Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Plants and animals have observable features.
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How do the different features of plants and animals help them meet their basic needs?
- What basic needs do plants and animals have in common?
- What are your basic needs?
Humans interact with matter every day through familiar materials.
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- What is matter?
- How do you interact with matter?
- What qualities do different forms of matter have?
The motion of objects depends on their properties.
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How can you make objects move?
- How does the shape or size of an object affect the object’s movement?
- How does the material the object is made of affect the object’s movement?
Daily and seasonal changes affect all living things.
- Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- What daily and seasonal changes can you see or feel?
- How are plants and animals affected by daily and seasonal changes?
Content
Learning Standards
Content
basic needs
include habitat — food, water, shelter, and space
of plants and animals
adaptations
may include structural features or behaviours that allow organisms to survive
of local plantsfeatures may include roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds
and animalsfeatures may include shape, size, feet, teeth, body covering, eyes, ears
local First Peoples uses
First Peoples practice and knowledge of plant and animal use (e.g., local berries or food, plants and animals, conservation of resources)
of plants and animals
properties
colour, texture (smooth or rough), flexibility (bendable or stretchable), hardness, lustre (shiny or dull), absorbency, etc.
of familiar materialsfabric, wood, plastic, glass, metal/foil, sand, etc.
effects of pushes/pulls
how things move (e.g., bounce, roll, slide)
on movement
effects of size, shape, and materials on movement
weather changes
- temperature: cold, hot, cool, warm
- cloud cover: clear, cloudy, partly cloudy, foggy
- precipitation: rain, snow, hail, freezing rain
- wind: calm, breezy, windy
seasonal changes
- seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter
- plant life cycle
living things make changes
living things may make physical and behavioural changes to survive in different conditions (e.g., migration, hibernation, etc.)
to accommodate daily and seasonal cycles
First Peoples knowledge of seasonal changes
Curricular Competency
Learning Standards
Curricular Competency
Questioning and predicting
Patterns are natural configurations, designs, arrangements or sequences. Many patterns indicate an underlying scientific principle or unifying idea. People identify patterns and look for relationships behind the patterns they find. They use this information to extend their understanding.
- Key questions about patterns:
- What patterns do you see in plant life in your local environment?
- What weather patterns can you observe?
Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
Observe objects and events in familiar contexts
Ask simple questions about familiar objects and events
Planning and conducting
Make exploratory observations using their senses
Safely manipulate materials
Make simple measurements using non-standard units
Processing and analyzing data and information
Experience and interpret the local environment
Recognize First Peoples stories (including oral and written narratives), songs, and art, as ways to share knowledge
Discuss observations
Represent observations and ideas by drawing charts and simple pictographs
Applying and innovating
Take part in caring for self, family, classroom and school through personal approaches
Transfer and apply learning to new situations
Generate and introduce new or refined ideas when problem solving
Communicating
Share observations and ideas orally
Express and reflect on personal experiences of 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:
- What is place?
- What are some ways in which people experience place?
- How can you gain a sense of place in your local environment?
- How can you share your observations and ideas about living things in your local environment to help someone else learn about place?