INFORMATION ON SENIOR
SCIENCE 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 from
Preliminary Year 11
OR
Continue with Senior Science
OR
Drop one of the Sciences and take
up Senior Science
• In Year 12, you can take Senior
Science and two other Sciences
BIOLOGY
COURSE 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!
CHEMISTRY
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Chemistry 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 COURSE
Core 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.
PHYSICS
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The 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 COURSE
Core 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 SCIENCE
COURSE 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 COURSE
Core 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!