Earth Science and Science classes

Earth Science

Entry requirements:

for students, entering grade 4 or 5, at least 1 year study at SchoolNova, Math level 4

Brief syllabus of Earth Science

  • What is Earth Science? Six Spheres of the Earth
  • Earth’s Place in the Universe: Milky Way Galaxy. Solar System. The Sun. The Moon. Search for Earth-like exoplanets in the Universe.
  • Planet Earth: orbit, axis, tilt; poles; equator, tropics, polar circles; day and night; seasons; solstices and equinoxes. The Globe and coordinates.
  • Earth’s Remarkable (Sur)Face: natural wonders of the World.
  • Internal structure of the Earth: core, mantle, crust; Earth’s composition.
  • Lithosphere: tectonic plates, continental drift, types of the plate boundaries; geologic processes; landscape formation.
  • Volcano: parts, types; distribution around the world; eruption; volcanic landforms; hot spot volcanism.
  • Earthquakes: magnitude, distribution; seismic waves, seismogram; greatest earthquakes; earthquake hazards, tsunami.
  • Hydrosphere: hydrologic cycle; fresh water (rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands); groundwater (aquifers); saltwater (seas, waves, tides).
  • Cryosphere: frozen water (glaciers, permafrost, icebergs); Ice Age.
  • The World Ocean: ocean floor, depth, temperature, salinity; currents, global ocean circulation (conveyor belt, overturning); Gulf Stream.
  • Atmosphere: layers, temperature, air pressure and density; atmospheric gases; evolution of the Earth’s atmosphere.
  • What is weather? Air masses and atmospheric fronts; wind (Wind Rose, global and local winds, jet stream); clouds (formation, floating condition); precipitation; weather forecast; severe weather (thunderstorms, tropical cyclones, winter storms).
  • Tornado: formation, classification, damage; historical examples.
  • Hurricane: origin, structure, path, classification; storm surge; greatest hurricanes.
  • Magnetosphere: Earth’s magnetic field; magnetic poles; solar wind; Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).

Science

Entry requirements:

for students, entering grades 5 or 6, at least 1 year study at SchoolNova, Math level 5

Brief syllabus of Science

  • Measurement: the history of measurements; units of measurement; the concept of measurement accuracy/precision/bias; Imperial/US customary Systems of Measurement; Metric System and International System of Units.
  • Math for Science: scientific notation; conversion of units; dimensional analysis; orders of magnitude.
  • Matter in Physics: atoms; physical properties of matter; mass, volume, density, temperature; states of matter (solid, liquid, gas and plasma).
  • Matter in Chemistry: chemical elements, compounds, mixtures; inorganic and organic molecules.
  • Change of matter: phase transitions and chemical reactions.
  • Energy: forms of energy, energy transformation and conservation.
  • What is the atom? Concept of a model in science; discovery of electron, nucleus, proton; atomic models; modern view of the atom; Periodic Table of Elements explained.
  • Nuclear reactions: isotopes, radioactivity, background radiation; nuclear fusion, nucleosynthesis, nuclear fission, nuclear chain reaction, Manhattan Project, atomic bomb; nuclear power.
  • Waves: vibration; wave parameters (amplitude, wavelength, frequency), types of the waves; natural wave phenomena.
  • Sound waves: properties and behavior of sound, pitch and loudness, echo and echolocation.
  • Light waves: observed properties and behavior of light; famous experiments; modern concept; visible, infrared and ultraviolet light; electromagnetic spectrum; light sources; Sun spectrum.
  • Light meets matter: transmission, refraction, dispersion, reflection, absorption, scattering of light; apparent colors of objects; color vision.

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