Ontario Science and Technology

Grade 7

 
Reference Expectations The Digital Field Trip to The Wetlands The Digital Field Trip to The Rainforest The Digital Field Trip to The Desert
  By the end of this course, students will:  
Life Systems: Interactions with Ecosystems Demonstrate an understanding of the interactions of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms in an ecosystem Organism screens, Migration, Food Chains, Food Web, Web Game Organism screens, Niches Dependency Web section,, Dependency Web Game, Organism screens, Build-a-Desert Game, Plant & Animal Adaptations
Investigate the interactions in an ecosystem and identify factors that affect the balance among the components of an ecosystem (e.g., forest fires, parasites) Web Game, Wetland Mechanisms, Nutrient Cycles, Productivity Web Game, Rainforest Types, Succession, Tree Fall Gaps, Mechanisms of a Rainforest: Water Cycles, Productivity Build-a-Desert, Climatic Influences screens, Wind screens, Water screens, Weathering, Water Availability
Demonstrate an understanding of the effects of human activities, technological innovations and naturally occurring changes on the sustainability of ecosystems Conservation, Pollution Human Impact, Impact screens Human Impact, Impact on the Desert, Desertification, World Deserts screens
Identify living and non-living elements in an ecosystem Web Game. Organism screens, Nutrient Cycles Web Game, Organism screens, Mechanisms Build-a-Desert, Organism screens, What is a Desert?
Identify populations of organisms within an ecosystem and the factors that contribute to their survival Organism screens, Habitat Migration, Nutrient Cycles, Animal/Plant Adaptations, Organism screens, Mechanisms of a Rainforest, Ant Symbiosis, Pit Viper Organism screens, Plant & Animal Adaptations,
Identify and explain the roles of producers, consumers and decomposers in food chains and their effects on the environment Food Chains, Food Web, Producers, Consumers, Decomposers, Food Web Game, Photosynthesis Organism screens, Botany Screen: Fungi, Web Game Organism screens, build-a-Desert
Explain the role of microorganisms in recycling organic matter Organism: Green Algae Botany Screens: Algae, Bacteria, Fungi  
Identify microorganisms as beneficial and/or harmful Organism screens: Green Algae, Wheel-Animalcule Botany Screens: Algae, Bacteria, Fungi  
Interpret food webs that show the transfer of energy and evaluate the effects of the elimination or weakening of the food web Web Energy, Food Web, Food Chains, Food Web Game Dependency Web, Niches, Dependency Web Game, Build-a-Desert
Describe the process of cycling carbon and water in the biosphere Photosynthesis, Nutrient Cycles Water Cycles Relate to: Water Availability
Investigate how natural communities change & explain how the changes can affect animal or plant populations Animal Adaptations, Plant Adaptations Habitat, Epiphytic Lifestyle, Biodiversity screens Desertification
Identify signs of ecological succession in a local ecosystem   Succession, Tree Fall Gaps  
Investigate the impact of the use of technology on the environment Conservation, Pollution Human Impact, Impact screen Human Impact screens
Investigate the bio-economical costs and benefits of the recycling and waste disposal industries Conservation Impact screens, Statistics, Biodiversity Endangered,  
Explain the importance of plants as sources of energy, as producers of carbohydrates and oxygen, and as habitats for wildlife Photosynthesis, Producers, Food Chains, Food Web Energy, Food Web Plants, Botany screens, Plant Organisms, Productivity, Niches, Climate, Web Game Build-a-Desert Game,
Describe the conditions in an ecosystem that are essential to the growth and reproduction of plants and microorganisms, and show the connection between these conditions and various aspects of the food supply for humans Photosynthesis, Organism screens which feature plants, Wetland Types, Wetland Mechanisms Botany Screens, Organism screens which feature plants, Pollination, Seed Dispersal, Succession, Rainforest Riches Plant Adaptations screens, What is a Desert?, Build-a-Desert Game
Explain the long term effects of the loss of natural habitats and the extinction of species Conservation, Pollution, Migration Endangered Rainforest screens, Habitat Impact on the Desert, Human Impact, Desertification
Identify and explain economic, environmental and social factors that should be considered in the management and preservation of habitats Conservation, Pollution, Migration Impact screens, Rainforest Riches Impact on the Desert, Human Impact, Desertification
Earth and Space Systems — The Earth’s Crust Investigate the formation of the physical features of the earth’s crust     Landscape Formation
Classify rocks and minerals, using their observations, according to their characteristics and method of formation     Rocks and Minerals
Distinguish between rocks and minerals and describe the differences in their composition     Rocks and Minerals, relate to Landforms Quiz
Identify the geological processes involved in rock and mineral formations     Landscape Formation, Rocks and Minerals
Explain the rock cycle (e.g., formation, weathering, sedimentation, and reformation)     Rocks and Minerals
Describe the process of soil formation by relating the various meteorological, geological, & biological processes involved     Weathering
Analyse, through observation, evidence of geological change (e.g., fossils, strata) Bog formation (glacial)   Landscape Formation, Water screens, Wind screens, Landform Quiz
Describe, using simulations or models, the origin and history of natural features of the local landscape (e.g., lakes, river flats) Bog Formation   Water screens, Wind screens, Landform Quiz
Investigate the effect of weathering on rocks and minerals.     Weathering, Rocks and Minerals
Use appropriate vocabulary, including correct science and tech terminology, to communicate procedures, ideas, and results (e.g., crystallization, sedimentary rock, magma, igneous rock,, weathering, transportation, and sediments) when describing the rock cycle     Landscape Formation, Rocks and Minerals, Weathering, Landforms Quiz, Wind screens, Water screens
Identify the factors that must be considered in making informed decisions about land use Endangered Wetlands, Conservation, Habitat, Pollution, Migration Human Impact, Impact screens, Biodiversity screens, Global Benefits Human Impact, Impact on the Desert, Desertification
Investigate some of the ways in which humans have altered the landscape to meet their needs (e.g. farming, urban development, roads) and assess the environmental and economic consequences. Endangered Wetlands, Conservation, Habitat, Pollution, Migration Human Impact, Impact screens, Biodiversity screens, Global Benefits Human Impact, Impact on the Desert, Desertification