Links to Alberta Program of Studies, Grade 7 Science:

 

Unit A: Interactions and Ecosystems (Social and Environmental Emphasis)

Overview: Ecosystems develop and are maintained by natural processes and are affected by human action. To foster an understanding of ecosystems, this unit develops student awareness of ecosystem components and interactions, as well as natural cycles and processes of change. Building on this knowledge, students investigate human impacts and engage in studies that involve environmental monitoring and research. By reflecting on their findings, students become aware of the intended and unintended consequences of human activity, and recognize the need for responsible decision making and action.

Focusing Questions: How do human activities affect ecosystems? What methods can we use to observe and monitor changes in ecosystems, and assess the impacts of our actions?

Key Concepts
The following concepts are developed in this unit and may also be addressed in other units at other grade levels. The intended level and scope of treatment is defined by the outcomes below.
− environmental monitoring (indoor environment)
− environmental impacts (indoor environment)
− environmental management (with respect to the indoor environment)

 

Outcomes for Science, Technology and Society (STS) and Knowledge

Students will:

1. Investigate and describe relationships between humans and their environments, and identify related issues and scientific questions
     • illustrate how life-supporting environments meet the needs of living things for nutrients, energy sources, moisture, suitable habitat, and exchange of gases
     • describe examples of interaction and interdependency within an ecosystem (e.g., identify examples of dependency between species, and describe adaptations involved; identify changing relationships between humans and their environments, over time and in different cultures—as, for example, in aboriginal cultures)
     • identify examples of human impacts on ecosystems, and investigate and analyze the link between these impacts and the human wants and needs that give rise to them (e.g., identify impacts of the use of plants and animals as sources of food, fibre and other materials; identify potential impacts of waste products on environments)
     • analyze personal and public decisions that involve consideration of environmental impacts, and identify needs for scientific knowledge that can inform those decisions

 

3. Monitor a local environment, and assess the impacts of environmental factors on the growth, health and reproduction of organisms in that environment
     • investigate a variety of habitats, and describe and interpret distribution patterns of living things found in those habitats (e.g., describe and compare two areas within the school grounds—a relatively undisturbed site and a site that has been affected by heavy use; describe and compare a wetland and a dryland area in a local parkland)
     • investigate and interpret evidence of interaction and change (e.g., population fluctuations, changes in weather, availability of food or introduction of new species into an ecosystem)
     • identify signs of ecological succession in local ecosystems (e.g., emergence of fireweed in recently cut forest areas, replacement of poplar by spruce in maturing forests, reestablishment of native plants on unused farmland)

4. Describe the relationships among knowledge, decisions and actions in maintaining life-supporting environments
     • identify intended and unintended consequences of human activities within local and global environments (e.g., changes resulting from habitat loss, pest control or from introduction of new species; changes leading to species extinction)
     • describe and interpret examples of scientific investigations that serve to inform environmental decision making
     • illustrate, through examples, the limits of scientific and technological knowledge in making decisions about life-supporting environments (e.g., identify limits in scientific knowledge of the impact of changing land use on individual species; describe examples in which aboriginal
knowledge—based on long-term observation—provides an alternative source of understanding)
     • analyze a local environmental issue or problem based on evidence from a variety of sources, and identify possible actions and consequences (e.g., analyze a local issue on the control of the beaver population in a nearby wetland, and identify possible consequences)

 

Skill Outcomes (focus on the use of research and inquiry skills to inform the decision-making process)

Initiating and Planning

Students will:

Ask questions about the relationships between and among observable variables, and plan investigations to address those questions
     • identify science-related issues (e.g., identify a specific issue regarding human impacts on environments)
     • identify questions to investigate arising from practical problems and issues (e.g., identify questions, such as: “What effects would an urban or industrial development have on a nearby forest or farming community?”)
     • state a prediction and a hypothesis based on background information or an observed pattern of events (e.g., predict changes in the population of an organism if factor X were increased, or if a species were introduced or removed from the ecosystem; propose factors that will affect the population of a given animal species)
     • select appropriate methods and tools for collecting data and information (e.g., select or develop a method for estimating a plant population within a given study plot; design a survey as a first step in investigating an environmental issue)

Performing and Recording

Students will:

Conduct investigations into the relationships between and among observations, and gather and record qualitative and quantitative data
     • research information relevant to a given problem or issue 

     • select and integrate information from various print and electronic sources or from several parts of the same source (e.g., compile information on a global environmental issue from books, magazines, pamphlets and Internet sites, as well as from conversations with experts)
     • use tools and apparatus effectively and accurately for collecting data (e.g., measure factors, such as temperature, moisture, light, shelter and potential sources of food, that might affect the survival and distribution of different organisms within a local environment)

 

 

Communication and Teamwork

Students will:

Work collaboratively on problems; and use appropriate language and formats to communicate ideas, procedures and results
     • communicate questions, ideas, intentions, plans and results, using lists, notes in point form, sentences, data tables, graphs, drawings, oral language and other means (e.g., present findings from an analysis of a local issue, such as the control of the beaver population in a nearby wetland)
     • evaluate individual and group processes used in planning, problem solving, decision making and completing a task
     • defend a given position on an issue, based on their findings (e.g., make a case for or against on an issue, such as: “Should a natural gas plant be located near a farming community?”)

Attitude Outcomes

Interest in Science

Students will be encouraged to:
Show interest in science-related questions and issues, and pursue personal interests and career possibilities within science-related fields (e.g., take an interest in media reports on environmental issues, and seek out further information; express an interest in conducting scientific investigations of their own design; develop an interest in careers related to environmental sciences)

Mutual Respect

Students will be encouraged to:
Appreciate that scientific understanding evolves from the interaction of ideas involving people with different views and backgrounds (e.g., show awareness of and respect for aboriginal perspectives on the link between humans and the environment)

Scientific Inquiry

Students will be encouraged to:
Seek and apply evidence when evaluating alternative approaches to investigations, problems and issues (e.g., take the time to accurately gather evidence and use instruments carefully; consider observations, ideas and perspectives from a number of sources during investigations and before drawing conclusions and making decisions)

Collaboration
 

Students will be encouraged to:

Work collaboratively in carrying out investigations and in generating and evaluating ideas (e.g., consider alternative ideas, perspectives and approaches suggested by members of the group; share the responsibility for carrying out decisions)

Stewardship
 

Students will be encouraged to:

Demonstrate sensitivity and responsibility in pursuing a balance between the needs of humans and a sustainable environment (e.g., assume personal responsibility for their impact on the environment; predict consequences of proposed personal actions on the environment; consider both immediate and long-term consequences of group actions; identify, objectively, potential conflicts between responding to human wants and needs and protecting the environment)

 

 

 

Unit B: Plants for Food and Fibre (Science and Technology Emphasis)

 

Overview:

Humans have always depended on plants as a source of food and fibre, and to meet a variety of other needs. To better meet these needs, technologies have been developed for selecting and breeding productive plant varieties and for maximizing their growth by modifying growing environments. Long-term sustainability requires an awareness of the practices humans use and an examination of the impacts of these practices on the larger environment.

 

Focusing Questions:

How do we produce useful plant products? What techniques do we use, what knowledge are these techniques based on, and how do we apply these techniques in a sustainable way?

 

Key Concepts
The following concepts are developed in this unit and may also be addressed in other units at other grade levels. The intended level and scope of treatment is defined by the outcomes below.
− needs and uses of plants
− plant varieties
− resource management
− sustainability (indoor environment)

Outcomes for Science, Technology and Society (STS) and Knowledge
 

Students will:
1. Investigate plant uses; and identify links among needs, technologies, products and impacts 

     • illustrate and explain the essential role of plants within the environment
     • describe human uses of plants as sources of food and raw materials, and give examples of other uses (e.g., identify uses of plants as herbs or medicines; describe plant products, and identify plant sources on which they depend)
     • investigate trends in land use from natural environments (e.g., forests, grasslands) to managed environments (e.g., farms, gardens, greenhouses) and describe changes
     • investigate practical problems and issues in maintaining productive plants within sustainable environments, and identify questions for further study (e.g., investigate the long-term effects of irrigation practices or fertilizer use)

 

Skill Outcomes (focus on problem solving)

 

Performing and Recording

 

Students will:
Conduct investigations into the relationships between and among observations, and gather and record qualitative and quantitative data
     • research information relevant to a given problem
    

Analyzing and Interpreting
 

Students will:
Analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and develop and assess possible explanations
     • identify new questions and problems that arise from what was learned

 

Communication and Teamwork
 

Students will:
Work collaboratively on problems; and use appropriate language and formats to communicate ideas, procedures and results 

     • receive, understand and act on the ideas of others (e.g., adopt and use an agreed procedure for counting or estimating the population of a group of plants)

     • communicate questions, ideas, intentions, plans and results, using lists, notes in point form, sentences, data tables, graphs, drawings, oral language and other means (e.g., show the growth of a group of plants over time through a data table and diagrams)
     • evaluate individual and group processes used in planning, problem solving, decision making and completing a task

 

Attitude Outcomes
 

Interest in Science

Students will be encouraged to:
Show interest in science-related questions and issues, and pursue personal interests and career possibilities within science-related fields (e.g., observe plants in the local community, and ask questions about plants with unusual characteristics; pursue a hobby related to the study of living things; express an interest in science-related/technology-related careers).