This course enhances students’ understanding of concepts in biology, chemistry, earth and space science, and physics, and of the interrelationships between science, technology, society, and the environment.
Courses Type:Academic Preparation
Prerequisite: SNC1D , or SNC1P
This course is designed to provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge as well as a development of an attitude that supports these skills and knowledge responsibly. The course design is geared to meet and exceed the prerequisite requirements for studying science at an academic level. The framework of course delivery focuses the “big ideas” through the lens of the three goals of the science program as outlined on page 4 of the Ontario Ministry of Education document: (1) To relate science to technology, society, and the environment (2) To develop the skills, strategies, and habits of mind required for scientific inquiry (3) To understand the basic concepts of science. The organization of the course is packaged into four distinct units which correspond directly with the Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10 Science document. In addition, a pre-unit has been added to review and assess the knowledge and skills of students prior to commencing the actual grade 10 course material. As outlined in Growing Success, 2010, teachers will provide an assessment for learning task at the beginning of the course; after the pre-unit. Teachers will be able to use the results of this diagnostic to identify gaps in concepts for learners and provide opportunities to bridge these gaps preparing all learners to be successful in the Grade 10 academic science course by establishing a strong prerequisite foundation.
Course Features
- Lectures 0
- Quizzes 0
- Duration 10 weeks
- Skill level All levels
- Language English
- Students 10
- Assessments Yes
Features
- Teachers will bring enthusiasm and varied teaching and assessment approaches to the classroom, addressing individual students’ needs and ensuring sound learning opportunities for every student. The activities offered should enable students to relate and apply these concepts to the social, environmental, and economical conditions and concerns of the world in which they live. Opportunities to relate knowledge and skills to these wider contexts will motivate students to learn in a meaningful way and to become life-long learners. Teachers will help students understand that problem solving of any kind often requires a considerable expenditure of time and energy and a good deal of perseverance. Teachers also will encourage students to investigate, to reason, to explore alternative solutions and to take the risks necessary to become successful problem solvers. Effective instructional approaches and learning activities draw on students’ prior knowledge, capture their interest, and encourage meaningful practise both inside and outside the classroom. Students will be engaged when they are able to see the connection between the scientific concepts they are learning and their application in the world around them and in real-life situations. Due to its importance, students will have opportunities to learn in a variety of ways- individually, cooperatively, independently, with teacher direction, through hands-on experiences, and through examples followed by practice. The approaches and strategies teachers use will vary according to both the object of the learning and the needs of the students. Teachers will accomplish this in online environment with the use of: virtual labs, online simulations, animations, videos, discussion forums, live chat and other interactive objects.
Target audiences
- As summarized in Growing Success 2010, the primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. Information gathered through assessment helps teachers to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses in their achievement of the curriculum expectations in each course. This information also serves to guide teachers in adapting curriculum and instructional approaches to students’ needs and in assessing the overall effectiveness of programs and classroom practices. As part of assessment, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback that guides their efforts towards improvement. Evaluation refers to the process of judging the quality of student work on the basis of established criteria, and assigning a value to represent that quality. All curriculum expectations must be accounted for in instruction, but evaluation focuses on students’ achievement of the overall expectations. A students’ achievement of the overall expectations is evaluated on the basis of his or her achievement of related specific expectations. Teachers will use their professional judgement to determine which specific expectations should be used to evaluate achievement of overall expectations, and which ones will be covered in instruction and assessment but not necessarily evaluated. In order to ensure that assessment and evaluation are valid and reliable, and that they lead to the improvement of student learning, teachers must use assessment and evaluation strategies that: Address both what students learn and how well they learn Are based both on the categories of knowledge and skills and on the achievement level descriptions given in the achievement chart Are varied in nature, administered over a period of time, and designed to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning Are appropriate for the learning activities used, the purposes of instruction, and the needs and experiences of the students Are fair to all students Accommodate students with special education needs, consistent with the strategies outlined in their Individual Education Plan Accommodate the needs of students who are learning the language of instruction Ensure that each student is given clear directions for improvement Promote students’ ability to assess their own learning and to set specific goals Include the use of samples of students’ work that provide evidence of their achievement Are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the school year and at other appropriate points throughout the school year. The achievement chart outlines four categories of knowledge and skills. They include; knowledge and understanding, thinking, communication and application. Teachers will ensure that student work is assessed and/or evaluated in a balanced manner with respect to the four categories, and that achievement of particular expectations is considered within the appropriate categories. A final grade is recorded for this course, and a credit is granted and recorded for this course if the student’s grade is 50% or higher. The final grade for this course will be determined as follows: Seventy percent of the grade will be based on evaluations conducted throughout the course. This portion of the grade should reflect the student’s most consistent level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration should be given to more recent evidence of achievement. Thirty percent of the grade will be based on a final evaluation and administered towards the end of the course.