Welcome to REC Science
Up to and including Senior 2, science courses may be described as being “ general” in the sense that they contain units from each of the three main branches of science: biology, chemistry and physics.Senior 3 (and Senior 4) science courses can be described as being “specialized” as there are multiple courses, each one focusing almost exclusively on one of these main branches
Some things to consider:
•
You must take at least one senior 3 science course
•
You may take two or more senior 3 science courses
•
Depending on your future interests, you may need to take 2 or more senior
3 science courses
•
Your choices (along with those at the 40S level) can affect you in many
important ways including:
•
enabling or preventing access to certain university (and other
post-secondary) programs
•
making you eligible for certain jobs (that don’t require post-secondary
schooling)
Topics in Science:
This course is significantly different than
those
listed above, as this course explores a number of relevant topics such as
forensics, and introduces the various sciences as needed. At present,
this
course is not recognized by the universities for enabling access to any
program, and so should best be thought of as an elective course, although it
does fulfill the requirement for a 30S science for graduation purposes.
Which Science Course(s) Should I Take?
Very few senior 2 students know exactly what their future interests are, and
those that feel that they do know, should be aware that interests and
decisions are frequently changed as the years go on. Therefore it
is highly recommended that you decide your courses with the idea of taking
courses
that you may need - it is better to have taken a course that you do not end
up requiring, than to find yourself in the situation of requiring a course
that you did not take. In choosing, carefully consider the following:
•
Which sciences interest you? Finding a particular subject interesting
is
reason enough to take that course.
• Which sciences are required for your future interests, and even possible
future interests? If you are not sure, then do a little research. Often
this question can be answered by checking the Internet, or asking a teacher
or guidance councillor.
Which Science Course is the Easiest / Hardest?
While this is a question that many students ask, there is no actual answer.
All of the courses are similarly difficult, yet it is often the case that
students find one to be more difficult than another, due to personal strengths. Of
the three, Physics and Chemistry tend to be more
mathematical, and so your ability in math will likely have an impact on how
you perceive these courses. Similarly, of the three, biology tends
to have
the greatest amount of new vocabulary as well as many complex and interconnecting
concepts. Strong communication skills are a definite
asset.