STEM Skills and Connections
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills and connections are integrated into all units in the course. Through scientific research, experimentation, and engineering design processes, students will conduct investigations, design solutions to problems, and communicate findings while discovering practical applications that pertain to science and technology. Students will make practical connections between the knowledge students gain and real-world issues in science and technology. Students will also analyse the contributions made by First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities as their knowledge has led to the creation of Indigenous scientific and technical systems.
Growth and Changes in Animals
In the Growth and Changes in Animals Unit, students will investigate the ways an animal can meet its basic needs. Students will learn that animals grow and change and will compare characteristics and locomotion of different animals. Furthermore, students will investigate how animals adapt to their environments and how they change throughout their life cycle. Students will also examine ways that animals impact society and the environment and how human and animal relationships can be improved. In addition, students will write algorithms and break apart problems into smaller steps.
Properties of Liquids and Solids
In the Properties of Liquids and Solids Unit, students will learn how to describe the properties of solids and liquids. Students will investigate how liquids and solids behave and interact with each other. Students will look at how liquids and solids mix together, why some things float and others sink, and which materials soak up liquids and why. Students will also assess the ways that liquids and solids are used and the impacts these uses have on society and the environment.
Simple Machines and Movement
In the Simple Machines and Movement Unit, students will investigate and describe different kinds of movement and ways that objects move. Students will investigate simple machines and explore how they can help make difficult tasks easier. Specifically, students will learn how simple machines are used in everyday situations to move things more easily. Students will also create a device that uses a simple machine to move an object. Students will determine how simple machines affect the environment and the daily lives of people.
Air and Water in the Environment
In the Air and Water in the Environment Unit, students will explore the properties of air and water and how those properties are useful. Students will learn how plants and animals, including humans, depend on air and water to survive. Students will also investigate their own water use and plan a way to reduce their water consumption. Additionally, students will investigate the water cycle and learn how water behaves on Earth. Students will then explore how human behaviour impacts the air and water on Earth. Finally, students will brainstorm ideas and develop a plan to help keep the air and water in their community clean.
