Grade 7 Science: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 7 science in the Nunavut Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Iqqaqqaukkaringniq: the Nunavut adaptation of the Alberta Science 7–9 program of studies.
- Units of study bring together life, physical and earth and space science with skills of inquiry and design.
- Learning with Elders and from the land is encouraged alongside classroom science.
Easy ways to practise science at home
- Turn everyday questions into investigations: “Which paper towel holds the most water?”
- Read a science news story together and ask what evidence it gives.
- Look up how a household machine works, such as a bike gear, a lamp or a fridge.
- Have your child draw and label a diagram of something they just learned.
What each unit covers
Tundra Ecosystems
Covers tundra conditions, permafrost, food chains and a changing Arctic. The Nunavut adaptation of the Alberta Science 7–9 program encourages learning with Elders and from the land alongside the classroom.
Ecosystems
Biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem, how they interact, and the limiting factors and carrying capacity that decide how many organisms an ecosystem can support.
Food Chains & Energy
Producers, consumers and decomposers, food chains and webs, how energy shrinks as it passes up a chain (about 10% each step), and what happens when part of a chain changes.
Cycles & Succession
How water, carbon and nitrogen are cycled through ecosystems, why cycling supports sustainability, and the difference between primary and secondary succession.
People & Ecosystems
How agriculture, harvesting and technologies affect ecosystems, such as monoculture, overfishing, invasive species and runoff, and ways to protect and restore balance. Includes reading simple data about an environmental measure.
How Plants Work
The parts of seed plants and what they do, photosynthesis, gas exchange, transpiration and pollination, and how plant structures suit where a plant grows.
Growing Crops Well
Fertilizers and soil nutrients, selective breeding, crop rotation, chemical and biological pest control and farming practices that protect soil and water.
Heat & Particles
Heat as energy linked to particle motion, temperature, expansion and contraction, changes of state, and the ways heat is generated (friction, electricity, burning, chemical reactions and the Sun).
Moving Heat
How heat is transmitted by conduction, convection and radiation, how the Sun's radiation heats different surfaces, and technologies such as insulation and double-pane windows that reduce heat loss.
Structures & Forces
Solid, frame and shell structures, centre of gravity and stability, symmetry, and the size, direction and point of application of forces, including tension, compression, torsion and shear.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Nunavut report card guide.
Common questions
Turn everyday questions into investigations: “Which paper towel holds the most water?” Read a science news story together and ask what evidence it gives. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Nunavut Curriculum Grade 7 science units include tundra ecosystems, ecosystems, food chains & energy, cycles & succession, people & ecosystems, how plants work.
Free printable Grade 7 science practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.