Natural science subject curriculum (NAT1-02)

Competence aims after Vg1 – programmes for general studies

The budding researcher

The aims of the training are to enable the apprentice to

• plan and carry out different types of investigations in cooperation with others where you identify variables, estimate uncertainties of measurements and assess possible sources of errors
• carry out and interpret animations og simmple computer simulations to illustrate natural phenomena and test hypotheses
• explain and assess what can be done to reduce uncertainties of measurements and avoid any possible source errors from measurements and results
• assess the quality of presentations of own and others observation data and interpretations

Sustainable development

The aims of the training are to enable the apprentice to

• describe succession processes in an ecosystem
• examine an ecosystem and assess where it is in the succession process
• elaborate on factors that influence the size of a population
• explain what is meant by the "look-before-you-leap" principle, uncertain knowledge and the concept of sustainable development, and give examples of these
• assess important environmental aspects of consumer choices, handling waste and using energy
• select and describe some global conflicts of interest and assess the consequences these might have for the local population and the global community
• elaborate on how the international community is working on global environmental challenges
• provide examples of nature management and changes of natural environments that may have consequences for indigenous peoples in Norway and other countries

Nutrition and health

The aims of the training are to enable the apprentice to

• describe chemical characteristics and differences of the most important nutrition substances
• elaborate on the most important trace elements, minerals and salts in the human body
• carry out simple chemical detection of nutrients in food
• explain the main characteristics of digestion, transport and transformation of the most important nutrients
• elaborate on some main components in cosmetic products and make such a product with its own content declaration
• discuss and elaborate on issues in connection with nutrition, exercise, dieting, eating disorders, lifestyle diseases and sunbathing

Radiation and radioactivity

The aims of the training are to enable the apprentice to

• describe how the northern lights arise, and how Norway has been and is an important country for research in this field
• explain the importance of the ozone layer with respect to solar irradiation of the earth
• explain what the greenhouse effect is and elaborate on and analyse how human activities are altering the energy balance of the atmosphere
• elaborate on some possible consequences of the increased greenhouse effect, including in Arctic areas, and the measures that are being initiated internationally to reduce the increase in the greenhouse effect
• carry out experiments with radioactivity, half-life and background radiation and explain these phenomena
• describe characteristics of different types of ionising radiation and explain how these are used for technical and medical applications
• explain how electromagnetic radiation from space may be interpreted and provide information about outer space

Energy for the future

The aims of the training are to enable the apprentice to

• carry out experiments with solar cells and sun traps and explain the main principles for how these function
• explain how heat pumps function, and in which contexts heat pumps are used
• explain what redox reactions are, carry out experiments with combustion, galvanic elements and electrolysis and elaborate on the results
• describe the principles and areas of use of some common rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries and fuel cells
• elaborate on different uses of biomass as an energy source
• elaborate on hydrogen as an energy carrier

Biotechnology

The aims of the training are to enable the apprentice to

• explain genetic coding and the main characteristics of protein synthesis and discuss the importance of heritage and the environment
• explain the concepts of cross-breeding and gene modification and how biotechnology is used for breeding plants and animals
• provide an overview of different types of medical applications of biotechnology
• assess information about and elaborate on ethical issues in connection with biotechnology