Year 9 Science

The Australian Curriculum: Classroom Approaches science units were originally designed to align with Version 3 of the Australian Curriculum (2012) but have recently been updated to align with Version 9 (2024). The four units provide adaptable and scalable learning pathways that can be shaped for use in diverse classroom contexts, and hopefully provide inspiration for locally developed units of work for other depth studies and areas of the curriculum. Click the "Download Year 9 Units" button to get a PDF of the units outlined below.

Year 9 Units Overview

UNIT ONE: DRUGS AND MEDICINE

  • Enduring Understandings:

    • Drugs and medicines (medications) are types of chemicals that are used for treatments and cures.

    • The nervous system controls and coordinates responses to changes in a human’s environment.

    • Hormones are involved in the control and coordination of the human body.

    • Advances in scientific understanding and advances in technology are linked.

  • Performance Task: Board game. Group.

  • Australian Curriculum Codes: AC9S9H01, AC9S9H02, AC9S9H03, AC9S9H04, AC9S9U01, AC9S9U04, AC9S9U06, AC9S9U07

  • General Capabilities: Literacy, Numeracy, ICT, Creative and Critical Thinking, Personal & Social Competence, Ethical Behaviour, Intercultural Understanding

UNIT TWO: WATER: WHAT’S THE ISSUE

  • Enduring Understandings:

    • Our supply of fresh water is dependent on the water cycle.

    • Weather is dependent on the heating and cooling of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans.

    • Scientists can explain some of the causes of environmental changes that give rise to the weather we experience.

  • Performance Task:

    • Part A: Group poster and experiment presentation.

    • Part B: Individual fact sheet.

  • Australian Curriculum Codes: AC9S9H01, AC9S9H02, AC9S9H03, AC9S9H04, AC9S9U03, AC9S9U05, AC9S9U07, AC9S10U04*

  • General Capabilities: Literacy, Numeracy, ICT, Ethical Behaviour, Personal and Social Competence

UNIT THREE: COMMUNICATION & INDEPENDANT INVESTIGATION

  • Enduring Understandings:

    • Light (EM radiation) and sound are forms of energy.

    • Light can be transferred with or without a medium.

    • Sound requires a medium for transfer.

    • Scientists develop models to explain observations and make predictions.

    • Written communication of scientific findings must provide sufficient detail for replication and verification.

  • Performance Task: Experiment report. Individual.

  • Australian Curriculum Codes: AC9S9H01, AC9S9H02, AC9S9H04, AC9S9I01, AC9S9I02, AC9S9I03, AC9S9I04, AC9S9I05, AC9S9I06, AC9S9I07, AC9S9I08

  • General Capabilities: Literacy, Numeracy, ICT, Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Behaviour, Personal and Social Competence

UNIT FOUR: SUSTAINABILITY AND ME

  • Enduring Understandings:

    • Science knowledge can help us sustain life on Earth.

    • The atom is a system of protons, electrons, and neutrons, and this system can change through nuclear decay.

    • Individuals can make choices that support a sustainable future for all.

    • Science provides evidence that can be used to support an argument.

  • Performance Task: TV or e-commercial. Group or individual.

  • Australian Curriculum Codes: AC9S9H01, AC9S9H02, AC9S9H03, AC9S9H04, AC9S9H06, AC9S9I01, AC9S9I05, AC9S9I06, AC9S9I08

  • General Capabilities: Literacy, Numeracy, ICT, Creative and Critical Thinking, Personal & Social Competence, Ethical Behaviour, Intercultural Understanding


    *indicates that this outcome appears in the Australian Curriculum: Science for either the previous or following year.

Alternatively, if you prefer to create your own unit of work, please click the 'DIY Design Template' button below to download an attached Word document template.