Ontario · Grade 12

Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation

  • SES4U

Ontario’s Grade 12 science course, from Investigation Skills and Careers to Geological Processes.

Units
6
Lessons
12
Skills
88
Provincial exam
None

Unit by unit

Every skill in the course, with its official code.

Unit 1 · 2 skills

Investigation Skills and Careers

Careers in Earth and Space Science

  • Careers in Earth and space science

    I can describe careers in Earth and space science and the training they require.

Scientists and Their Contributions

  • Scientists who contributed to Earth and space science

    I can describe the contributions of scientists, including Canadians, to Earth and space science.

The official wording · 2 outcomes
A2.1
identify and describe a variety of careers related to the field of science under study (e.g., astronomer, paleontologist, astrophysicist, geologist, professor, planetarium curator) and the education and training necessary for these careers
A2.2
describe the contributions of scientists, including Canadian scientists (e.g., Alice Wilson, George M. Dawson, Thomas Edvard Krogh, William E. Logan, Richard Bond, Helen Sawyer Hogg, Joseph B. Tyrrell), to the fields under study

Key ideas

  1. Earth and space science connects to careers such as astronomer, geologist, geophysicist, and planetary scientist.

  2. Scientists from many places, including Canadians, advanced astronomy and geology.

  3. Each career needs particular education and training, usually a university program.

  4. A contribution can be a discovery, a technique, or a new theory.

Watch out for

  • Thinking Earth-science careers are only field geology.
  • Thinking all major scientists are from long ago or far away.
  • Not knowing a career needs specific education and training.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 2 · 15 skills

Astronomy (Science of the Universe)

Milestones and Tools of Astronomy

Investigating the Universe

The official wording · 15 outcomes
B1.1
analyse a major milestone in astronomical knowledge or theory (e.g., the discovery of the red shift in the spectra of galaxies; the knowl- edge gathered from the particle accelerator experiments at CERN in Switzerland), and explain how it revolutionized thinking in the scientific community [AI, C]
B1.2
analyse why and how a particular technology related to astronomical research was developed and how it has been improved over time (e.g., the evolution from optical to radio tele- scopes and to the Hubble telescope) [AI, C]
B2.1
use appropriate terminology related to astronomy, including, but not limited to: Doppler effect, electromagnetic radiation, protostar, celestial equator, ecliptic, altitude and azimuth, and right ascension and declination [C]
B2.2
locate observable features of the night sky using star charts, computer models, or direct observation, and record the location of these features using astronomical terms (e.g., celestial equator, ecliptic) and systems (e.g., altitude and azimuth, right ascension and declination) [PR, C]
B2.3
analyse spectroscopic data mathematically or graphically to determine various properties of stars (e.g., determine surface temperature from peak wavelength using Wein’s law; predict chemical composition from spectral absorption lines; determine motion using the Doppler effect) [AI, C]
B2.4
use the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram to determine the interrelationships between the properties of stars (e.g., between mass and luminosity, between colour and luminosity) and to investigate their evolutionary pathways [PR, AI]
B2.5
investigate, in quantitative terms, properties of stars, including their distance from Earth (using the parallax method), surface temper- ature, absolute magnitude, and luminosity [PR, AI]
B2.6
investigate, using photographs or diagrams, the basic features of different types of galaxies (e.g., elliptical, spiral, barred spiral, irregular, peculiar), including the Milky Way [PR]
B3.1
describe the theoretical and evidential underpinnings of the big bang theory (e.g., the theory that cosmic microwave background radiation is an echo of the big bang; physical evidence of the mass of the universe, and the relationship between mass and gravity) and their implications for the evolution of the universe
B3.2
explain the scale of distances between celestial bodies (e.g., with reference to astronomical units, light years, and parsecs) and the methods astronomers use to determine these distances (e.g., stellar parallax, cepheid variables)
B3.3
describe the characteristics of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., the relationship between wave- length, frequency, and energy) and the ways in which each region of the electromagnetic spectrum is used in making astronomical observations (e.g., X-rays in the search for black holes; infrared radiation to see through interstellar dust)
B3.4
explain how stars are classified on the basis of their surface temperature, luminosity, and chemical composition
B3.5
explain, with reference to a specific star (e.g., Rigel, Sirius, Arcturus), how astronomers use techniques to determine the properties of stars (e.g., mass, diameter, magnitude, temperature, luminosity)
B3.6
describe the sequence of events in the life cycle of a star, from its formation to the main sequence phase and beyond, with specific reference to energy sources and forces involved
B3.7
explain the relationship between the type of death of a star and the star’s initial mass (e.g., a star with a low mass will form a planetary nebula and a white dwarf)

Key ideas

  1. Milestones like the discovery of the red shift or CERN's findings revolutionized astronomy.

  2. Key terms include the Doppler effect, electromagnetic radiation, protostar, celestial equator, ecliptic, altitude and azimuth, and right ascension and declination.

  3. Analysing one explains how it changed thinking in the scientific community.

  4. Precise terms let you describe the sky and stars.

  5. Astronomy technology evolved from optical to radio telescopes and to the Hubble telescope.

Watch out for

  • Describing a milestone without explaining its impact on thinking.
  • Confusing the celestial equator with the ecliptic.
  • Confusing a discovery with a technology.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 3 · 17 skills

Planetary Science (Science of the Solar System)

Exploring the Solar System

Investigating the Solar System

The official wording · 17 outcomes
C1.1
analyse political considerations related to, and economic and environmental consequences (actual and/ or potential) of, exploration of the solar system (e.g., political pressures underlying the original Space Race; the ability to monitor environmental conditions from space) [AI, C]
C1.2
analyse, on the basis of research, a specific technology that is used in space exploration and that has applications in other areas of re- search or in the environmental sector (e.g., Canadian satellites and robotics, spacecraft technologies, ground base and orbital tele- scopes, devices to mitigate the effects of the space environment on living organisms), and communicate their findings [IP, PR, AI, C]
C2.1
use appropriate terminology related to planet- ary science, including, but not limited to: solar system, geocentric, heliocentric, geodesy, geosynchronous, eccentricity, apogee, aphelion, perigee, and perihelion [C]
C2.2
identify geological features and processes that are common to Earth and other bodies in the solar system (e.g., craters, faults, volcanic eruptions), and create a model or illustration to show these features, using data and images from satellites and space probes [PR, AI, C]
C2.3
use an inquiry or research process to investi- gate the effects of various forms of radiation and high-energy particles on bodies, organisms, and devices within the solar system (e.g., the effects of cosmic rays on atmospheric phenom- ena, of ultraviolet light on human and animal eyes and skin, of solar wind on radio communi- cations) [IP, PR]
C2.4
investigate the ways in which interactions between solid bodies have helped to shape the solar system, including Earth (e.g., the accretion of minor bodies, the formation of moons, the formation of planetary rings) [PR]
C2.5
investigate the properties of Earth that pro- tect life from hazards such as radiation and collision with other bodies (e.g., Earth’s orbital position helps protect it from asteroids, some of which are deflected by the Jovian planets; Earth’s magnetic field protects the planet from solar wind; atmospheric ozone minimizes in- coming ultraviolet radiation) [PR]
C2.6
investigate techniques used to study and understand objects in the solar system (e.g., the measurement of gravitational pull on space probes to determine the mass of an object, the use of spectroscopy to study atmospheric com- positions, the use of the global positioning system to track plate movement and tectonic activity from space) [PR]
C3.1
explain the composition of the solar system (e.g., the sun, terrestrial inner planets, the asteroid belt, gas giant outer planets, the Kuiper belt, the scattered disc, the heliopause, the Oort cloud), and describe the characteristics of each component
C3.2
identify and explain the classes of objects orbiting the sun (e.g., planets, dwarf planets, small solar system bodies [SSSBs])
C3.3
explain the formation of the solar system with reference to the fundamental forces and processes involved (e.g., how gravitational force led to the contraction of the original solar nebula)
C3.4
identify the factors that determined the properties of bodies in the solar system (e.g., differences in distance from the sun result in temperature variations that determine whether substances on a planet, moon, or other body are solid or gaseous)
C3.5
identify and explain the properties of celes- tial bodies within or beyond the solar system, other than Earth, that might support the exist- ence of life (e.g., the possible existence of liquid water on Europa; the proximity of a body to its host star)
C3.6
compare Earth with other objects in the solar system with respect to properties such as mass, size, composition, rotation, magnetic field, and gravitational field
C3.7
identify Kepler’s laws, and use them to describe planetary motions (e.g., the shape of their orbits; differences in their orbital velocity)
C3.8
identify Newton’s laws, and use them to explain planetary motion
C3.9
describe the major external processes and phenomena that affect Earth (e.g., radiation and particles from the “quiet” and “active” sun; cosmic rays; gravity of the sun and moon; asteroidal and cometary debris, including their force, energy, and matter)

Key ideas

  1. Space exploration involves political pressures (the Space Race) and economic and environmental consequences.

  2. Key terms include solar system, geocentric, heliocentric, geodesy, geosynchronous, eccentricity, apogee, aphelion, perigee, and perihelion.

  3. Analysing them weighs the considerations and consequences together.

  4. Precise terms let you describe orbits and solar-system structure.

  5. Space technologies (Canadian satellites and robotics, spacecraft, telescopes) have applications beyond space.

Watch out for

  • Considering only one type of consideration.
  • Confusing geocentric with heliocentric.
  • Ignoring the environmental consequences.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 4 · 17 skills

Recording Earth's Geological History

Climate, Geology, and Geological Time

  • The climate-geology relationship

    I can analyse the relationship between climate and geology.

  • Climate change and life over geological time

    I can assess the impact of long-term climate change on life using geological records.

  • Contributions to understanding geological time

    I can evaluate contributions to our understanding of geological time.

Reading the Geological Record

The official wording · 17 outcomes
D1.1
analyse the relationship between climate and geology
D1.1
using geological records, assess the impact of long-term climate change on life on Earth
D1.2
evaluate the significance of contributions, including Canadian contributions, to our under- standing of geological time and of changes in Earth systems over time (e.g., the contributions of Raymond A. Price; the Canadian contribution to the development of Landsat) [AI, C]
D2.1
use appropriate terminology related to Earth and its geological history, including, but not limited to: Milankovitch cycles, era, epoch, period, parent isotope, hot spot, paleomagnetism, and index fossil [C]
D2.2
use a research process to investigate the geo- logical history of an area in Ontario (e.g., use a sequence diagram, geological maps showing main geological units or associated rock types, and/or surficial/bedrock geology maps to investigate the Oak Ridges Moraine or Niagara Escarpment) [IP, PR]
D2.3
investigate various types of preserved geo- logical evidence of major changes that have taken place in Earth history (e.g., fossil evidence of mass extinctions, topographic evidence of past glaciations, evidence of plate movement in igneous rocks with magnetic reversals) [PR]
D2.4
produce a model or diagram to illustrate how geological time scales compare to human time scales (e.g., major events in Earth’s geo- logical history or the geological history of their region compared to major events in human history or students’ own lifespans) [PR, C]
D2.5
produce diagrams to illustrate the develop- ment of various types of unconformities preserved in a sequence of strata (e.g., angular unconformity, disconformity, nonconformity) [PR, C]
D2.6
design and build a model to represent radioactive decay and the concept of half-life determination [IP, PR]
D2.7
investigate interactions over time between physical, chemical, and biological processes, and explain how they have affected environmental conditions throughout Earth’s geological history (e.g., the impact of increasing amounts of atmospheric oxygen on stromatolites; the impact of increasing amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide on global warming; the influence of plants on the water cycle, other life forms, the atmosphere, weathering, and erosion) [PR, AI, C]
D3.1
describe evidence for the evolution of life through the Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras, using important groups of fossils that date from each era (e.g., stromatolites, trilobites, brachiopods, crinoids, fish, angio- sperms, gymnosperms, dinosaurs, mammals)
D3.2
describe various kinds of evidence that life forms, climate, continental positions, and Earth’s crust have changed over time (e.g., evidence of mass extinction, of past glaciations, of the existence of Pangaea and Gondwanaland)
D3.3
describe some processes by which fossils are produced and/or preserved (e.g., original preservation, carbonization, replacement, permineralization, mould and cast formations)
D3.4
compare and contrast relative and absolute dating principles and techniques as they apply to natural systems (e.g., the law of superposition; the law of cross-cutting relationships; varve counts; carbon-14 or uranium-lead dating)
D3.5
identify and describe the various methods of isotopic age determination, giving for each the name of the isotope, its half-life, its effective dating range, and some of the materials that it can be used to date (e.g., uranium-lead dating of rocks; carbon dating of organic materials)
D3.6
explain the influence of paradigm shifts (e.g., from uniformitarianism to catastrophism) in the development of geological thinking
D3.7
explain the different types of evidence used to determine the age of Earth (e.g., index fossils; evidence provided by radiometric dating of geological materials or lithostratigraphy) and how this evidence has influenced our under- standing of the age of the planet

Key ideas

  1. Climate and geology influence each other over geological time.

  2. Key terms include Milankovitch cycles, era, epoch, period, parent isotope, hot spot, paleomagnetism, and index fossil.

  3. Analysing the relationship links geological processes to climatic conditions.

  4. Precise terms let you describe geological time and evidence.

  5. Geological records preserve evidence of how climate change affected life.

Watch out for

  • Treating climate and geology as unrelated.
  • Confusing an era, period, and epoch.
  • Confusing the relationship with the impact on life.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 5 · 16 skills

Earth Materials

Exploring and Extracting Earth Materials

  • Economic impact of Earth materials

    I can assess the economic impact of Earth-material extraction.

  • Analysing exploration and extraction technologies

    I can analyse the technologies used to explore for and extract natural resources.

  • Environmental repercussions of extraction

    I can assess the environmental repercussions of extraction technologies.

Investigating Minerals and Rocks

The official wording · 16 outcomes
E1.1
assess the direct and indirect impact on local, provincial/regional, or national econ- omies of the exploration for and extraction and refinement/processing of Earth materials (e.g., gold, uranium, sand, gravel, dimension stone, fossil fuels) [AI, C]
E1.2
analyse technologies and techniques used to explore for and extract natural resources
E1.2
assess their actual or potential environmental repercussions
E2.1
use appropriate terminology related to Earth materials, including, but not limited to: geothermal vents, porosity, permeability, cleavage, fracture, cementation, evaporite, and foliation [C]
E2.2
investigate the properties of various Earth materials (e.g., density, conductivity, porosity; whether they are magnetic or radioactive), and explain how these properties affect how the materials are used and what technologies and techniques are used to explore for or extract them (e.g., radiometric instruments, electro- magnetic or gravity surveys) [PR, AI, C]
E2.3
conduct a series of tests (e.g., hardness, streak, density) to identify and classify common minerals (e.g., quartz, calcite, potassium feldspar, plagioclase feldspar, muscovite, biotite, talc, graphite, hornblende) [PR, AI]
E2.4
investigate common igneous rocks (e.g., granite, obsidian, andesite, basalt, gabbro), using a hand lens, classify them on the basis of their texture (e.g., porphyritic, phaneritic, aphanitic) and composition (e.g., acid, intermediate, basic), and use this information to determine their origins (i.e., extrusive or intrusive) [PR, AI]
E2.5
investigate sedimentary rocks (e.g., con- glomerate, breccia, sandstone, shale, limestone, dolostone, chert, gypsum, rock salt, coal), using a hand lens, classify them on the basis of their texture (e.g., coarse- or fine-grained, detrital) and composition (e.g., clastic, chemical, fossil inclusions), and use this information to deter- mine their origin (e.g., clastic, chemical) [PR, AI]
E2.6
investigate metamorphic rocks (e.g., slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss, quartzite, marble), using a hand lens, and classify them on the basis of their characteristics (e.g., foliation, crystallinity) in order to identify their parent rock and the temperature, pressure, and chemical conditions at their formation [PR, AI]
E2.7
investigate a geological setting in their local area (e.g., a river/stream bed or lakeshore; a rock outcrop), and identify and classify rock samples collected from that area [PR, AI]
E2.8
plan and conduct an inquiry to investigate the factors that determine the size and form of mineral crystals (e.g., the temperature of the solution, the type of salt, the level of saturation, the temperature of slides containing melted salol) [IP, PR]
E3.1
identify the physical and chemical properties of selected minerals, and describe the tests used to determine these properties
E3.2
describe the formation (i.e., intrusive or extrusive) and identify the distinguishing characteristics of igneous rocks (e.g., compos- ition and eruption type; mineralogical content indicating the type of volcano in which a rock was formed)
E3.3
describe the formation of clastic and chem- ical sediments, and the characteristics of the corresponding sedimentary rocks (e.g., shape and size of particles, nature of their deposition)
E3.4
describe the different ways in which meta- morphic rocks are formed (i.e., through changes in temperature, pressure, and chemical condi- tions) and the factors that contribute to their variety (e.g., variation in parent rock; regional or contact metamorphism)
E3.5
describe the role of Earth materials in the safe disposal of industrial and urban waste and toxic materials (e.g., the low permeability of clays makes them suitable material for barriers in waste disposal sites)

Key ideas

  1. Extracting Earth materials (gold, uranium, sand, fossil fuels) affects local, regional, and national economies.

  2. Key terms include geothermal vents, porosity, permeability, cleavage, fracture, cementation, evaporite, and foliation.

  3. Assessing the impact weighs direct and indirect economic effects.

  4. Precise terms let you describe minerals and rocks.

  5. Technologies and techniques are used to locate and extract natural resources.

Watch out for

  • Considering only direct economic effects.
  • Confusing cleavage with fracture.
  • Ignoring the indirect impacts of extraction.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 6 · 21 skills

Geological Processes

Monitoring Geological Processes

Investigating Geological Processes

The official wording · 21 outcomes
F1.1
evaluate the accuracy and reliability of technological methods of monitoring and predicting earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions [AI, C]
F1.2
analyse developments in technology (e.g., sonar, seismology, magnetometers) or Earth science endeavours (e.g., Lithoprobe, Geosat, Ocean Drilling Program) that have contributed to our understanding of Earth’s interior, crust, and surface [AI, C]
F1.3
analyse the relationship between human activities and various geological structures and processes
F1.3
propose ways in which the relationships can be effectively or sustainably managed
F2.1
use appropriate terminology related to geo- logical processes, including, but not limited to: shear forces, compression forces, liquifaction, Benioff zone, aquifer, internal plastic flow, basal slip, mid- oceanic ridge, bedding, cross-cutting, isostasy, and lithification [C]
F2.2
investigate the difference between weather- ing and erosion (e.g., weathering occurs when the edge of a riverbank disintegrates from the force of the water; erosion occurs when the water transports the soil downstream), and construct models of the processes of physical, chemical, and biological weathering (e.g., tap water dripping on a bar of soap; vinegar drip- ping on a marble chip; dried beans soaking in a sealed plastic jar) [PR]
F2.3
produce a model showing simple sediment- ary sequences (e.g., successive layering, sorted sequences), using block diagrams or three- dimensional models (e.g., layering as sand settles in an aquarium) [PR, C]
F2.4
investigate, through laboratory inquiry or computer simulation, the main types of seismic waves, and produce a model (e.g., using 3D block diagrams or springs and ropes) to illustrate for each the nature of its propagation, the transfer of energy, and its movement through rocks [PR, C]
F2.5
locate the epicentre of an earthquake, given the appropriate seismographic data (e.g., the travel-time curves to three recording stations for a single event) [AI]
F2.6
produce a scale model (e.g., a 3D block diagram) of the interior of Earth, differentiating between the layers and their characteristics (e.g., label cross-sections with the dimensions of the crust, mantle, and inner and outer core, and add travel-time curves for various seismic waves to provide data on the characteristics of the individual layers) [PR, C]
F2.7
design and test models that show the types (i.e., falls, slides, or flows) and causes (e.g., effect of gravity [angle of repose], water content, earthquakes) of mass wasting [IP, PR, AI]
F2.8
analyse information from a plan view (e.g., topographic map, air photo, geologic map) and sectional view (e.g., cross section, block diagram) in order to deduce the geologic history of an area [AI]
F3.1
describe the types of boundaries (convergent, divergent, transform) between lithospheric plates, and explain the types of internal Earth processes occurring at each (e.g., subduction, divergence, convergence, hot spot activity, folding, faulting)
F3.2
describe the characteristics of the main types of seismic waves (i.e., P- and S-waves; R- and L-waves), and explain the different modes of travel, travel times, and types of motion asso- ciated with each
F3.3
compare qualitative and quantitative methods used to measure earthquake intensity and magni- tude (e.g., the Mercalli Scale, the Richter Scale)
F3.4
explain how different erosional processes contribute to changing landscapes (e.g., channel erosion, mass-wasting events)
F3.5
identify and describe types of sediment transport (e.g., water, wind, glacial) and the types of load (i.e., dissolved load, suspended load, bed load) as sediment is moved by each type of transport
F3.6
describe the landforms produced by water, wind, or ice erosion
F3.7
describe the sedimentary structures formed by wind, water, or ice deposition
F3.8
identify major areas of tectonic activity in the world by plotting the location of major recorded earthquakes and active volcanoes on a map, and distinguish the areas by type of tectonic activity (e.g., Japan – convergent boundary; Iceland – divergent boundary; California – transform boundary)
F3.9
explain the processes of continuous recycling of major rock types (i.e., the rock cycle) through- out Earth history

Key ideas

  1. Technologies monitor and predict earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

  2. Key terms include shear and compression forces, liquefaction, Benioff zone, aquifer, internal plastic flow, basal slip, mid-oceanic ridge, isostasy, and lithification.

  3. Evaluating them judges their accuracy and reliability.

  4. Precise terms let you describe internal and surface processes.

  5. Technologies (sonar, seismology, magnetometers) and endeavours (Lithoprobe, Geosat) reveal Earth's interior and surface.

Watch out for

  • Assuming monitoring technology is perfectly accurate.
  • Confusing shear with compression forces.
  • Not distinguishing accuracy from reliability.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Which course?

Ontario has 6 science courses for Grade 12. Here they are side by side.

What a university, college or program asks for is theirs to say: check its admission page, and your school’s course guide.

The official curriculum

This page follows Ontario’s own curriculum for Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation.

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MapleMind teaches Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation 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.

Geography of Canada, Grade 9 in the MapleMind app on a tablet: its units, Unit 2 open, and the skills done so far with their starsGeography of Canada, Grade 9 in the MapleMind app on a phone: its units, Unit 2 open, and the skills done so far with their stars
Pictured: Geography of Canada, Grade 9, another Ontario course, partway through Unit 2.

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Questions about Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation

What is Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation?

Ontario’s Grade 12 science course: 6 units and 88 skills, from Investigation Skills and Careers to Geological Processes.

What units are in Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation?

1. Investigation Skills and Careers, 2. Astronomy (Science of the Universe), 3. Planetary Science (Science of the Solar System), 4. Recording Earth's Geological History, 5. Earth Materials and 6. Geological Processes.

Is there a provincial exam for Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation?

No. Ontario gives no provincial exam for Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation.

Can MapleMind help with Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation?

Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation, 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.

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