Investigates the possibility of life on other worlds, and the effects living things have on their environment. The underlying theme is the universality of scientific knowledge and its ability to lead us to reasonable hypotheses.
Producers: Alberta Advanced Education
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Science Skills
Reviews the skills needed to: measure the meniscus, measure with a ruler and weigh with non-digital scales; recognize significant digits; prepare a wet mount slide and view it through a microscope; use tables and graphs to record and analyse information.
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The Periodic Table
Reviews Mendeleev’s periodic table and the theory of the nuclear structure of the atom. An examination of Bohr’s model of the atom explains how this theory led to the organization of the modern periodic table. Students use the periodic table to make predictions about the chemical properties and reactions of representative elements.
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Reaction Equations
Discusses formation and decomposition reactions: how to predict and test compound classification as ionic, molecular, acid or base; how to name the compounds involved; the law of conservation of mass; and how to balance equations.
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Combustion and Replacement Reactions
Compares combustion reactions to respiration, explores solubility, explains polyatomic ions and multi-valent metals, and investigates single and double replacement reactions.
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Matter and Energy on the Move
Examines the movement of matter into and out of living cells across a semipermeable membrane and the role energy plays. The concepts of diffusion, osmosis, concentration gradients, and active and passive transport are explained and demonstrated.
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A Close-up View of Growth
Explains how to prepare a wet mount slide, use stains to examine the features of plant and animal cells, and calculate magnification, field to view and scale. Examines the growth, division, and differentiation of cells.
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Water’s Structure
Reveals that water is a polar molecule, attracted to both positive and negative charges. Bohr’s model explains how hydrogen and oxygen form a covalent bond. This leads to a description of how hydrogen bonds give water its extraordinary qualities.
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Water: The Highway of Life
Shows how the ability of water to dissolve substances makes it the primary system of transport in living organisms. The process of diffusion is described and a lab performed to show the rate of diffusion in gelatin.
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Water Through the Ecosystem
Examines how transpiration affects climate. Explores the properties of semi-permeable membranes, and relates these to living cells. Discusses how plants adapt to climate and the effect of large bodies of water on climate patterns.