6th Grade
Units |
Areas of Focus |
Assessment Tools |
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Light Unit |
Model light as particles and waves to investigate its behavior.
How light travels in straight lines and creates shadows.
The electromagnetic spectrum and its visible portion, colored light, and colored objects.
Reflection and refraction of light by mirrors, prisms, and lenses.
|
FOR ALL UNITS
Class and homework written assignments
and readings
Lab participation
Science journal and lab work documentation
Quizzes and tests
End of module District Assessments
|
EARTH SCIENCE
Earth History Unit |
The conditions that lead to the formation of a sedimentary rock and how rock layers provide us evidence about the earth’s history.
Observe and make inferences from evidence to answer questions posed by students and by geologists.
The properties of sand, sandstone and shale and how their unique properties are created.
The geological time scale and the enormous time span of Earth's history.
How fossils provide evidence for prehistoric environments and how index fossils can be used to determine the relative age of sedimentary rocks.
The properties of metamorphic and igneous rock and the processes that form them.
Sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks as a basis for understanding the Rock Cycle.
|
LIFE SCIENCE
Diversity of Life Unit |
Characteristics that are common to all living organisms and the development an operational definition of life.
Use of the microscope to view plant cells and microscopic organisms. The first developmental stages of a plant and recognize that seeds are living organisms in a dormant state.
How the vascular system transports water throughout a plant.
The reproductive systems in flowers.
The concept of adaptation by studying the structures and behaviors of the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach.
|
7th Grade
Students will apply the inquiry process throughout the year while studying three major units or modules. Students may conduct controlled experiments and create models or simulations to explore the relationship between two variables and compare their answers with what scientists already know about the world. Students will become aware of the interdependence between science and technology and appreciate how science drives technology to help solve human problems.
Units |
Areas of Focus |
Assessment Tools |
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Energy, Machines, and Motion Module |
Types of energy and where they
are located in a system
Energy transfers and
transformations
Forces (including friction and
unbalanced forces) |
FOR ALL UNITS
Class and homework written assignments
and readings
Class and lab participation
Lab Reflections
Classroom and module based quizzes
and tests
End of module District Assessments
DURING THE YEAR
At least two Formal Lab Reports
At least one module based project with
class presentation |
EARTH SCIENCE
Catastrophic Events Module |
Sun as the major energy source
for earth phenomenon such
as winds, ocean currents and
the water cycle
Composition and properties of
earth’s interior and
atmosphere
Processes in earth’s history that
build up and break down
landforms
Storms, earthquakes, volcanoes |
LIFE SCIENCE
Populations and Ecosystems Module |
Fundamentals of ecology
(including energy flow and
feeding relationships)
Sun as the major energy source
for ecosystems on earth
Change agents in an ecosystem
Fundamentals of genetics
Adaptation and genetic change
over time |
8th Grade
Students will apply the inquiry process throughout the year while studying three major units or modules. Students may conduct controlled experiments and create models or simulations to explore the relationship between tow variables and compare their answers with what scientists already know about the world. Students will become aware of the interdependence between science and technology and appreciate how science drives technology to help solve human problems.
Units |
Areas of Focus |
Assessment Tools |
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Properties of Matter
Module |
Matter, atoms and elements
(including the particle model
of matter)
Characteristic properties such as
density, solubility, melting
and boiling points
Mixtures, compounds and
chemical properties
Conservation of mass in a closed
system
Thermal energy and molecular
motion |
FOR ALL UNITS
Class and homework written assignments
and readings
Class and lab participation
Lab Reflections
Classroom and module based quizzes
and tests
End of module District Assessments
DURING THE YEAR
At least two Formal Lab Reports
At least one module based project with
class presentation |
EARTH SCIENCE
Earth in Space Module |
Regular and predictable motion
in the solar system explains
phenomena such as the day,
year, phases of the moon,
eclipses and tides
Sun’s place in the solar system,
galaxy and universe
Relative size and distance of
objects in the solar system
Role of gravity and how it
governs motion in the solar
system |
LIFE SCIENCE
Human Body Systems
Module |
Specialized cells perform
different functions in
multicellular organisms
Relationship between form and
function in organ systems
Human body systems including
the skeletal, muscular,
circulatory, respiratory and
digestive |