SCIENCE DOMAIN
Kate O'Neill
Science Instructional Leader
Our Science program is designed to foster curiosity, critical thinking, and an appreciation of the wider world. Students investigate the structure and behaviour of the physical, biological, and Earth systems through observation, experimentation, and scientific inquiry. Across Years 7–10, Ochre learning materials are used to progressively develop students’ skills in observation, prediction, data analysis, problem-solving, and evidence-based reasoning, while building understanding across the disciplines of Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Earth and Space Sciences.
Students engage in hands-on investigations and explore real-world applications of science, developing the ability to communicate scientific ideas and evaluate information critically. The program encourages students to think scientifically about contemporary issues and to recognise the role of science in shaping society and the environment.
At VCE level, students may further specialise through the study of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, and Environmental Science, providing pathways into a wide range of tertiary studies and careers in science, health, engineering, technology, and environmental fields.
10 Biology
- Investigate how cells grow, divide, and specialise, including mitosis and meiosis, and how genetic information is inherited and creates variation within populations.
- Explore how the immune system defends the body against disease and evaluate evidence for evolution using fossils, genetics, and comparative anatomy.
- Suites students who are curious about how living systems work and those considering pathways into VCE Biology, Health Sciences, Medicine, Veterinary Science, or allied health fields.
Subject Code: P2SBI
Year Level: 10
What will I learn?
Key aspects of this subject include investigating how living organisms grow, reproduce, and evolve over time. You will explore how cells divide through mitosis and meiosis, how genetic information is inherited, and how variation arises within populations. You will study the immune system and how the body protects itself from disease, before examining the evidence for evolution and the processes that have shaped the diversity of life on Earth.
What will I do?
- Investigate cells and observe the processes involved in growth, repair, and reproduction.
- Explore patterns of inheritance and predict how traits are passed from one generation to the next.
- Examine how the immune system responds to pathogens and protects the body from disease.
- Analyse evidence for evolution using fossils, genetics, and comparative anatomy.
- Conduct practical investigations and use scientific evidence to explain biological phenomena.
Where can this take me?
VCE Subjects: VCE Biology.
Careers/Jobs: Medicine and healthcare, allied health, medical research, nuclear medicine, biotechnology, pharmacy, dietetics.
Duration:
1 semester.
10 Chemistry
- Study atomic structure, including subatomic particles and how atomic models have developed over time, plus electron configurations, isotopes, and calculations using atomic number and mass number
- Investigate ions and ionic compounds, including how ions form, how they combine, and how to name and write formulas using the periodic table
- Suits students interested into studying VCE Chemistry and following a STEM or chemical career pathway
Subject Code: P2SCH
Year Level: 10
What will I learn?
Key aspects of this subject include investigating the building blocks of matter and how substances interact. You will explore the organisation of the periodic table and learn how the properties of elements can be used to predict their behaviour. You will study different types of chemical reactions, including the evidence that reactions have occurred, and examine how atoms rearrange to form new substances.
What will I do?
- Investigate the properties and patterns of elements within the periodic table
- Conduct experiments to identify and classify different types of chemical reactions
- Analyse chemical data and use scientific models to explain the behaviour of matter
- Apply chemistry concepts to real-world contexts such as medicine, materials, industry, and the environment
Where can this take me?
VCE Subjects: VCE Chemistry
Careers/Jobs: chemical engineer, pharmacologist, materials scientist, pharmacologist, toxicologist, environmental chemist, food scientist, forensic scientist, laboratory technician.
Duration:
1 semester.
10 Environmental Science
- Explore major scientific theories about the origins of the Universe and Earth, including the Big Bang and the geological history of our planet.
- Investigate environmental change over time, including climate variation, geological processes, and how organisms adapt through natural selection.
- Appeals to students interested in sustainability, climate change, Earth systems, space science, or future study in Environmental Science, Geography, or Earth Sciences.
Subject Code: P2SEN
Year Level: 10
What will I learn?
Key aspects of this subject include investigating the origins of the Universe, the history of Earth, and the processes that have shaped life over billions of years. You will explore the Big Bang theory and the evidence supporting current scientific understandings of the Universe. You will examine patterns of global change, including climate and geological processes, and investigate how living things have adapted and evolved in response to changing environments.
What will I do?
- Explore scientific evidence used to explain the formation and expansion of the Universe.
- Investigate major events in Earth's history and the factors that have shaped our planet.
- Analyse patterns of environmental and climate change across different timescales.
- Examine how organisms adapt to changing environments through natural selection and evolution.
- Use models, data, and scientific investigations to evaluate explanations about Earth's past and future.
Where can this take me?
VCE Subjects: VCE Environmental Science
Careers/Jobs: biologist, natural resource manager, environmental health officer, water scientist, research scientist, conservation officer, landcare worker.
Duration:
1 semester.
10 Physics
- Study waves and energy transfer, including sound, light, and other wave types, and the relationship between frequency, wavelength, amplitude, and speed
- Investigate real-world applications of waves (e.g. communication, medicine, remote sensing), the Doppler effect, and thermal energy transfer through conduction and convection. You will also explore electricity generation and use
- Suits students interested in studying VCE Physics and following an engineering career pathway
Subject Code: P2SPH
Year Level: 10
What will I learn?
Key aspects of this subject include investigating the forces and energy that govern the physical world. You will explore Newton's laws of motion and examine how forces influence the movement of objects. You will also investigate electricity, including how electrical energy is generated, transferred, and used in everyday technologies.
What will I do?
- Explore how forces influence motion through practical activities and real-world applications
- Build and test electrical circuits to investigate the movement of energy and charge
- Collect and analyse experimental data related to forces, motion, and electricity
- Apply physics concepts to explain everyday phenomena and technological innovations
Where can this take me?
VCE Subjects: VCE Physics
Careers/Jobs: design engineer, electrical engineer, electronics technician, software developer, systems analyst, clinical scientist, physicist, aerospace engineer, renewable energy engineer.
Duration:
1 semester.
10 Psychology
- Explore how the brain and nervous system influence behaviour, thought processes, emotions, and decision-making in everyday life.
- Investigate psychological concepts such as relationships, attraction, sleep and dreaming, perception, and how behaviour is studied scientifically.
- Appeals to students interested in human behaviour, mental health, communication, sport psychology, marketing, or future study in Psychology, Education, or Health Sciences.
Subject Code: P2SPS
Year Level: 10
What will I learn?
Key aspects of this subject include investigating how the human body and mind work, with a focus on the nervous system, behaviour, and psychological processes. You will explore how the brain receives and processes information, influences thoughts and emotions, and coordinates responses to the world around us. Topics include human relationships, attraction, body language, body image, sleep and dreaming, as well as the ways psychologists study behaviour. You will also examine how performers, advertisers, and athletes apply psychological principles to influence perception, decision-making, motivation, and performance.
What will I do?
- Design, conduct, and participate in practical investigations using scientific research methods and ethical principles.
- Explore how the nervous system processes information and influences behaviour and decision-making.
- Investigate factors that contribute to healthy relationships, wellbeing, and positive mental health.
- Analyse how athletes, advertisers, magicians, and other performers use psychological techniques such as persuasion, motivation, suggestion, and misdirection to achieve their goals.
- Evaluate psychological evidence and apply psychological concepts to real-world situations and everyday experiences.
Where can this take me?
VCE Subjects: VCE Psychology.
Careers/Jobs: clinical psychologist, counsellor, human resources specialist, organisational psychologist, research psychologist, social worker, educational and developmental psychologist.
Duration:
1 semester.