YEAR 9 ELECTIVE DESCRIPTIONS

STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths

There are a number of electives on offer at Year 9 to provide a greater diversity in the STEM curriculum. The electives are designed to be innovative, practical based and integrate technology to help engage students. Each elective will provide an insight to particular career fields that students may decide to pursue at tertiary level.

Forensic Science (1 Unit)

Forensic scientists collect scientific evidence from a crime scene that will allow the police and legal system to find out exactly what happened and who committed the crime. Forensic science helps to answer questions such as when a death occurred and why, the manner in which a crime occurred and the identification of key personnel involved.

The unit has been designed with an emphasis on laboratory activities that include crime scene scenarios. Students will be introduced to some forensic techniques used at real crime scene investigations and become competent with the applications. The unit will include the following topics:

• Examination of fibres, hairs and blood spatter analysis

• Fingerprinting, scanning and computer recognition

• Genetics, DNA and blood typing

• Soil analysis and impressions

• Examination and analysis of bones

• Major crime scene investigation

• Entomology and stages of corpse decay

Robotics (1 Unit)

This elective draws on four core disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Students study the science behind solar electricity generation, they design their robots, labelling the physical components. These robots are then built and coded by way of Input, Processing and Output and finally they model and predict the speed of their solar car and the graphical presentation of the effect of adding ice in two lots to room temperature water. Students investigate the principles of gearing and calculate speeds of their “solar cars” over 10 metres.

Year 10 Core Descriptions

In Year 10, students study a core of three subjects and weekly sport. In each of these five core areas there are options to cater for the diverse needs of all students, as follows:

Religious Education Mainstream Religious Education or Youth Ministry Religious Education

English Mainstream English or Enhancement English or Vocational English Mathematics Mainstream Mathematics or Enhancement Mathematics or General Mathematics

Religious Education

In Year 10, students have a choice between two Religious Education units in Semester 1. In Semester 2 all students do the same Religion and Society preparation course.

SEMESTER 1

A. Year 10 Youth Ministry Religious Education

Students in Year 10 Youth Ministry explore questions such as:

• Can the Bible be trusted if it is a 2,000 year old book and a product of Chinese whispers?

• Science points to a big bang theory, not God as creator. Is the whole God the creator therefore a myth?

• Do Science and faith oppose each other?

• Does evidence for evolution show that God could not have created humans in His own image?

• Is there any non-Christian evidence for Jesus existing?

The Youth Ministry course is designed to help you answer these questions and many more that youth ponder. With a lot of videos, we look at evidence that points to God existing. Faith should not be a blind leap into the dark but a rational decision based on the weighing of evidence. From that point, Christians should come to know Jesus in a personal way through the bible and prayer. The other part of the course is examining what it takes to be a leader, especially a Christian leader. Practical advice is given on how to develop yourself so that you will be ready when an opportunity presents itself. This is followed by two weeks of preparation for a full period retreat for a year 7 homeroom given by groups of 5 students within our class. In Semester Two we do the mainstream course and prepare for Units 3 and 4 Religion and Society.

B. Mainstream Religious Education (Semester 1)

The mainstream Religious Education course focuses on the story of Jesus Christ and how it is lived out in the lives of Christians. The semester starts with an exegetical exploration of Mark’s Gospel and the message of Christ. Other topics studied include change and continuity in the Church over time and a discussion of contemporary moral issues relevant to young people today. Students explore the Christian response to issues relating to life and death and personal freedom. As with Youth Ministry Religious Education, there are two assessment tasks and an examination.

Semester 2

In Semester 2, all students focus on studies that prepare them for VCE Religious

Education

. In particular, they learn the subject specific language used in the Religion and Society course, whilst revising and deepening their understanding of distinctive Catholic beliefs. Students also investigate the lives of important Saints and discover how the Church responded to the challenge of modernity at the Second Vatican Council.

English

In mainstream English, students study a variety of texts, while developing their writing style and oral communication skills. Enhancement English has a pace and depth of study involved that is greater than that in normal mainstream English classes. In this subject students are exposed to the skills and knowledge necessary for the study of Literature and English Language. In this way it acts as a precursor to VCE Literature and English Language at Years 11 and 12. The Literature elective is an elective that assists in preparation for VCE Literature and English. Vocational English is offered in the Vocational Package.