Science

Science (Stage 5)

The Stage 5 Science course also has a focus on cross curriculum priorities to enable students to develop an understanding about the contemporary issues they face. These include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Australia’s engagement with Asia, and Sustainability.

General Capabilities developed include: Critical and creative thinking, ethical understanding, information and communication, technology, intercultural understanding, literacy, numeracy, and personal and social capability.

The courses are rigorous and designed to prepare students for a future in STEM learning and enterprises. The depth studies within these exciting, revitalised courses provide opportunities for students to consolidate their learning, develop competence and express their creativity. The wide range of “Hands-On” activities allow students to discover, experience and learn through action.  Students complete a Student Research Project in the Year 10 course where they independently carry out a scientific investigation to demonstrate the extent to which they have developed skills in applying scientific methods through a STEM Project.

Marine and Aquaculture Technology

Course description

The study of Marine and Aquaculture Technology develops the capacity of students to design, produce, evaluate, use and sustainably manage marine and water-related environments.

Students study a core and option modules. There are 48 option modules organised into seven focus areas covering broad aspects of marine and aquaculture technology.

• Biology
• Ecology
• Leisure
• Aquaculture
• Employment
• Management
• General Interest.

The Marine and Aquaculture Technology Years 7–10 course includes Life Skills outcomes and content for students with disability.

What students learn

Students learn about marine and aquatic environments, water safety, general first aid and the maintenance of equipment. The economic sustainability of aquaculture and marine environments are explored, together with the preservation of wild seafood stocks. Students learn about the ethical and sustainable use, management and protection of the marine environment and a range of industries and organisations that use, manage and regulate the marine environment.

The major focus of the syllabus is on practical experiences. Students learn about Work Health and Safety issues, apply principles of water safety and first aid in marine situations. They learn to responsibly select, use and maintain materials and equipment, and use appropriate techniques in the context of the selected modules. Students learn to research, experiment and communicate in relation to marine and aquaculture activities. Other learning experiences in the course are dependent on the option modules studied.

Course requirements

To satisfy the requirements of the syllabus, students must undertake a range of practical experiences that occupy the majority of course time. Practical experiences allow students to develop skills and confidence in the use of a range of equipment.

Students with disability may require adjustments and/or additional support in order to engage in practical experiences.

Marine and Aquaculture Technology Years 7–10 may be studied as a 100-hour course or as a 200-hour course in Stage 4/5.

Chemistry

Course description

The Year 11 course develops the knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to the properties and structures of matter, the types and drivers of chemical reactions and how we measure the quantities involved in these processes.

The Year 12 course builds on the concepts introduced in Year 11 by examining particular classes of chemicals, processes and a variety of chemical reactions which incorporate organic compounds and acid/base equilibrium reactions. The course challenges students to apply this knowledge to the investigation of a range of methods used in identifying and measuring quantities of chemicals, which leads to an understanding of the structure, properties and trends of and between classes of chemicals.

Students who have shown an achievement in, and/or aptitude for, any of the Stage 6 Science courses: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, Investigating Science or Physics in Year 11 may choose to study Science Extension in Year 12.

What students learn

The Year 11 course consists of four modules:

• Module 1 Properties and Structure of Matter
• Module 2 Introduction to Quantitative Chemistry
• Module 3 Reactive Chemistry
• Module 4 Drivers of Reactions

The Year 12 course consists of four modules:

• Module 5 Equilibrium and Acid Reactions
• Module 6 Acid/base Reactions
• Module 7 Organic Chemistry
• Module 8 Applying Chemical Ideas

Course requirements

Students are provided with 15 hours of course time for depth studies in both Year 11 and Year 12. During this time students may undertake an investigation/activity that allows for the further development of one or more scientific concepts.

A depth study may be one investigation/activity or a series of investigations/activities. Depth studies may be included in one module or across several modules.

Practical investigations are an essential part of the Year 11 and Year 12 courses and must occupy a minimum of 35 hours of course time each year.

Biology

Course description

The Year 11 course investigates cellular structure and provides a basis for understanding the way in which multicellular organisms transport and absorb nutrients and carry out gas exchange. Exploring variations in the structures and functions of organisms provides an understanding of the effects of the environment on living things and on biodiversity.

The Year 12 course investigates reproduction, inheritance patterns and the causes of genetic variation in both plants and animals. Applications of this knowledge in biotechnology and various genetic technologies are explored in the light of their uses in the treatment, prevention and control of infectious and non-infectious diseases.

Students who have shown an achievement in, and/or aptitude for, any of the Stage 6 Science courses: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, Investigating Science or Physics, in Year 11 may choose to study Science Extension in Year 12.

What students learn

The Year 11 course consists of four modules:

• Module 1 Cells as the Basis of Life
• Module 2 Organisation of Living Things
• Module 3 Biological Diversity
• Module 4 Ecosystem Dynamics

The Year 12 course consists of four modules:

• Module 5 Heredity
• Module 6 Genetic Change
• Module 7 Infectious Disease
• Module 8 Non-infectious Disease and Disorders

Course requirements

Students are provided with 15 hours of course time for depth studies in both Year 11 and Year 12. During this time students may undertake an investigation/activity that allows for the further development of one or more scientific concepts.

A depth study may be one investigation/activity or a series of investigations/activities. Depth studies may be included in one module or across several modules.

Practical investigations are an essential part of the Year 11 and Year 12 courses and must occupy a minimum of 35 hours of course time each year.

Fieldwork is also mandated in Year 11 and is an integral part of the learning process.

Physics

Course description

The Year 11 course develops students’ knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to the study of motion, how we describe it and what causes it. The course also examines energy in its different forms, and how we describe and measure electricity and magnetism and their interrelated effects.

The Year 12 course provides avenues for students to apply the concepts introduced in Year 11 and to motion in two dimensions, electromagnetism, the nature of light, and the atomic properties of matter.

What students learn

The Year 11 course consists of four modules:

• Module 1 Kinematics
• Module 2 Dynamics
• Module 3 Waves and Thermodynamics
• Module 4 Electricity and Magnetism

The Year 12 course consists of four modules:

• Module 5 Advanced Mechanics
• Module 6 Electromagnetism
• Module 7 The Nature of Light
• Module 8 From the Universe to the Atom

Course requirements

Students are provided with 15 hours of course time for depth studies in both Year 11 and Year 12. During this time students may undertake an investigation/activity that allows for the further development of one or more scientific concepts.

A depth study may be one investigation/activity or a series of investigations/activities. Depth studies may be included in one module or across several modules.

Practical investigations are an essential part of the Year 11 and Year 12 courses and must occupy a minimum of 35 hours of course time each year.

Earth and Environmental Science

Course description

The Year 11 course investigates compositional layers of the Earth, the origins of minerals, tectonic movements and energy transformations and includes the study of human impact on the Earth’s resources and its surface.

The Year 12 course investigates how the processes of plate tectonics, the formation of water and the introduction of life interact with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and climate. Investigation of hazards, the mitigation of their effects and resource management are also considered, which leads to an understanding of the need to centralise the theme of sustainability for the long-term welfare of our planet and all forms of life dependent upon it.

What students learn

The Year 11 course consists of four modules:

• Module 1 Earth’s Resources
• Module 2 Plate Tectonics
• Module 3 Energy Transformations
• Module 4 Human Impacts

The Year 12 course consists of four modules:

• Module 5 Earth’s Processes
• Module 6 Hazards
• Module 7 Climate Science
• Module 8 Resource Management

Course requirements

Students are provided with 15 hours of course time for depth studies in both Year 11 and Year 12. During this time students may undertake an investigation/activity that allows for the further development of one or more scientific concepts.

A depth study may be one investigation/activity or a series of investigations/activities. Depth studies may be included in one module or across several modules.

Practical investigations are an essential part of the Year 11 and Year 12 courses and must occupy a minimum of 35 hours of course time each year.

Fieldwork is mandated in both Year 11 and Year 12 and is an integral part of the learning process.

Science Faculty

Jackson Dewar, Head Teacher Science

Lisa Brown, Science Teacher

Jesseka Churchill, Science Teacher

Jane Mackay, Science Paraprofessional and School Administrative Officer (SAO) Science

Ella Marlin, Science Teacher

James Morrow, Science Teacher

Eirinn Stewart, Science Teacher

Lily Westerman, School Administrative Officer (SAO) Science