With the increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and rising temperatures, the topic of climate change can often seem contentious and somewhat like a looming apocalypse. In this subject, students will start the year by learning about sustainability and renewability through completing research tasks and experiments. Throughout the year, students will also engage in topics related to:
Physics - forces and simple machines
Ecology - food chains and invasive species
Chemistry - particle model, solutes and solvents and separating mixtures
Student achievement will be measured by a range of tasks and assessments including tests, research tasks and inquiry tasks.
Biochemistry explores the connection between chemistry and biology by investigating the molecules, reactions and processes that sustain life. This hands-on elective introduces students to the chemical foundations of living systems and develops an understanding of how biology and chemistry work together in everyday life.
Students will study a range of chemistry concepts including the periodic table, elements, atoms, molecules and compounds, chemical bonding, ions, naming compounds and chemical reactions. In biology, students will explore the structure and function of animal and plant cells, the role of organelles, and important cellular processes such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
Throughout the course, students will participate in a wide variety of practical experiments and scientific investigations designed to build laboratory skills, problem-solving abilities and scientific thinking. Students will analyse results, communicate scientific ideas and apply their understanding to real-world contexts.
Student achievement will be assessed through a range of tasks including practical investigations, laboratory reports, topic tests, research activities and collaborative learning tasks.
Did you know that approximately 71% of the Earth is covered by salt water? Our oceans are home to an incredible diversity of life and play a vital role in regulating climate, producing oxygen, and providing food and resources for humans. However, increasing pollution and climate change are placing marine ecosystems under significant pressure.
In Blue Planet, students dive into the fascinating world of Marine Science and Earth Science. This elective introduces students to the diversity of marine organisms and the unique features that allow life to survive in aquatic environments. Students explore the importance of the world’s oceans, investigate human impacts on marine ecosystems, and develop an understanding of how Earth’s structure and processes shape our planet.
Throughout the course, students will investigate:
properties of water
marine biodiversity and ecosystems
deep sea biology
Earth structure and plate tectonics
continental drift
climate change
natural disasters
human impacts on marine environments
Students will develop their scientific inquiry and research skills through a range of practical and theoretical tasks. Assessment may include experiments, dissections (virtual or physical depending on preference), written reports, research projects, presentations, and scientific investigations based on individual interests.
Food. We eat it three times a day when we can and know intuitively a lot about it. But how does this translate into the lab and the kitchen? What are the essential macromolecules we need to eat to keep us alive? Why are certain foods sour? What makes a cake rise?
This subject aims to cover the basics of food science to explain what is going on in our body and the kitchen. By roasting an onion you break down the long chain carbohydrates into simple sugars, making it sweeter. By cooking toast, you combine amino acids with reducing sugars to produce both the smell of toast and that brown colour. Learn this and more to discover the beauty of science in food.
Topics covered include taste buds and tongue anatomy, food acids and bases, bacteria, yeast as our friend, fermentation in cooking, maillard reactions, the science behind baking and much more.
This class will run only in the science laboratory.
Forensic Science is the application of scientific knowledge and methodology to criminal investigations. The evidence collected and analysed can be used in a court of law and could potentially lead to a person being found guilty of a crime. Students completing this course will explore and use forensic science techniques and psychological analysis to understand how to catch culprits of criminal activities. Students will conduct three units of work focussing on types of evidence, an analysis of all things blood, and finally applications of forensics in the workforce.
Earth was formed around 4.5 billion years ago, modern humans emerged around 300,000 years ago and then, in the blink of an eye (in geological time, at least) we landed on the moon. From the Big Bang to becoming an astronaut, science is all around us, both on earth and far beyond.
This science elective will introduce students to the Big Bang Theory and our Solar System, including how matter came into being, how the planets got themselves organised, and how this helps us understand why the tides wane and the seasons turn. Students will develop an understanding of light and radiation and how forces and motion are used to launch a spaceship.
Did you know a red blood cell goes around the body and passes through the heart every 45 seconds?
In Medicine and Disease, students will learn how diseases are caused and prevented, focusing on the respiratory and circulatory systems. Students will also develop and refine their skills in conducting scientific investigations.
Note: Dissections are required in this class. For those students who are not comfortable in partaking in a physical dissection, virtual dissections can be done as a substitute.
Students will explore:
Microbiology
Body systems
Immune system
Vaccines and immunity
Respiratory system and heart diseases
Circulatory system
How does energy get from one place to another? Is the speed of light the fastest we can travel? What is the explanation for why some sounds are pleasing to our ear, and others can shatter glass? How can we make things move without touching them?
In this subject, students will learn how to think and talk like a scientist. Topics include, Heat, Sound and Light, Magnatism, Electricity and Circuits and the Conservation of Mass. Students will explore scientific concepts through laboratory work, research, discussion and collaboration with peers. This subject will consist of hands-on investigations to allow students to develop their science skills and learn what science is all about. In this subject, students will have the opportunity to get a taste of many fields of Physics. Through regular lab research, student-led investigations, careful analysis and critique this subject aims to develop your scientist within! Skeptics are welcome.
Please note that you cannot take this elective if you have previously completed Psy-Phy
This subject is designed to introduce and develop the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in VCE Biology Unit 1 and 2.
The skills taught will be based around those prescribed by the current VCE Biology Study Design in conjunction with the Victorian 7-10 Curriculum. These include:
develop aims and questions, formulate hypotheses and make prediction
plan and undertake investigations
Use appropriate scientific equipment
collect, analyse, record and evaluating data
analyse and evaluate data, methods and scientific models
draw evidence-based conclusions
communicate and explain scientific ideas.
The topics to be covered may include:
cell structure
cellular process
DNA /genetics
evolution
Students will lead their discovery of these topics through experimentation, course work and extended individual and group investigations. This includes practical experiments, research assignments and classwork.
Chemistry is the study of matter. In this semester-long subject, students will learn the foundations of atoms, the periodic table, bonding, reactions and acid/ base chemistry to lead into VCE Chemistry Units 1 and 2.
The skills taught will be based around those prescribed by the current VCE Chemistry Study Design. These include:
develop aims and questions, formulate hypotheses and make predictions
plan and undertake investigations
use appropriate scientific equipment
collect, analyse, record and evaluating data
analyse and evaluate data, methods and scientific models
draw evidence-based conclusions
communicate and explain scientific ideas.
The topics to be covered will be taken from the VCE Chemistry Study Design and may include:
the elements of the Periodic Table
bonding (ionic, metallic, covalent, polarity and hydrogen bonds)
reactions
balancing equations
acid and bases (equilibrium basics)
Students will lead their discovery of these topics through the experimentation, coursework, extended individual and group investigations, and topic tests.
This course is designed to give students a core foundation in the main topics covered in VCE Physics Units 1 to 4.
The skills taught will be based around those prescribed by the current VCE Physics Study Design. These include:
develop aims and questions, formulate hypotheses and make predictions
plan and undertake investigations
use appropriate scientific equipment
collect, analyse, record and evaluating data
analyse and evaluate data, methods and scientific models
draw evidence-based conclusions
communicate and explain scientific ideas.
The topics to be covered will be taken from the VCE Physics Study Design, and include:
motion
forces
energy transfer and transformations
electricity.
Students will lead their discovery of these topics through the experimentation, course work, investigations and topic tests.
Psychology is the study of mental processes and behaviour. In this course, students will be given the opportunity to explore the main concepts covered in VCE Psychology Units 1 to 4 in a fun and engaging way.
The topics to be covered may include:
the nature of psychology
types of psychology
mental health/illness
mental disorders
the brain and nervous system
ethics and moral development.
Students will drive their own learning within Pre VCE Psychology through individual and group research tasks, coursework, investigations, psychological experiments, surveys, films and interactive classes.
Key skills developed in this subject:
develop aims and questions, formulate hypotheses and make predictions
plan and undertake investigations
conduct investigations to collect and record data (complying with safety and ethical guidelines)
analyse and evaluate data, methods and scientific models
draw evidence-based conclusions
communicate and explain scientific ideas.