Science 1206

Unit 1: Earth and Space Science

How the oceans and atmosphere store and move heat, driving the water cycle, the winds and currents, and the weather systems that shape the climate of Newfoundland and Labrador — and how meteorologists read the data to forecast what is coming.

• The hydrosphere and atmosphere as heat sinks
• Heat transfer in the water cycle
• Heat transfer and air and water currents

• Heat transfer and weather systems
• Analyzing weather data to forecast

Unit 2: Physical Science

The particle and quantitative core of the course — naming compounds and balancing chemical equations, classifying reactions and acids and bases, and describing motion mathematically and graphically through displacement, velocity, and acceleration.

• Naming and writing chemical formulas
• Balancing equations and conservation of mass
• Classifying reactions by type
• Classifying acids, bases, and salts
• Neutralization reactions
• Factors that affect reaction rate

• The variables of motion
• Displacement, velocity, and time
• Graphing uniform motion
• Instantaneous and average velocity
• Graphing non-uniform motion
• Velocity, time, and acceleration

• WHMIS and safe handling of lab materials
• Displaying data in graphs and tables

Unit 3: Life Science

How ecosystems work and stay in balance — why similar ecosystems appear in different places, how populations reach equilibrium, how matter cycles and pollutants build up, and what makes an ecosystem resilient or fragile in the face of change.

• Similar ecosystems in different places
• Population equilibrium and resource limits
• Cycling of matter through an ecosystem
• Soil composition and fertility

• Bioaccumulation through the food chain
• Impact of external factors on an ecosystem
• Biodiversity and sustainability
• Short-term stress and long-term change