INFORMATION ON SENIOR INFORMATION ON SENIOR SCIENCE COURSESSCIENCE COURSES

2013

• BIOLOGY

• CHEMISTRY

• PHYSICS

• SENIOR SCIENCE

• Up to 6 units of Science

• Preliminary Year 11

Any combination of

- Biology

- Chemistry

- Physics

OR

- Senior Science

HSC Year 12

Continue with combination fromPreliminary Year 11ORContinue with Senior ScienceORDrop one of the Sciences and takeup Senior Science• In Year 12, you can take Senior

Science and two other Sciences

BIOLOGYCOURSE DESCRIPTION

The Preliminary course covers the following main areas:

•The relationships of organisms to each other and their environment

•The ways in which living organisms use non - living materials to construct living material and the processes involved in maintaining life

•The origin of life evolution, the formation of Australia and its diverse Biota

The HSC builds on the Preliminary course. It examines the ways organisms, particularly humans, control their internal environment and how they maintain health. It also looks at reproduction and genetics. Various options then allow for specialisation in particular interest areas.

PRELIMINARY COURSE

1. A Local Ecosystem

2. Patterns in Nature

3. Life on Earth

4. Evolution of Australian Biota

HSC COURSE

1. MAINTAINING A BALANCE

2. BLUEPRINT OF LIFE

3. THE SEARCH FOR BETTER

HEALTH

OPTIONS

1. COMMUNICATION – choice at Oxley

2. BIOTECHNOLOGY

3. GENETICS: THE CODE BROKEN?

4. THE HUMAN STORY

5. BIOCHEMISTRY

Why choose Biology?

• Helps you to develop a new way of thinking and problem solving.

• Empowers you to make decisions and to change things in the world.

• Teaches you about modern issues in medicine and your health.

• Heaps of practical work.

• Gives you practice in teamwork.

• Field trips.

• Helps you expand your university horizons.

• Its fun and interesting!

CHEMISTRYCOURSE DESCRIPTIONChemistry students investigate natural and made substances, their structures, changes and environmental importance; they learn about the history and philosophy of science as it relates to Chemistry; students work individually and with others in practical, field and interactive media experiences related to Chemistry; they undertake experiments and decide between competing theories. They assess the impact of decisions based on an understanding of Chemistry on society.

Chemistry provides students with a contemporary understanding of the physical and chemical properties of substances and their interactions. Chemistry attempts to provide chemical explanations and to predict events at the atomic and molecular level.

PRELIMINARY COURSE

• The Chemical Earth• Metals• Water• Energy

HSC COURSECore Topics

• The Identification and Production of Materials

• The Acidic Environment

• Chemical Monitoring and Management

One Option from the following:

• Industrial Chemistry

• Shipwrecks, Corrosion & Conservation

• The Biochemistry of Movement

• The Chemistry of Art

• Forensic Chemistry – choice at Oxley.

Why choose Chemistry?

• It’s interesting

• You’re good at it!

• It equips you to study lots of Sciency things later (nursing, food tech, medicine, veterinary science, dentistry, etc …

• It is favourably scaled if you do well.

PHYSICSCOURSE DESCRIPTIONThe Preliminary course incorporates the study of motion and forces;the properties of waves; electric and magnetic fields, generators, superconductors and transformers; and the interaction between energy and matter that brought about the formation of the Earth.

The HSC course builds upon the Preliminary course. It examines the effects of gravitational fields, momentum, projectile and circular motion and the development of our understanding of the macro and atomic world throughout the 21st century.

PRELIMINARY COURSE• The World Communicates

• Electrical Energy in the Home

• Moving About

• The Cosmic Engine

HSC COURSECore Topics

• Space

• Motors and Generators

• From Ideas to Implementation

One Option from the following:

• Medical Physics

• Astrophysics – choice at Oxley

• Geophysics

• From Quanta to Quarks

• The Age of Silicon

Why choose Physics?

• Helps you to develop a new way of thinking and problem solving.

• Keeps you up to date with technology.

• Teaches you about the “mysteries” of the universe.

• Heaps of practical work.

• Gives you practice in teamwork.

• Field trips.

• Helps you expand your university horizons.

• Its fun and interesting!

SENIOR SCIENCECOURSE DESCRIPTION

The Preliminary course incorporates some aspects of human anatomy and discusses issues associated with the protection of the body in the workplace; the interactions between organisms in local ecosystems; the collection, storage and conservation of water resources; the structure and function of plants with an emphasis on Australian native plants.

The HSC course examines the range and importance of biological molecules found in humans and other organisms; the physical and chemical properties of chemicals used by people on or in their bodies; the structure and function of organs of the human body and the physical features of these organs that can be detected by medical technology.

PRELIMINARY COURSE

• Water for living

• Plants

• Humans at work

HSC COURSECore topics

• Lifestyle Chemistry

• Medical Technology

• Information Systems

One Option from the following

• Preservatives and Additives

• Disasters

• Space Science

• Polymers

• Pharmaceuticals

Why choose Senior Science?

• Helps you to develop a new way of thinking and problem solving.

• Empowers you to make decisions and to change things in the world.

• Informs you about technology, sports and the environment.

•Teaches you about modern issues in medicine and your health.

• Heaps of practical work.

• Gives you practice in teamwork.

• Field trips.

• Its fun and interesting!