Geography

Unit 4: What is the power of rivers and waves?

Students will be asked, what is the power of rivers and waves? Rivers and waves have the power to provide, the power to destroy and the power to shape some of our most beautiful and unique landscapes. This unit will provide a systems approach to understanding the processes that are carried out by rivers within drainage basins and by waves along our coastlines. Students will also explore the interactions between humans and the natural environment looking specifically at the power of humans to adapt to and manage these natural processes. As in all units, students will have the opportunity to apply their conceptual understanding to topical events and familiar and new environments through looking at a range of case studies and by visiting East Coast Park to do some field work. The outcomes of this unit will be a fieldwork experience on Monday June 19th, which will give students the opportunity to transfer their understanding to a new context, and a written exam that will allow students to practise their revision and application skills.

A course highlight:

1. Grade 9 Geographers taking part in a Socratic seminar to discuss whether Singapore could and should pursue a nuclear future to improve energy security (photo on the left)

2. Our geographers were fortunate to have Geetika Gha, a climate reality leader, speak to them about what successful climate advocacy can look like. This was to help prepare them for their upcoming “climate advocate for a day” project based assessment task. We can’t wait to see what our teams come up with.

3. Geographers enjoyed designing their own population policies to address issues in a place of their choice. They had fun being curious and evaluating each other's policies using “I wonder” questions.

Unit 4: From Free Will to Determinism

The conceptual focus of this unit is the idea of historical determinism; how far are our actions and lives determined by our historical situation? This probes the age-old concept of free will, and how far we may, or may not, have it. The lens through which students will examine this issue is the late 1960s, with a special focus on 1968 around the globe. They will study numerous historical events from this time period and examine how different life was around the world in this period of history. They will discuss the concept of establishing a zeitgeist, and how far this is valid. Students will then be encouraged to draw parallels with the world they inhabit today. Case studies include:

● Singapore’s first election, Singapore, 1968

● Tet Offensive, Vietnam, 1968

● Tlatelolco Massacre, Mexico, 1968

This unit culminates in an essay assessing all five AOs.

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● The Prague Spring, Czechoslovakia, 1968

● Assassination of Martin Luther King, USA, 1968

Social Entrepreneurship

Unit 4: Research, Analysis & Action

In this unit, students will be conducting market research that provides an insight into the external environment in which organisations operate. The results of this research will assist students in effective decision making both for their own Enterprise Projects and also for organisations more generally. This includes using Business Management tools such as SWOT and STEEPLE analyses for guidance on how the external environment may impact their strategic goals and how best to respond to opportunities and threats. Students also consider a stakeholder mapping tool to ascertain how best to utilise support from the wider community.

Some course highlights:

Students are in groups and are working diligently toward their Enterprise Projects which will launch in Grade 10. Some examples of the exciting projects that are under consideration:

● Hire Fair - a website that will enable hiring organisations to redact identifying features on applications as a means to ensuring fair recruitment processes without implicit or unconscious bias

● YALA - You Are Not Alone. A website based forum where High School students can explore resources around wellbeing and welfare, including sections where they can write of their experiences and access appropriate support

● Meat Free - a project looking at tackling the environmental risks associated with beef consumption

● Sustaitionary - these students are looking into reducing plastic use on campus by develop a stationary pack suitable for different grade levels that is plastic free and environmentally friendly

● HeART - an event for students to display artwork that highlights mental health issues among school age students culminating in an auction to raise funds to support mental health awareness

● Ethical skin care - this group is exploring a potential skin care product that is BPA free and manufactured and distributed without the need for chemical inputs

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2 Block Science

Unit P1.2: Our Home in the Universe

Students will investigate how light from different stars and galaxies is used to better understand our place in the universe, its history and its possible futures. Light that has traveled from the earliest universe carries red shifted evidence for the expansion of space whilst light from more local stars can be examined to predict their temperature, power and even elemental composition. The role of the astronomer is to collect such evidence and interpret it to understand the history of our universe whilst engaging with clues it holds for the future of our Sun and the universe. The unit is concluded with a research and presentation assessment which allows students to better understand our models for the solar system through the lens of a historical astronomer from Al Mamon (Iraq), to Ptolmney (Greece) through to Edwin Hubble (USA) students can appreciate the scientific and cultural understandings which shaped their views of the universe.

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4 Block Science

Unit Physics 2.2: Energy and the Earth

Students will be exploring how humans extract energy from natural resources and the enormous consequences for the living and non-living world. This unit gives students the opportunity to understand the issues of climate change through a specifically scientific lens. By understanding the natural and human impacted processes which control the flows of energy in the Earth such as changes in albedo, resonance in chemical bonds, solubility of CO2 and thermal expansion of liquids,, students can reflect upon the choices that lie ahead for humanity, different possible futures for the Earth and the role of science in shaping the public’s decision making. The assessment will be focussed on knowledge and understanding through the conceptual questions of the unit.

Unit Biology 2.1: Go with the flow

This unit aims to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of energy systems in the living world so as to better appreciate the delicate interconnectedness between the living and non-living systems of the Earth. Natural cycles of photosynthesis, nutrition and respiration will be investigated in the laboratory to better understand the factors which affect their interaction. This will allow students to then make connections with the human behaviours impacting these natural cycles such as pollution, bioaccumulation and biomagnification. For the final lessons of this unit, students will be able to choose to either pursue an individual, self-directed approach or work more closely under the direction of their teacher - encouraging students to take ownership for their learning styles and developing effective study skills. The assessment will be focussed on AO2, which assesses the students skills within the scientific method.

Course AO rubric

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