Grade 7, Quarter 4:
Title
Overview
This course is the second year of a standards-based, coordinated,
three-year integrated middle school science program. This course emphasizes
concept and skill development and contains a balance of physical,
biological, earth/space, and environmental science topics. Each unit focuses
on one major scientific concept, which is developed through a thematic
approach. The major concepts include: Interactions; Diversity of Living
Things; Solutions; Force and Motion; The Restless Earth; Toward the Stars;
Growing Plants; and Human Body and Health Topics, including the Circulatory
and Digestive Systems, Environmental Health, and Health-related Careers.
Students construct their own understanding through an inquiry-based
approach. Activities include open-ended investigations, small-group
discussions, exploratory writing and reflective reading tasks, and
long-range projects. Assessment activities are varied and teach as well as
evaluate comprehension and performance. |
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Enduring Understandings
- important ideas that students should carry with them years beyond the
instruction received this year.
- Scientists investigate the world around them and
communicate to others through the scientific process.
- The scientific process is the basis of an integrated
approach to understanding our world. (topic/problem, testable question,
hypothesis, procedure)
- Scientists use a plan to carry out an investigation
(variables, control, data, observations, investigations).
- Scientists select, appropriate tools to collect,
organize, and record data using the metric system in tables, charts, and
graphs.
- Scientists analyze data for reliability, validity to
form conclusions.
- Scientists analyze data to infer past and predict
future events.
- Scientists ask questions based on their
investigations and these questions can lead to new investigations.
- Scientists communicate the results of their
investigations in many formats and appropriate ways.
- The Earth is a dynamic planet. The Earth's forces are responsible
for forming minerals, rocks, and soils.
- The Earth's surface is shaped by several forces.
- Fossils are formed through various methods and provide evidence
about past life forms.
- Patterns in natural events correspond with surface features (e.g.
plate boundaries with earthquakes and volcanoes, mountain ranges with
landslides).
- The Earth's crust is in constant motion.
- Water is distributed and circulated among oceans, glaciers, rivers,
ground water, and the atmosphere.
- The sea floor features are similar to those on Earth's exposed
surface.
- The world population uses both renewable and
nonrenewable resources.
- The world is affected by the interrelationship of
science and technology. New technology continually impacts human
activity.
- New technology continually impacts human activity.
- Experiments must be controlled and have reproducible
results.
- Scientists identify, determine, compare, and control
variables.
- Scientists must be objective and bias free when
examining their work.
- Scientists communicate their results using various
methods.
- Scientists use models to predict change.
- Safety is a primary concern with all laboratory
techniques.
Essential Questions
- most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer
after completing learning activities.
- What is a testable question that leads to a proposed
hypothesis? How is a testable question developed
- How do scientists design a plan for investigating a
testable questions? How is an investigation organized?
- How do scientists develop and perform a scientific
investigation? What are the independent/manipulated and
dependent/responding variables? What is the standard of control?
- What are the appropriate tools, technologies, and
measurement systems used by scientists?
- How do scientists interpret and evaluate data?
- How do
scientists infer/predict past and future events?
- What new questions have arisen based on unexpected
results of the investigation? How is scientific information effectively
communicated to specific audiences?
- How is scientific information effectively
communicated to specific audiences?
- How does the rock cycle illustrate the formation and change of
minerals and rocks? How does soil form?
- What forces shape Earth's surface?
- How are fossils formed and what evidence do they provide that
life has changed over time?
- What events and formations occur at plate boundaries?
- Why do continental plates move?
- How does the water cycle distribute water on Earth?
- What are the features of the ocean floor?
- What are the components, composition, size, and
theories of origin of our solar system?
- How do the relative positions of the Sun, Earth,
and Moon produce tides, seasons, and eclipses on Earth?
- What makes Earth both similar to/different from
other planets in our solar system?
- What are the differences between and uses of
renewable and nonrenewable resources?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of
using technology to solve problems?
- How has technology influenced the way people
work? What are advantages/disadvantages created by new technology?
- How do people use science and technology in their
professional lives?
- How do controlled/uncontrolled variables affect
the outcomes of experiment
- How do you identify, compare, and control
variables in an investigation?
- How does bias, opinion, and evidence affect the
way science is communicated in various media?
- What are some different sources and methods a
scientist uses to collect and record data?
- How can models help us predict future outcomes?
- What are safe laboratory practices?
 Highest
Frequency Standards
 High
Frequency Standards
 Other
Standards & E-skills
Standard 1: Students understand the processes of
scientific investigations and design, conduct, communicate about, and
evaluate such investigation.
Standard 4: Earth and Space Science: Students know and understand the
processes and interactions of Earth's systems and the structure and
dynamics of Earth and other objects in space. Students know and
understand the composition of the Earth, its history, and the natural
processes that shape it. Students know and understand the general
characteristics of the atmosphere and fundamental processes of weather.
Students know major sources of water, its uses, importance, and cyclic
patterns of movement through the environment. Students know the
structure of the solar system, composition and interactions of objects
in the universe and how space is explored.
Standard 5: Students know and understand
interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how
they affect the world.
Standard 6: Students understand that science involves a
particular way of knowing and they understand common connections among
scientific disciplines
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