8th Grade Science Syllabus – Mrs. Loftis Northwest Middle ...



You finally made it to 8th grade! I am excited to have you in my class this year and look forward to getting to know you better. These few pages will be helpful to you and your parents in understanding what my classes are about and what I will be expecting from you so you will have a successful school year in this class.

Course Outcome:

Course Description:

This year we will study many topics that include the Scientific Method, Inquiry, Technology and Engineering, Biodiversity and Change, Matter, and Forces in Nature.

• 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.”

• 8th Grade Science Curriculum: Can be found at the link below:



Instruction:

General Pacing:

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

1st 9 Weeks:

Inquiry (this will be on-going throughout the school year)

Technology/Engineering (this will be on-going throughout the school year)

Biodiversity and Change (Classifying organisms, adaptations of a population, the biodiversity of Earth, and how fossils help us to gather evidence)

2nd 9 Weeks:

Matter (Atoms, the structure of atoms, states of matter, physical and chemical changes, element, compounds and mixtures, the Periodic Table, chemical reactions, acids, and bases)

3rd 9 Weeks:

Forces in Nature (Magnetism, electricity, electromagnets, gravitational force, and gravity)

4th 9 Weeks:

TCAP Review

**Please understand that 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, and 1 subject spiral-bound notebook. It would be quite helpful to you if you also had your own colored pencils, markers, scissors, and glue sticks for in class projects.

It is extremely important for you to be as organized as possible. You need to keep all of your papers and have them organized in order for you to be prepared for tests, quizzes, and discussions. We will be using the spiral-bound notebook as an interactive notebook for class. It is also important that you do not lose or destroy your interactive notebook. If you lose your notebook, you will need to replace it asap.. Furthermore, you are expected to show up to class with your materials every day. There are no fees for this class.

Religion in the Curriculum:

Knox County Schools board policy on religion in the classroom can be found here:

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.

Resources:

Textbook Information:

The Science text you will be using this year is Holt Science and Technology. Each student will have access to a science book in class and will be able to check out a book on an as needed basis for home use. It is the student’s responsibility to return the book as soon as possible. If you write in or destroy any textbook –YOU and YOUR PARENTS will be responsible for paying to replace it. Cost of the book is $74.50.

Supplemental Materials:

Instructional time is important; therefore, I do not use full length videos on an everyday 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 may be used are:

• Understanding Science “Matter”

• Bill Nye and Magic School Bus videos

• Textbook Topics “Matter” and “Earth’s Features”

• Physical Science in Action “Atoms and Molecules” and Elements, Compounds and Mixtures”

• Discovery Education videos and video clips

• “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” Rated G

• “Hunting the Elements” No rating/Educational Video from NOVA/PBS

• Discovery Education videos

• Video Clips that relate to science content from the following movies: Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mocking Jay, Iron Man, Transformers, Ender’s Game and other Knox County approved video clips.

• Other video clips as needed

Common Core Texts:

• Brown Tree Snake: Good for spiders, bad for birds

• Owl adaptation explained

• The Disappearing Spoon by Same Kean

• Magazine and News Articles from National Geographic, National GeoKids, Scholastic Science World, and other on-line resources

• Various articles from

*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.

Safety Procedures:

We will follow the Flinn Science Lab Safety Procedures and will go over them in class. You and your parent must read and sign the associated safety contract before you will be allowed to participate in any science experiment or lab in class.

Safety Contract

Assessment:

Students will be assessed by various methods and formats such as: open response, multiple choice, essays, short answer, fill in the blank, Interactive Notebook checks, and projects.

Homework Policy:

Homework may be given with the expectation is that you are to complete and turn your work in on time in order to master the topic. Projects, both group and individual, may be assigned and will be expected to be completed and turned in on time as well.

Make-Up Work Policy:

Knox County Board of Education Policy 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 Received by Student |

|1 day |95 |

|2 days |90 |

|3 days |85 |

|4 days |80 |

|5 days |75 |

|Each day after 5 |5 percentage points fewer |

**End of the Semester Exception**

All students with an excused absent, 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% of your grade comes from formative assignments such as:

Participation in class discussions, quizzes, class work, and homework

• 60% of your grade comes from summative assignments such as:

Chapter and unit tests, projects, presentations, and written papers

Second Semester:

• 35% Formative

• 50% Summative

• 15% TCAP

Assignments turned in without a name will not be graded, please write name and student number on all papers!

Knox County Grading Scale:

93-100 – A

85-92 – B

75-84 – C

70-74 – D

0-69 – F

Plagiarism:

According to Harbrace Handbook, 15th edition:

Plagiarism is defined as “presenting someone else’s ideas, research, or opinion as your won without proper documentation, even if it has been rephrased.” It includes, but is not limited to the following:

1. Copying verbatim all or part of another’s written work

2. Using phrases, figures, or illustrations without citing the source.

3. Paraphrasing ideas, conclusions, or research without citing the source

4. Using all or part of a literary plot, poem, or film without attributing the work to its creator.

All students are expected to follow a code of honor and refrain from plagiarizing. Plagiarism is a form of stealing an academic fraud. Students who are found guilty of plagiarism will have the option of either redoing the assignment within a specified time period and accepting a grade letter drop or taking a zero on the assignment. Parents will be involved in making this decision.

Parent Portal Policy:

Parent Portal and my class website 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; late work or make-up work will be posted as it is graded. Parents, please be patient with the updating of grades.

Student Expectations:

My rules are simple: be respectful to yourself and others, be prepared for class, and be the best student you can be. I also expect you to pay attention in class, participate, and do your work/homework on time. If you choose to break a rule or are disrespectful, you are choosing to have a consequence to your action. Those consequences may include: class privileges taken away, after school detention, 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. The bottom line: Be Where You Are Supposed to Be When You Are Supposed to Be There, Doing What You Are Supposed to Be Doing!

Teacher Expectations:

If you need to contact me, feel free to call the school at 594-1345 between 8:35 – 9:45 a.m. or email me at brandon.clowers@. Parent Portal and my class website are two valuable resources for you to use to ensure your child has the most successful experience in this class. If you feel as though your child needs extra help in my class, I will provide tutoring after school if needed.

8th Grade Knox Science Curriculum

INQUIRY

Design and conduct open-ended scientific investigations.

SPI 0807.Inq.1 Design a simple experimental procedure with an identified control and appropriate variables.

Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, organize, analyze, and interpret data.

SPI 0807.Inq.2 Select tools and procedures needed to conduct a moderately complex experiment.

Synthesize information to determine cause and effect relationships between evidence and explanations.

SPI 0807.Inq.3 Interpret and translate data into a table, graph, or diagram.

Recognize possible sources of bias and error, alternative explanations, and questions for further exploration.

SPI 0807.Inq.4 Draw a conclusion that establishes a cause and effect relationship supported by evidence.

Communicate scientific understanding using descriptions, explanations, and models.

SPI 0807.Inq.5 Identify a faulty interpretation of data that is due to bias or experimental error

EMBEDDED TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING

Explore how technology responds to social, political, and economic needs.

SPI 0807.T/E.7.1 Identify the tools and procedures needed to test the design features of a prototype

Know that the engineering design process involves an ongoing series of events that incorporate design constraints, model building, testing, evaluating, modifying, and retesting.

SPI 0807.T/E.2 Evaluate a protocol to determine if the engineering design process was successfully applied.

Compare the intended benefits with the unintended consequences of a new technology.

SPI 0807.T/E.3 Distinguish between the intended benefits and the unintended consequences of a new technology

Describe and explain adaptive and assistive bioengineered products.

SPI 0807.T/E.4 Differentiate between adaptive and assistive bioengineered products.

BIODIVERSITY AND CHANGE

Identify various criteria used to classify organisms into groups.

SPI 0807.5.1 Use a simple classification key to identify an unknown organism.

Use a simple classification key to identify a specific organism.

SPI 0807.5.2 Analyze structural, behavioral, and physiological adaptations to predict which populations are likely to survive in a particular environment

Analyze how structural, behavioral, and physiological adaptations within a population enable it to survive in a given environment.

SPI 0807.5.3 Analyze data on levels of variation within a population to make predictions about survival under particular environmental conditions

Explain why variation within a population can enhance the chances for group survival.

SPI 0807.5.3 Analyze data on levels of variation within a population to make predictions about survival under particular environmental conditions

Describe the importance of maintaining the earth’s biodiversity.

SPI 0807.5.4 Identify several reasons for the importance of maintaining the Earth’s biodiversity.

Investigate fossils in sedimentary rock layers to gather evidence of changing life forms.

SPI 0807.5.5 Compare fossils found in sedimentary rock to determine their relative age.

MATTER

Understand that all matter is made up of atoms.

SPI 0807.9.1 Recognize that all matter is made of atoms.

Explain that matter has properties that are determined by the structure and arrangement of its atoms.

SPI 0807.9.6 Compare the particle arrangement and type of particle motion associated with different states of matter.

SPI 0807.9.7 Apply an equation to determine the density of an object based on its mass and volume

Interpret data from an investigation to differentiate between physical and chemical changes.

SPI 0807.9.2 Identify the common outcome of all chemical changes.

SPI 0807.Interpret the results of an investigation to determine whether a physical or chemical change has occurred.

Distinguish among elements, compounds, and mixtures.

SPI0807.9.3 Classify common substances as elements or compounds based on their symbols or formulas.

SPI0807.9.4 Differentiate between a mixture and a compound.

Apply the chemical properties of the atmosphere to illustrate a mixture of gases.

SPI 0807.9.5 Describe the chemical makeup of the atmosphere.

Use the periodic table to determine the characteristics of an element.

SPI 0807.9.9 Use the periodic table to determine the properties of an element.

Explain the Law of Conservation of Mass.

SPI 0807.9.11 Recognize that in a chemical reaction the mass of the reactants is equal to the mass of the products (Law of Conservation of Mass).

Interpret the events represented by a chemical equation.

SPI 0807.9.10 Identify the reactants and products of a chemical reaction.

Explain the basic difference between acids and bases.

SPI 0807.9.12 Identify the basic properties of acids and bases.

FORCES IN NATURE

Investigate the relationship between magnetism and electricity.

SPI 0807.12.1 Recognize how magnetism can be produced using a magnet

Design an investigation to change the strength of an electromagnet.

SPI 0807.1.2 Demonstrate the basic principles of an electromagnet.

Compare and contrast the earth’s magnetic field to that of a magnet and an electromagnet.

SPI 0807.12.3 Distinguish among the earth’s magnetic field, a magnet, and the fields that surround a magnet and an electromagnet

Identify factors that influence the amount of gravitational force between objects.

SPI 0807.12.4 Distinguish between mass and weight using appropriate measuring instruments and units.

SPI 0807.12.5 Determine the relationship among the mass of objects, the distance between these objects, and the amount of gravitational attraction.

Recognize that gravity is the force that controls the motion of objects in the solar system.

SPI 0807.12.6 Illustrate how gravity controls the motion of objects in the solar system

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8th Grade Science Syllabus

Mr. Clowers - Northwest Middle School

2016-1017

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