Evaluation

Evaluation will be through your individual Portfolio Tasks - Parts A, B, C, D and E using the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) standards.

Students should know:

• the definition of structural, behavioural and functional adaptations
• food webs including the terms predator, prey, producer, consumer, decomposer and competitor
• the effect on a food web of outside influences
• the effects of tree clearing in terms of salinity and erosion

Students should do:

• use the Action-Research model to investigate an environmental issue including the effect of tree clearing on the Australian bush
• identification of the adaptations of organisms
• an evaluation of the pros and cons of tree clearing from different perspectives

Learning Outcomes

Science Essential Learnings Year 9 
Ways of working 
Students are able to:
•  research and analyse data, information and evidence 
•  evaluate data, information and evidence to identify connections, construct arguments and link results to theory 
•  draw conclusions that summarise and explain patterns, and that are consistent with the data and respond to the question 
•  communicate scientific ideas, explanations, conclusions, decisions and data, using scientific argument and terminology, in appropriate formats 
•  reflect on different perspectives and evaluate the influence of people’s values and culture on the applications of science  
Knowledge and understanding
Science as a human endeavour Responsible and informed decisions about real-world issues are influenced by the application of scientific knowledge.
• Immediate and long-term consequences of human activity can be predicted by considering past and present events 
•Responsible, ethical and informed decisions about social priorities often require the application of scientific understanding 
•People from different cultures contribute to and shape the development of science 

 Life and living Living things have structures that enable them to survive and reproduce.
• Survival of organisms is dependent on their adaptation to their environment 
•Different feeding relationships exist within an ecosystem

Organisms interact with their environment in order to survive and reproduce.
• In ecosystems, organisms interact with each other and their surroundings 
•Changes in ecosystems have causes and consequences that may be predicted


ICT Essential Learnings Year 9
Inquiring with ICTs 
Students explore, select and use ICTs in the processes of inquiry and research across key learning areas. They:
•  evaluate data and information gathered for usefulness, credibility, relevance, accuracy, completeness and authenticity 

Creating with ICTs Students experiment with, select and use ICTs to create a range of responses to suit the purpose and audience. They use ICTs to develop understanding, demonstrate creativity, thinking, learning, collaboration and communication across key learning areas. They:
•  analyse and evaluate creative opportunities to apply ICTs 
•  express and creatively represent ideas, information and thinking in innovative ways 

 Communicating with ICTs Students experiment with, select and use ICTs across key learning areas to collaborate and enhance communication in local and global contexts for an identified purpose and audience. They:
•  collaborate, exchange ideas, distribute information, present critical opinions, problem solve and interpret messages 
•  consider and apply ICTs to enhance interpersonal relationships in order to develop social and cultural understandings 
•  apply suitable presentation and communication conventions and protocols 
•  present an individual or group identity in communication 

 Ethics, issues and ICTs Students understand the multiple roles and impacts of ICTs in society. They develop and apply ethical, safe and responsible practices when working with ICTs in online and stand-alone environments. They:
•  apply codes of practice relevant to local and global environments, particularly in relation to online environments 
•  apply codes of practice and strategies to conform to intellectual property and copyright laws 
•  consider individual rights and cultural expectations when accessing or creating digital information sources
•  secure and protect digital information, including personal information and recognise the specific needs of some users 
•  develop and maintain strategies for securing and protecting digital information   


 English Essential Learnings Year 9 
Ways of working 
Students are able to:
•  construct non-literary texts by planning and organising subject matter according to specific text structure and referring to other texts 
•  reflect on and analyse how language choices position readers/viewers/listeners in particular ways for different purposes and can exclude information 
Knowledge and understanding Speaking and listening Speaking and listening involve using oral, aural and gestural elements to interpret and construct texts that achieve purposes across local, national and global contexts.
•  The purpose of speaking and listening includes examining issues, evaluating opinions, convincing others, and managing relationships and transactions 
•  Spoken texts have a range of structures and can be delivered in a number of mediums 
•  Statements, questions (including rhetorical questions) and commands can be used to identify the main issues of a topic and sustain a point of view. 
•  Words and phrasing, pronunciation, pause, pace, pitch and intonation express meaning, establish mood, signal relationships and are monitored by listeners. 
•  Nonverbal elements, including body language, facial expressions, gestures and silence, express meaning, establish mood, signal relationships and are monitored by listeners. 
•  In presentations, speakers make meaning clear by organising subject matter, and by selecting resources that support the role they have taken as the speaker and the relationship they wish to establish with the audience
•  Words, groups of words, visual resources and images can position an audience by presenting ideas and information and portraying people, characters, places, events and things in particular ways.  

 Writing and designing
Writing and designing involve using language elements to construct literary and non-literary texts for audiences across local, national and global contexts.
•   The purpose of writing and designing includes parodying, analysing and arguing 
•  Writers and designers establish and maintain roles and relationships by recognising the beliefs and cultural background of their audience, and by making specific language choices 
•  Words and phrases, symbols, images and audio affect meaning and establish and maintain roles and relationships to influence an audience 
•  Writers and designers refer to authoritative sources and use a number of active writing strategies, including planning, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, publishing and reflecting  

 Language elements
Interpreting and constructing texts involve manipulating grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, audio and visual elements, in print-based, electronic and face-to-face modes (speaking and listening, reading and viewing, writing and designing) across local, national and global contexts.
•  Vocabulary is chosen to establish roles and relationships with an audience, including the demonstration of personal authority and credibility 
•  Auditory, spoken, visual and nonverbal elements, including the use of sound fades, dissolves, cuts, hyperlinks, camera angles and shot types, can be combined to position an audience 

 Literary and non-literary texts
Manipulating literary and non-literary texts involves analysing the purpose, audience, subject matter and text structure.
•  Non-literary texts analyse, inform, argue and persuade. 
•  Reasoning, points of view and judgments are supported by evidence that can refer to authoritative sources.
•  Non-literary texts can conclude with recommendations, restating the main arguments or summarising a position  


SOSE Essential Learnings Year 9
 Ways of working 
Students are able to:
•  research and analyse data, information and evidence from primary and secondary sources 
•  evaluate sources of data, information and evidence for relevance, reliability, authenticity, purpose, bias and perspective 
•  draw conclusions and make decisions supported by interpretations of data, information and evidence
 •  reflect on different perspectives, and recognise and evaluate the influence of values and beliefs in relation to social justice, the democratic process, sustainability and peace  

 Knowledge and understanding Place and space
Environments are defined by spatial patterns, human and physical interactions, and sustainable practices can balance human activity and environmental processes.
•   Interrelationships between human activity and environments result in particular patterns of land and resource use, and can cause environmental problems 
•  Governments and communities need to balance economic, social, political and environmental factors through sustainable development, consumption and production.