NCEA Level 3 Chemistry
Course Description
Teacher in Charge: Zev Fishman, Emma Howden.
This course aims to grow students’ curiosity about the world around us through understanding how and why substances exist and change. Our course focuses on the chemistry that occurs around us, learning about the composition and properties of matter, changes to matter, and the energy involved in these changes. We will expand on our knowledge from Level Two Chemistry and prepare students for further study in Chemistry.
This course contributes towards University Entrance and endorsement at NCEA Level Three. Students will complete three internal assessments and two external assessments as part of the core course. Optionally, students can also complete the AS91392 Aqueous Chemistry external.
Course Overview
Term 1
The course starts by building on the Level Two external (C2.4) content to develop our foundational chemistry knowledge. This focuses on the properties of particles and matter, and energy changes.
Term 2
We will move on to two internal assessments, looking first at how some chemical reactions produce electrical energy while others can be forced to occur by electricity, then at the acid-base and equilibrium chemistry related to ocean acidification. At the end of this term we will begin our learning for the Organic Chemistry external, focusing on identifying different organic compounds.
Term 3
Using our understanding of organic compounds, we will begin this term with the Spectroscopy internal, which studies how unknown compounds can be identified. This is the same process used by forensic scientists to identify unknown drugs. The remainder of the term will focus on the reactions which convert one organic compound to another, completing our learning programme.
Term 4
This term will focus on revision and external assessment preparation for C3.4 (Properties of Particles and Thermochemistry) and C3.5 (Organic Chemistry).
Recommended Prior Learning
You should have gained at least 14 credits in Level 2 Chemistry, including 8 from external standards.
Course Costs
This Course Contribution covers the cost of the Level 3 Chemistry Workbook.
Description | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
Course Contribution | Contribution | $30.00 |
$30.00 |
Credit Information
You will be assessed in this course through all or a selection of the standards listed below.
External
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.2 - Demonstrate understanding of spectroscopic data in chemistry
Assessments:
Term: 3, Week: 3
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.3 - Demonstrate understanding of chemical processes in the world around us
Assessments:
Term: 3, Week: 6
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.4 - Demonstrate understanding of thermochemical principles and the properties of particles and substances
Assessments:
Term: 1, Week: 10
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.5 - Demonstrate understanding of the properties of organic compounds
Assessments:
Term: 2, Week: 9
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.7 - Demonstrate understanding of oxidation-reduction processes
Assessments:
Term: 2, Week: 2
NZQA Info
Earth and Space Science 3.2 - Investigate a socio-scientific issue in an Earth and Space Science context
Assessments:
Term: 3, Week: 6
Approved subject for University Entrance
Number of credits that can be used for overall endorsement: 23
Only students engaged in learning and achievement derived from Te Marautanga o Aotearoa are eligible to be awarded these subjects as part of the requirement for 14 credits in each of three subjects.
Pathway Tags
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Disclaimer
Course availability is dependent on numbers and staffing, and course entry cannot be confirmed until the beginning of the 2025 school year.