Science is mandatory for all students from Year 7 to Year 10.
Science 7-10 provides a way of inquiring about the world around us. It explores evidence and investigates ways to discover, develop and produce solutions to real-world problems. Science emphasises the skills for working scientifically, as well as critical and creative thinking to address scientific issues.
In Years 11 and 12, students can choose from different science disciplines, including:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Earth and Environmental Science
- Investigating Science
- Physics.
In Year 12, students who are studying at least one other science subject may also choose to study Science Extension.
Science provides an empirical way of answering interesting and important questions about the biological, physical and technological world. The knowledge it produces has proved to be a reliable basis for action in our personal, social and economic lives.
Stage 4 Science - Years 7-8
The Science curriculum in Years 7 and 8 introduces students to the major branches of Science and their inter-disciplinary nature. In each of these branches, students develop skills in communicating, thinking and problem solving. These are skills which every citizen needs to play their part in an ever changing modern society.
The topics chosen help the students to:
- Make observations and measurements.
- Handle information and present their information in a clear and coherent form.
- Design experiments to test hypotheses.
- Interpret their observations and measurements.
Students also learn to classify, make predictions and find patterns in information. There is emphasis on practical work, research using the library and the Internet at home, and class discussion.
Stage 5 Science - Years 9-10
Science in Stage 5 develops students' scientific knowledge and understanding, skills, values and attitudes within broad areas of science. The scientific knowledge and skills students acquire are then applied to everyday life. Some of the areas of study include:
- the need to conserve, protect and maintain the environment
- electrical energy and circuits
- chemical reactions and the nature of matter
- DNA structure and biotechnology.
Students develop skills in:
- planning investigations
- conducting investigations
- communicating information and understanding
- developing scientific thinking and problem-solving techniques and working individually and in teams.
The course involves students participating in classroom experiments and other activities. In Stage 5 students are also required to do an individual Student Research Project which is conducted over a four week period. The project is a 'hands-on' practical investigation and students are given guidance through the whole project.
Stage 6 Science - Years 11-12
Biology
Biology is the study of living organisms, life processes and interactions between organisms and their environment.
The Preliminary course incorporates the study of the mechanisms and systems that living things use to obtain, transport and draw on materials for their own growth and repair; biotic and abiotic features of the environment and the interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem; the evolution of life on Earth; and the effects of global changes on the diversity of Australian biota during the formation of the Australian continent.
The HSC course builds upon the Preliminary course. It examines the processes and structures that plants and animals use to maintain a constant internal environment and the way in which characteristics are transmitted from generation to generation. The options cover a variety of interest areas and draw on the increased information and understanding provided by improved technology to examine areas of current research.
Chemistry
Chemistry is the study of the physical and chemical properties of matter, with a focus on substances and their interactions. Chemistry attempts to provide chemical explanations and to predict events at the atomic and molecular level.
The Preliminary course develops a knowledge of atomic structure, chemical changes, rates of reaction and relationships between substances by focusing on increasing students' understanding of the Earth's resources, the development of increasingly sophisticated methods to extract and use metals, the importance of water on Earth and high energy carbon compounds.
The HSC course builds on the concepts developed in the Preliminary course, expanding on areas such as the search for new sources of traditional materials, the design and production of new materials, the management and monitoring of chemicals that have been developed and/or released as a result of human technological activity and the way in which environmental problems could be reversed or minimised. The options cover a variety of interest areas and draw on the increased information and understanding provided by improved technology to examine areas of current research.
Physics
Physics investigates natural phenomena, identifies patterns and applies models, principles and laws to explain their behaviour.
The Preliminary course develops a knowledge of waves, motion, forces, fields, electricity and magnetism by focusing on increasing students' understanding of current communication technologies, the use of electricity in the home, interaction involving vehicles (such as car crashes) and the mechanisms that maintain the physical conditions of planet Earth.
The HSC course builds on the concepts of the Preliminary course by expanding on areas such as relativity, the motor effect and solid state physics, and by focusing on space flight, motors and generators and the scientific advances involved in the development of semi-conductors and electronics. The options cover a variety of interest areas and draw on the increased information and understanding provided by improved technology to examine areas of current research.
Senior Science
The Preliminary course incorporates the study of the collection, storage and conservation of water resources, and the structure and function of plants, with an emphasis on Australian native plants. It examines issues associated with the protection of the body in the workplace and the interactions between organisms in local ecosystems.
The HSC course investigates the importance of a range of biological molecules found in humans and other organisms, the physical and chemical properties of chemicals used by people on and in their bodies, and information systems. The options draw on the increased information and understanding provided by improved technology to examine a variety of interest areas.
The Senior Science course caters for students requiring a broad overview across all disciplines of science and focuses on encouraging them to become scientifically literate citizens.