Half-term news from SinghScience
A thank you, a class in the spotlight, new resources, and a first look at something we're building.
A brilliant first half term
To every student and family who joined us this autumn: thank you. Your trust, your questions and your hard work every week are what make these classes work.
Students, you've shown up, had a go at the tough questions, and kept going when topics got hard. That's exactly what moves grades. Enjoy the break. You've earned it.
RandeepFounder, SinghScience
★ Grade 9 challenge
Thursday 6pm: Year 11, aiming for grade 9
This class is designed to stretch. We take on the concepts most students try to avoid, and spend the hour on application questions. These put the science in an unfamiliar context, so recalling facts isn't enough: you have to use what you know. That's where grade 9s are won.
The shrew and the elephant
Both are mammals, and both keep their bodies at a steady, warm temperature. But that's where the similarity ends.
A shrew has to eat close to its own body weight every day just to stay alive. Miss a few hours of food and it's in trouble. So why does the smallest animal live life in fast-forward?
The answer is surface area to volume ratio. A tiny body has a lot of surface compared with its volume, so heat escapes through its skin all the time. To replace that lost heat, the shrew's cells have to respire much faster, giving it a far higher metabolic rate per gram. The elephant has the opposite problem: a huge volume and relatively little surface, so it holds on to heat. Those giant ears help it lose some.
A mouse and a horse are both mammals. Explain why the mouse needs to eat more food per gram of body mass than the horse. [4 marks]
Reveal the mark scheme
- The mouse has a larger surface area to volume ratio.
- So it loses heat to the surroundings faster.
- So it needs a higher rate of respiration to release energy and keep its body temperature constant.
- Respiration uses glucose, so the mouse needs more food per gram.
That was one lesson. Every week brings a new challenge.
New this half term
SinghScience topic booklets
Purpose-built booklets for each topic, written to match how we teach it in class. Key notes, worked examples and exam questions are all in one place, so revision follows the lessons.
Science simulations
There's a new section on the website with free interactive simulations for GCSE and KS3 science. Students can run experiments, change variables and see the science in action.
Autumn 2 timetable
2 November to 18 December. All classes are live on Google Meet, UK time.
Mon
Tue
Thu
Fri
Sun
★ This half term's spotlight class. Mastery groups are capped at eight, so some classes may be full.
Something new is on the way
We're building a SinghScience app to make revision between lessons easier. More details next half term, and SinghScience students will be the first to try it.
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