HSC Earth & Environmental Question Thread

[bowiemily]

HSC EARTH & ENVIRONMENTAL Q&A THREAD

What is this thread for?
If you have general questions about the HSC Business Studies course or how to improve in certain areas, this is the place to ask! 👌

Who can/will answer questions?
Everyone is welcome to contribute; even if you're unsure of yourself, providing different perspectives is incredibly valuable.

Please don't be dissuaded by the fact that you haven't finished Year 12, or didn't score as highly as others, or your advice contradicts something else you've seen on this thread, or whatever; none of this disqualifies you from helping others. And if you're worried you do have some sort of misconception, put it out there and someone else can clarify and modify your understanding! 

There'll be a whole bunch of other high-scoring students with their own wealths of wisdom to share with you. So you may even get multiple answers from different people offering their insights - very cool.

To ask a question or make a post, you will first need an ATAR Notes account. You probably already have one, but if you don't, it takes about four seconds to sign up - and completely free!

original post

Welcome!

So I know we are a very small cohort, but I'm here to help nonetheless.
I had the BEST experience as an Earth and Environmental Science student, not only because I had a brilliant teacher, but because Earth is one of the subjects that relates directly to the world around you. I also did quite well in the HSC, scoring a 95 and coming 7th in the state. So if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask them here and I'll respond as quickly as I can 

[DalvinT]

Welcome!

So I know we are a very small cohort, but I'm here to help nonetheless.
I had the BEST experience as an Earth and Environmental Science student, not only because I had a brilliant teacher, but because Earth is one of the subjects that relates directly to the world around you. I also did quite well in the HSC, scoring a 95 and coming 7th in the state. So if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask them here and I'll respond as quickly as I can 

OMG!! CONGRATS! #goals

[Kira Leigh]

Hey there!
I was wondering if anyone has purchased any of the dot point or excel books? I'm looking for practice questions without re doing the past paper questions. 

[bowiemily]

Hey there!
I was wondering if anyone has purchased any of the dot point or excel books? I'm looking for practice questions without re doing the past paper questions. 

Hey Kira,
In my opinion, the best extra resources for Earth are the Keep It Simple Science (KISS) notes. They were given to me by my teacher. I also borrowed a friends excel text book for writing some of the notes, but I found that the information they contained was generally just...wrong. Being such a small subject, there aren't many great resources out there labeled as 'Earth and Environmental Science'. HOWEVER, there are still things you can use! Catalyst, the ABC show, has some great programs for salinity in Caring for Country. David Attenborough's documentaries for Environments through Time are fantastic, as well as Walking with Dinosaurs (may sound a bit basic, but they helped me remember everything!). Your best bet is just to Google some of the dot points. There are lots of resources out there 

[Kira Leigh]

Hey Kira,
In my opinion, the best extra resources for Earth are the Keep It Simple Science (KISS) notes. They were given to me by my teacher. I also borrowed a friends excel text book for writing some of the notes, but I found that the information they contained was generally just...wrong. Being such a small subject, there aren't many great resources out there labeled as 'Earth and Environmental Science'. HOWEVER, there are still things you can use! Catalyst, the ABC show, has some great programs for salinity in Caring for Country. David Attenborough's documentaries for Environments through Time are fantastic, as well as Walking with Dinosaurs (may sound a bit basic, but they helped me remember everything!). Your best bet is just to Google some of the dot points. There are lots of resources out there 

Thank you so much!! I do have the KISS notes and find they are helpful for basing my notes and reading ahead before class. What would be the best way to practice questions, just do past papers? Is there anything else I could be doing to get that 100%? 

[bowiemily]

Thank you so much!! I do have the KISS notes and find they are helpful for basing my notes and reading ahead before class. What would be the best way to practice questions, just do past papers? Is there anything else I could be doing to get that 100%? 

The great thing about Earth is that the syllabus hasn't changed in a long time. So, there are plenty of past papers you can do! I used to pay special attention to the 8 markers at the end of the exam, as they have started to ask questions about Earth as a subject rather than syllabus dot points specifically. Considering this, I made a massive timeline that I stuck on my roof. It was the geographic time scale you are given in the exam, except blown up so it stretched the length of my bed. I then ordered all of the dot points/key dates on the timeline. This way I could see how the various dot points interacted, and the key themes in the subject. I would definitely recommend this at the end of the year - you could even start now and build on the timeline over the year.

I can post a picture if you're interested in what it looked like 

[Kira Leigh]

The great thing about Earth is that the syllabus hasn't changed in a long time. So, there are plenty of past papers you can do! I used to pay special attention to the 8 markers at the end of the exam, as they have started to ask questions about Earth as a subject rather than syllabus dot points specifically. Considering this, I made a massive timeline that I stuck on my roof. It was the geographic time scale you are given in the exam, except blown up so it stretched the length of my bed. I then ordered all of the dot points/key dates on the timeline. This way I could see how the various dot points interacted, and the key themes in the subject. I would definitely recommend this at the end of the year - you could even start now and build on the timeline over the year.

I can post a picture if you're interested in what it looked like 

YES PLEASE!! I currently have my mass extinctions on my wall!!

[bowiemily]

YES PLEASE!! I currently have my mass extinctions on my wall!!

I mustn't have taken a photo before I took it all down after the exam  I had all of the important events/dates written on palm cards, and then ordered them on my roof. This included key species and recent things, such as the Kyoto Protocol and publication of Silent Spring.

[Kira Leigh]

I mustn't have taken a photo before I took it all down after the exam  I had all of the important events/dates written on palm cards, and then ordered them on my roof. This included key species and recent things, such as the Kyoto Protocol and publication of Silent Spring.

Sounds awesome!!  Thank you so much, I will try to create the ultimate timeline with both ees and biology!! 

Another question sorry: how would one describe a dragon? 

[Kira Leigh]

https://sites.google.com/site/hbhsearth2012/environments-through-time

I found this site helpful!! 

[Jess G]

Your Amazing!!!!
I am currently doing an assignment concerning the dotpoint where I have to "plan and perform a series of investigations to determine the effect of compaction or tracking on a soil" and I need serious help!!!!

The assignment is due next Wednesday (15/3/17)

We were told we have to perform two investigations and were given 5 options of what we could do: infiltration rate, runoff, plant growth, ability to hold water and friability. 

I have already completed one investigation using infiltration rate BUT HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DO TO DO FOR MY SECOND EXPERIMENT.

Any suggestions??

[bowiemily]

Your Amazing!!!!
I am currently doing an assignment concerning the dotpoint where I have to "plan and perform a series of investigations to determine the effect of compaction or tracking on a soil" and I need serious help!!!!

The assignment is due next Wednesday (15/3/17)

We were told we have to perform two investigations and were given 5 options of what we could do: infiltration rate, runoff, plant growth, ability to hold water and friability. 

I have already completed one investigation using infiltration rate BUT HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DO TO DO FOR MY SECOND EXPERIMENT.

Any suggestions??

Hey Jess,
I did a similar assignment on compaction. What I did was compact 3 samples of soil with different weights. Each sample had 10 seeds in them. Each day for a week, we would then water the soil with the same amount of water. At the end of the experiment, we then measured the soil moisture content of each sample, as well as the amount of growth. So this experiment could work for infiltration rate, plant growth and the ability to hold water.

[Jess G]

Hey Jess,
I did a similar assignment on compaction. What I did was compact 3 samples of soil with different weights. Each sample had 10 seeds in them. Each day for a week, we would then water the soil with the same amount of water. At the end of the experiment, we then measured the soil moisture content of each sample, as well as the amount of growth. So this experiment could work for infiltration rate, plant growth and the ability to hold water.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

[DalvinT]

Hey! Would it be acceptable to state and write about "Cooksonia" as the first land plants rather than liverworts?

[bowiemily]

Hey! Would it be acceptable to state and write about "Cooksonia" as the first land plants rather than liverworts?

I AM SO SORRY, I SWEAR I REPLIED TO THIS
I would always use Cooksonia rather then liverworts. So much easier to explain in my opinion