Courses

Quebec · Secondary 4

Science and the Environment, Secondary 4

  • 558-402

Quebec’s Secondary 4 science course, from The Living World to The Earth and Space.

Learn thisPractice test
Units
3
Lessons
6
Skills
20
Provincial exam
None
Official curriculum
quebec.ca

Unit by unit

Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.

Unit 1 · 3 skills

The Living World

Ecology and ecotoxicology

The official wording · 3 outcomes
1.1
A grasp of the concept of ecotoxicology, as well as the concepts of population, dynamics of communities and dynamics of ecosystems (studied in the basic program), enable students to understand the levels of organization of living organisms
1.2
Ecotoxicology is the study of the long-term effects of certain chronic pollutants on ecosystems
1.3
While some contaminants may degrade naturally, others (e.g. phosphates and mercury) accumulate in ecosystems, living organisms, waterways, lakes and ponds

Key ideas

  1. Ecology organizes environmental study through populations, communities and ecosystems.

  2. It reveals the levels of organization of organisms, their relationship with the environment and the effects of human activity.

  3. This also covers: the environmental topics proposed in this program can be studied using the general concept of ecology; their relationship with the environment and the effects of human activity on these organisms.

  4. Ecotoxicology studies the long-term effects of chronic pollutants on ecosystems.

  5. It underpins understanding of conservation and biodiversity challenges.

Watch out for

  • Thinking ecology is only about individual organisms.
  • Thinking human activity is outside the ecological frame.
  • Thinking a 'natural' pollutant cannot be toxic.

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

Unit 2 · 13 skills

The Material World

Solutions, electrolytes and pH

Chemical changes, conservation and stoichiometry

  • Chemical changes: precipitation, decomposition and synthesis

    I can explain chemical changes and the precipitation, decomposition and synthesis reactions.

    2.4

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  • Photosynthesis, respiration and neutralization

    I can explain photosynthesis, respiration and acid-base neutralization.

    2.5

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  • Conservation of mass and balancing equations

    I can apply conservation of mass to balance a chemical equation.

    2.6

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  • Stoichiometry and the mole

    I can use stoichiometry and the mole to calculate quantities in a reaction.

    2.7

    Learn itPractice testActivities

Atomic structure and bonds

Work, energy and heat

  • Work, energy transformation and conservation

    I can apply the work-energy relationships and conservation of energy.

    2.12

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Heat, temperature and specific heat

    I can distinguish heat from temperature and apply the specific-heat relationship.

    2.13

    Learn itPractice testActivities
The official wording · 13 outcomes
2.1
The solubility of a solid or gas is measured in grams of solute per volume of solvent and varies according to temperature
2.2
Concentration is expressed in parts per million (ppm), as a percentage, in grams or in moles of solute per litre of solution
2.3
Some substances dissolved in water conduct electricity
2.4
The chemical properties of a substance or group of substances are based on the chemical changes that occur when they come into contact with each other
2.5
Photosynthesis and respiration
2.6
The number of atoms of each element and their mass, however, remain the same
2.7
This makes it possible to balance chemical equations.The quantities of matter that are involved in a chemical reaction are calculated (in moles and grams)
2.8
Simplified atomic model
2.9
Some atoms in a given element, called isotopes, differ from the others in the number of neutrons they have and, therefore, in their atomic mass
2.10
The tendency of atoms to acquire the peripheral electronic structure of the neighbouring inert gas, through the loss, gain or sharing of electrons, is determined by the number and arrangement of the electrons in the atoms
2.11
The nomenclature and notation of the formulas of various compounds, including those made up of the most common polyatomic ions, are based on accepted rules
2.12
Energy occurs in a number of forms in the environment, but it always corresponds to the amount of work a system is likely to produce
2.13
A warm body exhibits a characteristic behaviour: as it cools, it warms cooler bodies with which it is in contact

Key ideas

  1. Solubility is the mass of solute that dissolves per volume of solvent; it varies with temperature.

  2. A chemical change makes products with properties different from the reagents, because atoms rearrange into new substances.

  3. The elementary particles are the proton, electron and neutron; the simplified atomic model organizes them around a nucleus.

  4. Energy corresponds to the work a system can produce; work involves force and motion and equals the energy transformed.

  5. Solution properties depend on the nature and proportion of their constituents.

Watch out for

  • Thinking solubility is fixed regardless of temperature.
  • Thinking products keep the properties of the reagents.
  • Thinking the neutron carries a charge.

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

Unit 3 · 4 skills

The Earth and Space

Soil, water and atmosphere

The official wording · 4 outcomes
3.1
The layers we see in a core sample, called horizons, differ in structure and composition
3.2
The buffering capacity of the soil is its ability to limit pH variations, which enables it to postpone the consequences of contamination
3.3
Lakes, waterways and wetlands are dynamic systems home to a variety of species
3.4
Atmospheric circulation

Key ideas

  1. Soil horizons differ in structure and composition; a soil profile shows how chemical elements circulate and how the soil will evolve.

  2. Humidity, pH and mineral content regulate the biological activity essential for feeding organisms.

  3. This also covers: soil profile (horizons); studying a soil profile helps us understand the circulation of chemical elements in the soil; humidity, pH and mineral content help regulate the biological activity of soils.

  4. Buffering capacity is the soil's ability to limit pH change and postpone contamination; its measurement indicates fertility.

  5. Persistent organic compounds, heavy metals and acid rain degrade the soil's properties and buffering capacity.

Watch out for

  • Thinking soil is a uniform, unlayered medium.
  • Thinking a soil profile is just its surface.
  • Thinking soil can buffer unlimited acid input.

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 Science and the Environment, Secondary 4.

Programme optionnel Science et environnement, Compulsory Conceptsquebec.ca · Read August 8, 2026

Study it in MapleMind

MapleMind teaches Science and the Environment, 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 Science and the Environment, 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
24
Fillable fields
1,208
Price
$4.99
See the Course Companion

Questions about Science and the Environment, Secondary 4

What is Science and the Environment, Secondary 4?

Quebec’s Secondary 4 science course: 3 units and 20 skills, from The Living World to The Earth and Space.

What units are in Science and the Environment, Secondary 4?

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

Is there a provincial exam for Science and the Environment, Secondary 4?

No. Quebec gives no provincial exam for Science and the Environment, Secondary 4.

What comes after Science and the Environment, Secondary 4?

Chemistry, Secondary 5 and Physics, Secondary 5.

Can MapleMind help with Science and the Environment, Secondary 4?

Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Science and the Environment, 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.

Before this course

After this course

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