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Goulburn High School

Goulburn High School

Justice and Tenacity

Telephone02 4821 4022

Emailgoulburn-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

EARTH & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

 

15100                                               EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE


Course: Earth and Environmental Science                                                   Category:  A

2 units for each of Preliminary and HSC       

Board Developed Course                                        Exclusions:  Preliminary course in Senior Science

Course Description:

The Preliminary course incorporates the study of some aspects of the changes that our Earth has undergone in it's evolution, the resources and living things contained on our Earth and dhow human activities impact on the Earth

The HSC Course  examines the movement of tectonic plates and the production of landforms, the environmental conditions present during the phases of Earth's development and the issues involved in preserving and repairing environments.

Main Topics Covered:

Preliminary Course

HSC Course

·                  Science Skills

·                  Core Topic

·                  Planet Earth and it's Environment – a five thousand million 

            year journey

·                  Science skills

·                  Local Environment

·                  Tectonic impacts

·                  Water Issues

·                  Environments through time

·                  Dynamic Earth

·                  Caring for the country

 

·                  One option

 

·                  Introduced species and Australian Environment

 

·                  Organic Geology

 

·                  Mining and the Australian Environment

 

·                  Oceanography

Particular Course Requirements:

The Preliminary course includes field experience as well as how biological factors interact to form the local environment.  Practical experiences should occupy a minimum of 80 indicative hours across preliminary and HSC course time.

SKILLS / APTITUDE                             Important                                 Not so important

Essay Writing                                                                                        *

Research                                              *

Oral Reporting                                                                                       *

Practical work                                        *

Working in a group or team                     *

Public Performance                                                                                *

Meeting Deadlines                                 *

Assessment:  HSC Course only

External Assessment

Weighting

Internal Assessment

Weighting

A three-hour written examination consisting of:

 

Core Modules

Multiple-choice questions

Short-answer questions

 

Options (one only to be attempted)

Short-answer part-questions

 

Questions/questions parts focusing on Core Module 9.1 will be incorporated into both the Core and Option sections of the paper.

 

 

 

 

75

 

 

 

25

 

 

Knowledge and understanding:

- Prescribed Focus Areas (outcomes
  H1-H5)

- Domain (outcomes H6-H10).

Skills in planning and conducting first-hand investigations and in communicating information and understanding based on these investigations.

Skills in scientific thinking, problem solving and in communicating understanding and conclusions.

Note:  No more than 50% weighting may be allocated to examinations and topic tests.

40

 

 

30

 

 

 

 

30

 

100

 

100