10 Science
10SCI Course DescriptionTeacher in Charge: Kieran McGirr.
PrerequisitesOpen Entry
Year 10 Science builds on the foundations from Year 9, developing a deeper understanding of the living, physical, and Earth sciences. Students engage in practical, hands-on learning that encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and evidence-based explanations of the world around them.
Across the year, students explore Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Planet Earth & Beyond, while continuing to develop their skills in scientific investigation and problem-solving. Learning activities include experiments, research, modelling, and data analysis, allowing students to make connections between theory and real-world contexts.
The programme supports the Key Competencies of Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts, and Participating and contributing. Students learn to question, analyse information, and communicate their findings clearly, working both independently and collaboratively.
Assessment activities include:
Research reports on scientific issues
Practical investigations following fair testing and data interpretation
End-of-unit tests to check understanding
A two-hour end-of-year exam covering all major science topics studied
By the end of Year 10, students will have strengthened their understanding of key scientific ideas and developed the skills needed to succeed in senior science courses.
Course Overview
Term 1
In Term 1, students build on their Year 9 chemistry knowledge. They explore the Periodic Table, atomic structure, and how protons, neutrons, and electrons determine an element’s properties. Students learn how ions form, investigate chemical bonding, and write simple word equations for reactions.
The unit also covers acids and bases, their properties, and the pH scale. Students carry out experiments with indicators, investigate neutralisation, and observe how acids react with metals and carbonates.
A short practical investigation on rates of reaction develops skills in planning, carrying out, and analysing a fair test.
Practical activities include:
- Modelling atoms and ions
- Indicator and neutralisation experiments
- Gas tests for hydrogen and carbon dioxide
- Measuring and comparing reaction rates
By the end of the term, students can explain atomic structure, describe key chemical reactions, and apply investigative skills in a scientific context.
Term 2
In Term 2, students explore the physical world through motion, forces, electricity, and magnetism. They start with speed, distance, and time, learning to use the formula
𝑣 = 𝑑 / t and interpret distance-time graphs. Students then investigate forces, including the difference between balanced and unbalanced forces, friction, and the role of simple machines such as levers.
The focus then shifts to electricity. Students learn about static electricity, conductors, and insulators, before moving on to current electricity. They build simple circuits, measure voltage and current, and apply these concepts to series and parallel circuits. The term concludes with an introduction to magnetism and electromagnetism, including how magnetic fields form and how electromagnets work.
Practical activities include:
- Speed measurement experiments
- Distance-time graphing tasks
- Friction and force investigations
- Building and testing electrical circuits
- Mapping magnetic fields
- Making an electromagnet
By the end of the term, students can explain motion using calculations, describe how forces affect objects, and understand the principles of electrical and magnetic systems.
Term 3
In Term 3, students study how living things function and how traits are inherited. The term begins with body systems, focusing on the digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems. Students learn the key organs, their functions, and how these systems work together to support life.
The unit then moves to genetics, covering DNA, genes, and chromosomes, and how characteristics are passed from parents to offspring. Students explore dominant and recessive alleles, use Punnett squares to predict inheritance, and examine variation within species.
Finally, students investigate evolution and natural selection, learning how adaptations help organisms survive in their environment and how species change over time.
Practical activities include:
- Modelling the human body systems
- Heart dissection and lung model work
- Extracting DNA from fruit
- Inheritance and variation activities
By the end of the term, students understand how body systems function, how genetic information is transmitted, and how evolution explains the diversity of life on Earth.
Term 4
In Term 4, students investigate the structure and processes of our planet. They begin by exploring the layers of the Earth, convection currents, and how these drive plate tectonics. The theory of continental drift, types of plate boundaries, and the causes of earthquakes and volcanoes are covered, with a strong focus on New Zealand’s unique geological setting.
Students also study the rock cycle, learning how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are formed, and how processes like weathering and erosion shape the Earth’s surface. They then examine the Earth’s atmosphere, its structure, composition, and the role of greenhouse gases in maintaining life and influencing climate.
Practical activities include:
- Building models of Earth’s layers
- Demonstrating convection currents
- Rock and mineral identification tasks
- Modelling tectonic movement
- Investigating greenhouse effect concepts
Toward the end of the term, students sit a two-hour examination that assesses learning from all major topics covered in the year: Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Planet Earth & Beyond.
Pathway
11 Agricultural and Horticultural Science, 11 Biology, 11 Chemistry & Physics, 11 Science