A: Scientific Investigation Skills and Career Exploration

A1: demonstrate scientific investigation skills (related to both inquiry and research) in the four areas of skills (initiating and planning, performing and recording, analysing and interpreting, and communicating);

A1.1: formulate relevant scientific questions about observed relationships, ideas, problems, or issues, make informed predictions, and/or formulate educated hypotheses to focus inquiries or research

Diffusion
Sight vs. Sound Reactions

A1.5: conduct inquiries, controlling relevant variables, and adapting or extending procedures as required, and using appropriate materials and equipment safely, accurately, and effectively, to collect observations and data

Diffusion
Triple Beam Balance

A1.6: compile accurate observations and data from laboratory and other sources (e.g., field work), and organize and record the data, using appropriate formats, including tables, flow charts, graphs, and/or diagrams

Earthquakes 1 - Recording Station
Mineral Identification
Seasons Around the World

A1.10: draw conclusions based on inquiry results and research findings, and justify their conclusions with reference to scientific knowledge

Diffusion

A1.13: express the results of any calculations involving data accurately and precisely, to the appropriate number of decimal places or significant figures

Unit Conversions 2 - Scientific Notation and Significant Digits

B: Astronomy (Science of the Universe)

B2: investigate and analyse the properties of the universe, particularly the evolution and properties of stars, in both qualitative and quantitative terms;

B2.1: use appropriate terminology related to astronomy, including, but not limited to: Doppler effect, electromagnetic radiation, protostar, celestial equator, ecliptic, altitude and azimuth, and right ascension and declination

Doppler Shift
Doppler Shift Advanced

B2.3: analyse spectroscopic data mathematically or graphically to determine various properties of stars (e.g., determine surface temperature from peak wavelength using Wein’s law; predict chemical composition from spectral absorption lines; determine motion using the Doppler effect)

Star Spectra

B2.4: use the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram to determine the interrelationships between the properties of stars (e.g., between mass and luminosity, between colour and luminosity) and to investigate their evolutionary pathways

H-R Diagram

B2.5: investigate, in quantitative terms, properties of stars, including their distance from Earth (using the parallax method), surface temperature, absolute magnitude, and luminosity

H-R Diagram
Star Spectra

B3: demonstrate an understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe, the principal characteristics of its components, and techniques used to study those components.

B3.1: describe the theoretical and evidential underpinnings of the big bang theory (e.g., the theory that cosmic microwave background radiation is an echo of the big bang; physical evidence of the mass of the universe, and the relationship between mass and gravity) and their implications for the evolution of the universe

Big Bang Theory - Hubble's Law

B3.4: explain how stars are classified on the basis of their surface temperature, luminosity, and chemical composition

H-R Diagram
Star Spectra

B3.5: explain, with reference to a specific star (e.g., Rigel, Sirius, Arcturus), how astronomers use techniques to determine the properties of stars (e.g., mass, diameter, magnitude, temperature, luminosity)

H-R Diagram
Star Spectra

C: Planetary Science (Science of the Solar System)

C3: demonstrate an understanding of the internal (geological) processes and external (cosmic) influences operating on bodies in the solar system.

C3.7: identify Kepler’s laws, and use them to describe planetary motions (e.g., the shape of their orbits; differences in their orbital velocity)

Orbital Motion - Kepler's Laws

D: Recording Earth’s Geological History

D2: investigate geological evidence of major changes that have occurred during Earth’s history, and of the various processes that have contributed to these changes;

D2.6: design and build a model to represent radioactive decay and the concept of half-life determination

Half-life
Nuclear Decay

D3: demonstrate an understanding of how changes to Earth’s surface have been recorded and preserved throughout geological time and how they contribute to our knowledge of Earth’s history.

D3.5: identify and describe the various methods of isotopic age determination, giving for each the name of the isotope, its half-life, its effective dating range, and some of the materials that it can be used to date (e.g., uranium-lead dating of rocks; carbon dating of organic materials)

Half-life

D3.7: explain the different types of evidence used to determine the age of Earth (e.g., index fossils; evidence provided by radiometric dating of geological materials or lithostratigraphy) and how this evidence has influenced our understanding of the age of the planet

Half-life

E: Earth Materials

E2: investigate the properties of minerals and characteristics of rocks, including those in their local area;

E2.1: use appropriate terminology related to Earth materials, including, but not limited to: geothermal vents, porosity, permeability, cleavage, fracture, cementation, evaporite, and foliation

Porosity

E2.2: investigate the properties of various Earth materials (e.g., density, conductivity, porosity; whether they are magnetic or radioactive), and explain how these properties affect how the materials are used and what technologies and techniques are used to explore for or extract them (e.g., radiometric instruments, electromagnetic or gravity surveys)

Porosity

E2.3: conduct a series of tests (e.g., hardness, streak, density) to identify and classify common minerals (e.g., quartz, calcite, potassium feldspar, plagioclase feldspar, muscovite, biotite, talc, graphite, hornblende)

Mineral Identification

E3: demonstrate an understanding of the properties of minerals and the formation and characteristics of rocks.

E3.1: identify the physical and chemical properties of selected minerals, and describe the tests used to determine these properties

Mineral Identification

F: Geological Processes

F2: investigate, through the use of models and analysis of information gathered from various sources, the nature of internal and surficial Earth processes, and the ways in which these processes can be quantified;

F2.1: use appropriate terminology related to geological processes, including, but not limited to: shear forces, compression forces, liquifaction, Benioff zone, aquifer, internal plastic flow, basal slip, midoceanic ridge, bedding, cross-cutting, isostasy, and lithification

Plate Tectonics

F2.2: investigate the difference between weathering and erosion (e.g., weathering occurs when the edge of a riverbank disintegrates from the force of the water; erosion occurs when the water transports the soil downstream), and construct models of the processes of physical, chemical, and biological weathering (e.g., tap water dripping on a bar of soap; vinegar dripping on a marble chip; dried beans soaking in a sealed plastic jar)

Erosion Rates
Weathering

F2.4: investigate, through laboratory inquiry or computer simulation, the main types of seismic waves, and produce a model (e.g., using 3D block diagrams or springs and ropes) to illustrate for each the nature of its propagation, the transfer of energy, and its movement through rocks

Earthquakes 1 - Recording Station

F2.5: locate the epicentre of an earthquake, given the appropriate seismographic data (e.g., the travel-time curves to three recording stations for a single event)

Earthquakes 1 - Recording Station
Earthquakes 2 - Determination of Epicenter

F3: demonstrate an understanding of the processes at work within Earth and on its surface, and the role of these processes in shaping Earth’s surface.

F3.1: describe the types of boundaries (convergent, divergent, transform) between lithospheric plates, and explain the types of internal Earth processes occurring at each (e.g., subduction, divergence, convergence, hot spot activity, folding, faulting)

Plate Tectonics

F3.2: describe the characteristics of the main types of seismic waves (i.e., P- and S-waves; R- and L-waves), and explain the different modes of travel, travel times, and types of motion associated with each

Earthquakes 1 - Recording Station

F3.3: compare qualitative and quantitative methods used to measure earthquake intensity and magnitude (e.g., the Mercalli Scale, the Richter Scale)

Earthquakes 1 - Recording Station

F3.8: identify major areas of tectonic activity in the world by plotting the location of major recorded earthquakes and active volcanoes on a map, and distinguish the areas by type of tectonic activity (e.g., Japan – convergent boundary; Iceland – divergent boundary; California – transform boundary)

Plate Tectonics