Earth and Environmental Science
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A guide to the format of the NSW HSC Online pages for Earth and Environmental Science
Structure of a page
Each page of this
node contains the NSW HSC Online notes for a subsection of
a module of the HSC Earth and Environmental Science syllabus.
Each page begins with a syllabus reference. The syllabus reference is a copy of a single syllabus subsection (e.g. 9.2.1) placed in light green-coloured box. The subsection is identifiable by its column one statement that in turn relates to the column two and column three points of the subsection.
You can use the syllabus reference for navigation — click on a syllabus dot point and you are taken to the notes written for that syllabus point.
If you prefer, you can scroll through the notes that start below the syllabus reference. If you do this, you will be following the sequence of syllabus points recommended by the Earth and Environmental Science node writing team. We expect this path to be of particular value to teachers, as it reflects an intention of the syllabus, i.e. students can often learn the content of column two through the experiences described in column three.
What information is essential for the HSC?
The information that the writing team considers essential for each syllabus point is presented with a bullet (•). In places, other information such as background, examples, and points of interest is provided in clear boxes. Where relevant, links to information on other web sites is provided. This extra information is considered beyond the essential information required for the syllabus point being addressed, and so, is not presented with a bullet.
Other features of the science NSW HSC Online notes
- Links within the syllabus points
You may have noticed that each syllabus point within each module begins with a verb, such as identify, describe, perform. Column two points have verbs that are defined in the NSW Board of Studies glossary for HSC courses. The verbs that begin the syllabus points in column three, provide links to the skills content of module 9.1.
To assist you to recall the meanings of these verbs, each column two syllabus point that is replicated within the HSC Online notes has a link to the Board of Studies glossary. Click on the link to activate a pop-up box for the verb selected.
To assist you to identify which skills content statements have been selected by the writing team for each column three syllabus point, links are provided to the skills content statements of Module 9.1. Click on the link to activate another pop-up box. This will identify the specific skills being addressed.
- Freehand diagrams and drawings
Sample freehand diagrams and drawings have been included. THE WRITING TEAM CONSIDERS THESE TO BE EXAMPLES of the diagrams and drawings that ARE acceptable TO USE IN ANSWERING QUESTIONS IN THE HSC examination. Remember that the Board of Studies recommends that, in the HSC examination, diagrams should be drawn in pencil and labelled using pen.
- Prior learning
Generally, each page provides references to the prior learning expected. This will most frequently be to the Preliminary course but may also refer to the Science Stages 4-5 Syllabus. The background information provided may relate to prior learning or it may relate to the context of the subsection.
