Natural Science and Technology Education

Vocabulary flashcards for NST301-DL-SG-E3.

CAPS

Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. Main CAPS document used in this module is the Life Skills Grades R-3 CAPS document. However, you will also have to consult the Natural Sciences and Technology CAPS document, and the Technology CAPS document.

NST

Natural Science and Technology.

Inquiry-based learning

Involves giving children the opportunity to develop the Science process skills such as experimenting, observing and predicting.

Technology

Involves coming up with practical solutions to problems in order to meet human needs and wants.

Natural Sciences

The pursuit of new knowledge and understanding of the world around us and of natural phenomena

Technology

The creation of structures, systems and processes to meet people’s needs and improving the quality of life

Variable

An aspect that influences how a system behaves

Independent variable

The variable in an experiment that the investigator is changing.

Dependent variable

The variable in an experiment whose value may change because of a change in the independent variable.

Controlled variable

All the other variables that must be kept constant in order to ensure that the results are reliable and valid.

Frame Structure

Have their support on the inside; they support a load and span a distance.

Shell Structure

Have their support on the outside; they protect and contain things.

Solid Structure

Have a fixed shape / form; they can be used to create other shapes and forms.

Mechanism

Any device that makes people’s work easier by controlling movement and force.

Renewable Energy

Energy that comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable (naturally replenished).

Non-Renewable Forces

Energy that cannot be easily replenished such as fossil fuels.

Design

A creative problem-solving process. It adds value to life by creating products that have a purpose, that are functional and have aesthetic value.

Scientific facts

A piece of information that has actual existence

Scientific concepts

Ideas that combine several facts or observations