A teacher's guide to the new QCAA Senior Chemistry syllabus changes

A teacher’s guide to the new QCAA Chemistry General Senior syllabus changes

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A change is coming for Queensland senior secondary schooling.

Senior Chemistry in Queensland is changing to help students develop 21st-century skills and knowledge for success in their future work and life. You can trust our expert Queensland authors and award-winning publishing team to support you with the tools and resources you need to help you implement the new Queensland Senior Chemistry syllabus.

The changes to Queensland Senior Chemistry affect all aspects of teaching and learning – new teaching content, new course structure and a new approach to assessment.

What does the new QCAA Chemistry General Senior Syllabus look like?

Chemistry
Unit Syllabus content Assessment Assessment method
Unit 1 Chemical fundamentals — structure, properties and reactions
  • Topic 1: Properties and structure of atoms
  • Topic 2: Properties and structure of materials
  • Topic 3: Chemical reactions — reactants, products and energy change
Formative internal assessment/s Schools should develop at least one assessment per unit, with a maximum of four assessments across Units 1 and 2.
Unit 2 Molecular interactions and reactions
  • Topic 1: Intermolecular forces and gases
  • Topic 2: Aqueous solutions and acidity
  • Topic 3: Rates of chemical reactions
Formative internal assessment/s Schools should develop at least one assessment per unit, with a maximum of four assessments across Units 1 and 2.
Unit 3 Equilibrium, acids and redox reactions
  • Topic 1: Chemical equilibrium systems
  • Topic 2: Oxidation and reduction
Summative internal assessment
  1. Data test (10%) Summative internal assessment
  2. Student experiment (20%)
Summative external assessment: Examination (50%)
Unit 4 Structure, synthesis and design
  • Topic 1: Properties and structure of organic materials
  • Topic 2: Chemical synthesis and design
Summative internal assessment
  1. Research investigation (20%)
Summative external assessment: Examination (50%)

Source: Chemistry 2019 v1.2, QCAA General Senior Syllabus, Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority November 2017

Students studying the Senior Chemistry syllabus from 2019 will:

develop the skills for success in their future work and life

gain knowledge to help explain phenomena and solve problems

develop personal skills through independent and collaborative research

gain expertise in conducting investigations and the interpretation of evidence

learn a systematic way of thinking about science

develop creative and critical reasoning skills in order to gain scientific knowledge

acquire skills used by scientists to develop new knowledge and verify known scientific relationships.

The basics

To successfully implement the new Senior Chemistry syllabus, there are three basic points to be aware of:

1

The new course is made up of four units of study to be taught over two years (i.e. Units 1 and 2 to be taught in Year 11 and Units 3 and 4 to be taught in Year 12). Students should complete Units 1 and 2 before beginning Unit 3. It is recommended that Unit 3 be completed before Unit 4.

2

Units 1 and 2 have students working across all syllabus objectives and beginning to engage with the course subject matter. The teaching of Units 3 and 4 consolidates students’ learning. Subject matter, learning experiences and assessment increase in complexity from Units 1 through to 4 as students develop independent learning.

3

Only the results from Units 3 and 4 will contribute to ATAR calculations. Each unit has been developed to a notional time of 55 hours of teaching and learning, including assessment.

Meet our Chemistry for Queensland expert author team:

Krystle Kuipers

Author

Krystle Kuipers is an experienced Chemistry teacher who is currently Head of Science at Varsity College. She is a QCAA panel member and is involved in monitoring and verifying assessment and marking for schools in her district. Krystle is also an experienced chemist with a broad range of academic experience.

Paul Keillor

Author

Paul Keillor is an experienced teacher and Head of Science at Ipswich Girls’ Grammar. He has been involved as a district review panellist for the new Chemistry General Senior Syllabus.

Philip Sharpe

Author

Dr Philip Sharpe is a lecturer in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences at The University of Queensland. He was part of the team that received a 2017 Australian Award for University Teaching and has also received individual recognition for his teaching. He is a member of the Queensland Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) Chemical Education group.

Carrie Bloomfield

Author

Carrie Bloomfield is an expert Chemistry teacher and Head of Science. She has previously been involved as a Chemistry exam assessor interstate. Carrie has further used her chemistry qualifications in the mining, aquaculture and climate change sectors.

Helen Silvester

Author

Helen Silvester has been an educator for over 20 years and has held Head of Science positions in a number of schools. She was shortlisted for the 2014 Prime Minister’s Secondary Science Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools. Helen is also author of the award-winning Oxford Science series.

Dr Martin Brabec

Author

Dr Martin Brabec is an experienced Chemistry and Physics teacher at Clayfield College and has taught in both Australia and Switzerland. Martin is also an accomplished Atmospheric Scientist with research experience in volcanic ash plumes, dust storms and cirrus cloud formations.

Paul Devlin

Series reviewer

Paul Devlin has a wealth of experience teaching senior Chemistry. He is actively involved as district panel chair for the new QCAA senior syllabus.

What is Oxford publishing for the new QCAA Chemistry General Senior Syllabus?

The publishing team at Oxford is currently working with expert Queensland authors to deliver high-quality resources directly mapped to the new syllabus. These include:

Chemistry for Queensland
Units 1 & 2

Chemistry for Queensland Units 1 & 2 Student book + obook assess

  • Print student book with digital access

Chemistry for Queensland Units 1 & 2 obook assess

  • Digital student access (12 months access)

Chemistry for Queensland Units 1 & 2 Teacher obook assess

  • Digital teacher access

Chemistry for Queensland Units 1 & 2 Student workbook

  • Print Student workbook

Institutional purchases
Please contact your Education Consultant if your school purchases resources on behalf of students and requires multi-year digital subscriptions. If your school has a different model, ask your Education Consultant about purchase options.

Chemistry for Queensland
Units 3 & 4

Chemistry for Queensland Units 3 & 4 Student book + obook assess

  • Print student book with digital access

Chemistry for Queensland Units 3 & 4 obook assess

  • Digital student access (12 months access)

Chemistry for Queensland Units 3 & 4 Teacher obook assess

  • Digital teacher access

Chemistry for Queensland Units 3 & 4 Student workbook

  • Print Student workbook

Institutional purchases
Please contact your Education Consultant if your school purchases resources on behalf of students and requires multi-year digital subscriptions. If your school has a different model, ask your Education Consultant about purchase options.

Why choose Oxford QLD Senior Science resources?

Our Senior Chemistry resources are designed to work for you in the classroom. They will:

provide learning pathways that ensure complete coverage of the syllabus

clearly model approaches to inquiry learning and critical thinking

provide detailed support and resources for assessment (including exam preparation and practice)

suggest methodologies for mandatory and suggested practicals outlined in the syllabus.

All these features are designed to save you time when lesson planning, reduce the stress of syllabus implementation and ensure the best learning outcomes for your students.

From January 2019, senior secondary syllabuses in Queensland will change to support the introduction of new assessment and tertiary entrance systems. As teachers across Queensland prepare for this significant change, the Secondary team at Oxford will be busy collaborating with local teachers and educators to create a range of world-class teaching and learning materials. Our goal is to make implementation of the new systems as smooth and stress-free as possible for you.

–The Secondary Publishing Team at Oxford University Press

As Secondary Publisher of the Year 2017, 2018 and 2019 Oxford University Press is committed to helping teachers and students in Queensland reach their full potential.

Register for QLD Senior Syllabus updates from Oxford and receive:

Invites to our free webinar series

Invites to Professional Development events in Queensland

Advanced access to sample chapters and page proofs

Relevant QCAA syllabus updates where applicable

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