SBI3C

PLANTS IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS

Course: Biology, Grade 11, College Preparation (SBI3C)

Strand F: Plants in the Natural Environment

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Big Ideas

• Plants have specialized structures with distinct functions that enable them to respond and adapt to their environment.

• Plants are critical to the survival of ecosystems.

• Humans affect the sustainability of ecosystems when they alter the balance of plants within those ecosystems.

 

Overall Expectations

• F1. analyse the roles of plants in ecosystems, and assess the impact of human activities on the balance of plants within those ecosystems

• F2. investigate some of the factors that affect plant growth

• F3. demonstrate an understanding of the structure and physiology of plants and their role in the natural environment

 

Specific Expectations

F1. Relating Science to Technology, Society and the Environment

• F1.1 analyse, on the basis of research, and report on ways in which plants can be used to sustain ecosystems

• F1.2 assess the positive and negative impact of human activities on the natural balance of plants (e.g., crop rotation, the use of fertilizers and herbicides, the introduction of new species)

 

F2. Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication

• F2.1 use appropriate terminology related to plants in the environment, including, but not limited to: xylem, phloem, chloroplast, pistil, stamen, nitrogen fixation, and tropism  

• F2.2 investigate various techniques of plant propagation (e.g., leaf cutting, stem cutting, root cutting, seed germination, traditional Aboriginal practices)

• F2.3 investigate how chemical compounds (e.g., fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides) and physical factors (e.g., amount of sun and water, quality of soil, pH of soil) affect plant growth

• F2.4 investigate plant tropism by growing and observing plants in a variety of natural and human-made environments

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F3. Understanding Basic Concepts

• F3.1 describe the structure and physiology of the specialized plant tissues involved in conduction, support, storage, and photosynthesis

• F3.2 explain the chemical changes and energy transformations associated with the process of photosynthesis, and compare the reactants (i.e., carbon dioxide, radiant energy, water) to the products (i.e., glucose, oxygen)

• F3.3 compare the various means of sexual reproduction (e.g., pollination) and asexual reproduction (e.g., grafting, vegetative propagation, cloning) in plants

• F3.4 explain the various roles of plants in the sustainability of the natural environment (e.g., in nutrient cycles, in the water cycle, in erosion control, in wildlife habitats)

• F3.5 explain the relationship between the structure of a plant and its external environment, and describe the adaptive attributes that result in natural variation in plant structure (e.g., environmental variables cause variation in leaves within a single plant; in the Arctic, the wild crocus grows close to the ground and is covered with fine hairs)

• F3.6 explain the role of plant tropism (e.g., response to stimuli such as light, gravity, and humidity) in a plant’s survival

 

Reference:

The Ministry of Education. (2008). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12. Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/2009science11_12.pdf