Science 4

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Big Ideas

Grandes idées

All living things sense and respond to their environment

Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How do living things sense, respond, and adapt to stimuli in their environment?
- How is sensing and responding related to interdependence within ecosystems?

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Matter has mass, takes up space, and can change phase

Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How can you explore the phases of matter?
- How does matter change phases?
- How does heating and cooling affect phase changes?

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Energy can be transformed

Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- What is energy input and energy output?
- What is energy conservation?
- What is the relationship between energy input, output, and conservation?

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The motions of Earth and the moon cause observable patterns that affect living and non-living systems

Sample questions to support inquiry with students:
- How do seasons and tides affect living and non-living things?
- What changes are caused by the movements of Earth and the moon?

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Curricular Competencies

Students are expected to be able to do the following:

Questioning and predicting

Order is a pattern that can be recognized as having levels—big to small, simple to complex—or as a process with a sequence of steps.

Key questions about order:
- How is order apparent in the adaptations of forest animals in BC?
- How does the order of seasons impact local plants and animals?

Demonstrate curiosity about the natural world

Observe objects and events in familiar contexts

Identify questions about familiar objects and events that can be investigated scientifically

Make predictions based on prior knowledge

Planning and conducting

Suggest ways to plan and conduct an inquiry to find answers to their questions

Consider ethical responsibilities when deciding how to conduct an experiment

Safely use appropriate tools to make observations and measurements, using formal measurements and digital technology as appropriate

Make observations about living and non-living things in the local environment

Collect simple data

Processing and analyzing data and information

Experience and interpret the local environment

Identify First Peoples perspectives and knowledge as sources of information

Sort and classify data and information using drawings or provided tables

Use tables, simple bar graphs, or other formats to represent data and show simple patterns and trends

Compare results with predictions, suggesting possible reasons for findings

Evaluating

Make simple inferences based on their results and prior knowledge

Reflect on whether an investigation was a fair test

Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of evidence

Identify some simple environmental implications of their and others’ actions

Applying and innovating

Contribute to care for self, others, school, and neighbourhood through individual 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

Represent and communicate ideas and findings in a variety of ways, such as diagrams and simple reports, using digital technologies as appropriate

Express and reflect on personal or shared experiences 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 what you know about place affect your observations, questions, and predictions?
- How does understanding place help you analyze information and recognize connections and relationships in your local environment?
- How does place connect with stewardship?
- How can you be a steward in your local environment?

Content

Students are expected to know the following:

sensing and responding:

humans
humans
e.g., the five senses
other animals
other animals
e.g., echolocation, UV sensors, magnetoreception, infrared sensing, etc.
plants
plants
e.g., response to light, touch, water, gravity, etc.

biomes

biomes are regions grouped by similar temperature and precipitation (e.g., climate: long-term weather patterns)

terrestrial biomes
aquatic/marine biomes

as large regions with similar environmental features

phases of matter

the effect of temperature

effect of temperature

solids, liquids, and gases change with heating (e.g., boiling point, melting point [melting chocolate]) and cooling (e.g., freezing point [making ice cream]), and these physical changes are reversible

on particle movement

energy:

has various forms
various forms
energy can be described in these ways: the energy of motion (kinetic), light, sound, thermal, elastic, nuclear, chemical, magnetic, gravitational, and electrical
is conserved
conserved
the law of conservation of energy — energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be changed

devices that transform energy

devices that transform energy change input energy into a different output energy (e.g., glow stick [chemical to light], wind-up toy [elastic to mechanical], flashlight [electrical to light]).

local changes caused by Earth’s axis, rotation, and orbit
Earth’s axis, rotation, and orbit
Earth’s axis, rotation, and orbit cause changes locally:
day and night: animals are nocturnal (active at night) and diurnal (active during day)
annual seasons: plants and animals respond to the seasons (drop leaves, change colour)

the effects of the relative positions of the sun, moon, and Earth
the effects of the relative positions of the sun, moon, and Earth
phases of the moon, tides, etc.
tides affect living organisms
lunar and solar eclipses

including local First Peoples perspectives
local First Peoples perspectives
teachings and stories about the sun and the moon

Note: Some of the learning standards in the PHE curriculum address topics that some students and their parents or guardians may feel more comfortable addressing at home. Refer to ministry policy regarding opting for alternative delivery.

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