Year 11 6SCE – Science (NCEA L1)
Course Option Description
Head of Learning Area (HOLA): Miss K. Murray.
Why this course:
This course places emphasis on the concept of science being a useful and integral part of life at school, home and in the community. In addition, successful completion of this Level 1 course is a prerequisite for Level 2 and 3 study within the Science area.
Students who are interested in pursuing 2 or more of the specialist sciences in Level 2 and Level 3 (biology, chemistry, earth and space science, physics) are strongly recommended to also elect to take the Level 1 Specialist Science (6SCS) course, which is designed to support and enhance the learning that is done in General Science so that the transition to Level 2 specialist sciences is as smooth as possible.
Course information:
Have you thought about why you need to eat, why cars rust, how batteries produce electrical energy or why clouds produce rain? Science helps you discover answers to such questions. So many things are based on science and students can explore not just the world of living things, but all types of substances and how they react, while gaining an understanding of concepts, such as force and energy. This course has been designed to be relevant and interesting and to give you the opportunity to achieve the NCEA Qualification in a manner most appropriate to your individual learning needs.
You will learn from wide variety of topics in biology, chemistry and physics, building on skills and knowledge from your Year 9 and 10 science courses. In addition there is a greater emphasis on practical science skill, relating science ideas to the everyday world, learning to understand and evaluate evidence from a variety of sources, including those other than scientific texts. We will learn how to determine the purpose for which a resource has been written and how much it can be relied upon. In addition we will learn how to investigate through practical experiment, how to make experimental results relevant to others, and how to relate practical laboratory work to the wider world.
The course is divided into four 8 week “learning blocks”. Students are required to complete three compulsory learning blocks; one each of Chemistry, Physics and Biology.
This course leads to:
Level 2 Science courses (7BIO, 7CHE, 7PHX and 7ESS).
Prerequisites
Successful completion of the three compulsory Science semester courses in Y9 and 10. As a guide, students should be working comfortably at Level 5 of the Science curriculum. Entry is at discretion of the HoLA.
Assessment Information
This course is assessed using Achievement and/or Unit Standards. Please note exact standards are subject to change and individual assessment programmes may be provided in consultation with student and teacher.Credit Information
You will be assessed in this course through all or a selection of the standards listed below.
External
NZQA Info
Science 1.1 - Demonstrate understanding of a science-informed response to a local issue
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Science 1.2 - Demonstrate understanding of the use of a range of scientific investigative approaches in a context
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Science 1.3 - Describe features of science that have contributed to the development of a science idea in a local context
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Science 1.4 - Demonstrate understanding of science-related claims in communicated information