Year 09/10 5ESS – Earth and Space Science

Available for study in:  Year 9 and 10

Main areas of study:  Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, Geology

In this course you will learn: This is a course that focusses on systems and their interactions. This is an interdisciplinary course looking at the Solar system, Earth systems, and Ecosystems. The course involves a field trip to Lake Hayes and it's environs as part of an environmental chemistry unit looking at the ecology of the lake and the ecological restoration work being done in this area. The course is designed to challenge and extend students while developing their understanding of key scientific concepts that will be studied further in the senior school.

Essential Skills and dispositions

This course will support literacy and numeracy development as well as developing digital and scientific literacies alongside the essential skills of critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Curiosity is an essential disposition for learning and is especially important when studying in science. 

Methods of assessment:  

This course will be assessed for both knowledge and skill development. The Nature of Science strands of the NZ Curriculum will be the focus of skills assessment in both 'Investigating in Science' and 'Communicating in Science'. Content knowledge will be assessed using a range of tasks including, quizzes, tests, project and laboratory work that will contribute to a portfolio of learning that will be built on with each new course.

This course leads to: 

Year 10 Science and NCEA Sciences - Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Earth and Space Science.