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Welcome to 7 th Grade Science Mr. Steve S. Reed 2013-2014
Welcome to 7th Grade Science
Mr. Steve S. Reed
2013-2014
Getting to Know Me
• Raised and educated in Iowa
• 25thyear of teaching in Kyrene
• Have been at Akimel A-al since it opened
• Taught Industrial Technology for 16 years
• Coach baseball and basketball
Learning CycleEngage
ExploreExplain
ExtendEvaluate
Inquiry Based Science Program
• Inquiry provides an opportunity for all students to engage in problem solving, communication, and thinking skills that they will need to be effective workers and citizens in the twenty-first century.
– Inquiry and the NSES, page XII
• Field Tested AIMS Science in grades 4 and 8 – Spring 2007
• Approximately 1/3 of AIMS questions on draft tests are Inquiry based
Inquiry: What Is It?
• Inquiry is . . .– Exhibiting curiosity– Defining questions from current knowledge– Proposing preliminary explanations or
hypotheses– Planning and conducting investigations– Gathering evidence from observations– Explaining based on evidence– Considering other explanations– Testing explanations
Three Stages of Inquiry
• Directed/Structured Inquiry– Teacher asks the question and directs
the activity• Introduce students to essential features of
inquiry• Assist students to reflect on characteristics
of the processes in which they are engaged through a systematic approach
• Student created questions could lead into the next stage of inquiry
Three Stages of Inquiry
• Guided Inquiry– Teacher and/or materials guide the
activity, students provide some input• Inquiry-based teaching can vary in amount
of guidance teacher or materials provide• Student created questions could lead into
the next stage of inquiry
Three Stages of Inquiry
• Full/Open Inquiry– Student asks the questions, directs and
plans the activity• Select a question to investigate than can be
answered by doing systematic observations or an experiment
• Plan and conduct your investigation• Analyze, synthesize, and explain your
results
Kyrene’s Adopted Science Curriculum
• Six Strands– Scientific Inquiry– History & Nature of Science– Science in Personal & Social Perspectives– Life Science– Physical Science– Earth & Space Science
The KSD Science curriculum is aligned with both Arizona State The KSD Science curriculum is aligned with both Arizona State and National Science Standards for middle school studentsand National Science Standards for middle school students
Strand 1: Scientific Inquiry
Science as inquiry is basic to science education and a controlling principle in the continuing organization and selection of students’ activities. Students at all grade levels and in every domain of science should have the opportunity to use scientific inquiry and develop the ability to think and act in ways associated with inquiry…” (NSES 1995). Inquiry Process establishes the basis for students’ learning in science. Students use scientific processes: questioning, planning and conducting investigations, using appropriate tools and techniques to gather data, thinking critically and logically about relationships between evidence and explanations, and communicating results.
Strand 2: History & Nature of Science
• Knowledge of the nature of science is central to the understanding of the scientific enterprise.” (NAEP 2000) Scientific investigation grows from the contributions of many people. History and Nature of Science emphasizes the importance of the inclusion of historical perspectives and the advances that each new development brings to technology and human knowledge. This strand focuses on the human aspects of science and the role that scientists play in the development of various cultures.
Strand 3: Science in Personal and Social
Perspectives• Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
emphasizes developing the ability to design a solution to a problem, to understand the relationship between science and technology, and the ways people are involved in both. Students understand the impact of science and technology on human activity and the environment. This strand affords students the opportunity to understand their place in the world – as living creatures, consumers, decision makers, problem solvers, managers, and planners.
Strand 4: Life Science
• The fundamental goal of life sciences is to attempt to understand and explain the nature of life.” (NAEP 2000) Life Science expands students’ biological understanding of life by focusing on the characteristics of living things, the diversity of life, and how organisms and populations change over time in terms of biological adaptation and genetics. This understanding includes the relationship of structures to their functions and life cycles, interrelationships of matter and energy in living organisms, and the interactions of living organisms with their environment.
Strand 5: Physical Science
• The physical science component … should probe the following major topics: matter and its transformations, energy and its transformations, and the motion of things.” (NAEP 2000) Physical Science affords students the opportunity to increase their understanding of the characteristics of objects and materials they encounter daily. Students gain an understanding of the nature of matter and energy, including their forms, the changes they undergo, and their interactions. By studying objects and the forces that act upon them, students develop an understanding of the fundamental laws of motion, knowledge of the various ways energy is stored in a system, and the processes by which energy is transferred between systems and surroundings.
Strand 6: Earth & Space Science
• Earth science is the study of the planets, earth's composition, processes, environments and history, focusing on the solid Earth, and its interaction with air and water." (NAEP2000) Students use observation and description skills to explain the composition, formative processes, and history of the Earth, the solar system and the universe.
First SemesterLab Safety & Equipment
- Safety Rules
- Tools & Equipment
- Safety Symbols
Metric System & Measurement- Units of Measure
- Conversions
Scientific Inquiry- What is Science?- Science Process Skills
Micro-Life- Microbiology
- Structure & Function of
Microorganisms
Ecology- Food chains & Webs
- Predator/prey Relationships
Astronomy- Solar System & Components
- Seasons
- Universe
Second Semester
Evolution (Fossils)- Geologic Time
- Fossils
Plate Tectonics- Earthquakes
- Volcanoes
Rocks & Minerals- Rock Cycle- Classification of Rocks& Minerals
Erosion & Deposition
Adopted Support Textbooks
• McDougal Littell – Earth’s Surface• McDougal Littell – Changing Earth• McDougal Littell – Space Science• McDougal Littell – Ecology• McDougal Littell – Life Over Time
Hands-on Support Materials
• Science Education for Public Understanding Program Kits– Ecology & Evolution– Micro-life– Rocks & Minerals– Shaping the Land– Earth & the Solar System
Science Folders
• Packets of “additional” information and activity sheets •Kept in class (so they will ALWAYS have)• Are welcome to take parts home as needed but encouraged to leave rest of the folder in class• Copy of all pages on my website should they forget a needed page or assignment at home• At end of year will have portfolio of all their science assignments and work in chronological order
Homework
Team 7A Website
http://www.kyrene.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=11319
Science Website
http://www.kyrene.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=14014
GradesA = Outstanding Progress, represents mastery of the Kyrene District
curriculum targets at a minimum of 90%.B = Significant Progress, represents mastery of the Kyrene District
curriculum targets at a minimum of 80%.C = Satisfactory Progress, represents mastery of the Kyrene District
curriculum targets at a minimum of 70%.D = Limited Progress, represents limited mastery of the Kyrene District
curriculum targets at a minimum of 60%.F = Failing, represents a failure to master the Kyrene District
curriculum targets at a minimum of 50%.I = Incomplete, represents a lack of evidence of mastery of target
outcomes to evaluate student performance for grading period.P = Passing, represents special cases where a student has been
absent from instruction due to extraordinary circumstances.NG = No Grade, represents special cases where a student has
been absent from instruction due to extraordinary circumstances
Online Grade Access
• Access from Kyrene School District webpage and clicking on the Parents tab and then ParentVUE
• Will allow for one stop shopping for grades
• Updated instantly as teachers enter a grade
Thanks for Coming!
Let’s work together to achieve
our common goals
