As for this revision of Course of Study, the most characteristic change is the disappearance of Rika from 1st and 2nd year curriculum. The new subject, "Life Environment Studies"(Seikatuka) appeared to take the place of Rika . There was, and there is, a hot debate as for the appropriateness of his change. Chemists are generally deeply regretting this change. In this connection it will be interesting for the reader to examine the Course of Study for Life Environment Studies.
To help pupils have an interest in the interaction between themselves and society around them and nature through concrete activities and personal experiences, think about oneself and one's own life, and acquire habits and skills necessary for life throughout these processes, thereby developing a foundation for self-reliance.
First and Second Grades
1. Objectives
(2) To help pupils have an interest in the relationship between oneself and nature such as familiar animals and plants, and to enable them to take care of nature and to devise their play and life.
(3) To help pupils enjoy such activities as observation of familiar social and natural environments, the growth of animals and plants, and the making of tools for play and living, and to enable them to express these activities orally, by drawing, actions, and performances.
(First Grade)
(2) To enable pupils to play their roles positively with the understanding of the work of family and one's expected role as a member of the family in support of family life, and to live with due attention to one's health.
(3) To enable pupils to use public facilities with due care with the understanding that public facilities such as a park in a neighboring community belong to all who live there; and to notice changes of natural surroundings in the season by observing the neighboring natural environment, and to adjust one's life to such changes.
(4) To enable pupils to devise ways of playing with others, by playing with soil and sand, and making things to be used in play using such familiar materials as flowers and fruits from trees.
(5) To enable pupils to notice that animals and plants also have their life by raising animals and growing plants, and to have an intimate feeling with and love of living things.
(6) To enable pupils to live willingly with the understanding that an increasing number of things can be done by oneself since the enrollment in school and the increasing roles that one is expected to share in daily life.
(2) To help pupils understand the function of such public facilities as transport and stations, and the situation of the people working for them, and to enable them to use them together correctly with due attention to safety.
(3) To help pupils have an interest in the changes of the seasons and the life of the local community by undertaking such activities as seasonal and local community related events, and notice the life situation changes with seasons and weather, and also to enable them to devise their own life and to enjoy life.
(4) To help pupils make things for play and living using natural materials found around them, and to enable them to devise play with others.
(5) To help pupils have an interest in the changes and growth of animals and plants by observing nature in the field and by raising animals and growing plants, and also notice that they are growing like oneself, and to enable them to have an intimate feeling with and love of nature and living things.
(6) To help pupils have a feeling of gratitude to the people with the understanding that one's own life and growth have been supported by many people since one's own's birth, and to enable them to live willingly.
In the preparation of the teaching program, consideration should be given to the following items:
(2) Attempts should be made to provide learning activities which enable pupils to concretely understand the interactions between themselves and local community and nature.
(3) As for the teaching of habits and skills necessary for life, these should be provided in line with the development of learning activities of society, nature and oneself.
(4) Attempts should be made to link with the teaching of language, creative arts, etc. so as to enhance the effectiveness of instruction.
To make students develop the ability and positive attitude toward scientific investigation and deepen their understanding of matters and phenomena in nature by arousing an interest in nature and through observations and experiments, thereby developing scientific views and thinking.
First Field (Field-1)
1. Objectives
(2) To make students acquire skills in observation and experiment through observations and experiments of chemical matters and phenomena, and understand familiar substances and their changes, and chemical changes, atoms, molecules, ions, etc., thereby developing scientific ways of viewing and thinking about these phenomena.
(3) To make students acquire skills in observation and experiment through observations and experiments of physical matters and phenomena, and understand familiar physical phenomena, electric current, motions, energy, etc., thereby developing scientific ways of viewing and thinking about these phenomena.
(4) To make students arouse their interest in matters and phenomena concerning substances and energy, and positively undertake activities of investigation, thereby developing an attitude to consider these phenomena in relation with daily life.
To make students understand properties of water solution, changes in the state of substances and gases through observations and experiments of substances found in their surrounding, and acquire the foundation for investigating properties and changes of substances.
a. Water solutions
(b) To make students know that solutes are dispersed uniformly in a water solution by conducting observations and experiments on dissolving substances in water, and find ways to separate undissolved substances.
(c) To make students conduct an experiment to find out that the weight of substances dissolved in a given amount of water varies depending upon the kind of substances and the water temperature, and find out the fact that this can be applied in separation of solutes.
(b) To make students understand that melting and boiling points of pure substances are fixed depending upon their kinds by measuring the temperatures with the changes in the state of substances, identify substances based on the melting and boiling points, and find out that substances can be separated by the differences of their boiling points.
To make students understand the regularity of light, sound, heat, force and pressure, through observations and experiments on matters and phenomena around their surroundings, and develop scientific ways of viewing and thinking about these phenomena.
a. Light and sound
(b) To find out the relationships between the location of an object and an image, and the size of an image.
(c) To conduct experiments on sound, and to understand that sound is transmitted in the air, and that the loudness and pitch of sound are related to the vibration of a sound-producing object.
(b) To conduct experiments on heating various kinds of substances, and to understand that the changes in temperature of substances are related with the kinds of substances.
(b) To understand the difference between mass and weight of an object, and to know that the magnitude of force can be indicated by gravity as a standard and force can be represented by an arrow.
(c) To conduct experiments on the force exerted between electrified objects, and to know the existence of interactive forces between objects which are not in contact.
(b) To find out that pressure in the water is related with the depth beneath the surface of the water by conducting experiments to examine water pressure, and to relate the results of experiments on examining the weight of air with atmospheric pressure.
To make students understand changes of substances in chemical combination and decomposition, and their quantitative relationships through observations and experiments on chemical changes, and develop ways of viewing and thinking about these phenomena in relation to a model of atom and molecule.
a. Chemical changes
(b) To find out that there are other forms of chemical changes in which substances other than oxygen are combined through experiments.
(c) To conduct experiments to decompose substances by heating and electric current, and to find out that components of original substances can be inferred from substances produced after decomposition.
(d) To conduct experiments to measure masses of substances before and after their chemical changes, and to find out that the total mass of reacting substances is equal to that of produced substances.
(e) To conduct experiments to measure masses of substances involved in a chemical reaction, and to find out the existence of fixed relations of masses between interacting substances
(b) To understand that the composition of a compound is represented by a chemical formula and also that a chemical reaction is shown by a chemical equation, and to know that these can be explained by models of the atoms and molecules.
To make students understand, through observations and experiments on electric current, the relationship between electric current and voltage, the functions of electric current, and the relationship between electric current and flow of electrons, thereby developing elementary ways of viewing and thinking about electric current and a magnetic field.
a. Electric current and voltage
(b) To conduct experiments to measure electric current and voltage in a metal wire, to find out the relationship between them, and to know the existence of resistance in metal wires.
(b) To conduct observations of a magnetic field generated by a magnet and electric current, to understand that the magnetic field is represented by the magnetic line of force, and to know the generation of a magnetic field around a coil.
(c) To conduct experiments using magnets and a coil, to find out that a force acts on the coil by flowing electric current into the coil in a magnetic field and that electric current is generated by moving a coil and magnets.
(d) To conduct experiments which demonstrate phenomena characterizing direct current and alternating current, and to know the difference between them.
(e) To confirm the existence of a flow of electric current through the observation of vacuum discharge, etc., and to know that electric current is a flow of electrons.
To make students understand electrolysis and neutralization reactions through experiments on chemical changes, and to develop ways of viewing and thinking by linking these phenomena with modes of ions.
a. Electrolysis and ions
(b) To conduct experiments on electrolysis, to find out that substances are produced at electrodes, and to know the existence of ions from the results of these experiments.
(c) To conduct experiments using two kinds of metal and electrolytic water solutions, and to find out that electric current is generated.
(b) To conduct experiments on neutralization, and to find out that the mixture of an acid and alkali produces a salt and water.
(c) To conduct experiments on neutralization, to find out the relationship between the concentration and volume of acids and alkalis which react with each other in proper quantities, and to relate this with ions.
To make students understand, through observations and experiments, the relationship between force acted on an object and motion, and work, and develop elementary ways of viewing and thinking about energy. Also, to deepen the recognition of the relationship between the progress of science and technology and human life.
a. Functions of force
(b) To conduct experiments on resultant and decomposition of forces, and to find out the regularity of a resultant force and a component force.
(b) To conduct observations and experiments on motions which do not act on objects, and to know that objects travel in uniform and rectilinear motion.
(c) To conduct observations and experiments on falling motions, to find out that the speed of falling motions is changed with time in force acted motion.
(b) To understand that the amount of energy contained in an object is measured by the capacity of the object to do work for other objects, and to deepen the recognition of energy.
(b) To know the development process of computers, etc., as a means of information processing.
(2) The items under (1) of 'Contents' should be dealt with as follows:
1. In the preparation of the teaching program, consideration should be given to the following:
(2) In case the number of school hours for Grade 3 is lower than the prescribed lower range of school hours, proper instruction should be provided in order to supplement or deepen the understanding of '2. Contents' in accordance with the situations of school and students.
(2) To develop an attitude concerning respect for life and the preservation of the natural environment.
4. In the teaching of each Field, consideration should be given to making effective use of computers, etc. if deemed necessary, in the process of observations and experiments such as information retrieval, processing of experimental data and measurement in experiments.
5. Teaching of 'Science' as an elective subject in Grade 3 should be provided by properly devising such learning activities relating to '2. Contents' as project or task studies and field observations, so that a variety of learning activities can be developed in accordance with the characteristics of students.
(1) popularization of education has resulted in the broader distribution of the capability, aptitude, interest and future goals of students; (2) the development of broad-based communications media has produced an ample supply of miscellaneous information, which demands from even non-scientists a minimum knowledge of science to understand the events occurring around them as well as all over the world; (3) the rapid progress of technology requires, on the one hand, the providing of an advanced course as an introduction to the higher level science given in universities and technical institutes and, on the other hand, the fostering of an ability in the students to properly assess the value of future scientific findings and technology.
Referring to statistical data showing the phenomenon referred to in Table A.2.5, we can cite that the rate of enrollment in upper secondary schools reaches over 95% of the graduates of the lower secondary schools. Here, the principle of "the change in quantity induces the change in quality" works. The upper secondary school has to accept a variety of students with different ability and interest and virtually acts as a compulsory school. Evidently a one-course system for each science field is not completely satisfactory for a number of students wishing to further their science education at the university level, and accordingly the former chemistry, as well as the other three fields of science (physics, biology, and earth science) are each divided into three courses, i.e., Chemistry IA, Chemistry IB, and Chemistry II, and Integrated Science is added as a new course.
Chemistry IA (2 credit units) is a course with an emphasis on daily human life, featuring phenomena, substances and industrial products usually observed and used in home life. This view point had not fully been established in the former Chemistry. Chemistry IA is intended for the students who would not pursue higher education in colleges or universities or whose future career goals are not in the scientific field. Another special feature of this course is the addition of a new sub-topic concerned with environmental problems. This is a reflection of the recent worldwide interest in these problems; social conditions do not allow a non-scientist, as a member of society, to be indifferent to or ignorant of the basic issues involved with these problems.
The course Chemistry IB (4 credit units) is a standard course to teach introductory and fundamental chemistry, reformed from the former Chemistry by eliminating a few parts (reaction rate, chemical equilibrium, and polymer chemistry) which in turn composes the main parts of Chemistry II. Chemistry II (2 credit units) is an advanced course for the students who are interested in and want to learn more about chemical science. In both courses strong emphasis is laid on experimental work as "Project Study" ("Kadai kenkyu") in Chemistry IB and as Case Study in Chemistry II.
Integrated Science (4 credit units) teaches a global view of science by combining fundamental principles and concepts in the four fields of science, namely, physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science.
The Course of Study describes details of contents of textbooks for five subjects(integrated science, physics, chemistry, biology and earth sciences) under the general title of science. The following is a general and common comment for science subjects.
"To make students develop their ability and attitude to scientifically inquire into nature by arousing their interest in nature and through observations and experiments, deepen the understanding of matters and phenomena in nature, and develop their scientific view of nature."
To make students develop comprehensive views and ways of thinking towards nature through observations and experiments concerning matters and phenomena in nature and the study of the natural environment, promote the understanding of matters and phenomena in nature, and recognize the interactions between human beings and nature.
2. Contents
B.1 Elemenary School
The contents of Course of Study for Rika of elementary school level can easily be known from the list of items described in the textbook which the reader will find in Table C.1.1.
B.1.1 Life Environment Studies
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(1) To help pupils have an interest in the relationship between oneself, school, family, neighboring people and public facilities, and think about the role and ways of behavior as a member of a group and society, and to enable them to behave properly.
2. Contents
(1) To enable pupils to enjoy play and live in the school with the understanding of the school facilities, teachers and other staff who support the school life, and friends, and to go to school and leave school safely by examining the way to the school.
(Second Grade)
(1) To help pupils understand that one's own life is related with many people such as the neighboring people, and the people in the shop, and also to enable them to purchase things and extend help necessary for daily life, to communicate necessary messages by mail and telephone, and to appropriately deal with people.
(1) Learning activities should be devised to make use of local communities and nature and also to deal with them as an integral part of instruction.
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B.2 Lower Secondary School
The curriculum of "Science(Rika )" contains physics and chemistry as Field-1 and biology and earth science(including astronomy) as Field-2. The Course of Study for the former will be given below.
B.2.1 Science
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(1) To make students master methods for discovering the regularities and explaining natural phenomena through the process of finding out problems among matters and phenomena concerning substances and energy.
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2. Contents
(1) Familiar substances and their changes
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(a) To make students find differences in the properties of water solutions depending upon solutes by conducting observations and experiments on various water solutions, and acquire skills in manipulating experimental apparatus and keeping records.
b. Changes in the state of substances
(a) To make students find out that the volume is changed but the weight of substances dissolved in a given amount of water varies depending upon the kind of substances, and understand that the substances themselves are unchanged.
c. Generation of gases
(a) To make students find the special characteristics of various gases, by conducting experiments on generating gases to examine their properties, and acquire skills in generating and collecting gases.
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(2) Familiar physical phenomena
(a) To conduct experiments on reflection and refraction of light, and find out the regularity of reflection and refraction of light occurring at a boundary layer of substances such as water and glass.
b. Heat and temperature
(a) To conduct experiments of heating water, and find out that the changes in water temperatures are related with the amount of calories given to the water and the weight of the water.
c. Force
(a) To measure the magnitude of force exerted on a spring and its elongation, and to find out the relation between force and elongation.
d. Pressure
(a) To find out that pressure is related with the magnitude of force and area, by conducting experiments on pressure.
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(3) Chemical changes, and atoms and molecules
(a) To conduct experiments on combustion, and to find out that combustion is a chemical change in which a substance combines with oxygen.
b. Atoms and molecules
(a) To understand that a substance consists of atoms and molecules, and an atom is represented by a symbol.
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(4) Electric current
(a) To conduct experiments to measure electric current and voltage of a circuit after making a circuit, to find out the regularity of electric current at various points and voltage at various parts of the circuit.
b. Functions of electric current and flow of electrons
(a) To conduct experiments on heating water using electric heating wire, and to find out that the amount of heat is related with electric current and voltage.
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(5) Chemical changes and ions
(a) To conduct experiments to flow electric current in water solutions, and to find out that there are water solutions which allow an electric current to flow and which do not.
b. Acids, alkalis and salts
(a) To conduct experiments to examine the properties of acids and alkalis, and to know that the characteristics of acids and alkalis are attributable to hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions.
(6) Motion and energy
(a) To conduct experiments on two forces acting on an object, and to find out conditions for equilibrium of two forces.
b. Motion of objects
(a) To conduct observations and experiments on motions of objects, and to know the existence of speed and direction in motions.
c. Work and energy
(a) To understand work and the rate of work by conducting experiments on work, and to find out that work done by using tools never exceeds the work given to the tools.
d. Progress of science and technology, and human life
(a) To know that various materials and energy as a product of science and technology are used in daily life.
3. Points for Special Consideration in Teaching
(1) It should be the standard to teach (1) and (2) under 'Contents' in Grade 1, (3) and (4) in Grade 2, and (5) and (6) in Grade 3.
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(3) The items under (2) of 'Contents' should be dealt with as follows:
(4) The items under (3) of 'Contents' should be dealt with as follows:
(5) The items under (4) of 'Contents' should be dealt with as follows:
(6) The items under (5) of 'Contents' should be dealt with as follows:
(7) The items under (6) of 'Contents' should be dealt with as follows:
(1) Approximately the same number of school hours should be allotted to each Field during a year. In doing so, careful consideration should be given to the correlation between two Fields as well as between teaching items so that the study of each Field is complementary to the other in nurturing ways of viewing and thinking which are unique to each Field.
2. In the teaching of 'Contents' of each Field, consideration should be given to the following:
(1) The cultivation of an ability to scientifically inquire into nature and the formation of fundamental concepts can be achieved naturally and step by step, by effectively utilizing the local environment and actual situation of the school while emphasizing observations and experiments.
3. In undertaking observations, experiments and field work, it is necessary to give through guidance on the prevention of accidents and to pay due attention to the handling and disposal of chemicals.
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B.3 Upper Secondary School
B.3.1 The Purpose of the Revision
The Course of Study for secondary high school is subject to reexamination and reformation almost every ten years. The reformed Course of Study effective from April, 1994 is the fifth revision since it first began in 1957. The reasons requiring reforms in the science section are as follows:
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B.3.2 Integrated Science
1. Objectives
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(1) Investigation of nature
3. Points for Special consideration in dealing with 'Contents'
(2) Nature and its changes
(3) Human beings and nature
(4) Training in special topics
(1) Consideration should be given to the following items in organizing and dealing with 'Contents':
(2) Consideration should be given to the following items concerning the range and level of 'Contents':
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To make students develop scientific ways of viewing and thinking as well as understand chemical matters and phenomena and the application of chemistry, through inquiring activities of chemical matters and phenomena which are closely related with daily life, and recognize the relationship between the progress of science and technology and human life.
2. Contents
(2) Chemistry in daily life
(3) Familiar materials
(4) Manufacturing of familiar materials
(5) Application of chemistry and human life
To make students develop their ability and attitude to chemically investigate as well as understand the basic concepts, principles and laws by conducting observations and experiments on chemical matters and phenomena, and foster a scientific view of nature.
2. Contents
To make students develop their ability and attitude to chemically investigate as well as deepen their understanding of the basic concepts, principles and laws, by conducting observations, experiments and project study of chemical matters and phenomena, and foster a scientific view of nature.
2. Contents
3. Points for Special consideration in dealing with 'Contents'.
B.3.3 Chemistry IA
1. Objectives
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(1) Substances in the natural world and their changes
3. Points for Special consideration in dealing with 'Contents'
(1) Consideration should be given to the following items and due attention should be given to making linkage with the subject of Science in the lower secondary schools, and to making students understand chemical matters and phenomena and the application of chemistry without difficulty, and develop scientific ways of viewing and thinking.
(2) Consideration should be given to the following items concerning the range and level of 'Contents':
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B.3.4 Chemistry IB
1. Objectives
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(1) Structure and state of substances
3. Points for Special consideration in dealing with 'Contents'.
(2) Properties of substances
(a) Composition unit of substances, and elements
(b) Amount of substance
(a) Atomic structure models.
(b) The periodic table
(a) Ionic bond.
(b) Covalent bond.
(a) Gases, liquids and solids.
(b) Partial pressure of a gas.
(c) Solutions.
(3) Changes of substances
(a) Simple substances.
(b) Compounds.
(a) Hydrocarbons.
(b) Compounds possessing oxygen.
(c) Compounds possessing nitrogen.
(a) Acids and bases.
(b) Neutralization.
(a) Oxidation and reduction
(b) Electrolysis.
(c) Batteries.
(a) Heat of reaction.
(b) Thermochemical equations.
(1) Consideration should be given to the following items in organizing and dealing with 'Contents':
(2) Consideration should be given to the following items concerning the range and level of 'Contents':
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B.3.5 Chemistry II
1. Objectives
(1) Rates of reaction and equilibrium
(2) Polymers
(a) Fast and slow reactions.
(b) Catalysts.
(a) Reversible reactions and chemical equilibrium.
(b) Dynamic nature of chemical equilibrium.
(3) Project study
(1) Consideration should be given to the following items in organizing and dealing with 'Contents':
(2) Consideration should be given to the following items concerning the range and level of 'Contents':
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