Course The 7th grade course work will develop a greater understanding of basic scientific principles. This understanding will be accomplished by working through the process of scientific inquiry to explore the scientific fields of Earth, Physical and Technology. Scope And Sequence Timeframe Unit Instructional Topics 9 Week(s) 7 Week(s) 9 Week(s) 8 Week(s) Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing Matter and Energy Force And Motion Universe Earth's Systems Scientific Inquiry, Technology and Human Activity English Language Arts within and Technology Content The study of properties and behaviors of waves, the difference between electromagnetic and mechanical waves, and the behavior of light and its effects on humans. The study of the cause and effect relationship between force and motion and the effects on other objects. The study of the structure and distances in the universe and the effects of gravitational forces on that structure. The study of the atmosphere, weather and climate, the water cycle, changes in matter and the conservation of mass. The study of experimental processes with the use of evaluation and communication. 1. Property of waves 2. Sound 3. Light 4. Electromagnetic Spectrum 1. Motion of objects 2. Types of Forces 3. Newton's Laws of Motion 4. Mechanical Systems 1. Solar System 2. Sun, earth, and moon systems 1. Atmosphere, weather, and climate 2. Heat transfer 3. Water cycle 1. Developing investigations 2. Conducting investigations 3. Evaluating and analyzing results 4. Communicating results 1. Technology 2. History and impact of science 1. English Language Arts within and Technology Content The study of scientific discoveries and their impact on society. Board Approval Date Board Approved 6/26/2014 Unit: Matter and Energy Course Details Duration: 9 Week(s) Page 1
This unit will include the study of the properties and behaviors of waves, the difference between electromagnetic and mechanical waves, and the behavior of light and its effects on humans. All waves have similarities in their movement and structure. Two basic categories of waves are mechanical and electromagnetic and require different environmental factors for movement. The behavior of light is predictable and provides many uses for humans. How are waves similar to each other? What is the difference between mechanical and electromagnetic waves? How do we predict the movement of light in order to make it useful? Example Assessment Items Students will construct waves that depict their frequencies, amplitudes, and wavelengths. Students will distinguish whether a wave is mechanical or electromagnetic based on a description of its behaviors. Students will create a work that depicts the motion of light through different types of lenses. Academic Vocabulary Wavelength Amplitude Frequency Pitch Trough Crest Line of origin Mechanical Electromagnetic Convex Concave Diverge Converge Visible light Topic: Property of waves Duration: 1 Week(s) Understand the properties and behaviors of different types of waves and their effects on human life. The student will describe the structure of all waves. The student will observe and describe the motion of a wave The student will understand that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. Topic: Duration: 1 Week(s) Sound Understand the characteristics of sound; including frequency, wavelength, amplitude and speed. The student will describe how sound energy is transferred by wavelike disturbances that spread away from the source through a medium. The student describe how changes in energy cause changes in loudness and the pitch of a sound. The student will predict how the properties of the medium (for example, air, water, empty space, rock, temperature) affect the speed of different types of mechanical waves. Topic: Duration: 3 Week(s) Light Understand the behavior of light as it interacts with different mediums (mirrors and lenses), and the structure and function of the human eye and how it interprets light. Page 2
The student will identify sources of visible light (artifical and natural). The student will describe evidence (i.e. cannot bend around walls) that visible light travels in a straight line. The student will compare reflection and refraction of visible light on various surfaces (shiny, dull) or materials (transparent, translucent, opaque). The student will identify the stucture and function of the human eye as a receiver of light. Assessment: Cow eye dissection The student will recognize and explain that an object is "seen" only when the object emits or reflects light to the eye. Topic: Duration: 2 Week(s) Electromagnetic Spectrum The student will understand the difference between mechanical and electromagnetic waves and the behavior of light and its effects on humans. The student will recognize that the energy from the sun is transferred to Earth in a range of electromagnetic waves - radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible light (color spectrum), ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma rays. The student will recognize that differences in wavelength within that range of visible light that can be seen by the human eye are perceived as differences in color. The student will understand the uses and dangers of Electromagnetic radiation. Unit: Force And Motion We will investigate the cause and effect relationship between force and motion and the effects on other objects. Describe the different types of forces and the resulting motion they cause which are controlled by Newton's Laws of Motion. The mechanical advantage of each Simple Machine can be calculated How do the different types of forces cause the motion of an object? How do Newton's Laws of Motion explain movement of an object? How do we calculate the mechanical advantage of a Simple Machine? Example Assessment Items Design and solve equations showing the amount of acceleration based on force and mass. Generate and test motions that use spring scales to measure force; organize results in the form of a graph/chart, etc... Duration: 7 Week(s) Investigate and design a useful construction (ex: wheelchair, ramp, etc...) using simple machines and calculate the mechanical advantage of each machine. Academic Vocabulary force motion acceleration Newton's Laws of Motion mechanical advantage unbalanced force balanced force velocity inertia Topic: Motion of objects Duration: 1 Week(s) We will investigate the motion of objects. Page 3
The student will understand that the motion of an object is described as a change in position, direction, and speed relative to another object (frame of reference) The student will calculate the speed of an object. Topic: Duration: 1 Week(s) Types of Forces We will investigate the cause and effect relationship between force and motion and the effects on other objects. The student will understand that gravity, contact and friction are classified as forces. - Compare the forces acting on an object by using a spring scale to measure them to the nearest Newton The student will provide evidence that the change in an object's motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object (unbalanced and balanced forces). Topic: Duration: 2 Week(s) Newton's Laws of Motion The investigation of Newton's Laws of Motion and their impact on everyday life. The student will understand Newton's 1st Law of motion. The student will understand the properties of motion (inertia and gravity). The student will compare the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces (including gravity, friction, push or pull) on an object's motion. The student will understand Newton's 2nd Law of motion. The student will understand that Newton's Laws of Motion explain the interaction of mass and forces and their impact on the acceleration of an object, and are used to predict changes in motion. The student will understand Newton's 3rd Law of motion. The student will explain the action and reaction forces of a motion. Topic: Duration: 1 Week(s) Mechanical Systems The mechanical advantages of each simple machine can be calculated. The student will understand that simple machines (levers, inclined planes, wheel and axle, screws, wedges, and pulleys) affect the force applied to an object and/or direction of movement as work is done The student will recognize examples of work being done on an object with and without the use of simple machines. The student will explain how simple machines affect the amount of effort force, the distance through which a force is applied, and/or direction of force while doing work. Unit: Universe Duration: 9 Week(s) Page 4
This unit includes the study of the structure and distances in the universe and the effects of gravitational forces on that structure. Also included is interactions between the Sun, Earth, and Moon and their effects, such as seasons, moon phases, etc... The universe has an observable, measurable structure that is affected by gravitational forces. The Sun, Earth, and Moon follow predictable patterns of motion that affect seasons, moon phases, day length, and other natural phenomena How do we measure the universe? How do gravitational forces affect the structure of the universe? Why does the moon look different every night? How are seasons and length of day affected by the motions of the Sun and Earth? Example Assessment Items Students will construct a scale model of the solar system using the correct AUs Draw a diagram of the solar system showing the gravitational effects if Jupiter were removed Organize the phases of the moon in the correct order using Oreo cookies. Predict and explain the tides in a given area over a 24 hour period. Academic Vocabulary universe solar system planet moon star dwarf planet ellipse solstice eclipse equinox astronomical unit light year tides gravitational force moon phases rotation revolution orbit Topic: Solar System Duration: 4 Week(s) Understand the universe has observable properties, structures and motion of objects that can be described and explained as the result of gravitational forces. The student will classify celestial bodies in the solar system into categories: sun, moon, planets and other small bodies based on physical properties. The student will compare and contrast the size, composition, atmosphere and surface of the planets in our solar system and Earth's moon. The student will describe how the planet's gravitational pull keeps artificial satellites and moons and any other objects in orbit around them. The student will describe how the sun's gravitational pull holds the Earth and other planets in their orbits. The student will explain the relationships between a planet's length of year and its position in the solar system. The student will compare the vast differences that separate stars and the distance light travels from the sun to Earth to the distance light travels from other stars to Earth using light years. The student will describe how the Earth's and other planet's placement in the solar system is favorable or unfavorable to sustain life (i.e. Goldilocks Zone, Seasons, Magnetic Field, Atmospheric Gases, Liquid Water). Topic: Duration: 5 Week(s) Sun, earth, and moon systems Page 5
The Sun, Earth, and Moon follow predictable patterns of motion that affect seasons, moon phases, day length, and other natural phenomena. The student will illustrate and explain a day as the time it takes a planet to make a full rotation on its axis and a year is the time it takes a planet to revolve around the sun. The student will relate the apparent east-to-west changes in the positions of the Sun, other stars, and planets in the sky over the course of a day to Earth's counterclockwise rotation about its axis. The student will recognize that the Sun is never directly overhead as observed from Kansas City. The student will describe the pattern that can be observed in sunlight, and the time and location of sunrise and sunset, throughout the year. (in winter, the Sun appears to rise in the Southeast and set in the Southwest, accounting for a relatively short day length, and that in summer, the Sun appears to rise in the Northeast and set in the Northwest, accounting for a relatively long day length) The student will relate the axial tilt and orbital position of the Earth as it revolves around the sun to the intensity of sunlight falling on different parts of the Earth during different seasons. The student will observe the change in time and location of moon rise, moon set, and the moon's appearance relative to time of day and month over several months and note the pattern in this change. The student will recognize that one half of the Moon is always facing the Sun and therefore one half of the Moon is always lit. The student will recognize that the Moon rises later each day because the Moon revolves around the Earth in a counterclockwise direction and is in the sky for roughly 12 hours in a 24-hour period. The student will recognize that the phases of the moon are due to the relative positions of the Moon's changes as it revolves around the Earth (with respect to the Earth and Sun). Unit: Earth's Systems Duration: 8 Week(s) Page 6
This unit combines Earth Systems topics (Atmosphere, Weather and Climate, and the Water Cycle) and Matter and Energy topics (Changes in Matter and Conservation of Mass). We learn about how the Water Cycle conserves the mass while changing the form of matter through the presence or absence of heat. The rest of the unit focuses on the transfer of heat in our atmosphere and predicting weather patterns. Heat transfers throughout the atmosphere by conduction, convection, and radiation. Water molecules move through a cycle between the Earth's crust and surface and our atmosphere. Earth's weather is measurable and can be predictable. How does heat transfer through conduction, convection, and radiation? Why do water molecules move from the Earth's surface into our atmosphere? How can we predict and measure Earth's weather? Example Assessment Items Design a weather map based on given data Create a cause and effect chart based on temperature and air pressure changes and the effects on weather. Classify the movements of heat in the atmosphere as part of convection, conduction, or radiation Draw and label a picture showing the path of a water molecule through the water cycle. Academic Vocabulary matter conservation of mass atmosphere weather climate water cycle transpiration conduction convection radiation weather map barometer anemometer Topic: Atmosphere, weather, and climate Duration: 5 Week(s) Earth's weather is measurable and can be predictable. The student will understand that the atmosphere (air) is composed of a mixture of gases, including water vapor, and minute particles - Describe the role atmosphere (e.g., clouds, ozone) plays in precipitation, reflecting and filtering light from the Sun, and trapping heat energy emitted from the Earth's surface -Describe how Earth's atmosphere circulates as air masses. The student will understand that climate is a description of average weather conditions in a given area over time - Differentiate between weather and climate The student will understand that constantly changing properties of the atmosphere occur in patterns which are described as weather - Collect and interpret weather data (e.g., cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction) from weather instruments and maps to explain present day weather and to predict the next day's weather The student will collect and interpret weather data. Topic: Duration: 1 Week(s) Heat transfer The study of matter changes from one state to another through heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) in the atmosphere. The student will recognize that, during an energy transformation, heat is often transferred from one object to another because of a difference in temperature. Page 7
The student will describe how heat is transferred and recognize the type of materials that transfer energy by conduction, convection and radiation. The student will recognize that thermal energy is transferred as heat from warmer objects to cooler objects until both reach the same temperature. Topic: Duration: 2 Day(s) Water cycle The study of natural resources such as water molecules and how they are conserved as they move through a cycle between the Earth's crust and surface and our atmosphere. The student will understand the changes in the form of water as it moves through Earths systems are described as the water cycle The student will recognize that matter is not lost, but conserved as it is transferred and transformed. The student will understand that the amount of mass is conserved in the water cycle. The student will provide examples of how the availability of fresh water for humans and other living organisms is dependent upon the water cycle and limited natural resources. The student will understand that Earth's natural resources impact society. Unit: Scientific Inquiry Duration: Ongoing Page 8
Students will conduct experiments written with the guidance of the teacher and evaluate and communicate results. Scientific inquiry is a process used to investigate aspects of the world and construct reasonable explanations. How can scientists use the scientific method to develop a test that answers a question? Why does an experiment often not prove a hypothesis to be true? Why do scientists analyze and communicate results? Example Assessment Items Given a seventh grade scientific scenario, students will be able to write about the steps of scientific method that were used to develop a fair test and provide a conclusion to their hypothesis from the scenario. Describe a situation in which analyzing and communicating results has led to further investigations with improved, more accurate, or refined results. Given a problem such as, "Do different amounts of water have direct effects on how flowers grow?" Design and experiment using the steps of the scientific method. Identify the independent variable, dependent variable, constants, and the method for carrying out the experiment. In a short essay, explain the scientific method is not always a viable way of conducting an experiment. Use various objects to determine the mass, volume, and the density of each object. Explain how volume can be measured as millimeters or in centimeters. Test the time for water to cool to room temperature in various containers. Use qualitative and quantitative observations to show changes in the size and shape of balloons and the distance they travel based on Newton's third law. In your conclusion, determine similarities and differences of the balloons. Build a data table to record information and measurements from an experiment. Graph the data using the proper type of graph. Write a conclusion based on the results of the experiment. Academic Vocabulary Independent Variable Dependent Variable Hypothesis Constant Mass Volume Density Conclusion Quantitative Qualitative Testable Question Topic: Developing investigations Duration: Ongoing Understand that science is developed through the use of science process skills and scientific knowledge in combination with scientific investigation, reasoning and critical thinking. The student will make qualitative observations using the five senses. The student will interpret quantitative and qualitative data to construct reasonable explanations and support conclusions. The student will recognize the importance of the independent variable, dependent variables, control of constants, and multiple trials to the design of a valid experiment. The student will make predictions supported by scientific knowledge/explanations, analyze whether evidence (data) supports proposed explanations, and evaluate the reasonableness of an explanation (conclusion). The student will recognize the possible effects of errors in observations, measurements, and calculations on the formulation of explanations. The student will acknowledge that there is no fixed procedure called "the scientific method", but that some investigations involve systematic observations, carefully collected, relevant evidence, logical reasoning, and some imagination in developing hypotheses and other explanations. The student will organize data into visual representations. Topic: Duration: Ongoing Conducting investigations Page 9
Understand that science is conducted through t use of science process skills and scientific knowledge in combination with scientific investigation, reasoning and critical thinking. The student will measure length to the nearest millimeter, mass to the nearest gram, volume to the nearest milliliter, force (weight) to the nearest Newton, temperature to the nearest degree Celsius, time to the nearest second. The student will calculate the range and average/mean of a set of data. The student will compare amounts/measurements and judge whether measurements and computation of quantities are reasonable. The student will select from a variety of tools to determine the appropriate tool and techniques in order to collect data. The student will conduct a valid experiment and learn the steps in designing their own experiment. Topic: Duration: Ongoing Evaluating and analyzing results Understand that science is analyzed through the use of science process skills and scientific knowledge in combination with scientific investigation, reasoning and critical thinking. The student will evaluate the design of an experiment and make suggestions for reasonable improvements or extensions of an experiment. The student will research and formulate testable questions and hypotheses. The student will interpret graphical data to describe relationships. The student will evaluate technical information expressed in visual representations. Topic: Duration: Ongoing Communicating results Understand that science is communicated through the use of science process skills and scientific knowledge in combination with scientific investigation, reasoning and critical thinking. The student will communicate the procedures and results of investigations and explanations through: - oral presentations - drawings and maps - data tables - graphs - equations and writings. The student will communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences. Unit:, Technology and Human Activity Duration: Ongoing Page 10
In this unit students will explore how scientific discoveries affect and are affected by society. Technological improvements have positive and negative effects on our society. Scientific discoveries come out of a vigorously debated historical context. Social, political, economic, ethical, and environmental factors affect the way science and society interacts with each other. How have technological advancements benefited and had adverse effects on our society? How has historical context affected the development of scientific ideas? How have the social, political, economic, ethical, and environmental factors affect the way science and society interacts? Example Assessment Items Describe Sir Isaac Newton's relationship to the Law's of Motion. Deduce the types of technology used to study stars? Select the best among alternatives of instruments used to measure mass? Academic Vocabulary Technology Integration Impact Economy Ethics Politics Society Topic: Technology Duration: Ongoing Historical impact of scientific explanations which help to improve understandings of the nature of science, technology and human activities and their development over time. The student will explain how technological improvements such as those developed for use in space exploration or by the military have led to the invention of new products that may improve our lives here on Earth. The student will evaluate how technological solutions to problems can have both benefits and drawbacks. The student will identify the link between technological developments and the scientific discoveries made possible through their development. Topic: Duration: Ongoing History and impact of science The student will analyze how the contributions of scientists and inventors have contributed to science, technology and human activity. The student will discuss the difficulty science innovators experienced as they attempted to break through the accepted ideas of their time to reach conclusions that are now considered to be common knowledge. The student will identify and evaluate the physical, social, economic, ethical, political, and/or environmental problems that may be overcome using science and technology. The student will describe ways to which science and society influence one another. The student will recognize that explanations have changed over time as a result of new evidence. The student will be able to describe how people of different gender and ethnicities have contributed to scientific discoveries and the invention of technological innovations. Unit: English Language Arts within and Technology Content Duration: Ongoing Page 11
The following unit is aligned with Common Core and focused on the importance of reading and writing in the content areas. This unit is specifically focused on science and technology. Reading scientific pieces include various elements that are different than in other contents. Writing scientific pieces has various elements that are different than in other contents. How do reading scientific texts vary from other content areas? How to you express your idea and knowledge differently in scientific writings? Topic: English Language Arts within and Technology Content Duration: Ongoing The student will cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. The student will write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. - Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. - Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns. - Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims. - Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. - Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented. The student will write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes. - Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. - Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic. - Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. - Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers. - Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. - Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic). The student will write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. The student will produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. The student will develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. The student will use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically. The student will conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. The student will gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. Page 12
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