te mĀtauranga pŪtaiao
the sciences
sc1600ca
course and assessment guide
everyday science
ncea level 1
2015
everyday science (sc1600)
teacher contact details
When you first make contact with your teacher, please fill out their details below, for future
reference.
teacher’s name: telephone: 0800 65 99 88 ext: alternative telephone number: email address: Private Bag 39992, Wellington Mail Centre, Lower Hutt 5045
Please keep your Everyday Science (SC1600) Course and assessment guide in a safe place so
that you can use it to plan your study and to record your assessment results.
For further information about courses at this level, please refer to Student Guide to Years 11–13
and the Student Guide to National Certificates, both are available on the school website
(www.tekura.school.nz)
Cover photo: © Istock 13545548
Copyright © 2012 Board of Trustees of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu, Private Bag 39992, Wellington Mail Centre, Lower Hutt 5045,
New Zealand. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without
the written permission of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu.
© te ah o o te k u ra p ou n am u
contents
1
Welcome to SC1600
2
Getting started information
3
SC1600 course outline
4
Planning your course
5
My course planner
6
Assessment information
7
NCEA Level 1 Science standards
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welcome to sc1600
Welcome to the Level 1 Everday Science (SC1600) course offered by Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu.
overview of sc1600
SC1600 is a course designed to give students a broad scientific background through internally
assessed standards across a wide range of topics.
A one year course would normally involve studying for around 18–20 credits.
While there are five suggested achievement standards, check out the full range of standards at
the back of this guide to choose achievement standards or unit standards that you find most
interesting, or that best match your goals. SC1600 provides flexibility for you, so that you can
choose the topics you want to study.
The course consists of the course booklets, supplementary learning material and access to our
online learning environment (OTLE).
All of the standards in the SC1600 Everyday Science course are internally assessed. For each
internal assessment your teacher will send you an assessment task. Some of the standards
in SC1600 involve a practical investigation and written answers. Others involve research and
information processing, with a written report.
If you have enrolled for SC1600 you will have already been assigned starting topics (for the Life
processes achievement standard). In this standard you will be learning about the life processes
of gas exchange (breathing) and nutrition. If you are considering taking sciences at NCEA Level
2, you will need to talk to your science teacher about choosing standards that will give you the
background you need. Even if you're not planning on doing the Level 2 sciences, talk to your
science teacher about how SC1600 can help you to achieve your goals.
course endorsement
This course is not designed for students looking to gain a Merit or Excellence endorsement for the
course. If you are aiming for course endorsement, talk to your Science teacher about selecting
studying for at least one externally assessed standard, or perhaps enrolling in SC1000 instead.
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getting started information
how this course is delivered
SC1600 is a print-based course, with course material and supplementary material accessed
from the online teaching and learning environment (OTLE). Dual enrolled students are expected
to access material from OTLE. Other enrolled students may request printed materials to be
posted, accepting there will be a delay between enrolment and receiving the first posting.
You will receive an email explaining how to log in to OTLE. This email includes a link to set your
password if you have not logged into the OTLE before.
You can access OTLE by clicking on www.tekura.school.nz/login. It is recommended that you
bookmark this site in your browser. This will take you to a page with links to your courses.
Your username and initial password is your Te Kura student ID number. You will be asked to set
a new password when you first log in. After that, if you need to reset your password you can click
on the ‘Forgot password’ link on the OTLE login page.
If you have difficulties logging in, please email: helpdesk.otle@tekura.school.nz
organising your study
Plan a regular time to study. Some people learn best from frequent short sessions while others do
better with fewer, longer sessions. It is important to have a plan or a timetable and to keep to it.
There is a suggested planner in the back of this guide for you to plan your programme of study.
You may wish to consult with your subject teacher to help you decide on your plan.
Getting your study underway is very important. Your first return of work should be two to three
weeks after you first received your initial work. If you have any issues returning your work within
this time please contact your subject teacher.
For more information on how to study successfully, refer to the Student Guide to Years 11–13
(www.tekura.school.nz).
te kura codes
Your course code is: SC1600. SC is the code for Science and 1 refers to Level 1.
‘SC1---’ refers to a booklet that covers a particular learning topic in the SC1600 course.
‘SC1---Y1’ refers to the first assessment for an Achievement Standard. For example: SC1101Y1
refers to the first assessment for the standard AS90949. ‘AS’ is the code for Achievement
Standard, and ‘US’ is the code for Unit Standard.
A code ending in ‘A’ (e.g. SC1111A) refers to a teacher-marked assignment which will help you
prepare for your achievement standard assessment task or external examination.
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getting started information
resources you need to get going
Te Kura booklets, stationery, paper, calculator.
There are many hands-on activities. You will be provided with some specialist equipment for the
topic you are studying, if it is needed, but for most activities you will also need to find everyday
items from around your home.
As you study Everyday Science you will find it very useful to have a computer with internet
access. The teaching and learning materials for each topic are supported with a topic webpage.
The webpages also contain useful weblinks, and interactive and multimedia learning materials
essential for some activities.
choosing topics and standards
NZQA advises that a one-year course should lead to 18–20 credits. You may only wish to do
some topics. For example, you may want to do only internal standards for this course. You should
look carefully at the course outline and make your choices. It is important to consider how well
this will meet your learning goals (such as gaining enough credits to achieve your NCEA Level 1,
or meeting the entry requirements for the Sciences at NCEA Level 2 or any future study).
To be awarded NCEA Level 1, you will need to gain a minimum of 80 credits at Level 1 (or above)
including the 10 credits for literacy and the 10 credits for numeracy.
A list of achievement standards from levels 1, 2 and 3 that count towards Level 1 literacy and
numeracy can be accessed from:
www.nzqa.govt.nz/about-us/our-role/legislation/nzqa-rules/secondary-schools-supportinginformation/level-1-literacy-and-numeracy-requirements/
You should discuss your options with your learning advisor and/or your teacher.
self-marking
Many activities are self-marked. You’ll find an Answer guide in each resource. Use these answers
to mark your own work and make corrections where necessary.
Self-marking is important as it gives you instant feedback on how well you understand the ideas,
concepts or information that has been covered.
assessment
Students are required to send in their self-marked and teacher-assessed work. Teachers
return student work with feedback and advice in preparation for NCEA internal and external
assessments.
Internal assessment for this course are:
•• closed book tests (for example, SC1101Y1)
•• a research investigation and scientific report (for example, SC1114Y1)
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getting started information
The detailed criteria for Achievement and Unit Standards will be given in the relevant booklets.
They can also be found by searching the subject and level in the NCEA part of the NZQA website
(www.nzqa.govt.nz) and then finding the relevant standard(s). If there are two assessment
opportunities for an Achievement Standard, one is called ‘Y1’ and the other is called ‘Y2’.
External assessment preparation includes:
•• teacher-marked activities
•• Te Kura practice examinations.
time commitment
You should be aiming to do at least five achievement standards in this course. It is expected that
10 study hours are required per credit. Each booklet will take approximately 10 hours of work
to complete at the normal pace, representing about two weeks of work at five hours per week.
Central concepts are repeated in a number of topics, enabling you to progress more quickly after
you have completed your first level 1 topic.
Before deciding on the pace of learning, read through this Course and assessment guide and ask
yourself the following:
•• How much time can I set aside for study each week?
•• Will I be attempting both externally and internally assessed standards?
•• Will I be able to keep a steady pace of five hours of study each week?
•• Do I intend to sit the external examination at the end of the year?
•• Do I need specific external or internal credits for next year’s study or work?
normal pace of learning
As a guide, expect to do at least five hours work per week in this subject. This means five
booklets each term so that you complete the course before the external examination at the end
of the school year.
flexible pace of learning
If you have less than a year because you start later or need to finish earlier, you can decide the
pace at which you work. You could still complete the whole course by devoting more time and
effort to it. Your teacher can ensure that you receive the resources you need in time to do this.
cover sheets
The back cover of the booklets is the cover sheet for your work. Fill it in and sign it before sending
it back to Te Kura. If applicable, your supervisor also signs this sheet as part of our authenticity
requirements.
All students are encouraged to submit as much as possible of their work on line via the OTLE
Dropbox. When work requires authentication, students will follow the instructions provided in OTLE.
queries about your work
It is important to contact your teacher if you have any queries about your work. It helps to have
your ID number, booklet code (for example, SC1101) and the activity or question number when
you contact your teacher, but it is not essential.
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sc1600 course outline
The list below shows the first two standards of the SC1600 course, and four other suggested
standards. Talk to your Science teacher about which other standards you would like to do, to
make your total credits up to 18–20.
You can find the list of standards at the end of this guide.
Course item/booklet
Topic
Standard
SC1101
Staying Alive
Achievement Standard 90949
SC1102
Break it down
Investigate life processes and
environmental factors that affect
them.
SC1041
Heat on the move
Achievement Standard 90943
SC1042
Dressing for extremes
Investigate the implications of heat
for everyday life.
SC1504
Matter
Unit Standard 18973
Demonstrate knowledge of matter.
SC1506
Chemical change
Unit Standard 18974
Demonstrate knowledge of chemical
change.
SC1162
Earthquakes
Achievement Standard 90955
Investigate an astronomical or Earth
science event.
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SC1061
Formula 1
Achievement Standard 90945
SC1062
Formula 2U
SC1063
Formula 300 million
Investigate implications of the use of
carbon compounds as fuels.
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planning your course
If you are aiming to complete 18–20 credits in SC1600 Everyday science, a suggested timeline
is given below. If you enrol later in the year, or wish to attempt only certain standards, you can
adjust this guideline accordingly. If you wish to continue towards studying the sciences at level 2,
you should talk to your Science teacher about selecting appropriate standards at NCEA Level 1.
The topics are written so that each topic has all the relevant learning for a particular achievement
standard. This means you can complete the topics in a different order if you wish (talk to your
teacher about this).
If you would like to tailor your SC1600 course to suit your interests and goals, talk to your
teacher about which of the other standards from the NCEA Level 1 matrix you would like to do.
The lists of standards in Science at NCEA Level 1 are at the end of this guide.
Each standard is described in the following format:
AS90949
Science 1.10
Investigate life processes and
environmental factors that
affect them
4 credits
Internal
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 This line shows the achievement standard codes
 This is the title of the standard.
The learning materials for each standard are in the form of
printed booklets and online resources. Each standard will
have up to four printed booklets. For example, this standard,
AS90949, has two printed booklets: SC1101 Staying alive,
and SC1102 Break it down.
 This is the number of credits in the standard and the mode
of assessment.
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my course planner
Here is a sample course for a student who is aiming to achieve 20 credits with a mixture of
Achievement standards and Unit standards. This student has an interest in chemistry, but
has never studied chemistry before. The student talks discusses this with her teacher, who
recommends 2 chemistry Unit Standard topics (SC1504 and SC1506) leading up to one
Achievement standard. The student also does the recommended Life Processes and Heat topics,
and selects the Earthquakes topic to match her interests.
Contact your teacher to design your own course. You should allow 10 study hours per credit.
Remember that you should return work to your teacher within two weeks of starting the course.
Term
Targets
Tick
Term 1
Get my learning space set up and check out the SC1600 course in OTLE
Life processes (AS90949; Internal, 4 credits): Start SC1101
Complete and send in SC1101
Complete and send in SC1102
Complete SC1101Y1 assessment
Everyday Heat (AS90943; Internal, 4 credits) Start SC1041
Complete SC1102Y1 assessment: achieve AS90949
Term 2
Complete SC1041 and SC1041A
Complete SC1042 and SC1042A and send in
Matter (US18973; Internal, 2 credits)
Complete SC1504 and SC1504T1 assessment
Complete SC1042Y1 assessment
Term 3
Chemical change (US18974; Internal, 2 credits)
Complete SC1506 and SC1506T1 assessment
Earthquakes (AS90955; Internal, 4 credits)
Complete SC1171
Complete SC1162 and SC1162A and send in
Fuels (AS90945; Internal, 4 credits)
Complete SC1061
Complete SC1162Y1 assessment
Term 4
Complete SC1062
Compete SC1063
Complete SC1063Y1 assessment
Catch up time to improve my grades if I need to do further assessments
for the internals.
The standards listed above are just an example. Contact your science teacher to talk about which
topics and standards you would like to study.
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assessment information
standards
The National Qualifications Framework has two types of national standards: Achievement and Unit
Standards. Credits from both Achievement Standards and Unit Standards count towards NCEA.
Please refer to our Student Guide to National Certificates or Te Kura (www.tekura.school.nz)
and NZQA (www.nzqa.govt.nz) websites for more information about National Certificates of
Educational Achievement and assessment.
internal assessment
Some Achievement Standards and Unit Standards are internally assessed. This means that your
teacher sets and marks all assessments that count towards credits gained for these standards.
resubmissions
If you have made mistakes in your standard assessment, your teacher may offer you one
resubmission opportunity. This means you have made errors that you are capable of discovering
and correcting by yourself. A resubmission allows you to improve your result.
further assessment opportunities for internal assessments
For some standards, you will be able to complete a second assessment called a ‘further
assessment opportunity’ to improve your results. These standards are indicated in the course
outline. You should take this opportunity where it is available.
authenticity
Authenticity means that students complete and submit work that is their own. When you submit
work to Te Kura, you sign an authentication declaration that the work you are submitting is your
own work and was done under the required assessment conditions. Where applicable, your
supervisor signs to confirm this declaration.
When submitting work online via the OTLE Dropbox, if it requires authentication, students must
follow the instructions provided in OTLE.
derived grades (compassionate consideration)
If for any unexpected reason you are not able to sit your end of year examination or to submit
final work towards an external standard (portfolios or projects), you may be eligible for a derived
grade. Please refer to the Student Guide to National Certificates and contact your teacher or
learning advisor as soon as possible to find out more should you feel this is necessary.
appeals
You have the right to query an assessment result if you want further clarification or disagree with
the result. If you are still not satisfied, you may appeal. Refer to the Student Guide to National
Certificates for more information. You can also appeal any other decisions, procedures or policies
about assessments. Contact your teacher or learning advisor if you wish to appeal. Further
information and a form that students can use to appeal is available on the Te Kura website in the
Student toolkit area (www.tekura.school.nz and go to Student toolkit).
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ncea level 1 science standards
internally assessed unit standards
Physical World
Material World
Living World
Planet Earth & Beyond
US18977
US18973
US18969
US18982
Demonstrate kowledge of
the generation and use of
electricity.
Demonstrate knowledge Demonstrate knowledge Demonstrate knowledge
of matter
of the characteristics
of Earth science
of living things, organs,
and an organ system
2 credits
2 credits
Internal
Internal
2 credits
Internal
2 credits
Internal
US18974
US18989
Demonstrate knowledge
of chemical change
Demonstrate knowledge
of Earth and space
2 credits
2 credits
Internal
Internal
internally assessed achievement standards
Physical World
Material World
Living World
Earth Space Science
Science 1.2
AS90945 Science 1.6
AS90949 Science 1.10
AS90955 Science 1.16
Investigate implications
of electricity and
magnetism for everyday
life
Investigate implications
of the use of carbon
compounds as fuels
Investigate life processes
and environmental
factors that affect them
Investigate an
astronomical or Earth
science event.
4 credits
Internal
4 credits
4 credits
4 credits
AS90942
Science 1.3
AS90947 Science 1.8
AS90950 Science 1.11
Investigate implications
of wave behaviour for
everyday life
Investigate selected
chemical reactions
Investigate biological
ideas relating to
interactions between
humans and microorganisms
4 credits
Internal
4 credits
4 credits
AS90943
Science 1.4
AS90930 Chemistry 1.1 AS90951 Science 1.12
AS90941
Internal
Internal
Internal
Internal
Investigate the
implications of heat for
everyday life
Carry out a practical
chemistry investigation,
with direction
Investigate the biological
impact of an event on a
New Zealand ecosystem
4 credits
Internal
4 credits
4 credits
AS90935
Physics 1.1
AS90931 Chemistry 1.2 AS90925 Biology 1.1
Internal
Internal
Carry out a practical
physics investigation
that leads to a
linear mathematical
relationship, with
direction
Demonstrate
understanding of
the chemistry in a
technological application
Carry out a practical
investigation in a
biological context, with
direction
4 credits
2 credits
4 credits
AS90936
Internal
Physics 1.2
Internal
AS90926
Internal
Biology 1.2
Demonstrate
understanding of the
physics of an application
Report on a biological
issue
2 credits
3 credits
Internal
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Internal
Internal
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