Big Ideas
Big Ideas
DNA is the basis for the diversity of living things.
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How does DNA result in biodiversity?
- How is the structure of DNA related to the function of DNA?
- How do mutations occur?
Energy change is required as atoms rearrange in chemical processes.
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- In what ways do atoms rearrange during reactions?
- How is energy involved in chemical processes?
- How do chemical processes — personal, local, or global — affect your life?
- What safety considerations need to be taken into account when dealing with chemicals?
Energy is conserved, and its transformation can affect living things and the environment.
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- Where does energy come from and what happens to it?
- How does energy in the form of radiation affect living things?
- How do energy transformations affect the environment?
The formation of the universe can be explained by the big bang theory.
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- What evidence supports the big bang theory?
- How could you model the formation of the universe?
- How has the advancement of technology deepened our understanding of the universe?
Content
Learning Standards
Content
DNA structure and function
- genes and chromosomes
- gene expression
- interactions of genes and the environment
patterns of inheritance
Mendelian genetics, Punnett squares, complete dominance, co-dominance, incomplete dominance, sex-linked inheritance, human genetics
mechanisms for the diversity of life:
- mutationand its impact on evolution
- positive, negative, and neutral impacts
- mutagens and carcinogens
- natural selectionand artificial selection
- adaptive radiation
- selection pressure (e.g., adaptation and extinction, invasive species)
- adaptations
- extinctions
- in agriculture (e.g., monoculture, polyculture, food sustainability)
- breeding (plant and animal)
applied genetics
genomics, GMOs, gene therapy, cloning, stem cells, reproductive technology, species, population and ecosystems, forensics, genetic engineering
and ethical considerationsthe health, environmental, social, and political implications of modern genetics
rearrangement of atoms in chemical reactions
types include synthesis, decomposition, single-double replacement, combustion/oxidation, neutralization
acid-base chemistry
law of conservation of mass
energy change during chemical reactions
- exothermic and endothermic
- activation energy
practical applications and implications of chemical processes
household chemical safety (e.g., ammonia and bleach), combustion (e.g., forest fire, fire triangle, kindling temperature, ignition point, oxygen concentration), polymer chemistry, semiconductors, resource extraction (e.g., ore, fracking), pulp and paper chemistry, food chemistry, corrosion/prevention, tanning, traditional medicines, phytochemistry, pharmaceuticals, environmental remediation, water quality, oil spill cleanup
, including First Peoples knowledge
nuclear energy and radiation
- fission versus fusion
- nuclear technologies and implications (e.g., nuclear power, medical isotopes, tanning beds, dental X-rays, food irradiation, radioactive dating)
- positive and negative impacts, including environmental, health, economic
- ionizing versus non-ionizing
- alpha, beta, gamma
law of conservation of energy
transformation of energy
- transfer of energy in closed and open systems
- heat (Q = mc∆ T)
local and global impacts of energy transformations
pollution, habitat destruction, carbon dioxide output
from technologies
formation of the universe:
- big bang theory
- components of the universe over timechanges to energy, matter, fundamental forces
astronomical data and collection methods
different types of data are collected and analyzed as evidence to support theories about the universe (e.g., radio telescopes, background microwave radiation, red and blue Doppler shift, Mars rover, SNOLAB, ISS, Canadarm/Dextre)
Curricular Competency
Learning Standards
Curricular Competency
Questioning and predicting
Questioning and predicting
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How would you determine whether characteristics are genetically inherited?
- Why do materials need different amounts of energy to start reacting?
- Why do some roller coasters go faster than others?
- How would you investigate the age of the universe?
Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal interest
Make observations aimed at identifying their own questions, including increasingly complex ones, about the natural world
Formulate multiple hypotheses and predict multiple outcomes
Planning and conducting
Planning and conducting
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How would you gather genetic data to study certain traits?
- What tools are needed to measure the energy absorbed or released in a chemical reaction?
- How would you design a roller coaster to test a variable?
- What criteria could be used to select the appropriate instruments for different astronomical investigations?
Collaboratively and individually plan, select, and use appropriate investigation methods, including field work and lab experiments, to collect reliable data (qualitative and quantitative)
Assess risks and address ethical, cultural, and/or environmental issues associated with their proposed methods and those of others
Select and use appropriate equipment, including digital technologies, to systematically and accurately collect and record data
Ensure that safety and ethical guidelines are followed in their investigations
Processing and analyzing data and information
Processing and analyzing data and information
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How would you use genetic data to predict traits of offspring?
- How can you graphically compare the pH of various substances?
- What variables would affect a roller coaster's speed?
- How can you use multiple sources of data to support theories or conclusions about the universe?
Experience and interpret the local environment
Apply First Peoples perspectives and knowledge, other ways of knowing
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How has the diversity of plants in your local area benefited First Peoples?
- How are First Peoples traditional medicines prepared in your local area?
- How would you safely determine the efficacy of a First Peoples traditional medicine?
- How are First Peoples traditional medicines prepared for different uses?
- How would you design a garden for your school that features local plants and considers appropriate plant choices?
“Ways of knowing” refers to the various beliefs about the nature of knowledge that people have. They can include, but are not limited to, First Peoples, gender-related, subject/discipline-specific, cultural, embodied, and intuitive beliefs about knowledge.
, and local knowledge as sources of information
Seek and analyze patterns, trends, and connections in data, including describing relationships between variables (dependent and independent) and identifying inconsistencies
Construct, analyze, and interpret graphs (including interpolation and extrapolation), models, and/or diagrams
Use knowledge of scientific concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent with evidence
Analyze cause-and-effect relationships
Evaluating
Evaluating
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How can the probability of specific genetic traits in individuals be determined?
- How could you reduce the sources of error when measuring energy change in a reaction?
- What factors would you change to increase a roller coaster's speed? Would it be appropriate to go faster?
- How can you use multiple sources to demonstrate bias and assumptions in astronomical investigations?
Evaluate their methods and experimental conditions, including identifying sources of error or uncertainty, confounding variables, and possible alternative explanations and conclusions
Describe specific ways to improve their investigation methods and the quality of the data
Evaluate the validity and limitations of a model or analogy in relation to the phenomenon modelled
Demonstrate an awareness of assumptions, question information given, and identify bias in their own work and secondary sources
Consider the changes in knowledge over time as tools and technologies have developed
Connect scientific explorations to careers in science
Exercise a healthy, informed skepticism and use scientific knowledge and findings to form their own investigations and to evaluate claims in secondary sources
Consider social, ethical, and environmental implications of the findings from their own and others’ investigations
Critically analyze the validity of information in secondary sources and evaluate the approaches used to solve problems
Applying and innovating
Applying and innovating
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How can you use what you know about genetics to make a game or activity to help other students learn about heredity?
- How would you design an emergency response plan for a chemical spill in your area?
- How would you build a cart for a roller coaster that has as little friction as possible?
- How are new technologies being used to extend the reach of human investigations into space?
Contribute to care for self, others, community, and world through individual or collaborative approaches
Transfer and apply learning to new situations
Generate and introduce new or refined ideas when problem solving
Contribute to finding solutions to problems at a local and/or global level through inquiry
Consider the role of scientists in innovation
Communicating
Communicating
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How would you prepare for a debate on the pros and cons of genetically modified organisms?
- How would you best present the effects of adding industrial waste water to an aquatic ecosystem to different stakeholders?
- How would you promote a roller coaster design based on scientific evidence?
- How can you create a model that clearly communicates your knowledge about the universe?
Formulate physical or mental theoretical models to describe a phenomenon
Communicate scientific ideas, claims, information, and perhaps a suggested course of action, for a specific purpose and audience, constructing evidence-based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions, and representations
Express and reflect on a variety of experiences, perspectives, and worldviews through place
Place is any environment, locality, or context with which people interact to learn, create memory, reflect on history, connect with culture, and establish identity. The connection between people and place is foundational to First Peoples perspectives.