Alberta

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Skills available for Alberta grade 7 science curriculum

Objectives are in black and IXL science skills are in dark green. Hold your mouse over the name of a skill to view a sample question. Click on the name of a skill to practise that skill.

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Alberta Program of Studies: Heat and Temperature Alberta Program of Studies: Heat and Temperature
Alberta Program of Studies: Interactions and Ecosystems Alberta Program of Studies: Interactions and Ecosystems
Alberta Program of Studies: Planet Earth Alberta Program of Studies: Planet Earth
Alberta Program of Studies: Plants for Food and Fibre Alberta Program of Studies: Plants for Food and Fibre
Alberta Program of Studies: Structures and Forces Alberta Program of Studies: Structures and Forces

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A Interactions and Ecosystems

A.STS-K Outcomes for Science, Technology and Society (STS) and Knowledge
- A.STS-K.1 Investigate and describe relationships between humans and their environments, and identify related issues and scientific questions
  - A.STS-K.1.a illustrate how life-supporting environments meet the needs of living things for nutrients, energy sources, moisture, suitable habitat, and exchange of gases
  - A.STS-K.1.b 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)
  - A.STS-K.1.c 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)
    - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: explore a problem (7-P.1)
    - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (7-P.2)
  - A.STS-K.1.d analyze personal and public decisions that involve consideration of environmental impacts, and identify needs for scientific knowledge that can inform those decisions
    - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: explore a problem (7-P.1)
    - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (7-P.2)
- A.STS-K.2 Trace and interpret the flow of energy and materials within an ecosystem
  - A.STS-K.2.a analyze an ecosystem to identify biotic and abiotic components, and describe interactions among these components
  - A.STS-K.2.b analyze ecosystems to identify producers, consumers and decomposers; and describe how energy is supplied to and flows through a food web, by: describing and giving examples of energy and nutrient storage in plants and animals; describing how matter is recycled in an ecosystem through interactions among plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms; and interpreting food webs, and predicting the effects of changes to any part of a web
  - A.STS-K.2.c describe the process of cycling carbon and water through an ecosystem
  - A.STS-K.2.d identify mechanisms by which pollutants enter and move through the environment, and can become concentrated in some organisms (e.g., acid rain, mercury, PCBs, DDT)
- A.STS-K.3 Monitor a local environment, and assess the impacts of environmental factors on the growth, health and reproduction of organisms in that environment
  - A.STS-K.3.a 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)
  - A.STS-K.3.b 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)
    - Use food chains to predict changes in populations (7-O.4)
  - A.STS-K.3.c 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)
- A.STS-K.4 Describe the relationships among knowledge, decisions and actions in maintaining life-supporting environments
  - A.STS-K.4.a 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)
    - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: explore a problem (7-P.1)
    - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (7-P.2)
  - A.STS-K.4.b describe and interpret examples of scientific investigations that serve to inform environmental decision making
    - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: explore a problem (7-P.1)
    - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (7-P.2)
  - A.STS-K.4.c 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)
  - A.STS-K.4.d 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)
A.S Skill Outcomes
- A.S.1 Initiating and Planning: Ask questions about the relationships between and among observable variables, and plan investigations to address those questions
  - A.S.1.a identify science-related issues (e.g., identify a specific issue regarding human impacts on environments)
  - A.S.1.b 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?")
    - Identify the experimental question (7-B.3)
    - Identify questions that can be investigated with a set of materials (7-B.4)
  - A.S.1.c 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)
  - A.S.1.d 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)
- A.S.2 Performing and Recording: Conduct investigations into the relationships between and among observations, and gather and record qualitative and quantitative data
  - A.S.2.a research information relevant to a given problem or issue
  - A.S.2.b 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)
  - A.S.2.c 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)
    - Identify laboratory tools (7-A.2)
    - Laboratory safety equipment (7-A.3)
  - A.S.2.d estimate measurements (e.g., estimate the population of a given plant in a one square metre quadrat, and use this figure to estimate the population within an area of 100 square metres)
    - Choose units of distance, mass and volume (7-V.1)
- A.S.3 Analyzing and Interpreting: Analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and develop and assess possible explanations
  - A.S.3.a identify strengths and weaknesses of different methods of collecting and displaying data (e.g., compare two different approaches to measuring the amount of moisture in an environment; analyze information presented by proponents on two sides of an environmental issue)
  - A.S.3.b compile and display data, by hand or computer, in a variety of formats, including diagrams, flow charts, tables, bar graphs and line graphs (e.g., illustrate a food web, based on observations made within a given environment)
  - A.S.3.c classify organisms found in a study plot
- A.S.4 Communication and Teamwork: Work collaboratively on problems; and use appropriate language and formats to communicate ideas, procedures and results
  - A.S.4.a 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)
  - A.S.4.b evaluate individual and group processes used in planning, problem solving, decision making and completing a task
  - A.S.4.c 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?")

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A Interactions and Ecosystems

A.STS-K Outcomes for Science, Technology and Society (STS) and Knowledge

A.STS-K.1 Investigate and describe relationships between humans and their environments, and identify related issues and scientific questions

A.STS-K.1.a illustrate how life-supporting environments meet the needs of living things for nutrients, energy sources, moisture, suitable habitat, and exchange of gases

A.STS-K.1.d analyze personal and public decisions that involve consideration of environmental impacts, and identify needs for scientific knowledge that can inform those decisions

A.STS-K.2 Trace and interpret the flow of energy and materials within an ecosystem

A.STS-K.2.a analyze an ecosystem to identify biotic and abiotic components, and describe interactions among these components

A.STS-K.2.c describe the process of cycling carbon and water through an ecosystem

A.STS-K.2.d identify mechanisms by which pollutants enter and move through the environment, and can become concentrated in some organisms (e.g., acid rain, mercury, PCBs, DDT)

A.STS-K.3 Monitor a local environment, and assess the impacts of environmental factors on the growth, health and reproduction of organisms in that environment

A.STS-K.3.b 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)

A.STS-K.3.c 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)

A.STS-K.4 Describe the relationships among knowledge, decisions and actions in maintaining life-supporting environments

A.STS-K.4.a 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)

A.STS-K.4.b describe and interpret examples of scientific investigations that serve to inform environmental decision making

A.STS-K.4.d 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)

A.S Skill Outcomes

A.S.1 Initiating and Planning: Ask questions about the relationships between and among observable variables, and plan investigations to address those questions

A.S.1.a identify science-related issues (e.g., identify a specific issue regarding human impacts on environments)

A.S.1.b 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?")

A.S.1.d 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)

A.S.2 Performing and Recording: Conduct investigations into the relationships between and among observations, and gather and record qualitative and quantitative data

A.S.2.a research information relevant to a given problem or issue

A.S.2.b 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)

A.S.2.c 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)

A.S.2.d estimate measurements (e.g., estimate the population of a given plant in a one square metre quadrat, and use this figure to estimate the population within an area of 100 square metres)

A.S.3 Analyzing and Interpreting: Analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and develop and assess possible explanations

A.S.3.a identify strengths and weaknesses of different methods of collecting and displaying data (e.g., compare two different approaches to measuring the amount of moisture in an environment; analyze information presented by proponents on two sides of an environmental issue)

A.S.3.b compile and display data, by hand or computer, in a variety of formats, including diagrams, flow charts, tables, bar graphs and line graphs (e.g., illustrate a food web, based on observations made within a given environment)

A.S.3.c classify organisms found in a study plot

A.S.4 Communication and Teamwork: Work collaboratively on problems; and use appropriate language and formats to communicate ideas, procedures and results

A.S.4.a 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)

A.S.4.b evaluate individual and group processes used in planning, problem solving, decision making and completing a task

A.S.4.c 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?")