Introduction to the Chemistry 2B Unit

This resource contains five topics which cover the requirements of the 2B Unit
within the WACE Chemistry Course, with the focus being chemistry and the
environment.
Print materials have been prepared for SIDE students to be used in conjunction with
the computer disc supplied with the course materials or via the Moodle link on the
SIDE website.

Elements of the environment

Over time, different cultures have had different views of how to describe the world
around them, with western culture often referring back to the ancient Greek concept
of the four 'elements' of earth, water, air and fire. This concept also included a more
abstract 'fifth element'. This historical idea of key elements is common to a number
of cultures, as shown in the table below.

In his unit you will investigate how chemical reactions are changing the world
around us. The five topics are;

water,
earth,
fire,
air
new ideas.

The content of these topics will help you to understand the chemistry behind these
processes. The last topic will describe how a variety of chemical principles are
being used to help tackle some current environmental issues. The activities in this
topic will test your understanding and application of the key concepts covered
earlier in the unit.

How to navigate this resource

Each section starts with an introduction, which covers information regarding the
content of the section, including the learning outcomes. It also includes guidance
regarding how best to approach the material covered.
This is followed by the main content and several activities to help you engage with
and understand the topic. The content and activities for each section can be
accessed via the drop down menu from the top of the screen. Some of the content is
in the form of movies and animations. These can be played as many times as
necessary, or paused at relevant points. There are a number of interactive activities
that will allow you to use and test your knowledge, as well as printable worksheets
containing written and practical tasks.
A glossary tab is available at the top of the screen within each section, and the
print tab gives you the option to print out the entire section. The Toolkit section
includes essential information and skills that will help you in a variety of tasks, and
this is accessible from any page on the left-hand menu. Some sections also have an
assessment task included which will test and consolidate your knowledge,
understanding and skills gained throughout the section. It is expected that you work
through the material in the order given, although it is easy to return to a particular
section if extra work or consolidation is required. The Unit overview and Unit
outline give a summary of the content and learning activities within the unit.