Zambia Grade 7 Integrated Science Syllabus

Unit 1: The Human Body

• The Digestive System: The digestive system breaks down food into nutrients that the body can use. The organs involved include the liver, pancreas, mouth (teeth and tongue), stomach, small intestine (where nutrients are absorbed), and large intestine (where water and minerals are absorbed). Undigested food is expelled as fecal matter.
• The Circulatory System:
• Blood is composed of red and white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. It transports food, gases, and water, and defends the body against disease.
• Blood circulates throughout the body through arteries and veins in a double circulatory system.
• Puberty: Puberty is a stage of development marked by physical changes such as the development of pubic hair, breast enlargement in females, and beard growth and voice changes in males. Emotional changes, such as mood swings and sexual feelings, also occur.
• Pregnancy: Pregnancy is characterized by physical changes like a protruding abdomen and breast enlargement. Signs and symptoms can include morning sickness and vomiting. Teenage pregnancy carries health and social risks, including trauma, disability, complications for mother and baby, and premature death. Early sexual debut can lead to STIs, HIV, unwanted pregnancy, and cervical cancer.

Unit 2: Health

• Diseases: Viruses and bacteria differ in size, survival, reproduction, and control methods. They can cause various diseases, including skin diseases like ringworm, measles, scabies, scurvy, warts, chicken pox, and skin cancer. Disease prevalence can strain health services.
• Nutrition: Fruits (mangoes, avocados, pawpaws, oranges, passion fruits) and seeds (legumes, cereals) are important food sources rich in vitamins and minerals. A balanced diet with varied foods is essential for good health. Food labels provide information on expiry dates, nutrients, and packaging details. Deficiency diseases like scurvy, rickets, night blindness, marasmus, kwashiorkor, and goiter can occur due to inadequate nutrient intake. Children's clinic cards track weight, age, and growth curves to monitor dietary intake.
• Harmful Substances and Their Effects: Substance abuse (cocaine, mandrax, heroin, petrol, alcohol, dagga) can have devastating effects, leading to addiction, diseases, crime, and accidents. Substance addicts can benefit from recreational activities and rehabilitation programs. Alcohol abuse can lead to poor health, violence, and accidents.
• Living with HIV and AIDS: Living with HIV and AIDS presents emotional, economic, social, and moral challenges.

Unit 3: The Environment

• Water Supply System: Water sources include wells, rivers, dams, boreholes, and taps. Water treatment methods vary in urban and rural areas, including boiling, filtration, decantation, and chlorination. Water treatment ensures clean and safe drinking water. Water conservation practices involve turning off taps when not in use and washing clothes efficiently.
• Soil Formation: Weathering is the breakdown of rocks into soil. Agents of weathering include wind, trees, water, and animals. Soil layers consist of topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock.
• Fertilizers: Organic fertilizers are natural, while inorganic fertilizers are man-made. Compost manure is prepared by piling layers of organic material under shade. Maintaining a supply of composted materials ensures continuous nutrient supply to plants. Chemical fertilizers offer advantages like readily available nutrients and quick absorption but can have disadvantages such as soil degradation, leaching, and cost. Natural methods are generally preferred for soil improvement.
• Pollution: Pollution types include air, land, and water pollution. Sources include burning, mining, quarrying, automobiles, industrial activities, and farming. Conserving resources involves the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

Unit 4: Plants and Animals

• The Flower: Parts of a flower include anthers, filament, petals, ovary, stigma, style, sepal, and stalk, each with specific functions.
• Pollination and Fertilization: Pollination is the transfer of pollen from anthers to stigma. Agents of pollination include wind, water, birds, insects, and mammals. Fertilization is the joining of ovule and pollen grains.
• Fruits and Seeds: Plants produce seeds for propagation. Improving seed varieties leads to higher yields and disease and drought resistance.
• Seed Dispersal: Seed dispersal spreads seeds in the environment through wind, animals, water, or explosive methods, ensuring plant species survival.
• Propagation: Plant propagation ensures the continuation of plant species. Methods include seed and vegetative propagation. Examples include row planting (maize, beans) and broadcasting (millet, sorghum).
• Vertebrate Animals: Vertebrates are classified into mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and amphibians. They exhibit adaptations for breathing, feeding, protection, and movement. Their life cycles vary, with some laying eggs and others giving birth to live young. Conservation efforts include avoiding unnecessary killing and maintaining habitats.
• Invertebrate Animals: Invertebrates include insects (bees, dragonflies, wasps, grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies), worms, spiders, crabs, lobsters, and snails. Insects have specific body structures (head, thorax, abdomen, antennae, six legs, wings) and play roles in food sources and pollination. Spiders have eight legs and two body sections.
• Pests and Parasites: Common pests and parasites include aphids, locusts, caterpillars, ticks, beetles, worms, fleas, weevils, termites, tsetse flies, and lice. They harm plants and animals by sucking nutrients, causing diseases, and affecting growth. Control methods include spraying with local plant materials (garlic, red pepper, ash) or commercial chemicals. Chemical pesticides can harm the environment.
• Domestic Animals: Basic needs of livestock include food, shelter, and water. Cleanliness is crucial to prevent disease outbreaks. Keeping livestock together offers protection, facilitates reproduction, and allows for interaction, but crowding can lead to disease outbreaks, fights, and overgrazing.

Unit 5: Materials and Energy

• Energy: Energy is the ability to do work. Types include mechanical (potential, kinetic), electrical, sound, chemical, thermal, heat, and light. Energy can be converted from one form to another (e.g., electrical to light and heat in a bulb).
• Electric Current and Circuits: Electric current is the flow of charges. Simple circuits consist of wires, switches, dry cells, and bulbs. Circuits can be series (bulbs in a line) or parallel (bulbs in different lines). Switches open or close circuits.
• Lightning: Lightning is caused by static electricity. It can cause damage, fire, and death. Lightning arresters and avoiding trees during thunderstorms can prevent damage. Lightning fixes nitrogen in the soil.
• The Solar System: The solar system includes the sun and eight planets. The sun is the source of light and differs from planets in size and luminosity. Seasons are caused by Earth's revolution and tilted axis. Day and night result from Earth's rotation. The moon orbits Earth, creating phases. Solar and lunar eclipses occur when the moon is between the sun and Earth, or Earth is between the sun and moon, respectively. Solar energy is used for heat and electricity generation and in photosynthesis.
• Metals and Non-metals: Metals (aluminum, copper, iron, zinc) and non-metals (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide) have different properties. Metals conduct electricity, while non-metals generally do not.
• Mining: Minerals mined in Zambia include copper, gold, cobalt, lead, iron, zinc, silver, tin, coal, and aluminum. Copper has properties like electrical conductivity and resistance to rust. Copper extraction involves drilling/blasting, crushing, flotation, and electrolysis. Copper products include ornaments, jewelry, coins, cables, and utensils. Mining contributes to foreign exchange, taxes, trade, and employment but can pollute air, land, and water.