Course Profile - Curriculum Services Canada

Resources
Resources are listed throughout the unit overviews and the full unit, wherever the writers felt it provided
the most support for teachers. The URLs for the websites were verified by the writers prior to
publication. Given the frequency with which these designations change, teachers should always verify
the websites prior to assigning them for student use.
Units in this course profile make reference to the use of specific texts, magazines, films, videos, and
websites. Teachers need to consult their board policies regarding use of any copyrighted materials.
Before reproducing materials for student use from printed publications, teachers need to ensure that their
board has a Cancopy licence and that this licence covers the resources they wish to use. Before screening
videos/films with their students, teachers need to ensure that their board/ school has obtained the
appropriate public performance videocassette licence from an authorized distributor, e.g., Audio Cine
Films Inc. Teachers are reminded that much of the material on the Internet is protected by copyright. The
copyright is usually owned by the person or organization that created the work. Reproduction of any
work or substantial part of any work on the Internet is not allowed without the permission of the owner.
Rationale for the Unit Sequence of the Course Profile
The goal of this course is to lead students to develop independent learning strategies, such as making
their own notes from a lesson, drawing connections across several strands of study, designing and
conducting investigations for which they have generated their own question, and participating in
seminars. This course has been organized around two themes. The first three units – Chemical Systems
and Equilibrium, Energy Changes and Rates of Reaction, and Electrochemistry – are unified by the
theme of chemical reactions. The last two units, Structure and Properties of Matter and Organic
Chemistry, both involve the study of how the structure of matter affects chemical and physical properties.
Introducing the course through the Chemical Systems and Equilibrium unit is a non-traditional approach.
Courses generally begin with both a diagnostic assessment and a review of student knowledge and skills.
Since the Equilibrium unit in SCH4U is a direct extension of the Solutions and Solubility unit of SCH3U,
studying it first emphasizes the bridging between the courses and makes efficient use of the time spent
reviewing SCH3U material. Secondly, the unit provides many opportunities to exercise appropriate lab
safety and inquiry skills that set an appropriate tone early in the course. Thirdly, the unit’s strong
emphasis on wet-lab procedures stimulates students to generate ideas for the Final Assessment Task early
in the course. The second unit, Energy Changes and Rates of Reactions is a continuation of the study of
chemical reactions focusing on energy changes. It too is very experimentally based, and provides students
with opportunities to generate ideas and practice skills required for the Final Assessment Task. The third
unit is Electrochemistry, which examines the interconversion of electrical and chemical energy in
chemical reactions. The fourth and fifth units of study are Structure and Properties of Matter and Organic
Chemistry. The latter is an application of the skills and information acquired in the former. Also, since
both these units are theory intensive, positioning them at the end of the course provides students with
opportunities to exercise more independent learning strategies, e.g., taking notes from a lecture,
participating in seminars.
Units: Titles and Times
* Unit 1 Chemical Systems and Equilibrium 30 hours
Unit 2 Energy Changes and Rates of Reaction 18 hours
Unit 3 Electrochemistry 18 hours
Unit 4 Structure and Properties of Matter 16 hours
Unit 5 Organic Chemistry 16 hours
Unit 6 Final Assessment Tasks 12 hours
* This unit is fully developed in this Course Profile.
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• Chemistry – University Preparation