Year 9 Earth & Space Sciences 2025 Program Notes

Australian National Curriculum Statement

Science Understanding: The theory of plate tectonics explains global patterns of geological activity and continental movement (ACSSU180).
Science as a Human Endeavour: (ACSHE157), (ACSHE158), (ACSHE160), (ACSHE228)
Science Inquiry Skills: (ACSIS164), (ACSIS165), (ACSIS166), (ACSIS169), (ACSIS170), (ACSIS171), (ACSIS172), (ACSIS174)

Week 1: Structure of the Earth

Set up Interactive Notebooks
Identify the layers of the Earth and their properties (inner core, outer core, lower mantle, upper mantle/asthenosphere, crust), including: relative temperature, relative thickness, and relative pressure.
Explain that the magnetic field of the Earth results from the motion of Earth’s liquid outer iron core.
- Refer to Oxford 9 Textbook Ch 6.2 (p118-119) & worksheets, Experiment 6.2 Cooling and layers p215
- Science by Doing 1.6 The deep Earth Layers of the Earth activity with student worksheet
- Planetary Differentiation Experiment
- Clickview video – Our Earth: The fires below (15min)
- Dynamic Earth Interactive
- YouTube video: Why does the Earth have layers?

Week 2: Investigation

Differentiate between oceanic crust and continental crust.
Investigate the densities of rocks from the oceanic and continental crusts.
Perform density calculations using $density = \frac{mass}{volume}$ .
- Refer to Oxford 9 Textbook Ch 6.1 (p116-117) & worksheets
- Origin of common rocks experiment

Weeks 3-4: Continental Drift

Discuss how Alfred Wegener developed the theory of continental drift.
Place diagrams in order from Pangaea to what the continents look like now.
Explain the following concepts as evidence that supports the theory of plate tectonics:
- magnetic striping (AE class only)
- seafloor spreading
- puzzle-like fit of continents
- fossils, flora, and fauna distribution
- geological similarity of rock types and age of rocks on either side of the Atlantic continents
Identify the major plates on a world map (Pacific, Eurasian, Indian, Australian, African, Antarctic, Nazca, North American, South American).
- Refer to Oxford 9 Textbook Ch 6.1 (p116-117) & worksheets, Challenge 6.1A Reconstructing Pangaea p214
- Science by Doing 2.1 Earth surface jigsaw
- Oxford 9 Textbook Ch 6.3 (p120-123) & worksheets, 6.1B Challenge Milo convection currents p214
- Clickview video - Our Earth: Pushing and shoving
- Clickview video – Global tectonics
Describe the role of heat energy and convection currents in the movement of tectonic plates.
Use plate tectonics to explain why Australia is geologically old and stable.
Compare and contrast the three different types of plate boundaries (converging, diverging, transform).
Explain the concept of ‘subduction’ and how it occurs at oceanic-continental boundaries.
Describe where and how volcanoes form.
Draw a labelled diagram of the parts of a volcano (crater, central vent, magma chamber, lava, ash cloud, volcanic bombs).
Research Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultural stories that provide evidence of geological events.
- Science by Doing 2.3 Plates on the move
- Science by Doing 2.4 Ocean floor conveyors
- Science by Doing 2.5 Movement beneath the surface
- Oxford 9 Textbook 6.3 Modelling plates p216
- Edible Experiment - Modelling plate tectonics with Mars Bars
- Science by Doing 2.6 From tectonics to landforms
- Consolidation Interactive
- Dynamic Earth interactive – Earth’s structure (Annenberg Learner)

Week 5: Earthquakes

Describe a ‘fault’ as a ‘crack in the earth’s crust’ using the San Andreas Fault as an example.
Describe earthquakes as a sudden release of pressure that has built up in the earth’s crust.
Explain the difference between the ‘focus’ point and the ‘epicenter’ in relation to earthquakes.
Identify the seismometer as the instrument used to measure earthquakes.
Explain how it may be possible to predict earthquakes.
State that the strength of an earthquake is measured as a