For any questions related to Science programming, please contact April Weaver, Coordinator of Science, 902-625-7083.
Science Overview
Developing SRCE students as leaders in science, technology, and innovation
‘Research supports the position that when science curriculum is made personally meaningful and socially and culturally relevant, it is more engaging for groups traditionally underrepresented in science and indeed for all students’ (Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada Science Curriculum: Grade 5, page 7, 2008)
All students in the Strait Regional Centre of Education will develop the following competencies (attitudes, skills and knowledge) through their engagement in the Science Curriculum:
Citizenship
Learners are expected to contribute to the quality and sustainability of their environment, communities, and society. They analyze cultural, economic, environmental, and social issues, make decisions, judgment, solve problems, and act as stewards in a local, national, and global context.
Personal-Career Development
Learners are expected to become self-aware and self-directed individuals who set and pursue goals. They understand and appreciate how culture contributes to work and personal life roles. They make thoughtful decisions regarding health and wellness, and career pathways.
Communication
Learners are expected to interpret and express themselves effectively through a variety of media. They participate in critical dialogue, listen, read, view, and create for information, enrichment, and enjoyment.
Creativity and Innovation
Learners are expected to demonstrate openness to new experiences, engage in creative processes, to make unexpected connections, and to generate new and dynamic ideas, techniques, and products. They value aesthetic expression and appreciate the creative and innovative work of others.
Critical Thinking
Learners are expected to analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, and ideas using various types of reasoning and systems thinking to inquire, make decisions, and solve problems. They reflect critically on thinking processes.
Technological Fluency
Learners are expected to use and apply technology to collaborate, communicate, create, innovate, and solve problems. They use technology in a legal, safe, and ethically responsible manner to support and enhance learning.
(Source: Science 7 Renewed Curriculum Guide)
In the Grades Primary to 3 science program, we foster students’ natural curiosity for our world. A hands-on, exploratory approach nurtures students’ desire to experience, question and investigate. Outdoor active learning complements the science program. At this level, science is integrated into the Mathematics and Literacy programs.
The Science 4–6 program is an extension of the early grades with continued hands-on learning. An active inquiry approach helps students learn how to conduct investigations through a problem-solving approach with greater independence in the scientific process.
A Grade 7 and 8 renewed Science curriculum has been fully implemented across the province of Nova Scotia.
Grades 9 through 12 science provides students with greater opportunities for learning in laboratory settings. As students progress through the high school program, there is continued exploration of the interconnectedness between science and technology.
To complement the science curriculum, each spring students in Grades 3-12 are invited to participate in the Strait Regional Science Fair. Students have an opportunity to showcase their work at the school level. Top projects will compete at the regional level. Past competitions have advanced SRCE students to the Canada Wide Science Fair as well.
This year’s Canada Wide Science Fair will return to an in-person format and will be held May 14-19, 2023, at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
For more information about the Nova Scotia school curriculum see:
https://curriculum.novascotia.ca/
https://curriculum.novascotia.ca/parentfamily-information