Throughout Year 9 Science students further their understanding of the atom as the ‘building blocks of the universe’. They will learn how atomic instability results in the release of radiation and consider some of the benefits and dangers of natural radiation.
Students will explore local and national marine, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and develop their understanding of ecosystems as communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment. They will learn about the impact human activities are having upon the environment and what this means for individual organisms. For example, they will explore the link between burning fossil fuels, ocean acidification and loss of coral on Australia’s shores. In doing so they will further their understanding of chemical reactions. Students will also investigate how matter and energy flow through these ecosystems.
Students will discover that scientific understanding, including models and theories relating to the environment and Earth’s geological processes are contestable and are refined over time through a process of review by the scientific community. They will also learn how the values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research.