Canada · Ontario Curriculum Expectations
Grade 7 Science
This course investigates the complex relationships between living organisms and their environments. Students explore cellular biology, ecological balance, the properties of matter, and the forces that shape our planet through hands-on inquiry and scientific modeling.
01Interactions within Ecosystems
Students examine how biotic and abiotic components interact to maintain balance within local and global environments.
Students define and identify components of an ecosystem, distinguishing between biotic and abiotic factors through local observation.
Investigating the roles of different organisms in an ecosystem and their contribution to energy flow and nutrient cycling.
Investigating how energy moves from the sun through producers, consumers, and decomposers in a food web.
Exploring the quantitative relationships of energy, biomass, and numbers at different trophic levels.
Understanding the movement of water through living and non-living components of an ecosystem and its critical role.
Understanding the movement of carbon through living and non-living components of an ecosystem and the impact of human activities.
Exploring the movement of nitrogen through ecosystems and its importance for life, including the role of bacteria.
Exploring the biological constraints that determine the carrying capacity of a habitat, such as competition and predation.
Exploring the physical constraints that determine the carrying capacity of a habitat, such as temperature, water, and light.
Understanding how limiting factors influence population growth and the maximum number of organisms an environment can sustain.
Investigating how ecosystems change over time, from primary succession to climax communities.
Analyzing the impact of human population growth on natural resources and ecosystem health.
02The Cellular Basis of Life
An exploration of the microscopic structures that perform the essential functions of life in all organisms.
Introduction to the microscope and the fundamental concept that all living things are made of cells.
Exploring the historical development of cell theory and its three main principles.
Differentiating between the two main types of cells based on their structural complexity and presence of organelles.
Detailed study of the unique components of plant cells, including cell walls, chloroplasts, and large central vacuoles.
Detailed study of the components of animal cells, focusing on structures common to all eukaryotic cells.
Exploring the role of the nucleus as the control center of the cell and the location of DNA.
Understanding the role of mitochondria in converting food energy into usable energy for the cell.
Exploring how chloroplasts capture light energy to produce glucose in plant cells.
Understanding how the cell membrane regulates the movement of substances into and out of the cell.
Investigating the structure and function of other key organelles like ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and vacuoles.
Understanding how cells differentiate to perform specific functions in multicellular organisms.
Understanding how specialized cells organize into tissues, organs, and complex organ systems.
03Pure Substances and Mixtures
Students investigate the particle theory of matter and use physical processes to separate various substances.
Exploring the behavior of particles in solids, liquids, and gases and how it explains their properties.
Investigating how adding or removing thermal energy affects the state of matter and particle arrangement.
Differentiating between physical properties (e.g., density, melting point) and chemical properties (e.g., flammability, reactivity).
Distinguishing between changes that alter a substance's identity (chemical) and those that do not (physical).
Differentiating between elements and compounds as types of pure substances based on their composition.
Classifying mixtures based on their uniform or non-uniform composition.
Investigating how solutes dissolve in solvents and the factors affecting the rate and extent of dissolving.
Understanding how to express the concentration of a solution and identifying when a solution is saturated.
Differentiating between solutions, suspensions, and colloids based on particle size and stability.
Applying knowledge of physical properties to separate heterogeneous mixtures.
Applying knowledge of boiling points to separate homogeneous mixtures, particularly solutions.
Exploring how chromatography separates mixtures based on differential adhesion and solubility.
04Heat in the Environment
An analysis of heat as a form of energy and its transfer through conduction, convection, and radiation.
Introduction to different forms of energy (thermal, mechanical, chemical, etc.) and how they transform.
Distinguishing between the total kinetic energy of particles and the average measurement of warmth.
Investigating how changes in temperature affect the volume of solids, liquids, and gases.
Examining how thermal energy transfers through direct contact between particles.
Examining how thermal energy transfers through the movement of fluids (liquids and gases).
Examining how thermal energy transfers through electromagnetic waves, even through a vacuum.
Identifying materials that readily transfer heat (conductors) versus those that resist heat transfer (insulators).
Evaluating materials and designs that minimize heat loss and gain in homes and other structures.
Classifying structures as natural or manufactured, and identifying common structural forms (e.g., frame, shell, mass).
Identifying different types of loads (dead, live, dynamic) that act on structures.
Identifying and analyzing the internal forces of tension and compression within structures.
Identifying and analyzing the internal forces of torsion (twisting) and shear (sliding) within structures.
05Form and Function of Structures
Students study the forces acting on structures and how design choices impact strength, stability, and efficiency.
Analyzing common causes of structural failure and methods used to strengthen structures.
Exploring how the properties of different materials (strength, flexibility, density) influence structural design.
Analyzing how geometric shapes (e.g., triangles, arches, domes) contribute to structural strength and stability.
Exploring the composition and characteristics of Earth's crust, mantle, and core.
Investigating the physical properties of minerals and methods for their identification.
Understanding the formation of igneous rocks from molten magma or lava.
Understanding the formation of sedimentary rocks through weathering, erosion, deposition, and compaction.
Understanding the transformation of existing rocks into metamorphic rocks through heat and pressure.
Understanding the continuous transformation of Earth materials through heat, pressure, and weathering.
Exploring the historical evidence and mechanisms behind the movement of continents.
Investigating how the movement of lithospheric plates causes earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building.
Understanding the causes of earthquakes, how they are measured, and the types of seismic waves.