Western Australia’s Only Selective Academic <strong>School</strong>Science Learning AreaHow do we know which elements will bond togetherand which chemicals will react? This course deals withseparation techniques, chemical and physical changes,elements, compounds, mixtures, simple chemical formulaeand equations. We discuss the history of the atom andconsider why the periodic table is arranged the way it is.Am I Alive or not? Biological SciencesWhat determines whether something is living or not? What isthe difference between non-living and dead?Students consider such questions as: What determines themas living? What features do they have that determines thekingdom they belong to? What similarities do all the organismsdemonstrate? Are they the same or different at the cellularlevel of organisation? Are their differences between the systemsof different organisms? Students will compare unicellularwith multicellular organisms and consider why somemulticellular organisms are herbivores, others are carnivoresand some are omnivores and how they mechanisms ofdigestion are adapted to their dietary needs.Students should gain an appreciation that all living thingsare interdependent and that changing any aspect of theenvironment may affect other organisms and ultimatelychange other features of the environment. They willconsider the different reproductive strategies organismshave and whether these strategies are effective in thesustainability of a species.May the Force be with you: Physical SciencesWhat is the tallest building in the world? Burj Khalifa inDubai is the tallest (at the time of writing), although tallerbuildings are under construction. To build a strong towerrequires an understanding of different types of forces.At the end of this course there will be a competition tobuild the tallest and yet strongest tower using straws.To do this, students will require an understanding ofthe concepts of force, work and energy and their interrelationships.In addition, students will study the principlesof simple machines, energy transfer and sources of energy.Students will investigate how energy is transferred andresearch how these ideas have helped us explain somenatural phenomena, e.g. craters on the moon.What on Earth is going on? Earth and Space ScienceHow did the Earth begin? Does the Big Bang Theory or SteadyState Theory really explain the origins of the universe? Theseare big questions. On a smaller scale, but more recentquestions are: Why have there been so many earthquakesrecently? Can we predict an earthquake? What causes them?These are some of the questions that are explored in thismodule. Students develop an understanding of the Earthand the Universe as constantly changing as a result ofnatural forces. The course focuses on the Earth in terms ofits origin, its structure, and the ongoing changes affectedby volcanic activity, continental drift, faulting and folding,erosion and weathering. Students will undertake extendedresearch on this topic: Evaluate the extent to which youbelieve climate change is affecting the frequency ofweather patterns, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.The students’ arguments need to balanced, well justifiedand supported with evidence.Year 9I’m a very together person: Biological SciencesAre plants and animals similar or different? Students researchone system and outline the similarities and differencesbetween this system in plants and animals. In this coursestudents explore the different systems of the body. Whydo multicellular organisms require systems? Our focus is onthe human body, but the research project conducted bythe students should indicate the importance of systemsto all multicellular organisms. Central to this courseis an appreciation of how these systems operate in acoordinated way. This provides the platform for the studyof Human Biology or Biological Science in Senior <strong>School</strong>.There’s no need to Overreact! Chemical SciencesJohn George Haigh wanted to commit the perfect crime.He believed he could not be found guilty of murder ifthere were no bodies to be found. So he disposed of hisvictims using sulphuric acid. However, his last victim wasdiscovered because gall stones and part of a false dentureremained. Perhaps he needed a better understandingof chemical reactions. In this course students investigatedifferent types of chemical reactions, including acidbasereactions, formation of precipitates and propertiesof solvents. This builds on the work carried out in Year 8,reviewing balancing equations and atomic structureand bonding. Through this work, students will gain anincreased understanding of ions and free electrons.8<strong>Perth</strong> <strong>Modern</strong> <strong>School</strong> > <strong>Curriculum</strong> <strong>Handbook</strong> <strong>Middle</strong> <strong>Years</strong> 2014
Western Australia’s Only Selective Academic <strong>School</strong>Science Learning AreaAn example of extension research question is:How important are the properties of water to livingorganisms? To answer this, students will need to havean understanding of both the physical and chemicalproperties of water and how water is used by livingorganisms internally and externally.Naturally speaking: Biological Sciences (Ecosystems)Students are introduced to some ecological issues throughfacing the world today. They will explore interactionsbetween organisms and examine factors that affectpopulation sizes, such as seasonal changes, destruction ofhabitat and introduced species. Students will consider howenergy flows into and out of an ecosystem via the pathwaysof food webs and how it must be replaced to maintain thesustainability of the system. Finally, students will considerhow ecosystems can change as a result of events, suchas bushfires, drought and flooding. Case studies may belooked at in terms of what lessons we can learn to avoidsimilar situations being repeated in the future.Changing from one thing to another: Physical SciencesWhat is electricity and how important has it become in today’ssociety? Are we as a society becoming too reliant on electricity?What is the impact of new technologies on our energy resources?These are some of the big questions students will considerduring this course. Having been introduced to the chemicaleffects of charges, students now consider the physicaleffects. They will explore how and why the movement ofenergy varies according to the medium through which istransferred. Students will discuss how models are useful forunderstanding aspects of phenomena.Heat is key example of energy transfer, but it can betransferred in many ways. Students will investigate heattransfer in terms of convection, conduction and radiationand identify real world situations in which each occurs.We all have appliances, but do we understand how theyoperate? Students will investigate factors that affect thetransfer of energy though an electric circuit.Finally students will explore the properties of waves andsituations where energy is transferred in the form of waves.As courses are constantly being reviewed and developed,content is subject to change. It is important to the ScienceDepartment to remain up to date with current issues andwe may wish to explore these developments with thestudents as they arise.<strong>Perth</strong> <strong>Modern</strong> <strong>School</strong> > <strong>Curriculum</strong> <strong>Handbook</strong> <strong>Middle</strong> <strong>Years</strong> 2014 9
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