Science – Year 9
Learning Objectives
In Year 9 students consider the operation of systems at a range of scales and how those systems respond to external changes in order to maintain stability. They explore ways in which the human body system responds to changes in the external environment through physiological feedback mechanisms and the reproductive processes that enable a species to respond to a changing environment over time. They are introduced to the notion of the atom as a system of protons, electrons and neutrons, and how this system can change through nuclear decay. They learn that matter can be rearranged through chemical change and that these changes play an important role in many systems. They are introduced to the concepts of conservation of matter and energy and begin to develop a more sophisticated view of energy transfer. They explore these concepts as they relate to the global carbon cycle. Students begin to consider how well a sample or model represents the phenomena under study and use a range of evidence to support their conclusions.
Inquiry questions can help excite students’ curiosity and challenge their thinking. Following are examples of inquiry questions that could be used to prompt discussion and exploration:
- Why was the discovery of neutrons important?
- How is scientific consensus established? What if it isn’t?
- Could synthesised organs make organ donation obsolete?
- How does the carbon cycle affect life on Earth?
- How do different technologies help humans to communicate?
Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 9 students explain how body systems provide a coordinated response to stimuli. They describe how the processes of sexual and asexual reproduction enable survival of the species. They explain how interactions within and between Earth’s spheres affect the carbon cycle. They analyse energy conservation in simple systems and apply wave and particle models to describe energy transfer. They explain observable chemical processes in terms of changes in atomic structure, atomic rearrangement and mass. Students explain the role of publication and peer review in the development of scientific knowledge and explain the relationship between science, technologies and engineering. They analyse the different ways in which science and society are interconnected.
Students plan and conduct safe, reproducible investigations to test or identify relationships and models. They describe how they have addressed any ethical and intercultural considerations when generating or using primary and secondary data. They select and use equipment to generate and record replicable data with precision. They select and construct appropriate representations to organise, process and summarise data and information. They analyse and connect data and information to identify and explain patterns, trends, relationships and anomalies. They analyse the impact of assumptions and sources of error in methods and evaluate the validity of conclusions and claims. They construct logical arguments based on evidence to support conclusions and evaluate claims. They select and use content, language and text features effectively to achieve their purpose when communicating their ideas, findings and arguments to specific audiences.