SCIENCE 10 Program of Studies - Alberta

1 Updates Minor revisions were made in 2014 and are SCIENCE 10. described in 2014 Summary of Updates. Program of Studies 2005 (Updated 2014). Program RATIONALE AND Program Vision PHILOSOPHY. The secondary SCIENCE Program is guided by the Students graduating from Alberta schools require vision that all students have the opportunity to the scientific and related technological knowledge develop scientific literacy. The goal of scientific and skills that will enable them to understand and literacy is to develop the SCIENCE -related interpret their world and become productive knowledge, skills and attitudes that students need members of society.

2 They also need to develop to solve problems and make decisions, and at the attitudes that will motivate them to use their same time help them become lifelong learners . knowledge and skills in a responsible manner. maintaining their sense of wonder about the world SCIENCE programs provide opportunities for around them. students to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes Diverse learning experiences within the that they need to explore interests and prepare for SCIENCE 10 Program provide students with further education and careers. opportunities to explore, analyze and appreciate the interrelationships among SCIENCE , technology, To become scientifically literate, students must society and the environment, and to develop develop a thorough knowledge of SCIENCE and its understandings that will affect their personal lives, relationship to technologies and society.

3 They their careers and their futures. must also develop the broad-based skills needed to identify and analyze problems; explore and test Goals solutions; and seek, interpret and evaluate information. To ensure that the SCIENCE Program The following goals for Canadian SCIENCE is relevant to students as well as societal needs, it education are addressed through the Alberta must present SCIENCE in meaningful context SCIENCE Program . SCIENCE education will: providing opportunities for students to explore the encourage students at all grade levels to process of SCIENCE , its applications and develop a critical sense of wonder and implications, and to examine related technological curiosity about scientific and technological problems and issues.

4 By doing so, students endeavours become aware of the role of SCIENCE in responding enable students to use SCIENCE and technology to social and cultural change and in meeting needs to acquire new knowledge and solve for a sustainable environment, economy and problems, so that they may improve the society. quality of their own lives and the lives of others Alberta Education, Alberta , Canada SCIENCE 10 /1. prepare students to critically address SCIENCE - related societal, economic, ethical and environmental issues provide students with a foundation in SCIENCE that creates opportunities for them to pursue progressively higher levels of study, prepares them for SCIENCE -related occupations, and engages them in SCIENCE -related hobbies appropriate to their interests and abilities enable students, of varying aptitudes and interests, to develop a knowledge of the wide spectrum of careers related to SCIENCE , technology and the environment.

5 Aboriginal Perspectives SCIENCE 10 incorporates Aboriginal perspectives in order to develop, in all students, an appreciation of the cultural diversity and achievements of First Nations, M tis and Inuit (FNMI) peoples. SCIENCE 10 is designed to: acknowledge the contributions of Aboriginal peoples to understandings of the natural world support relational thinking by integrating learning from various disciplines of SCIENCE develop the concept of our connectivity to the natural world and the importance of caring for the environment foster the development of positive attitudes by providing experiences that encourage all students to feel confident about their ability to succeed in SCIENCE .

6 2/ SCIENCE 10 Alberta Education, Alberta , Canada Program FOUNDATIONS. To support the development of SCIENCE literacy, school programs must provide a foundation of learning experiences that address critical aspects of SCIENCE and its application. These critical areas the foundations of the Program provide general direction for the Program and identify major components of its structure. Program Rationale and Philosophy . Foundation 1 Foundation 2 Foundation 3 Foundation 4. SCIENCE , KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ATTITUDES. TECHNOLOGY. AND SOCIETY. (STS). Nature of SCIENCE Life SCIENCE Initiating and Interest in SCIENCE Planning SCIENCE and Physical Mutual Respect Technology SCIENCE Performing and Recording Scientific Inquiry Social and earth and space Environmental SCIENCE Analyzing and Collaboration Contexts of Interpreting SCIENCE and Stewardship Technology Communication and Teamwork Safety Foundation 1.

7 SCIENCE , Technology and Society (STS) Students will develop an understanding of the nature of SCIENCE and technology, the relationships between SCIENCE and technology, and the social and environmental contexts of SCIENCE and technology. Foundation 2. Knowledge Students will construct knowledge and understandings of concepts in life SCIENCE , physical SCIENCE and earth and space SCIENCE , and apply these understandings to interpret, integrate and extend their knowledge. Foundation 3. Skills Students will develop the skills required for scientific and technological inquiry, for solving problems, for communicating scientific ideas and results, for working collaboratively and for making informed decisions.

8 Foundation 4. Attitudes Students will be encouraged to develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific and technological knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society and the environment. Alberta Education, Alberta , Canada SCIENCE 10 /3. Foundation 1: SCIENCE , Technology and Social and Environmental Contexts of SCIENCE Society (STS) and Technology Foundation 1 is concerned with understanding the The history of SCIENCE shows that scientific scope and character of SCIENCE , its connections to development takes place within a social context. technology, and the social context in which it is Many examples can be used to show that cultural developed.

9 The following is a brief introduction and intellectual traditions have influenced the to the major ideas that underlie this component of focus and methodologies of SCIENCE , and that the Program . SCIENCE in turn has influenced the wider world of ideas. Nature of SCIENCE Today, research is often driven by societal and SCIENCE provides an ordered way of learning about environmental needs and issues. As technological the nature of things, based on observation and solutions have emerged from previous research, evidence. Through SCIENCE , we explore our many of the new technologies have given rise to environment, gather knowledge and develop ideas complex social and environmental issues.

10 That help us interpret and explain what we see. Increasingly, these issues are becoming part of the Scientific activity provides a conceptual and political agenda. The potential of SCIENCE to theoretical base that is used in predicting, inform and empower decision making by interpreting and explaining natural and individuals, communities and society is a central technological phenomena. SCIENCE is driven by a role of scientific literacy in a democratic society. combination of specific knowledge, theory and experimentation. SCIENCE -based ideas are Foundation 2: Knowledge continually being tested, modified and improved as new knowledge and explanations supersede Foundation 2 focuses on the subject matter of existing knowledge and explanations.