Communication Plan
Science 10 Course Outline and Communication Plan
Marine Drive Academy
2020-21
Teacher: Mr. Carl Glawson
Phone: (902) 885-2777 Ext: 1591114
Email: cglawson@hrce.ca
Website:https://sites.google.com/gnspes.ca/mrglawsonsscienceandtechsite/home
Course Description (Overview): The grade ten science program is composed of four units. The first, Sustainability of Ecosystems, allows students to bridge understanding between local ecosystems, our increasing awareness on a global scale, and the need to sustain the health of ecosystems at all levels. In this unit, equilibrium and sustainability of an environment within a province, region, country and global biosphere will be studied. The focus will be towards moving students to a more sophisticated level of global thinking (considering many factors on the environmental, socio-economic, and cultural levels, for instance). The second, Chemical Reactions, provides them with an opportunity to apply their understanding of atomic structure to how chemicals react. By naming and writing common ionic and molecular compounds and by balancing a variety of equation types, students begin to make connections to a variety of chemical examples in everyday life. The unit emphasizes the social and environmental contexts of science and technology associated with air and water pollution and should have principle focus on observation and inquiry. It provides opportunities for decision making, as well as design technology. The third unit, Weather Dynamics, students will explore the various factors that contribute and drive the complex weather systems of the Earth. Students will develop and utilize skills of decision making, as well as skills of observation, problem solving, inquiry, and the designing of technology. Students will also need to draw upon knowledge and skills gained from previous grades, and will coincidently be able to utilize their accumulated experiences when they continue their scientific studies at the grade 11 and 12 level. The final unit, Motion, allows students to investigate and develop their interest in sports that are a part of their daily lives. They will investigate the principles of kinematics, but will also be encouraged to apply its development into areas of individual interest. The two principle focuses are inquiry and problem solving. It will also help students recognize and use differences in speed/velocity, distance/displacement, and average velocity/constant velocity.
Course Units and Timeline:
Unit Name
Approximate Time to Cover Unit
Types of Assessment
Sustainability of Ecosystems
September 9 –
October 4
Formal and informal observation, lab reports, work samples, quizzes and tests, inquiry, presentations, design and construction , journals, questioning, group and individual assignments, peer and self assessment, anecdotal records, formative assessment, summative assessment
Chemical Reactions
October 7-
November 8
Please refer above
Weather Dynamics
November 11-
December 13
Please refer above
Motion
December 16-
January 24
Please refer above
Assessment: To determine how well students are learning, assessment strategies have to be designed to systematically gather information on the achievement of the curriculum outcomes. Both formative and summative assessments will be used to assess, support student learning and communicate achievement based on the specific outcomes to the course. Many types of assessment strategies can be used to gather such information, including, but not limited to,
Formal and informal observations
Experiments
Work samples
Lab reports
Anecdotal records
Research projects
Conferences
Inquiry based activities
Quizzes and tests
Performance assessment
Portfolios
Peer and self assessment
Learning journals
Formative assessments
Questioning at various levels
Summative assessments
Provincial Achievement Levels: (As reported on Powerschool/Gradebook)
4- In –depth knowledge and understanding of content and concepts. Able to extend the application of related skills to a variety of contexts.
3+ Competent +
3- Competent knowledge and understanding of the content and concepts. Appropriate application of the related skills.
2+ Developing +
2- Developing knowledge of the content and concepts. Developing in the application of the related skills.
1+ Limited +
1-Limited knowledge and understanding of content and concepts. Limited application of related skills.
*Professional judgement will be used to assess all student work and timely feedback will be provided in rubric and/or comment formats.
All tests , quizzes, lab reports, assignments and projects will be equally weighted according to specific curriculum outcomes.
Evaluation: All assignment, lab, project and design work 80%, final exam 20%
Textbooks, Resources and Technology used:
SciencePower 10 text Atlantic Edition
Discovery Education
Video clips
Current periodicals
Multimedia presentations
Websites
Apps
Library resources
Ipads
The following documentation from the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Culture forms the basis of the curriculum outcomes for the grade 7 Science program. The documents that guide the program are:
1.
Public School Programs
2003-2004
2.
Foundation – Atlantic Canada Science Curriculum
3.
Atlantic Canada Science Curriculum Grade 10
August 2012
The specific outcomes for the Science 7 curriculum can be viewed via the Department of Education (www.ednet.ns.ca) under “document depot” and “curriculum and textbook”, followed by “Learning Outcomes Framework”