Nova Scotia · Grade 6
Science, Grade 6
Nova Scotia’s Grade 6 science course, from Physical Science: Electricity to Life Science: Diversity of Life.
- Units
- 4
- Lessons
- 6
- Skills
- 24
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 9 skills
Physical Science: Electricity
Electricity and Circuits
Static electricity
I can explain static electricity - how charge builds up on objects and jumps as a spark.
Skill 1.1
Materials that conduct electricity
I can tell conductors (let electricity flow) from insulators (block it) by testing materials in a circuit.
Skill 1.2
Series and parallel circuits
I can build series and parallel circuits and describe how current moves in each.
Skill 1.3
Reading circuit drawings
I can read a circuit drawing and judge whether the circuit will work (is the loop complete?).
Skill 1.4
How series and parallel circuits are used
I can compare where series and parallel circuits are used and why each suits its job.
Skill 1.5
Electricity and magnetism
I can show that electricity and magnetism are related - a current makes a magnetic field (an electromagnet).
Skill 1.6
Energy Sources
Renewable and non-renewable energy
I can compare renewable energy (does not run out) with non-renewable energy (will run out).
Skill 1.7
Energy transformations
I can describe how energy changes from one form to another (energy transformation).
Skill 1.8
Impact of electrical energy use
I can analyse the impact of using electrical energy and ways to use less.
Skill 1.9
The official wording · 9 outcomes
- 1.1
- Investigate static electricity
- 1.2
- Investigate materials that conduct electricity
- 1.3
- Test series and parallel circuits for movement of electric current
- 1.4
- Analyse circuit drawings for effectiveness
- 1.5
- Compare how series and parallel circuits are used
- 1.6
- Investigate the relationship between electricity and magnetism
- 1.7
- Compare renewable and non-renewable energy
- 1.8
- Investigate types of energy transformation
- 1.9
- Analyse impact of electrical energy consumption
Key ideas
Static electricity is a build-up of electric charge on an object.
Renewable sources are replaced naturally and do not run out: sun, wind, water, tides.
Rubbing certain materials moves tiny charges from one to the other.
Non-renewable sources will run out: coal, oil, natural gas (fossil fuels).
Objects with opposite charges attract; the same charges repel.
Watch out for
- Thinking static electricity flows like current in a wire - it is a build-up that stays until it discharges.
- Thinking renewable means unlimited any time - it does not run out, but it depends on sun/wind being available.
- Thinking the shock is dangerous like a wall outlet - a static spark is tiny compared to circuit electricity.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 3 skills
Physical Science: Flight
How Things Fly
Flight in living and non-living things
I can compare how living things (birds, insects) and non-living things (planes, kites) achieve flight.
Skill 2.1
Forces involved in flight
I can name and explain the forces of flight: lift, gravity (weight), thrust, and drag.
Skill 2.2
Testing flying devices
I can test flying devices, like paper airplanes or gliders, and improve them using what I know about flight forces.
Skill 2.3
The official wording · 3 outcomes
- 2.1
- Compare the characteristics of flight for living and non-living things
- 2.2
- Investigate forces involved in flight
- 2.3
- Test flying devices
Key ideas
Living flyers (birds, bats, insects) use wings powered by muscles.
Non-living flyers (planes, kites, gliders) use wings and engines or wind.
Both use wing shapes that help create lift.
Comparing shows what living and machine flight have in common and how they differ.
Lift pushes the flyer up; gravity (weight) pulls it down.
Watch out for
- Thinking only flapping keeps things up - fixed wings and lift also work (gliders, planes).
- Thinking planes fly just like birds - planes use engines and do not flap.
- Thinking flight beats gravity forever - gravity is always pulling; flight balances it with lift.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 6 skills
Earth and Space Science: Space
Components of Space
The solar system and constellations
I can name the main parts of the solar system and explain what a constellation is.
Skill 3.1
Earth's rotation and revolution
I can explain how Earth's rotation causes day and night and how its revolution and tilt cause the seasons.
Skill 3.2
The Moon: tides, eclipses, and phases
I can explain how the Moon causes tides and eclipses, and why the Moon appears to change shape (phases).
Skill 3.3
Oral traditions of space
I can describe oral traditions about space, including Mi'kmaw ones, and how people have long observed the sky.
Skill 3.4
Exploring Space
Innovations in space exploration
I can describe innovations used in space exploration, including Canadian contributions.
Skill 3.5
How astronauts meet their needs
I can explain how astronauts meet their needs - air, water, food, and safety - in space.
Skill 3.6
The official wording · 6 outcomes
- 3.1
- Investigate components of the solar system and constellations
- 3.2
- Investigate how Earth’s rotation and revolution relate to the cycle of day and night, and the seasons
- 3.3
- Investigate the involvement of Earth’s Moon in tides, eclipses and moon phases
- 3.4
- Investigate oral traditions of space phenomena, including Mi’kmaw oral traditions
- 3.5
- Investigate Canadian and global innovations in space exploration
- 3.6
- Investigate how astronauts meet their needs in space
Key ideas
The solar system has the Sun at the centre, with planets, moons, and smaller bodies orbiting it.
Innovations are new inventions or ideas that help us explore space.
The Sun is a star; planets orbit it (Earth is the third planet).
Rockets, satellites, telescopes, rovers, and space stations are space innovations.
A constellation is a pattern of stars people have named (like the Big Dipper).
Watch out for
- Thinking the Sun is a planet - the Sun is a star, and planets orbit it.
- Thinking only one country explores space - many countries, including Canada, contribute.
- Thinking stars in a constellation are close together - they only look grouped from Earth.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 4 · 6 skills
Life Science: Diversity of Life
Classifying Living Things
Characteristics of living things
I can list the characteristics all living things share, like growing, needing energy, and reproducing.
Skill 4.1
Classifying living things
I can classify a set of living things into groups based on their shared characteristics.
Skill 4.2
Using taxonomy to learn about life
I can explain how taxonomy (the science of naming and grouping living things) helps us understand and study life.
Skill 4.3
Comparing animals by characteristics
I can compare animals using their characteristics to find how they are alike and different.
Skill 4.4
How organisms adapt to where they live
I can analyse how organisms are adapted to survive in their environment.
Skill 4.5
Significant ecological relationships
I can describe important ecological relationships between living things, like predator-prey and helping (mutual) relationships.
Skill 4.6
The official wording · 6 outcomes
- 4.1
- Investigate the characteristics of living things
- 4.2
- Classify a set of living things
- 4.3
- Investigate applications of taxonomy for learning about diversity of life
- 4.4
- Compare animals based on their characteristics
- 4.5
- Analyse how organisms adapt depending on where they live
- 4.6
- Investigate significant ecological relationships
Key ideas
Living things share characteristics: they grow, need energy (food), respond to their surroundings, and reproduce.
Living things are made of cells.
These shared traits help us tell living from non-living.
Even very different living things share these basic traits.
Classifying means grouping living things by shared traits.
Watch out for
- Thinking movement means alive - some living things (plants) barely move, and some non-living things (rivers) move.
- Thinking plants are not alive because they do not move around - plants meet all the traits of living things.
- Thinking there is only one way to classify - living things can be grouped by different traits.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The official curriculum
This page follows Nova Scotia’s own curriculum for Science, Grade 6.
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches Science, Grade 6 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep Science, Grade 6 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 28
- Fillable fields
- 1,315
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about Science, Grade 6
What is Science, Grade 6?
Nova Scotia’s Grade 6 science course: 4 units and 24 skills, from Physical Science: Electricity to Life Science: Diversity of Life.
What units are in Science, Grade 6?
1. Physical Science: Electricity, 2. Physical Science: Flight, 3. Earth and Space Science: Space and 4. Life Science: Diversity of Life.
Is there a provincial exam for Science, Grade 6?
No. Nova Scotia gives no provincial exam for Science, Grade 6.
What comes after Science, Grade 6?
Science, Grade 7.
Can MapleMind help with Science, Grade 6?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Science, Grade 6, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Get ready for Science, Grade 6
Practise every skill of Science, Grade 6 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
