Page 70 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: Science, 2008 (revised)

Grade 9, Applied
e1. assess the major social, economic, and environmental costs and benefits of using electrical energy, distinguishing between renewable and non-renewable sources, and propose a plan of action to reduce energy costs;
e2. investigate, through inquiry, the properties of static and current electricity and the cost of the consumption of electrical energy;
e3. demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and principles of static and current electricity.
E1. Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
E. Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication
e. phySicS: electrical applicationS
OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | science
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
e1.1 assess social, economic, and environmental costs and benefits of using a renewable and a non-renewable source of electrical energy (e.g., solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, coal, oil, natural gas), taking the issue of sustainability into ac- count [AI, C]
Sample issue: The production of electricity at nuclear power plants generates very low levels of greenhouse gases. However, the construction and maintenance of nuclear power plants is expensive and the long-term storage of nuclear waste may have an impact on the environment.
Sample questions: Which method of produc- tion of electrical energy generates the greatest amount of greenhouse gases? Which generates the smallest amount? What are the economic and long-term environmental costs of produ- cing nuclear energy? Of using solar energy? What are some of the social and environment- al effects of oil production?
e1.2 propose a plan of action to decrease house- hold energy costs by applying their knowledge of the energy consumption of different types of appliances (e.g., front-load and top-load wash- ing machines; cathode ray tube [CRT] and liquid crystal display [LCD] computer monitors) [PR, AI, C]
Sample questions: Which appliances in the home consume the greatest amount of energy? What are some options for reducing the amount of energy they consume? How cost-efficient is it to purchase a new energy-efficient appliance when a less efficient appliance is still in good working condition?
By the end of this course, students will:
e2.1 use appropriate terminology related to static and current electricity, including, but not limit- ed to: ammeter, ampere, battery, conductivity, current, energy consumption, fuse, kilowatt hours, load, ohm, potential difference, resistance, switch, voltmeter, and volts [C]
e2.2 use an inquiry process to determine and compare the conductivity of various materials (e.g., metals, plastic, glass, water) [PR, AI]
e2.3 conduct inquiries involving conduction and induction to investigate the law of electric charges [PR, AI]
e2.4 design, draw circuit diagrams of, and con- struct simple series and parallel circuits (e.g., circuits with: one light bulb; two light bulbs of the same brightness; one light bulb on and the other light bulb off) [IP, PR, C]