shostakovich – The Gadfly Suite Messiaen - Quatuor pour la fin du temps Vaughan Williams – Symphony No. 5 Elgar – Enigma Variations Elgar – The Dream of Gerontius Reich – New York Counterpoint Adams – Short Ride in a Fast Machine Will Todd – Mass in Blue Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue Performance Please practise your instruments through the summer too!

Getting Ready for A Level Photography The AQA A Level in Photography will be linear over two years. We will begin by developing skills and creativity through the creation of portfolio work. You will then start your Personal Investigation project towards the end of Year 12 and work on this until you begin your exam project in February of Year 13. It is vital that you broaden your knowledge of artists and photographers in order to give you the best start. Spend some time over the summer holidays visiting as many different exhibitions, museums and galleries as possible. Try not to focus purely on photography at this stage, be open to inspiration from all genres of Art. Please create a small sketchbook documenting your cultural and creative experiences over the summer (including your gallery visits) and be prepared to feedback in September. This could include leaflets/ flyers, sketches, notes and photographs. Be creative and present this in your own way.

Manchester Manchester Art Gallery Whitworth Art Gallery Home MCR Chinese Centre for Contemporary Art Craft and Design Centre

London National Portrait Gallery The Photographers Gallery Somerset House National Gallery Tate Modern Saatchi Gallery

Getting Ready for A Level Physical Education There are 2 main sections to the A Level Physical Education course; practical and theoretical. For you to succeed in this subject and have a secure foundation to build upon over the next 2 years it is important for you to do the following over the summer break.

x Ensure you are participating in your sporting activity regularly (at least once a week)

x Maintain a good level of fitness over the summer to aid you in your personal practical performance – this may require you to make yourself a 6-week personal training programme

x Consider your strengths and areas for development in your sport. What do you do well? Where should you focus your attention and efforts to ensure that you improve over the next 12 months? What are your goals for the next 12 months in your sport? How will you evidence that you have achieved your goal?

x Obtain a fixture list for the upcoming season and get permission to be filmed during key games/performances

x Obtain a film of someone taking part in your sport who competes at a similar level to you. This will be used for analysis in the first term of the course.

x Develop your knowledge of a sport other than your own. What are the requirements of the sport? How is it similar/different to your sport? How are competitions and leagues structured? What are the physiological and psychological requirements of the activity? This will help you to apply the knowledge you acquire over the next 2 years to lots of sporting contexts.

x Watch some live sport. Research where you can watch a local team in a sport other than your own and go and watch it.

x Familiarise yourself with both the practical and theory specifications http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-physical-education-h155-h555-from-2016/

x Keep up to date on current sporting issues and events that are taking place over the summer using apps, newspapers, Sky Sports news etc.

Getting Ready for A Level Physics The AQA A Level in Physics will take two years. We will cover AS material up to June in Year 12 and do a mock AS exam, the final examinations will be worth 100% of your grade and take place in June of Year 13. While this is not a new subject to you all, it is very important that you do some groundwork over the summer holidays for how the A Level is different to the GCSE. What you will need to do over the summer break

x If you are sure you will be doing Physics get hold of a copy of the AQA Text (see right).

x Read the introduction on how to use the book and skills for starting AS and A Level Physics, familiarise yourself with Chapters 1, 12 and 14 (Matter and radiation, Electric current and practical work in physics). These will be your starting points in September. This will give you a good feel for the material we will be covering in the first few lessons – you will be much more comfortable with our early work if you have read around the material in advance.

There is also a Practical Physics book that we recommend. These can be purchased from the Science Department at a discounted rate at the start of the academic year. Practical Physics for AS/A Level Physics (ISBN-10: 147188515)

x Get your folder organised – you will need 2 big lever arch files and some lined A4 paper. It is

important to keep all your notes, work sheets and test papers organised from day one.

x To get a great overview of atomic and particle physics and the history of atomic theory development we are asking all students to watch a 1 hour documentary called “Atom – Clash of the Titans” found at this website (Dailymotion.com):

x http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xq96un_atom-the-clash-of-titans_tech

x Add http://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/ to your list of favourite websites. Optional tasks: To refresh or enhance your electricity knowledge, go over the notes and activities on bite size and take the test bite: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa/electricity/ this is the basics of electricity that the A Level course will build on. Standard index form is used early in the AS course, read the notes and try the test bite to make sure you remember some of the rules: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/maths/number/powersrootshirev1.shtml

Getting Ready for A Level Psychology The AQA A Level will be split over 2 years. This will be a new subject for the vast majority of you so developing some wider awareness of what will be studied and what Psychology is about will be invaluable for when you return to school in September. What you will need to do over the summer break Get hold of a copy of ‘AQA Psychology for A Lever Year 1 and AS’. Find three experiments/studies that you find interesting. Feel free to have a read of anything that you find interesting. Get organised. You will need: A lever arch file File dividers A4 paper Research what Psychology is: A very good website for this is www.simplypsychology.org. Find out what current Psychological research is being carried out in the world. In order to do this visit http://digest.bps.org.uk/ where you can find a wide variety of research into many different topic areas. The blog is updated weekly. Do some wider watching: watch out for psychology related programmes and documentaries on BBC and Channel 4. Do some wider listening: listen to some of the programmes on BBC mind changers and all in the mind on radio 4. An excellent way of finding out more about Psychology whilst doing something else. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008cy1j and http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qxx9

Getting Ready for A Level Spanish The AQA A Level course in Spanish is a two year course which is split into two halves, with the first year at AS level and the second year at A Level. All of the exams will be taken at the end of Year 13. Working at A Level can be quite different from what you are used to at GCSE, so it is very important that you do some groundwork over the summer holidays. What you will need to do over the summer break

x If you are sure you will be doing Spanish get hold of a copy of the AQA textbook (pictured). This will give you a good feel for the material we will be covering in the lessons and you will be much more comfortable with our early work if you have read around the material in advance

x Get your folder organised – you will need a big lever arch file with dividers and A4 lined paper

x Take stock of your GCSE Spanish grammar knowledge. What do you need to revise before the course starts in September? Practice your grammar on websites such as www.languagesonline.org.uk or go back to your GCSE revision guide and notes to review the grammar sections

x To succeed in A Level Spanish, you really need to be doing independent practice. Try to get into the habit of listening to Spanish music through websites such as www.lyricstraining.com

x Try watching Spanish films (Netflix and other streaming services have a number of titles. This can also broaden your cultural knowledge of the Spanish speaking world

x Also try youTube clips or for Spanish TV http://www.rtve.es/television/ www.antena3.com. You can download apps for many Spanish news providers and radio stations such as cadenaser

x Have a go at reading Spanish newspaper articles on topics you are interested in. For example if you like football: www.marca.com or for fashion: www.glamour.es For the news and current affairs try: www.20minutos.es

x Download and use free apps like “duolingo” (language learning) or “memrize” (vocab training)

x You will certainly need a vocabulary book. Revise your GCSE vocab lists, note down words that you come across in articles/books or films. Get into the habit of working on your vocabulary daily

x Take an interest in what is happening in the world, through news broadcasts and newspapers or new apps. It will really help to have a good awareness of global issues.

Getting Ready for A Level Textile Design The AQA A Level in Fashion/Textile Design is taught over two years. In Year 12 we cover two projects, “The Elements’ which is an exploration in Textile methods and materials, after which we prepare a project for the end of year exam. In Year 13 you will complete a ‘Personal investigation’ from a brief and in February you will be given your exam brief, from which you choose one title to complete for the remainder of the year. What you will need to do over the summer break

x To start your journey into A Level Textiles you will be required to collect some pre course research and stimuli.

x To start developing your creative and aesthetic appreciation skills, you should get out and

about as much as possible over the summer. Manchester city centre (and indeed, the world!) has many fabulous (and free) museums and galleries. The Whitworth and Platt Hall are particularly great for immediate inspiration. You should keep, collect and photograph as much material as possible; bus tickets, flyers, street art, anything really that means something to you or motivates and ‘moves you’.

x Look up, look around, do, go and importantly - enjoy the beauty of the extraordinary and the

ordinary. Have fun. For the first lesson, you need to have decided on the theme for your ‘Elements’ project. Choose from; Earth, Water, Wind or Fire. You should start to collect samples, small found objects, images, magazine articles, embellishments, anything you think will help to describe or represent your chosen element. Bring these finds with you for the first lesson.

For further mark making and Textile inspiration Look at the work of - Kim Thittichai , Louise Baldwin, Jae Maries, Gwen Hedley. Books and magazines to look at-

x Helen Parrott- Mark Making in Textile Art x Kim Thittichai-Reclaimed Textiles Techniques for paper, stitch, plastic and mixed media x Radical Thread 1962-2012 x Gwen Hedley- Drawn to Stitch, Line drawing and mark-making in textile art. x Harpers Bazaar, Esquire and Vogue.

Finally, if you want to see what we are up to this summer-

x Instagram - chsftextiles

Cheadle Hulme Sixth FormWoods Lane,Cheadle Hulme,SK8 7JY