Curriculum

In grades 6-8, students learn science through the IQWST curriculum offered by Activate Learning. It is best summarized by this quote from Activate Learning:  “Students investigate questions relevant to their lives by: conducting investigations; collecting and analyzing data; developing and using models to explain phenomena; engaging in argument from evidence; all in a literacy and discourse-rich environment.”

For 2021-2021 four units will be taught. They are (in the order in which they will be taught):

1. Physics: Why Do Some Things Stop While Others Keep Going - Transfer, Transformation and Conservation of Energy

2. Chemistry: How Can I Make New Stuff from Old Stuff? - Chemical Reactions and Conservation of Matter

3. Earth Science: What Makes the Weather Change? - Atmospheric Processes in Weather and Climate

4. Life Science: What Is Going on Inside Me? - Body Systems and Cellular Processes 

ENGINEERING: Engineering will be taught throughout the school year. Engineering projects will relate to the science that is being taught at that time.

Amount of Homework

There is usually 1 homework assignment every week. Each homework assignment should take about 20-30 minutes to complete. Upcoming homework assignments are listed in Google Classroom.

Homework Grading

Homework makes up about 15% of the term grade depending on the term. Each homework assignment is worth 10 pts. Full credit is awarded if all of the HW expectations are met. If any of the expectations are not met, the HW grade will be a 7. If a significant portion of expectations is not met, the grade will be a 0 or 5. Homework assignments that are graded a 0 or 5 can be brought up to a 7. Late or revised homework that is over one week old will not be accepted. 

Complete Homework Policy

For more information on the homework policy, including homework expectations, please see my Homework page.

Grades

In grade 7 science, there are three grading categories on the report card: Achievement, Effort, and Citizenship.

Achievement: The science achievement grade is determined by the test average (~25%), quiz average (~25%), lab average (~20%), classwork/journal average (~15%), and homework average (~15%). Tests occur at the end of each unit. Quizzes occur 2-3 times during a unit. Graded labs occur about 2 times a unit. During one term, we will cover about a unit and a half. Grades can be viewed through Google Classroom. This grade is a letter grade (A-D).

Effort: This grade is a reflection of the student's attempt to do the very best one can. The grade is based on class participation in discussions, HW completion, classwork completion, teamwork participation, seeking help, taking risks, and following directions. This grade is a letter grade (A-D).

Citizenship: This grade reflects how well a student demonstrates citizenship (as described by the student handbook) within the science classroom. This grade is a 1-4 expectations grade, in which 1 means Does Not Meet Expectations and 4 means Exceeds Expectations.

Effort

Effort is the attempt to do the very best one can.

The effort grade is based on participation in discussions, HW completion, classwork completion, teamwork participation, seeking help, taking risks and following directions. This grade is a letter grade (A-D).