Sixth Grade Science Syllabus - Lower Dauphin School District



Sixth Grade Science Syllabus Mrs. Brenneman

Brown Team Room 615

rbrenneman@

Course Description: Our Prentice Hall Science focuses on three units of study: Water, Energy Resources, and Geology. Supplementary materials will be utilized for our Scientific Method & Inquiry, Meteorology, and Structure of the Universe. Throughout these units of study, we will look at systems and cycles within our planet and how they are connected.

Course Objective: Students will view the whole planet as an active, ever-changing organism within the solar system.

Textbooks: We use four texts from the Prentice Hall Science Series:

1. Science Explorer: Earth’s Waters © 2002 - Water

2. Science Explorer: Inside Earth © 2002- Geology

3. Science Explorer: Environmental Science © 2002 – Energy Resources

Course Topics:

1 Scientific Method and Inquiry 4. Energy Resources

o Scientific Method o Renewable and Nonrenewable

o Lab Safety

o Metric Measurement 5. Structure of the Universe

o Gravity and Its Impact

o Solar System o Past, Present, and Future

2 Geology

o Layers of the Earth 6. Water

o Plate Tectonics o Water Use

o Constructive and Destructive Forces o Water Cycle

o Minerals and Rocks o Fresh Water Systems

o Water Quality

3 Meteorology o Oceanography

o Maps and Forecasting

o Clouds

o Layers of the Atmosphere

o Air Masses and Wind Patterns

o Climate

o Types of Storms

Grading: Generally, I do not assign a lot of science homework (this includes outside work, such as preparing for a flipped lesson). If I assign homework, it is most likely essential in helping the student understand the concepts being worked on in class. Quizzes, projects (2), lab work, class work, and summative tests will earn a student his/her final grade. Students are not permitted to take the final test outside of the classroom. They will be stored in a folder in the classroom after the teacher has shown the graded test to the student. Students may arrange a time with the teacher to review his/her test if desired. Formative Assessments (quizzes, labs, classwork) are permitted to leave the room as they are designed to give the student feedback regarding on how well he/she is working to learn the information for the final test. Many concepts quizzed will be reassessed on the summative assessment. Please keep in mind that summative assessments will most likely be challenging as analysis is an important skill in science and will be included on this type of test. Students should expect to put in a reasonable amount of time preparing for tests ahead of time. Study guides are often given one week prior for summative tests. It is a good idea to review the information covered in class on a daily basis to ensure that the student understands what is being studied.

Summative Assessments (100 pts)

Formative Assessments/Quizzes (10 pts or less)

Labs (10-20 pts.)

Classwork (5–10 pts)

Projects (25 pts)

( Late Work Policy: You will have the district policy of one day for each day absent (this includes lessons or doctor appointments). If you did not turn in an assignment on time, you have until the end of the marking period to turn this assignment in. It will be marked as missing until this time. If it is still not in, then it will be entered as as a zero. This is NOT a good practice to get into as completion of assignments help you master the concept being currently taught. Delay will make it much more difficult to prepare for your assessment on the unit being studied.

Parental Involvement: Parent involvement is critical to any educational program. I encourage all parents to take an active role in their child’s education. Your child has moved onto the middle school level but still needs family support. Please take time to occasionally look over your child’s science homework and the material covered in the text. Feel free to use the guided reading suggestions in the margins to focus on the important concepts in the textbook. Short, frequent reviews make quiz and test preparation much easier. My most successful students in the past are those who would review whatever was taught in class each day and ask questions the following day, if needed. This will help your child gauge whether or not he or she is building the foundation necessary for understanding. Family outings that reinforce our program are enjoyable and quite helpful.

Also keep in mind that a huge part of sixth grade is figuring out how you child can be successful in the Middle School. Mistakes and poor test performance are an opportunity to figure out what he/she needs to tweak in his/her preparation for the assessment. This will most likely be your child’s most challenging class in that much of science is new to him/her, it is analytical, and requires your child to use his/her higher order thinking skills. Preparation for class as well as an assessment will be necessary for this class.

Please do not hesitate to contact me. By working together, parent, teacher, and student, we can ensure that your child has a successful year in science.

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