KS3 & KS4 science curriculum

This unit builds on pupils’ prior learning from Carbon cycle and climate change, where they explored the role of carbon in Earth's systems and the impact of human activity on climate. It deepens their understanding by focusing on the composition and evolution of Earth's atmosphere, and how human activities contribute to climate change. This prepares pupils for the next unit, Industrial chemistry, where they will apply their knowledge to understand how large-scale chemical processes interact with environmental systems, reinforcing the connection between industry and climate.

1. Earth's atmosphere
2. Evolution of Earth's atmosphere
3. Burning hydrocarbons
4. Atmospheric pollutants
5. Acid rain and chemical weathering
6. Greenhouse gases
7. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
8. Global climate change and the effects
9. Human activity and climate change
10. Ozone layer: a story of global success

• Coal is a sedimentary rock that burns because it is made mostly of carbon, with some impurities.
• The organic matter that formed oil and gas decomposed into hydrocarbons.
• When fuels containing carbon are burned it is common for carbon dioxide to be made.
• Less than 1% of the Earth’s atmosphere is carbon dioxide.
• Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.
• In the atmosphere, some gases are greenhouse gases and have properties that enable its temperature to rise over time.
• Combustion increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.