6th Grade Science Syllabus - Knox County Schools



2018-2019 7th Grade Science Syllabus

Mr. McGinn - Northwest Middle School

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Welcome to 7th grade! I am so excited to have you in class this year and want to tell you about my class and what I will expect from you in order for you to be successful.

Course Outcome:

Course Description:

This course is an inquiry-based science class integrating technology and engineering while exploring the interrelationships of life, earth, and physical sciences. The major themes are matter and its interactions, molecules to organisms, heredity, human activity and cycles.

Knox County Schools Science Department Mission Statement:

“Knox County Science teachers will empower students to search, solve, and succeed in order to contribute to and improve our complex world.”

7th Grade Curriculum

Instruction:

General Pacing:

The basic outline for this class is as follows (for a more detailed list please see the attached Knox County Science Curriculum):

1st 9 Weeks:

Lab safety and Equipment

Introduction to Mater (Atomic structure, molecules and compounds, physical and chemical properties)

Changes in Matter (Pure substances and mixtures, reactions)

2nd 9 Weeks:

Changes in Matter (States of mater)

Introduction to Cells (Cell organelles, cells across kingdoms)

Organization of Living Things (Levels of organization, body systems)

3rd 9 Weeks:

Cell Processes (Cell membrane, mitosis, photosynthesis and cellular respiration)

Heredity (Mitosis and meiosis, inheritance, asexual and sexual reproduction)

4th 9 Weeks:

Reproductive Success (Adaptations, mutations)

Earth (Atmospheric change, climate change)

TNReady Review

**Please note this is a guideline that will be used and may be modified based on student needs.

Materials Needed/Fees:

The following materials will be needed as soon as possible for class: pencils, pens, erasers, spiral notebook, loose-leaf paper, and a folder to put important papers in. It is very important for you to be as organized as possible and keep all papers in order for you to be prepared for tests. There is no fee for this class.

Resources:

• Textbook Information:

The Science text you will be using this year is Pearson Tennessee Middle School, Grade 7. We will have interactive student editions. I will also make available an online book, which will be accessible anywhere with an internet connection.

• Other Books:

o ScienceSaurus A student Handbook by Great Source

o Tennessee Blueprint TCAP Coach by Triumph Learning

• Additional Text Resources:

o Additional text pertaining to our course of study can be found from a variety of online journal sites such as: Gale Science in Context (TEL), ,

• Supplemental Materials:

Instructional time is very valuable; therefore, I do not use videos on a regular basis. The videos I do show in my classroom, however, are educational videos that relate to topics that are a part of the science curriculum. All videos are a part of our school library collection. Some titles that will be used are:

o Brain Pop video clips

o Discovery Education video clips

o Amoeba Sisters and Make Me Genius video clips

o Bill Nye the Science Guy: “Plants,”

o Teacher Video Company: “Inside a Cell,” “Meiosis,” “Mitosis,” and “Photosynthesis”

o Dr. Seuss’s Televised Classics: “The Lorax”

o BBC Video: “Planet Earth” and “The Blue Planet: Seas of Life”

If you do not approve of a specific resource listed in this syllabus, please make your request to me in writing and an alternative assignment and/or materials will be provided.

• Helpful Websites:

The following websites may be useful to students throughout the year for reviewing topics and furthering their understanding of science:

o Username: rangernation Password: orange

Safety Procedures:

Safety Contract

Assessment:

Homework, Make-Up Work, and Grading Policy:

Make-Up Work Policy for Absent Students

Knox County Board of Education Policy states and Northwest Middle School will follow:

“If a student must be absent from school for any reason, excused or unexcused, up to ten (10) days upon returning to school, he/she shall be given the opportunity to make up any and all assignments that were missed during the student’s absence. The student must request make-up assignments within three (3) days after returning from the absence. Failure of a student to initiate a request for make-up work within three (3) days will result in lost opportunity for credit for that assignment.”

It is the student’s responsibility to obtain their missed assignments from an absence. At parent’s request, the office will gather missed work for students who are absent 5 or more days. However, due to meetings taking place during teachers’ plan times, it is reasonable to allow at least 24 hours before picking up the assignments.

Late Work Policy

Individual teachers, teams and other school officials at Northwest Middle School have the authority and responsibility to impose deadlines for the submission of work. One of our goals as a school is to prepare students for the future by teaching students responsibility, and experiencing the natural consequences of failure to meet reasonable deadlines is the primary manner in which we learn this skill. Please do not expect school administration or teachers to extend or ignore a deadline. For students that choose not complete their assignments on time, the following Late Work Penalties will be assessed:

|Days Late |Percent of Grade Deducted from Student Grade |

|1 day |5% |

|2 days |10% |

|3 days |15% |

|4 days |20% |

|5 days |25% |

|6 or more days |Results in a zero |

**End of the Semester Exception**

All students, absent or not, will be given ten (10) days to complete a missing assignment unless the missing assignments are near the end of the semester. At that point, all assignments not completed by the end of the semester grading cut-off date will be recorded as zeros.

Grading Policy:

First Semester

|40% Formative |Examines what students are learning |

|Assessments |(e.g. participation, quizzes used to gather data, class work, and homework) |

|60% Summative |Examines what students have learned, documents level of mastery |

|Assessments |(e.g. major tests, quizzes used to show mastery, projects, presentations, and written papers) |

Second Semester

|34% Formative |Examines what students are learning |

|Assessments |(e.g. participation, quizzes used to gather data, class work, and homework) |

|51% Summative |Examines what students have learned, documents level of mastery |

|Assessments |(e.g. major tests, quizzes used to show mastery, projects, presentations, and written papers) |

|15% TNReady |Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement Test or TN Ready Assessment |

Knox County Grading Scale:

93-100 – A

85-92 – B

75-84 – C

70-74 – D

0-69 – F

School Board Policy I-431 on Religion in the Curriculum:

The Board affirms that it is essential that the teaching about religion—and not of a religion be conducted in a factual, objective and respectful manner in accordance with the following: 

1. Music, art, literature, or drama with a religious theme or basis are permitted as part of the curriculum for school-sponsored activities and programs provided it is essential to the learning experience in the various fields of study and is presented objectively; 

2. The emphasis on religious themes in the arts, literature and history shall be only as extensive as necessary for a balanced and comprehensive study of these areas. Such studies shall never foster any particular religious tenets or demean any religious beliefs; and 

3. Student-initiated expressions to questions or assignments which reflect their beliefs or non-beliefs about a religious theme shall be accommodated. For example, students are free to express religious belief or non-belief in compositions, art forms, music, speech and debate.

Parent Portal Policy:

ASPEN and Canvas pages (found on northwestms.) are two valuable resources for you to use to ensure your child has the most successful experience in this class. In order to provide timely feedback, I will update grades once per week and strive to have three assignments per week.

Student Expectations:

My rules are very simple: be prepared for class, be respectful to yourself and others, participating, asking questions, and be the best student you can be. If you choose to break a rule, you are choosing to have a consequence to your action. Those consequences may include: privileges taken away, phone call home, parent conference, or ultimately, a referral to the principal. I want you to learn and in order to learn, you must have self-control. We will also be adhering to the student classwork completion procedure of the school, which states: An essential factor to being successful in middle school is classwork completion. The faculty at Northwest Middle School requires and expects that all students complete all assignments in order to increase student achievement and student responsibility. If a student chooses not to complete an assignment on time then they will lose points as stated in the Late Work Policy. Students choosing not to complete classwork will also be asked by the teacher to complete the Personal Responsibility Card acknowledging their refusal to work. These cards will be turned in daily to the Grade Level Administrator who will collect the cards and take further action as deemed appropriate and necessary.

Teacher Expectations:

If you need to contact me, feel free to call the school at 594-1345 ext 41673 or email me at carl.mcginn@ Aspen and Canvas are two valuable resources for you to use to ensure your child has the most successful experience in this class. In order to provide timely feedback, I will update grades once per week. If you feel as though your child needs extra help in my class, I will provide tutoring before or after school if needed, or pull them from related arts with administrator approval.

Matter and Interactions

7.PS1.1 Develop and use models to illustrate the structure of atoms, including the subatomic particles with their relative positions and charges.

7.PS1.2 Compare and contrast elemental molecules and compound molecules.

7.PS1.3 Classify matter as pure substances or mixtures based on composition.

7.PS1.4 Analyze and interpret chemical reactions to determine if the total number of atoms in the reactants and products support the Law of Conservation of Mass

7.PS1.5 Use the periodic table as a model to analyze and interpret evidence relating to physical and chemical properties to identify a sample of matter.

7.PS1.6 Create and interpret models of substances whose atoms represent the states of matter with respect to temperature and pressure

FROM MOLECULES TO ORGANISMS: STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES

7.LS1.1 Develop and construct models that identify and explain the structure and function of major cell organelles as they contribute to the life activities of the cell and organism.

7.LS1.2 Conduct an investigation to demonstrate how the cell membrane maintains homeostasis through the process of passive transport.

7.LS1.3 Evaluate evidence that cells have structural similarities and differences across kingdoms.

7.LS1.4 Diagram the hierarchical organization of multicellular organisms from cells to organism.

7.LS1.5 Explain that the body is a system comprised or subsystems that maintain equilibrium and support life through digestion, respiration, excretion, circulation, sensation (nervous and integumentary) and locomotion (musculoskeletal).

7.LS1.6 Develop an argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to explain how behavioral and structural adaptations in animals and plants affect the probability of survival and reproductive success

7.LS1.7 Evaluate and communicate evidence that compares and contrasts the advantages and disadvantages of sexual and asexual reproduction.

7.LS1.8 Construct an explanation demonstrating that the function of mitosis for multicellular organisms is for growth and repair through the production of genetically identical daughter cells.

7.LS1.9 Construct a scientific explanation based on compiled evidence for the processes of photosynthesis of cellular respiration, and anaerobic respiration in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.

ECOSYSTEMS: INTERACTIONS, ENERGY AND DYNAMICS

7.LS2.1 Develop a model to depict the cycling of matter, including carbon and oxygen, including the flow of energy among biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem.

HEREDITY: INHERITANCE AND VARIATION OF TRAITS

7.LS3.1 Hypothesize that the impact of structural changes to genes (i.e., mutations) located on chromosomes may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism.

7.LS3.2 Distinguish between mitosis and meiosis and compare the resulting daughter cells.

7.LS3.3 Predict the probability of individual dominant and recessive alleles to be transmitted from each parent to offspring during sexual reproduction and represent the genotypic and phenotypic patterns using ratios.

EART AND HUMAN ACTIVITY

7.ESS3.1 Graphically represent the composition of the atmosphere as a mixture of gases and discuss the potential for atmospheric change.

7.ESS3.2 Engage in a scientific argument through graphing and translating data regarding human activity and climate.

LINKS AMONG ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE

7.ETS2.1 Examine a problem from the medical field pertaining to biomaterials and design a solution taking into consideration the criteria, constraints, and relevant scientific principles of the problem that may limit possible solutions.

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I have received Mr. McGinn’s syllabus for my student____________________________________(please print student name) in 7th grade science. I have read it and understand the expectations regarding textbook, materials needed, classroom rules, homework, make-up work, and grading.

As a parent, I have also read the syllabus and understand what my child can do to be successful in science this year.

Please sign this page of the syllabus, along with the lab safety sheet on the back of this page. Be sure to turn it in to Mr. McGinn for a grade.

______________________________ ____________________________

Student Name Parent Name

______________________________ ____________________________

Student Signature Parent Signature

____________________________

Parent Phone Number

____________________________

Parent Email

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