Year 9 Term 3 Overviews

Humanities

In this unit, students are exploring the global and interconnected causes of World War II, including the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of fascism, and the economic instability following the Great Depression. They are learning how these events set the stage for a devastating global conflict. Through historical inquiry and analysis, students are examining the impact of Nazi ideology and propaganda, the phases and turning points of the Holocaust, and the actions of individuals and governments in the face of genocide. They will investigate key battles—such as Kokoda, Stalingrad, and D-Day—and assess how warfare evolved during WWII, including technological changes and strategic innovations. The unit also highlights Australia’s role in the war, with students discussing the motivations and contributions of Australian soldiers, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and exploring significant locations where Australians fought. Throughout the unit, students are encouraged to evaluate multiple perspectives, analyse ethical questions, and draw lessons about humanity from one of history’s most complex and significant conflicts.

Science-Jag

In Term 3, Year 9 Science students will begin by exploring how DNA, genes, and chromosomes determine hereditary characteristics. They will learn how traits are passed from one generation to the next and apply Mendel’s principles of inheritance to predict genetic outcomes using monohybrid crosses. Students will investigate the roles of DNA, alleles, mitosis, and meiosis in ensuring genetic continuity and variation, developing their understanding through models, simulations, and analysis of inheritance patterns.

From Week 4 onward, students will engage with two exciting new topics in Chemistry and Physics. In Chemistry, they will investigate the Law of Conservation of Mass, discovering how atoms are rearranged—but never lost or gained—during chemical reactions. They will represent these changes using word and balanced chemical equations and explore how matter is conserved in everyday and industrial processes.

In Physics, students will analyse how energy is conserved and transformed, particularly into electrical energy. They will explore the Law of Conservation of Energy, assess energy efficiency in real-life systems, and model how energy moves and changes form—from sunlight powering solar panels to energy use in household appliances.

Throughout these units, students will plan and conduct fair and reproducible investigations, use digital tools to collect and analyse data, and communicate their findings using scientific models, vocabulary, and formats suitable for different audiences.

They will also reflect on how science is shaped by and influences society, considering the role of ethics, technology, and sustainability. Students will examine how scientific knowledge evolves over time and how values and societal needs influence the direction of scientific research. This term will encourage critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and informed decision-making—skills essential for both science and life beyond the classroom.

Technologies-Nirmesha

In Term 3, Year 9 students will explore the foundations of engineering through systems thinking and real-world applications. They will begin by understanding the Input–Process–Output (IPO) model and how engineered systems can be used to solve practical problems. Students will investigate electrical circuits, focusing on key concepts such as current, voltage, and resistance, and will build both series and parallel circuits to evaluate their functionality.They will learn how motors convert electrical energy into motion and examine how magnetic forces play a role in mechanical movement. Material properties such as strength, flexibility, and conductivity will be tested and analysed to inform effective design decisions. Students will also explore mechanical systems, including levers, gears, and pulleys, and their relevance in real-world devices and structures.

Throughout the unit, students will consider ethical, safety, and sustainability factors in engineering solutions. The term will culminate in the development of a design brief for a water-powered turbine, where students will define a problem, identify constraints, and set success criteria in preparation for a hands-on project in Term 4.

Maths - Din

This term, students will dive into Quadratic relationships and explore the three different forms of quadratic equations which are the standard form, factor form and vertex form. Students will learn that the graph of a quadratic relationship is a parabola which is U-shaped, symmetrical and has a vertex which is either a minimum or maximum turning point. Students will understand that quadratic relationships can be identified from an equation, a table of values and the shape of its graph. Students will also learn that algebraic forms of a quadratic function can be manipulated using algebraic techniques.

Students will also cover Financial Math where they will use mathematical modelling to solve applied problems involving change, including financial contexts involving simple interest; formulate problems, choosing to use either linear or quadratic functions or other simple variations; interpret solutions in terms of the context; evaluate the model and report methods and findings.

Students will use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving direct proportion, rates, ratio and scale, including financial contexts; formulate the problems and interpret solutions in terms of the situation. They will also be learning to calculate and interpret absolute, relative and percentage errors in measurements.

The final topic to be covered in Term 3 will be Probability. Students will be able to list all outcomes for two-step chance experiments both with and without replacement, using lists, tree diagrams, tables or arrays; assign probabilities to outcomes and events. Students will also learn to calculate relative frequencies from given or collected data to estimate probabilities of events involving ‘and’, inclusive ‘or’ and exclusive ‘or’. They will also be required to design and conduct repeated chance experiments and simulations using digital tools to estimate probabilities that cannot be determined exactly.

English- Jing

In Term 3, students will complete a comparative book study of the biographical narrative Night by Elie Wiesel and Anne Frank’s Diary: the Graphic Adaptation. This unit will run in conjunction with the humanities unit on World War II and will focus on the representation of Holocaust survivor stories, in particular, Jewish survivors, from the time of the Holocaust. It is imperative for every student to have a copy of the text Night to assist them in readings at home, using it as a study resource outside of the classroom and to take detailed notes and annotations of the text. When studying both texts, students will analyse the following themes: dehumanisation of Jews, questioning of faith, survival, and ethical and moral decisions. This unit will consist of weekly reading as well as text response to analyse the weekly focused theme in the text. These responses will assist students in writing their larger summative comparative essay at the end of the term. 

P.E / Sport

Arts (VA or PA)

Careers

Masterclass - Sports and Rec

Masterclass -  Trade

Masterclass - Performance

Masterclass-Forensic Science

In this term, students will explore more about forensic science and how is it portrayed in the media; potential and current applications of forensic science;

careers in forensics and the important role these careers play in society; and ethical issues related to forensics, in particular the issue of DNA data banks.