Life Systems

The Life Systems strand combines the study of traditional topics in life science or biology (e.g., animals, plants, ecosystems, and cells) with technology as it relates to basic human needs (e.g., the need for food, shelter, and clothing). Students begin their study of life systems with aspects that are familiar to them (e.g., animals and plants in their environment, their own bodies) and gradually move on to study global or abstract aspects, such as ecosystems, and less readily visible aspects, such as the microscopic world of cells. Of particular importance in the Life Systems strand is the investigation of interactions between living things and their environment.

The topics covered in this strand are:

Grade 1: Characteristics and Needs of Living Things
Grade 2: Growth and Changes in Animals
Grade 3: Growth and Changes in Plants
Grade 4: Habitats and Communities
Grade 5: Human Organ Systems
Grade 6: Diversity of Living Things
Grade 7: Interactions Within Ecosystems
Grade 8: Cells, Tissues, Organs, and Systems

Investigations are a very important part of the Life Systems strand. In the early elementary grades, these take the form of explorations of familiar living things. As students gain the necessary knowledge and skills, their investigations become more complex and more methodical and include laboratory experiments.

It is important that students follow established safety practices in all investigations. These practices include:

• washing one’s hands after handling plants, animals, and soils;
• following instructions for touching or smelling any substances under investigation;
• working only with supervision near a pond or other body of water during outdoor activities.

It is also important that students ensure that appropriate school staff are informed of any allergies they may have, and take those allergies into consideration when handling plants, animals, and substances. (In the case of younger students, parents and guardians should ensure that appropriate school staff are informed of any allergies.)

The Life Systems strand includes study of the relationship between science and technology and the role of science and technology in the broader world context, as well as the impact of technological changes on the environment and the need for sustainable development.

In all grades, students will develop the ability to use language to communicate clearly and to use scientific terminology appropriately.

Life Systems: Grade 1 – Characteristics and Needs of Living Things

Overview

The study of Life Systems in Grade 1 focuses on an investigation of the characteristics and basic needs of living things. Students will explore aspects of movement and behaviour in humans and other animals, and will learn about their nutritional requirements. Students will also explore some basic aspects of growth in animals and plants. In all their investigations, students will continually refine their ability to observe, using all five senses, and will attempt to describe their observations as accurately as possible.

Overall Expectations

By the end of Grade 1, students will:

• demonstrate an understanding of the basic needs of animals and plants (e.g., the need for food, air, and water);
• investigate the characteristics and needs of animals and plants;
• demonstrate awareness that animals and plants depend on their environment to meet their basic needs, and describe the requirements for good health for humans.

Specific Expectations

Life Systems: Grade 7 – Interactions Within Ecosystems

Overview

The study of ecosystems is an introduction to the study of ecology and involves investigation of the complex interactions between all types of organisms and their environment. Students will learn that ecosystems consist of communities of plants and animals that are dependent on each other as well as on the non-living parts of the environment. They will also learn that groups of ecosystems make up biomes, which, in turn, are components of the biosphere. In investigating ecosystems, students will examine the effects of natural factors, such as climate changes, as well as the impact of technological changes on the environment.

Overall Expectations

By the end of Grade 7, students will:

• demonstrate an understanding of the interactions of plants, animals, fungi, and micro- organisms in an ecosystem;
• investigate the interactions in an ecosystem, and identify factors that affect the balance among the components of an ecosystem (e.g., forest fires, parasites);
• demonstrate an understanding of the effects of human activities and technological innovations, as well as the effects of changes that take place naturally, on the sustainability of ecosystems.

Specific Expectations

Understanding Basic Concepts

By the end of Grade 7, students will:

• identify living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) elements in an ecosystem;
• identify populations of organisms within an ecosystem and the factors that contribute to their survival in that ecosystem;
• identify and explain the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in food chains and their effects on the environment (e.g., plants as producers in ponds);
• explain the importance of microorganisms in recycling organic matter (e.g., as decomposers);
• identify micro-organisms as beneficial (e.g., yeast) and/or harmful (e.g., bacteria or viruses that cause disease);
• interpret food webs that show the transfer of energy among several food chains, and evaluate the effects of the elimination or weakening of any part of the food web;
• describe the process of cycling carbon and water in the biosphere;
• investigate ways in which natural communities within ecosystems can change, and explain how such changes can affect animal and plant populations (e.g., changes affecting their life span, their gestation periods, or their ability to compete successfully);
• identify signs of ecological succession in a local ecosystem (e.g., the presence of blueberries in an area recently devastated by fire; the presence of pioneer organisms that start the process of succession in sand dunes).

Developing Skills of Inquiry, Design, and Communication

By the end of Grade 7, students will:

• formulate questions about and identify the needs of various living things in an ecosystem, and explore possible answers to these questions and ways of meeting these needs (e.g., research the population levels of a species over time and predict its future levels on the basis of past trends and present conditions; determine how the structure of specific plants helps them withstand high winds, live on the surface of water, or compete for sunlight);
• plan investigations for some of these answers and solutions, identifying variables that need to be held constant to ensure a fair test and identifying criteria for assessing solutions;
• use appropriate vocabulary, including correct science and technology terminology, to communicate ideas, procedures, and results (e.g., use scientific terms such as biosphere, biome, ecosystem, species);
• compile qualitative and quantitative data gathered through investigation in order to record and present results, using diagrams, flow charts, frequency tables, bar graphs, line graphs, and stem-and-leaf plots produced by hand or with a computer (e.g., use a chart to record the number of producers and consumers in a particular habitat);
• communicate the procedures and results of investigations for specific purposes and to specific audiences, using media works, oral presentations, written notes and descriptions, charts, graphs, and drawings (e.g., design a multimedia presentation explaining the interrelationships of biotic and abiotic elements in a specific ecosystem).

Relating Science and Technology to the World Outside the School

By the end of Grade 7, students will:

• investigate the impact of the use of technology on the environment (e.g., the “greenhouse effect”; redirection of water flow for human needs; use of pesticides);
• investigate the bio-economical costs and benefits of the recycling and waste- disposal industries;
• explain the importance of plants as sources of energy (e.g., food, fossil fuels), as producers of carbohydrates and oxygen (e.g., phytoplankton), and as habitats for wildlife;
• describe the conditions in an ecosystem that are essential to the growth and reproduction of plants and micro-organisms, and show the connection between these conditions and various aspects of the food supply for humans;
• identify the importance of plants in the Canadian economy (e.g., in farming, forestry, drug manufacturing, the nursery industry) and describe the impact of the industrial use of plants on the environment;
• explain the long-term effects of the loss of natural habitats and the extinction of species (e.g., loss of diversity of genetic material, both plant and animal);
• identify and explain economic, environmental and social factors that should be considered in the management and preservation of habitats (e.g., the need for recycling; the need for people to have employment).