Review Guide — Science — Elementary Second Cycle

Concept sheet | Science and Technology
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Important!

The review directories are based on the Québec Education Program as suggested by the ministère de l'Éducation du Québec (MEQ).

The contents detailed here are suggested, but not compulsory. They serve to clarify the knowledge that students should acquire during the second cycle of elementary school.

At the end of the second cycle of elementary school, here are the concepts suggested for the Science and Technology course.

​Material World

Properties and characteristics of matter

  • Describe the shape, colour, and texture of an object or substance.

  • Distinguish the mass (quantity of matter) of an object from its weight (force of gravity exerted on a mass).

  • Classify solids according to their density (identical volumes and different masses or identical masses and different volumes).

  • Associate the buoyancy of a volume of liquid floating over an identical volume of another liquid with their respective densities.

Physical changes

  • Demonstrate that physical changes (e.g., deformation, breaking, crushing, state change) do not modify the properties of matter.

Household products

  • Explain how certain household products are made (e.g., soap, paper).

Forms of energy

  • Describe different forms of energy (mechanical, electrical, light, chemical, thermal, sound, nuclear).

  • Identify sources of energy in students’ environment (e.g., moving water, chemical reaction in a battery, solar radiation).

Sound waves

  • Identify characteristics of a sound wave (e.g., volume, timbre, echo).

Convection movement

  • Explain the motion of convection in liquids and gases (e.g., boiling water).

Energy transformation

  • Describe situations in which humans consume energy (e.g., heating, transportation, food, leisure).

  • Name methods that humans use to limit their energy consumption (e.g., fluorescent bulbs, timer devices) and to conserve energy (insulation).

  • Describe the transformations of energy from one form to another.

Electrostatics

  • Describe the effect of electrostatic attraction (e.g., paper attracted by a charged object).

Characteristics of a motion

  • Describe the characteristics of a motion (e.g., direction, speed).

Effects of a force

  • Identify manifestations of a force (e.g., pulling, pushing, throwing, compressing, stretching).

  • Describe how a force acts on a body (sets it in motion, modifies its motion, stops the motion).

  • Describe the effect of a force on a material or structure.

Simple machines

  • Recognize simple machines (lever, inclined plane, screw, pulley, winch, wheel) used in an object (e.g., lever in a seesaw, inclined plane for an access ramp).

  • Describe the usefulness of certain simple machines (amount of effort required).

How a mechanical object works

  • Identify mechanical parts (gears, cams, springs, simple machines, connecting rods).

  • Recognize two types of movements (rotation and translation).

  • Describe a simple sequence of moving mechanical parts.

Transportation technologies

  • Recognize the influence and impact of transport technologies on people’s lifestyle and their environment.

Electrical appliances

  • Recognize the influence and impact of electrical devices on people’s lifestyle and their environment (e.g., telephone, radio, television, computer).

Earth and Space

Soil properties

  • Compare properties of different types of soil (e.g., composition, capacity to retain water and heat).

Impacts of water, soil, and air quality

  • Describe various impacts of water, soil, or air quality on living things.

Fossils

  • Differentiate a fossil (or traces of living) from a rock.

Crystals

  • Describe the observable properties of crystals (color, geometric regularities).

Water cycle

  • Explain the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff and infiltration).

Energy sources

  • Explain that the Sun is the main source of energy on Earth.

  • Identify natural energy sources (sun, moving water, wind).

Renewable energy

  • Describe what renewable energy is.

  • Explain that light, moving water, and wind are renewable sources of energy.

  • Describe man-made means to transform renewable sources of energy into electricity (hydroelectric dam, wind turbine, solar panel).

Sun-Earth-Moon System

  • Associate the cycle of day and night with the rotation of the Earth.

  • Describe the movements of rotation and revolution of the Earth and the Moon.

  • Illustrate the phases of the lunar cycle (full moon, new moon, first and last quarters).

  • Illustrate the formation of eclipses (lunar, solar).

Stars and galaxy

  • Recognize stars and constellations on a celestial map.

Meteorology

  • Make a connection between weather conditions and the types of clouds in the sky.

Earth technologies

  • Recognize the influence and impact that Earth, atmospheric, and space technologies have on people's lifestyles and environments (e.g., prospecting devices, meteorological instruments, seismographs, telescopes, satellites, space stations).

Living Things

Characteristics of living beings

  • Explain the essential needs of the metabolism of living beings (eating, breathing).

  • Distinguish among the different types of development (viviparous, oviparous, and ovoviviparous).

  • Describe the types of sexual reproduction in plants.

Classification of living beings

  • Describe the characteristics of the different kingdoms.

  • Classify living beings according to their kingdoms.

  • List the animals according to their class (mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds and fish).

Anatomy and growth of plants

  • Describe the parts of a plant's anatomy (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds).

  • Associate parts of a plant with their general functions.

  • Describe the stages of growth of a flowering plant.

Anatomy and growth of animals

  • Associate parts and systems of animal anatomy with their primary function.

  • Explain the sensory function of certain parts of the anatomy (skin, eyes, mouth, etc.).

  • Describe the growth stages of different animals.

Nutritional needs of animals

  • Explain the nutritional needs common to all animals (water, lipids, carbohydrates, etc.).

  • Associate pets with their diet.

  • Illustrate a simple food chain (3 or 4 links).

Movement of animals

  • Describe various modes of animal locomotion (walking, crawling, flying, jumping).

  • Name other types of movements and their function (courtship, defense, etc.).

Interaction between living organisms and their environment

  • Identify animal and plant habitats and populations.

  • Describe how animals meet their basic needs in their habitat.

  • Describe relationships between living things (parasitism, predation).

  • Explain adaptations that increase chances of survival.

Interaction between humans and their environment

  • Describe the impacts of human activities on the environment (exploitation of resources, pollution, waste management, land use planning, urbanization, etc.).

  • Explain recycling and composting.