Ontario Grade 11 SVN3M Environmental Science (Grade 11, University/College Preparation)

1. A. Scientific Investigation Skills and Career Exploration

A1 Scientific Investigation Skills · A2 Career Exploration

• The Scientific Method – The scientific method is the careful way scientists find out how the world works. Observe something, ask a testable question, make a hypothesis (a clear, testable guess), test it with a fair experiment (change one variable, measure one, keep the rest the same), repeat and record data, analyse it, draw a conclusion and share it so others can check. Results that fail the test are useful too: they send you back to a new hypothesis.

2. B. Scientific Solutions to Contemporary Environmental Challenges

B1 Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment · B2 Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication · B3 Understanding Basic Concepts

• Environmental Stewardship: Caring for the Planet as We Use Technology – Environmental stewardship means using the Earth's resources carefully so they last, and fixing harm where we can. Every product, from a phone to a hospital machine, has a life cycle: raw materials, making, transport, use and end of life. Each stage uses energy and makes waste. Good stewards keep products longer, choose efficient machines, follow the waste hierarchy (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, then dispose), send e-waste to proper recyclers and support laws and company practices that protect nature. Technology can harm the environment, but it can also help: solar panels, LEDs and smart sensors cut waste.

3. C. Human Health and the Environment

C1 Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment · C2 Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication · C3 Understanding Basic Concepts

• Environmental Stewardship: Caring for the Planet as We Use Technology – Environmental stewardship means using the Earth's resources carefully so they last, and fixing harm where we can. Every product, from a phone to a hospital machine, has a life cycle: raw materials, making, transport, use and end of life. Each stage uses energy and makes waste. Good stewards keep products longer, choose efficient machines, follow the waste hierarchy (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, then dispose), send e-waste to proper recyclers and support laws and company practices that protect nature. Technology can harm the environment, but it can also help: solar panels, LEDs and smart sensors cut waste.

4. D. Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry

D1 Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment · D2 Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication · D3 Understanding Basic Concepts

Coming soon

5. E. Reducing and Managing Waste

E1 Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment · E2 Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication · E3 Understanding Basic Concepts

• Ozone Layer Depletion and Waste Management – High above us, ozone (O₃) blocks harmful UV rays, but CFCs thin it; on the ground, biodegradable waste breaks down naturally while non-biodegradable waste stays for years, so we must reduce, reuse, recycle and segregate.

6. F. Conservation of Energy

F1 Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment · F2 Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication · F3 Understanding Basic Concepts

• Minerals and Energy Resources – Minerals are natural substances found in rocks. They are metallic (ferrous or non-ferrous), non-metallic, or energy minerals. Energy comes from conventional sources like coal, petroleum, natural gas and electricity, and from non-conventional sources like sun, wind, nuclear, biogas, tides and heat from the Earth. Both minerals and energy must be conserved.