Year 9 Science
Overview
Through our Science program you will develop your skills in thinking and working scientifically while exploring a range of Science topics. These skills are important both for further science studies in secondary school and beyond, and for becoming a scientifically literate citizen of the world.
What do you do?
In Year 9 Science, you explore how scientific knowledge is developed through experimentation, critique, and peer review. You consider how science, engineering and technology interact, and how scientific information and misinformation influence personal decisions and public debate.
Key learning areas include:
• Biological Sciences: Students investigate reproduction, heredity and genetic diversity. They explore how body systems maintain internal balance and examine disease, evolution and natural selection.
• Chemical Sciences: Students model atoms, explore chemical reactions, balance equations and analyse energy changes in reactions.
• Earth and Space Sciences: Students analyse Earth’s systems and the carbon cycle, explore climate change solutions, and investigate the Big Bang theory and space exploration.
• Physical Sciences: Students apply Newton’s laws, compare forms of energy, model energy transformations and explore wave behaviour.
• Science Inquiry and Skills: Students plan valid investigations, analyse and evaluate data, and communicate scientific findings using appropriate language and representations.
Through practical investigations and critical analysis, you learn to evaluate scientific claims and apply your knowledge to real-world challenges.
What skills do you develop?
Students will learn to:
- think critically, using the scientific method
- collate observations into the scientific report format
- expand their science vocabulary and literacy skills
- analyse data to find patterns and meaning
- integrate numeracy through scientific concepts, for example creating a graph from a data set or using a scientific formula in calculations
- comprehend existing information about real-world issues, through reading current articles and responding
- nurture a love of science and curiosity about the world.
Requirements
Students must have access to the internet in order to complete this course.
Weekly work will be completed and submitted online using Stile and VSV Online
- Access to a basic calculator
- Notebook
- Ruler
- Pen/pencils
- A kit with materials, such as a thermometer needed for certain practical activities will be posted to you. But for most hands-on activities, you will be required to find items around the house.
Things you can do now
Go to the VCAA website for more information about this subject.