Alberta - Grade 7 Science - FULL YEAR BUNDLE

GOOGLE AND PDF VERSIONS BOTH INCLUDED!

This bundle covers all expectations in the Alberta Grade 7 Science Curriculum.

These massive units contains readings, diagrams, experiments, true/false, and much more!

Most importantly, we have made cross-curriculum connections to the grade 7 language program. Students will practice reading comprehension strategies (making connections, questioning, visualizing, and inferencing) as they work through this unit.

Check out the previews of these units to learn more about how it can benefit your students. We know you will love this no-prep, just print or upload to Google, time-saving resource!

Interactions and Ecosystems

Some of the concepts that are covered:

• What is an ecosystem?
• Types of ecosystems (aquatic, terrestrial, rotting log, forests, etc.)
• Biotic and abiotic factors in ecosystems
• Biodiversity in ecosystems
• Analyzing ecosystems – how the abiotic factors influence the biotic factors
• Comparing local habitats – undisturbed habitats versus habitats with heavy-use
• Food chain in different ecosystems
• Nutrient cycle - Role of decomposers
• Water cycle and carbon cycle
• Finding examples of water and carbon cycling in a local ecosystem
• Decomposers, producers, consumers – all the way up to apex predators
• The effects of altering food chains
• Overfishing effects on ocean food chains
• Cycle of matter leading to sustainability
• Primary Succession and Secondary Succession
• Carrying capacity of ecosystems
• Human activities affecting ecosystems – Invasive species in Alberta (brown rat/Norway rat)
• Reforestation and clearcutting – human activities affecting ecosystems
• Creating infographic about deforestation
• Livestock farming – Effects on sustainability
• Factory farming - Effects on sustainability
• Researching – Silvopastures vs Factory Farms
• Pesticides in modern agricultural
• How we use technologies to help ecosystems
• How vehicles (technologies) affect ecosystems
• Promoting biodiversity - learning from Indigenous practices
• STEM Activities
• Hands on experiments – building a bird feeder and an ecosystem in a bottle
• Reading and writing code
• STEM Assignment – designing a robot camera
• Unit test
• Answer pages for all activities

Plants for Food and Fibre

Some of the concepts that are covered:

• Basic needs of plants – light, water, air, space, and warmth
• Parts of a plant – diagram
• How we use plants – medicine, food, clothing, shelter
• Indigenous use of plants
• Why plants need animals
• Why animals need plants
• How plants are grown – farms, greenhouses, and gardens
• Experiment – growing plants in different environments
• Long-term effects of irrigation
• Seed plant life cycle
• Bulb plant life cycle
• Plant classification – flowering vs non-flowering
• Vascular vs non-vascular plants
• Plant parts – roots, stem, leaves, flowers and seeds
• Plant profile – how a cactus can survive in extreme environments
• Photosynthesis
• Transpiration – diffusion and osmosis
• Experiment – tasty leaves
• What is in our soil
• Soil profiles – sandy soil, silt soil, clay soil, and loamy soil
• Types of soil certain plants need
• Experiment – soil composition test
• Experiment - Investigating the components of soil
• STEM – soil testing technologies
• Coding – soil testing machine
• Additives in soil – fertilizers and pesticides
• Experiment - Pop bottle composter
• Pesticides – effects on soil/plants
• Environmental challenges to plants – light, temperature, construction, drought
• Hydroponics
• Selective breeding
• Monocultural farming
• Crop rotations
• Plant propagation - root cuttings, stem cuttings, seeds, division, suckers
• Indigenous agricultural practices promoting sustainability
• Locally grown food
• Two billion trees
• Robotic bees – pollination
• Invasive species – Phragmites
• Unit test
• Answer pages for all activities

Heat and Temperature

Some of the concepts that are covered:

• Why humans need heat
• The history of heat use – campfires, fireplaces, stoves, furnaces, central heating systems
• Heat-related technologies – hair and clothes dryers, stoves, oven mitts, ski suits, protective equipment
• Industrial heat processes – metallurgy, cement, glass
• What is thermal energy?
• The Particle Theory of Matter
• Heat transfer and the Particle Theory
• Thermal energy experiment
• Heat vs temperature – what is the difference?
• How heat is generated
• Effects of heat on states of matter
• Thermal expansion and thermal contraction in matter
• Convection – heat transfer examples in our everyday lives
• Convection – hot air balloon
• Sea breeze and land breezes – convection
• Science experiment – convection in action
• Conduction – travel mug example
• Thermal conductivity versus thermal resistivity
• Radiation – heat transfer from the Sun
• Heat transfer – convection, conduction, and radiation (real life examples)
• Assignment – creating a heat transfer infographic
• Ocean currents and climate – convection
• The Sun’s heat affecting the water cycle
• The Greenhouse Effect
• Human activities creating greenhouse gases
• Research assignment – greenhouse gas emissions per country
• Renewable and non-renewable sources of energy used to heat our homes
• Geothermal heat pumps
• Using renewable source of energy – wind, hydro, and solar (benefits and drawbacks)
• Energy efficient homes – insulation (R-values)
• Net-zero homes – insulation, improved construction materials (triple-paned windows)
• Lab experiment - insulation
• STEM Activities
• Hands on Experiments – Greenhouse Gas Effect, Wind Turbines, Insulation Lab
• Building models, systems, or structures
• Reading and writing code
• STEM Assignment – Heating and Cooling Invention
• Unit test
• Answer pages for all activities

Structures and Forces

Some of the concepts that are covered:

• Types of structures: shell structures, frame structures, and solid structures
• Centre of gravity affecting a structure’s stability
• Leaning Tower of Pisa – How the centre of gravity is affecting its stability
• Evaluating the stability of structures by determining the centre of gravity
• Centre of gravity experiments
• Internal forces – shear, compression, tension, and torsion affecting structures
• Finding examples of these internal forces in our environment
• External forces from the natural environment – natural forces (earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.)
• Tropical storms – hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones
• How to build structures strong enough to withstand natural phenomenon
• Storm shutters, houses built on pillars, storm windows
• The Tacoma Narrows Bridge – how external and internal forces caused the collapse
• Live and dead loads
• Describing forces – Magnitude, direction, point of application and plane of application
• Magnitude – Force diagrams using arrows
• Determining the net force by reading force diagrams and arrows
• Symmetrical structures creating stability
• Structural failures – poor foundations, bad designs, faulty construction and extraordinary loads
• Digging foundations below the frost line – Basements
• Leaning Tower of Pisa and its poor foundation – foundation settling
• Examining bad designs in structures around the world
• Faulty construction leading to structural failures – Skyline Plaza Apartment Building collapse
• Properties of materials – cement, steel, rubber and plastic
• Choosing the right building material – manufacturing shoes
• Beams – I beams (H beams) used under compressive loads
• Experiment – building a cardboard I beam
• Strong structures – cats surviving high falls, tall sunflower plants
• Structural analysis – engineers and architects researching the forces and loads acting on potential structures
• Structural assessment reports – engineers working to keep structures safe
• STEM Activities
• Hands on Experiments – building bridges, chairs, tower
• Artificial intelligence on construction sites keeping them safe
• Coding – Monitoring the Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Reading and writing code
• STEM Assignment – AI improving safety at recess
• Unit test
• Answer pages for all activities

Planet Earth

Some of the concepts that are covered:

• What is geology?
• Sudden vs gradual changes to the Earth
• Sudden: earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides
• Evidence of how earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides have changed the Earth
• How volcanoes created the Hawaiian Islands
• Plate boundaries – convergent, divergent, and transform
• Experiment – demonstrating plate boundaries
• Where earthquakes happen – Pacific Ring of Fire
• Mount St. Helen Volcano eruption and landslide
• Rocks vs minerals
• Classifying rocks and minerals
• Mineral composition of certain rocks – granite, gneiss, limestone, conglomerate, etc.
• The rock cycle – reading and diagram
• Science experiment – the rock cycle
• Geological processes that create metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rock
• Physical properties of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rock
• Identifying metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks
• Describing rocks/minerals using their properties – lustre, hardness, colour, texture, transparency
• The Mohs Test – testing the hardness of rocks
• Earth’s processes – compacting, cementing, cooling, heating, pressure, erosion, etc.
• Controlling erosion – seawalls
• Weathering rocks – sediments and sedimentation
• Weathering, erosion, and deposition – formation of islands and sand dunes
• The effects of wind, water, and ice on rocks and landforms
• Coastal erosion – sea stumps, caves, arches and columns
• Waterfall formation – erosion
• Mountain formation – types of mountains and how they are forms
• Rocks and fossils
• What fossils tell us about Earth’s history
• Geological time scale
• Research assignment – determining living organisms during each time period/era
• Mining technologies – core drilling and underground drones
• STEM Assignment – Underground Drones
• Unit test
• Answer pages for all activities

This is a comprehensive bundle that will save you hours of planning! It has been tested and found effective in helping students achieve the learning goals in the NEW science curriculum.