Year 9 Science – Term 3 (WA Curriculum): Global Systems and Climate Change

What this unit covers

In Term 3, Year 9 Science in the WA Curriculum centres on the unit “Global Systems and Climate Change”.

Students explore the interconnected global systems of Earth and analyze how human activities impact these systems, leading to patterns of climate change.

Lesson sequence (30 lessons)

The unit breaks down into the following lesson-by-lesson sequence — each title below is a teachable lesson, in order:

1. Mapping Earth's Four Spheres: Biosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere
2. Investigating Interactions Between Earth's Spheres
3. Tracing Water Through the Global Water Cycle
4. Analyzing Water Cycle Processes: Evaporation, Condensation and Precipitation
5. Examining How the Biosphere Influences the Water Cycle
6. Discovering How the Lithosphere Shapes Water Movement
7. Following Carbon's Journey Through the Carbon Cycle
8. Modeling Carbon Storage in Earth's Reservoirs
9. Investigating Photosynthesis and Respiration in the Carbon Cycle
10. Exploring Ocean-Atmosphere Carbon Exchange
11. Analyzing Human Activities That Release Carbon
12. Calculating Carbon Footprints and Emissions
13. Investigating Deforestation's Impact on the Carbon Cycle
14. Examining Fossil Fuel Combustion Effects on Global Carbon
15. Exploring How Urbanization Affects Local Water Availability
16. Analyzing Agricultural Impacts on Freshwater Resources
17. Investigating Western Australia's Surface Water Resources
18. Exploring Groundwater Systems in Western Australia
19. Examining Desalination as a Water Source for Western Australia
20. Comparing Potable Water Treatment Methods
21. Measuring Indicators of Climate Change: Temperature Data
22. Analyzing Sea Level Rise as a Climate Change Indicator
23. Investigating Changes in Sea Ice Coverage Over Time
24. Exploring Species Distribution Shifts Due to Climate Change
25. Examining Permafrost Changes and Climate Impacts
26. Analyzing Long-term Global Climate Patterns
27. Investigating Past Climate Changes Using Evidence
28. Modeling Future Climate Change Scenarios
29. Evaluating Solutions to Reduce Climate Change Impacts
30. Designing Local Actions to Protect Global Systems

Curriculum codes in this unit

Content codes:

Reading the codes: WA codes (the ones starting with WA) pack the year level, learning area, strand and content number into one string, while the national Australian Curriculum v9 uses a different anatomy that starts with AC9 — same content family, different labels. Our complete WA Curriculum guide decodes both, character by character.

Planning notes for Term 3

WA terms run roughly 9–11 weeks, and in 2026 Term 3 runs from Monday 20 July to Friday 25 September — 10 weeks for WA public schools. With 30 lessons in this unit, that leaves breathing room for assessment, moderation and the weeks that disappear to carnivals, camps and public holidays — plan the assessable work to land two to three weeks before the end of term rather than in the final week.