It is a foundation on which teachers can develop a science program that provides a comprehensive set of knowledge, skills, and experiences related to science. To prepare students for further education and for their adult lives, the provincial science curriculum engages students in the investigation of scientific questions and the development of plausible solutions. Science education develops and builds on students' sense of wonder about the world around them and encourages a feeling of responsibility to sustain it.
Science education fosters students' desire to meet a challenge, take risks, and learn from mistakes.
It prompts a curiosity about the changing world and helps students understand that the skills and knowledge they are gaining will be refined and expanded to reflect advances in scientific knowledge and technology. Classroom practice and teaching strategies should promote positive attitudes toward science in all students, including those who are typically underrepresented in enrolments and careers in science. All students must have equal opportunities to acquire the positive attitudes that foster the development of scientific literacy. The teachers who developed this IRP used material from a variety of resources. In writing the learning outcomes, they consulted curricula from Canadian provinces and territories, Australia, and the United Kingdom, Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and National Science Foundation Standards from the United States.