Science 7

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Big Ideas

Grandes idées

Evolution by natural selection provides an explanation for the diversity and survival of living things

Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- Why do living things change over time?
- How do these changes affect biodiversity?

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Elements consist of one type of atom, and compounds consist of atoms of different elements chemically combined

Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- What are the similarities and differences between elements and compounds?
- How can you investigate the properties of elements and compounds?

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The electromagnetic force produces both electricity and magnetism

Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How is electricity generated?
- What is the relationship between electricity and magnetism?

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Earth and its climate have changed over geological time

Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How and why have Earth and its climate changed over time?
- How do people and their practices impact Earth and its climate?

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Curricular Competencies

Students are expected to be able to do the following:

Questioning and predicting

Evolution is the change that occurs in living things over long periods of time. This change is a result of organisms being suited to their environment. Evolution is an important concept in biological science, as scientists are always searching for the underlying laws, reasons, or explanations for their observations of living things.

Key questions about evolution:
- How have species on Earth evolved due to natural selection?
- How does fossil evidence support the evolution of geological time?

Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal interest

Make observations aimed at identifying their own questions about the natural world

Identify a question to answer or a problem to solve through scientific inquiry

Formulate alternative “If…then…” hypotheses based on their questions

Make predictions about the findings of their inquiry

Planning and conducting

Collaboratively plan a range of investigation types, including field work and experiments, to answer their questions or solve problems they have identified

Measure and control variables (dependent and independent) through fair tests

Observe, measure, and record data (qualitative

qualitative

evidence expressed through words, descriptions, interviews, narratives

and quantitative

quantitative

evidence expressed through numbers and measurement

), using equipment, including digital technologies, with accuracy

accuracy

how close a measured value is to the actual value

and precision

precision

how close measurements of the same type are to each other

Use appropriate SI units and perform simple unit conversions

Ensure that safety and ethical guidelines are followed in their investigations

Processing and analyzing data and information

Experience and interpret the local environment

Apply First Peoples perspectives and knowledge, other ways of knowing

ways of knowing

Ways of knowing refers to the various beliefs about the nature of knowledge that people have; they can include, but are not limited to, Aboriginal, gender-related, subject/discipline specific, cultural, embodied and intuitive beliefs about knowledge.

, and local knowledge as sources of information

Construct and use a range of methods to represent patterns or relationships in data, including tables, graphs, keys, models, and digital technologies as appropriate

Seek patterns and connections in data from their own investigations and secondary sources

Use scientific understandings to identify relationships and draw conclusions

Evaluating

Reflect on their investigation methods, including the adequacy of controls on variables (dependent and independent) and the quality of the data collected

Identify possible sources of error and suggest improvements to their investigation methods

Demonstrate an awareness of assumptions and bias in their own work and secondary sources

Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of evidence (qualitative and quantitative)

Exercise a healthy, informed skepticism and use scientific knowledge and findings from their own investigations to evaluate claims in secondary sources

Consider social, ethical, and environmental implications of the findings from their own and others’ investigations

Applying and innovating

Contribute to care for self, others, community, and world through personal or collaborative approaches

Co-operatively design projects

Transfer and apply learning to new situations

Generate and introduce new or refined ideas when problem solving

Communicating

Communicate ideas, findings, and solutions to problems, using scientific language, representations, and digital technologies as appropriate

Express and reflect on a variety of experiences and perspectives of place

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 of the world.

Key questions about place:
- How does place inform your questions and inquiries?
- How does place influence your ability to plan and conduct an inquiry and make predictions about outcomes?
- How does your understanding of place affect the ways in which you collect evidence and evaluate it?
- As you consider the significance, worth, or value of an outcome or finding, how can you show different ways of knowing?
- How can your understanding of place influence project designs?
- How do the place-based experiences and stories of others affect the ways in which you communicate and collaborate?

Content

Students are expected to know the following:

organisms have evolved over time

change in traits of populations over time

survival needs

all organisms need space, food, water, and access to resources in order to survive

natural selection

the natural process by which certain traits that have a greater fitness for their environment lead to a reproductive advantage; this process happens within a population over time because of genetic variation

elements

a pure substance consisting of a single type of atom, as distinguished by its atomic number (e.g., iron, copper)

and compounds

compounds

a pure substance consisting of two or more different atoms held together in a defined special arrangement by chemical bonds (e.g., water/salt)

are pure substances

pure substances

matter that consists of only one type of particle and has one set of properties (e.g., density, boiling point, solubility, conductivity)

crystalline structure

crystals formed by a unique arrangement of particles (e.g., rock candy, quartz, snowflakes)

of solids

chemical changes

when atoms rearrange into new products accompanied by an energy change (e.g., rusting, the reaction of vinegar and baking soda, etc.)

electricity

generated in different ways
generated in different ways
ways of generating electricity including the use of wind, water, coal, geothermal, and solar energy
with different environmental impacts
electromagnetism
electromagnetism
- the electromagnetic force is responsible for both electricity and magnetism
- moving or changing a magnetic field relative to a wire produces electric current (e.g., electricity generation by a turbine)
- an electric current passing through a wire produces a magnetic field (e.g., constructing a simple electromagnet using a wire, iron nail and battery)

the fossil record provides evidence for changes in biodiversity over geological time

geological time

the geologic time scale categorizes the time periods of Earth’s geologic history
ages of rocks and fossils can be determined by both relative and absolute methods

First Peoples knowledge of changes in biodiversity over time

evidence of climate change

climate change

change in climate affects:

the interconnectedness of plants and animals, and their local environment
e.g., changes to harvesting dates, changes to schedules due to early/later ripening and runs, lowered water levels in creeks, rivers and lakes, change in humidity impacts the ability to preserve salmon, etc.

over geological time and the recent impacts of humans

impacts of humans

humans are capable of changing Earth’s landscape, climate, and systems
efficacy of sustainable practices

:

physical records
physical records
ice flow data, fossil record, etc.
local First Peoples knowledge of climate change
local First Peoples knowledge of climate change
oral history, change in traditional practice (e.g., the timing of harvest has been impacted by climate change), etc.

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