Page 60 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Science, 2008 (revised)

Grade 11, University Preparation
f1. evaluate the importance of sustainable use of plants to Canadian society and other cultures;
f2. investigate the structures and functions of plant tissues, and factors affecting plant growth;
f3. demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of vascular plants, including their structures, internal transport systems, and their role in maintaining biodiversity.
F1. Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
F2. Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | science
f. plAntS: AnAtomy, growth, And function
OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
supporting environmental sustainability (e.g., sustainable agricultural practices in developing countries such as crop rotation and seed saving; By the end of this course, students will: traditional Aboriginal corn production practices) [IP, PR, AI, C]
f1.1 evaluate, on the basis of research, the im-
portance of plants to the growth and
Sample issue: Aboriginal peoples living near development of Canadian society (e.g., as a
Canada’s boreal forest rely on forest plants source of food, pharmaceuticals, Aboriginal
for food and medicine. Plants are harvested medicines, building materials, flood and ero-
by traditional methods to maintain natural sion control; as a resource for recreation and
habitats and local biodiversity. However, these ecotourism) [IP, PR, AI, C]
traditional practices are threatened as more areas are subject to development and commercial Sample issue: The agricultural sector holds
resource exploitation.
great economic potential as demand increases
Sample questions: How are strategies for the for products such as biofuels, biochemicals, and
conservation and sustainable use of medicinal biopharmaceuticals. Bioresources could also
plants being used by small communities and support our efforts to produce renewable energy,
traditional healers in some developing countries? improve health, and minimize environmental
What effect does the re-establishment of wetland impact. However, critics are concerned about
plants in agricultural settings have on the natural the impact of bioresources on the availability of
balance of the ecosystem? How are plants being food crops and the price of food.
used to clean wastewater from fish farms so Sample questions: In what ways does the local-
that the water can go back into local streams? food movement contribute to community
development? How does the re-introduction of
native plant species along river banks help to
prevent land erosion? What plant species are
considered important in sustaining Canada’s
growth in the agricultural sector? How might
By the end of this course, students will:
the increasing demand for straw-bale housing
f2.1 use appropriate terminology related to plants, materials support Canada’s agricultural sector
including, but not limited to: mesophyll, palisade, and increase the sustainability of other natural
aerenchyma, epidermal tissue, stomata, root hair, resources?
pistil, stamen, venation, auxin, and gibberellin [C] f1.2 evaluate, on the basis of research, ways in
which different societies or cultures have used
plants to sustain human populations while