Courses

Quebec · Secondary 4

Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4

  • 558-404

Quebec’s Secondary 4 science course, from The Living World to The Technological World.

Learn thisPractice test
Units
4
Lessons
8
Skills
29
Provincial exam
None
Official curriculum
quebec.ca

Unit by unit

Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.

Unit 1 · 6 skills

The Living World

Ecological footprint and ecotoxicology

Mendelian genetics and heredity

  • Heredity, genes, alleles and cross-breeding

    I can explain heredity through genes and alleles and how cross-breeding changes traits.

    1.4

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  • Genotype, phenotype, dominance and recessivity

    I can predict a trait from alleles using dominance and relate genotype to phenotype.

    1.5

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Protein synthesis and DNA

    I can explain protein synthesis from DNA and how it can be disrupted.

    1.6

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The official wording · 6 outcomes
1.1
The ecological footprint is a tool for evaluating the actual impact of human activity on ecosystems
1.2
Ecotoxicology is the study of the long-term effects of certain chronic pollutants on ecosystems
1.3
Bioaccumulation
1.4
Plant and animal cross-breeding can foster the emergence of a useful trait in the majority of individuals in a species
1.5
two identical alleles of a given gene, the offspring is homozygotic for this gene and the trait borne by the alleles
1.6
modify its observable anatomical, morphological and physiological characteristics, or its phenotype

Key ideas

  1. The ecological footprint evaluates the actual impact of human activity on ecosystems, for balanced resource management.

  2. Cross-breeding and genetic engineering can add, remove or modify traits in a population; genes are the building blocks of heredity that control character traits.

  3. It is the biologically productive surface needed to sustain an individual or population and absorb its waste.

  4. Each gene in a eukaryotic cell has two alleles that can vary; the concepts are heredity, allele, character trait and cross-breeding.

  5. This also covers: ecological footprint as the biologically productive surface of the Earth necessary to ensure the standard of living of an individual or a population.

Watch out for

  • Thinking the ecological footprint measures only land you physically occupy.
  • Thinking a trait acquired during life is inherited by offspring.
  • Thinking waste elimination is not part of the footprint.

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

Unit 2 · 13 skills

The Material World

Electrolytes, reactions and stoichiometry

Atomic structure, periodicity and bonds

Nuclear transformations and electricity

The official wording · 13 outcomes
2.1
Strength of electrolytes
2.2
Oxidation
2.3
Endothermic and exothermic reactions
2.4
The quantities of matter that are involved in a chemical reaction are
2.5
around the nucleus in electron shells that correspond to different energy levels
2.6
The tendency
2.7
Matter is also organized at a molecular and ionic level
2.8
Types of bonds
2.9
Transformations of matter are considered “nuclear” when they occur in the nucleus of the atom
2.10
The force of attraction or repulsion is directly
2.11
Kirchhoff’s and Ohm’s laws enable us to determine the intensity and
2.12
Relationship between work, force and travel
2.13
Relationship between heat energy, specific heat

Key ideas

  1. Electrolytes differ in strength by how fully they dissociate into ions in solution.

  2. Electrons occupy shells at different energy levels; the simplified atomic model adds the neutron to give all three particle types.

  3. Nuclear transformations occur in the nucleus when nucleon cohesion cannot hold it stable; new nuclei form (heavier in fusion, lighter in fission).

  4. This underpins how environmental solutions conduct electricity and react.

  5. Atomic number counts protons and distinguishes elements; isotopes share atomic number but differ in neutrons and mass.

Watch out for

  • Thinking all electrolytes conduct equally.
  • Thinking isotopes of an element have different chemical properties.
  • Thinking a nuclear change is just a fast chemical reaction.

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

Unit 3 · 3 skills

The Earth and Space

Soil, water and air contamination

The official wording · 3 outcomes
3.1
Some agricultural and forestry practices reduce the soil’s ability to accommodate healthy vegetation
3.2
Lakes, waterways and wetlands are dynamic systems home to a variety of species
3.3
The different substances emitted during the combustion of fossil fuels have harmful effects at the local, regional and planetary levels

Key ideas

  1. Overcutting and poor practices deplete soil, eroding topsoil and stripping minerals and microorganisms.

  2. Buffering capacity is the soil's ability to limit pH change and postpone contamination; acid rain lowers it; the phosphorus cycle moves phosphorus through the system.

  3. This also covers: phosphorus cycle; soil depletion; buffering capacity of the soil; contamination; contamination by persistent organic compounds or heavy metals can modify the properties of the soil.

  4. Aquatic ecosystems can transform some biodegradable waste, but excess toxic substances or heat permanently unbalance them; effects depend on the pollutant's nature and concentration.

  5. Excess phosphates or nitrates trigger cyanobacteria and eutrophication - algae growth, rising biomass and falling dissolved oxygen.

Watch out for

  • Thinking soil is an inert medium.
  • Thinking soil can absorb unlimited contamination without changing.
  • Thinking a lake can absorb any nutrient runoff.

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

Unit 4 · 7 skills

The Technological World

Drawings, heat treatments and manufacturing

Cloning and wastewater biodegradation

The official wording · 7 outcomes
4.1
Representing objects in exploded view enables us to easily visualize each component
4.2
Adhesion and friction between the parts
4.3
Heat treatments, such as quenching and tempering, make it possible to improve the mechanical properties of steel
4.4
The concepts associated with manufacturing are important prerequisites
4.5
diameter before tapping. Measurement requires the use of instruments such as vernier calipers and fosters greater precision during machining operations
4.6
Cloning generally refers to the reproduction of an individual, a cell tissue, a cell or even a gene
4.7
The depollution of wastewater requires a series of steps involving physical, physico-chemical and biological treatments

Key ideas

  1. Exploded views visualize each component; orthogonal projection underlies detail, assembly and isometric drawings.

  2. Cloning reproduces an organism, tissue, cell or gene; offspring are genetically identical.

  3. Assembly drawings validate solutions before manufacturing; dimensional tolerances set the limits a dimension must fall within, so imperfect machines still make interchangeable parts.

  4. Plant cloning via in vitro culture introduces useful traits; animal and therapeutic cloning aid research and medicine, raising ethical questions.

  5. This also covers: dimensional tolerances; the imperfection of machines makes it necessary to set limits within which a dimension must fall; interchangeability.

Watch out for

  • Thinking a dimension can be manufactured to an exact value with no tolerance.
  • Thinking cloned offspring are genetically varied.
  • Thinking an exploded view shows the object in operation.

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

Which course?

Quebec has 4 science courses for Secondary 4. 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 Quebec’s own curriculum for Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4.

Programme optionnel Science et technologie de l'environnement, Program Contentquebec.ca · Read August 8, 2026

Study it in MapleMind

MapleMind teaches Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4 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.

Mathematics, Secondary 3 in the MapleMind app on a tablet: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their starsMathematics, Secondary 3 in the MapleMind app on a phone: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their stars
Pictured: Mathematics, Secondary 3, another Quebec course, partway through Unit 1.

Practise it

Course Companion

Your year in one workbook

A fun way to keep Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4 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
29
Fillable fields
1,394
Price
$4.99
See the Course Companion

Questions about Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4

What is Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4?

Quebec’s Secondary 4 science course: 4 units and 29 skills, from The Living World to The Technological World.

What units are in Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4?

1. The Living World, 2. The Material World, 3. The Earth and Space and 4. The Technological World.

Is there a provincial exam for Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4?

No. Quebec gives no provincial exam for Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4.

What comes after Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4?

Chemistry, Secondary 5 and Physics, Secondary 5.

Can MapleMind help with Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4?

Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Environmental Science and Technology, Secondary 4, 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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