Page 172 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Science, 2008 (revised)

Grade 11, Workplace Preparation
c1. analyse the effects on human health of environmental contaminants and a significant environmental phenomenon;
c2. investigatehowdifferentenvironmentalfactorscanaffectpeople’shealthandtheirlifestylechoices;
c3. demonstrateanunderstandingofthewaysinwhichenvironmentalfactorscanaffecthumanhealth and how their impact can be reduced.
C1. Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
C2. Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication
c. humAn heAlth And the environment
OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | science
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
c1.1 assess, on the basis of research, the effects on human health of a significant environmental phenomenon (e.g., the ice storm of 1998 in cen- tral Canada, the European heatwave of 2003), and communicate their findings [IP, PR, AI, C]
Sample issue: In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the levees surrounding New Orleans. Hundreds of people were drowned in the resulting floods. Many survivors contracted skin and gastro-intestinal diseases from con- taminated water.
Sample questions: What impact did the 2003 drought in the Okanagan Valley have on the health and well-being of local populations? How did the 2003 tsunami in the Indian Ocean affect the health of people in that region?
c1.2 analyse how environmental contaminants can affect the health of different populations in Canada (e.g., mercury contamination in streams and rivers in Northern Ontario where Aboriginal people fish, toxins in Arctic sea mammals hunted by Inuit, smog in large cities) [AI, C]
Sample issue: When the U.S. government aban- doned its Cold War military bases in the Canadian North, it left behind a variety of contaminants, including large amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Exposure to these chemicals can affect the nervous system and the immune system and can cause cancer.
Sample questions: How does the use of biosolids as fertilizer on Canadian farms affect the health of local populations? What short- and long-term health problems can be traced to the chemicals in the tar ponds in Sydney, Nova Scotia?
By the end of this course, students will:
c2.1 use appropriate vocabulary related to human health and the environment, including, but not limited to: smog, environmental contaminants, pathogens, inhalation, ingestion, and absorption [C]
c2.2 investigate, using a research process, and re- port on an environmental factor that can have an impact on human health (e.g., smog, ultraviolet [UV] rays, bacteria, pesticide residue), and ex- plain how their personal lifestyle choices can affect its impact (e.g., avoiding strenuous physi- cal activity on days when there is a smog alert can reduce the severity of respiratory ailments; lying on the beach without sunscreen or sun protective clothing during peak UV hours can increase the risk of skin cancer) [IP, PR, AI, C]
c2.3 investigate the characteristics of a personal protective device or substance (e.g., sunscreen, mosquito repellent, respiratory mask, sun protect- ive clothing) and whether the device or substance is effective in protecting a person from an environ- mental factor that can affect human health [PR, AI]
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