7th & 8th Grades
Science Syllabus
September:
7th Grade:
This month the students are studying cell biology. We will look at cell structure and function. Later this month we will examine photosynthesis and respiration and look at the conservation of matter in those processes.
8th grade:
This month the students will finish reviewing science practices. Later this month we will look at motion and the forces that change motion. Within this unit we will be studying Newton's Laws of Motion.
August:
7th Grade:
This month we are studying and practicing skills used in science and the inquiry process.
8th Grade:
This month we are practicing science skills and using metric measurements. We will also practice graphing skills and calculating the slope of a line.
Both classes will study lab safety rules.
7th Grade:
This month the students are studying cell biology. We will look at cell structure and function. Later this month we will examine photosynthesis and respiration and look at the conservation of matter in those processes.
8th grade:
This month the students will finish reviewing science practices. Later this month we will look at motion and the forces that change motion. Within this unit we will be studying Newton's Laws of Motion.
August:
7th Grade:
This month we are studying and practicing skills used in science and the inquiry process.
8th Grade:
This month we are practicing science skills and using metric measurements. We will also practice graphing skills and calculating the slope of a line.
Both classes will study lab safety rules.
The junior high sciences courses are currently in the process of transition from meeting the California Science Content Standards to aligning with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The NGSS for middle school can be viewed at http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/ngssstandards.asp
Our courses of study are selected to align with the integrated model of the NGSS for each grade level and are as follows:
Seventh Grade:
Eighth Grade:
Our courses of study are selected to align with the integrated model of the NGSS for each grade level and are as follows:
Seventh Grade:
- Scientific Inquiry
- Cell Biology: structure and processes with an emphasis on photosynthesis and respiration.
- The Law of Conservation of Matter as it applies to photosynthesis and respiration.
- Ecosystems: interactions, energy, and dynamics
- Earth Systems: emphasis on the carbon cycle, the rock cycle and plate tectonics
- Earth and Human Activity: emphasis on renewable and nonrenewable energy resources
- Chemistry: Matter and its Interactions
- Engineering Design: embedded throughout the curriculum.
Eighth Grade:
- Science Skills
- Heredity: Principles of Inheritance and Variance of Traits
- Biological Evolution: Unity, Diversity, and Geologic Time
- Earth’s Place in the Universe
- Earth and Human Activity: tentative focus on California’s water resources.
- Physics: Forces of motion, interactions of forces, and stability.
- Energy: kinetic and potential and their interactions.
- Waves and Their Applications in Technologies and Information Transfer
- Engineering Design: embedded throughout the curriculum.