9 Science
9SCI Course DescriptionTeacher in Charge: Kieran McGirr.
Year 9 Science provides students with a broad introduction to the living, material, physical, and Earth sciences. The programme is practical and hands-on, encouraging curiosity, critical thinking, and an evidence-based approach to understanding the world.
Students investigate scientific ideas through experiments, modelling, research, and problem-solving. They learn to work collaboratively, communicate their findings, and apply their knowledge to real-world contexts — building the Key Competencies of Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts, and Participating and contributing.
Assessment activities throughout the year include:
Research reports on scientific issues, such as human impacts on ecosystems
Practical investigations using fair testing methods and analysing results
Formal tests at the end of each unit
A two-hour end-of-year exam covering all major science topics studied
By the end of the course, students will have developed a strong foundation for further study in science. They will be able to plan and carry out investigations, interpret and present scientific information, and link their learning to everyday life.
Course Overview
Term 1
Term 1 in Year 9 Science introduces students to the fundamentals of scientific thinking and the fascinating world of Chemistry.
We begin the year with a short Science Investigations unit, where students learn how scientists work, how to use lab equipment safely (including the Bunsen burner), and how to plan and carry out fair tests. This sets the foundation for confident and independent lab work throughout the year.
We then move into our major topic for the term: Matter and Changing Matter. Students explore:
- The Particle Theory of Matter: Learning that all matter is made of tiny particles called atoms.
- States of Matter: Investigating solids, liquids, and gases and how they change with energy.
- Expansion, Contraction, and Diffusion: Understanding how heat affects particles and how substances spread.
- The Periodic Table: Introducing elements, symbols, groups and trends.
- Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures: Using models to explore how atoms combine and how mixtures can be separated.
- Physical vs Chemical Change: Distinguishing between changes in state and reactions that create new substances.
- Solutions and Separation Techniques: Investigating solubility and how mixtures are separated using evaporation, filtration, and distillation.
- Chemical Reactions: Observing real-life reactions and identifying new products using gas tests.
This term is highly hands-on, with frequent practical sessions designed to foster curiosity, confidence, and scientific thinking. Students are encouraged to ask questions, interpret results, and explain the world using evidence from their experiments.
Term 2
In Term 2, students study the living world, focusing on both the structure of living organisms and their interactions within ecosystems.
We begin by learning how to identify living things using the seven life processes (MRS GREN). Students explore how living things are classified into groups based on shared features and learn how to use simple classification keys.
Students then examine ecosystems, learning about producers, consumers, decomposers, and the roles they play in food chains and food webs. They investigate how energy moves through these systems and consider the effects of environmental changes on populations. As part of this, students complete a research project on the impact of human activity on an ecosystem, using scientific evidence to describe the issue and suggest solutions.
Later in the term, the focus shifts to the cellular structure of living things. Students learn to identify and compare plant and animal cells, understand the function of cell parts, and develop practical skills using a microscope.
The term finishes with a study of plants, including the life cycle, flower structure, pollination and fertilisation, and the process of photosynthesis. Students also learn how plants store energy and which parts of plants humans use for food.
Practical work includes:
- Microscopy with plant and animal cells
- Flower dissection
- Food web construction
- Starch tests for photosynthesis
- Classification activities
By the end of the term, students understand how living things function and how they are connected within their environments.
Term 3
In Term 3, students explore the concepts of energy and waves, focusing on how energy moves and transforms in physical systems.
The term begins with a study of potential and kinetic energy, followed by the conservation of energy and how it can change from one form to another. Students compare renewable and non-renewable energy sources, considering their benefits and environmental impact. They also investigate how heat energy is transferred by conduction, convection, and radiation.
The second half of the term covers waves, including how they transfer energy. Students explore the properties of waves and apply these to sound and light. They learn how sound travels, how the ear detects it, and how light reflects, refracts, and disperses. The term concludes with a look at the eye, colour mixing, and the electromagnetic spectrum.
Practical activities include:
- Energy transfer demonstrations
- Thermal conduction, convection, and radiation investigations
- Slinky and spring wave models
- Sound activities with tuning forks and ear models
- Light experiments using ray boxes, lenses, and prisms
- Cow eye dissection
- Colour mixing and filter investigations
By the end of the term, students understand how energy behaves and how waves like light and sound function in everyday life.
Term 4
In Term 4, students study Earth’s place in space and the astronomical systems that affect our planet. They begin with the solar system, learning about the Sun, planets, moons, and the role of gravity in keeping them in orbit.
The unit covers day and night, the yearly movements of Earth, and how the tilt of Earth’s axis causes the seasons. Students explore the phases of the moon, the causes of solar and lunar eclipses, and how the Moon and Sun’s gravity create tides. Models, simulations, and practical activities are used throughout to build understanding.
Students also apply critical thinking skills to evaluate evidence about the Moon landings, learning how scientific claims can be tested.
Practical activities include:
- Modelling the solar system
- Sunlight angle experiments for seasons
- Moon phase flipbooks
- Eclipse simulations
- Tide chart interpretation
At the end of Term 4, students sit a two-hour exam covering Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Space Science from throughout the year, giving them the chance to consolidate and demonstrate their learning.
Pathway