Syllabus

Course Description

This year’s sixth grade science classes will incorporate the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards.

Yearly Overview

Students in 6th Grade will develop their knowledge of the physical, life, and earth sciences through complex investigations and explanations. The concepts they study become increasingly abstract in a developmentally appropriate manner to allow for the slow, incremental development of these cognitively complex ideas. Sixth graders will also cultivate their investigative skills by generating their own questions, recognizing and explaining the relationships among variables, and critiquing the conclusions that are drawn from scientific investigations. 

Assessment

Grades will be weighted as follows:

Major Assignments - count 50% of final grades

• Tests

• Projects

Corrections will only be allowed for Major assignments (e.g. Unit Tests & Projects). Students will have the opportunity to take an alternate test that covers the same material and the higher of the two grades will be recorded.  

Minor Assignments - count as 50% of final grade

• Quizzes

• Labs

• Classwork

Grading Scale

The district grading scale will be used for each nine weeks:

90-100 A

80-89 B

70-79 C

60-69 D

0-59 F

Important Grading Codes

INC = Incomplete work 

ABS = Absent (50%) and has 5 days to turn in for full credit

GFA = Grading Floor Applied (50%)- the student scored 49 or less

NHI = Not Handed In (50%)

EX/Omit = not factored (usually a lab that was missed due to an absence)

Missed Work/Makeup Policy

Students have five (5) school days to make up work missed during an excused absence. If a test is announced before the absence, students should be prepared to take it the day they return to school. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the teacher to make up assignments or request an extension of time. After five days, any assignment not made up will be recorded as late.  Students are responsible for getting their own missed work from Google Classroom or get handouts from teacher!

Parent Communication

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Parents will be notified by phone, written notes, requested conferences and/or e-mail at appropriate times during the year.           

Units of Study

I. Lab Safety & Science and Engineering Practices (these are embedded throughout the school year).

All students in Greenville County Schools are required to be trained in the basics of lab safety. As a part of this instruction, students will be given a Student Safety Contract that must be signed by their parent or guardian. In addition, students will take a short quiz to show that they understand how to behave in the lab and where important equipment is located in their classroom. 

SEP Vocabulary

1. Hypothesis: A testable prediction based on prior knowledge and observation; always worded "If..., then..."

2. Data: Information gathered during an experiment.

3. Variable: Factor that is changed in an experiment.

4. Independent Variable: One factor that is changed by you in the experiment.

5. Dependent Variable: The factor that is measured by you in the experiment.

6. Controlled Variable: Various factors in an experiment that are kept constant throughout.

7. Control Group: Group that is given no treatment and is used as a baseline for comparison.

8. Experimental Group: Group that is changed (independent variable) and measured for results.

9. Qualitative Data: Data that uses words, descriptions, and observations.

10. Quantitative Data: Data that uses numbers, graphs, and measurements.

11. Inference: A possible explanation of an observation.

12. Observation: The gathering of information about the world using the five senses.

II. Matter & Its Interactions

Students explore the varying states of matter and thermal energy. Matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space. Energy is the ability to do work. This unit includes the three states of matter and how particle motion is impacted by the addition and removal of heat. Students will also build and design a device to minimize or maximize heat transfer. 

6.PS.1-4 - Develop and use a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

6.PS.3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

6.PS.3-4 - Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.

III. Waves

Students will use models to describe how mechanical and light waves behave and interact with matter. Students will be able to identify the and label the basic structure of a wave and explore how waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. 

6.PS.4-2 - Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

IV. From Molecules to Organisms

Students explore the characteristics of living things. This unit includes opportunities for students to conduct investigations on cells, create models of the parts of the cell, and explore how groups of cells make up the human body. In addition, students will learn about the different body systems and how their interactions support the life cycle of complex, multicellular organisms.

6.LS.1-1 - Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.

6.LS.1-2 - Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways the parts of cells contribute to the function.

6.LS.1-3 - Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.

6.LS.1-8 - Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories.

V. Earth's Geologic Systems

Students explore the many geologic processes that shape earth and the geologic time scale used to organize its' history. Students will investigate how both small-scale changes like erosion and weathering and large-scale changes like volcanic eruptions change the Earth's surface. Students will also analyze data about the distribution of fossils and continental shapes to provide evidence regarding past plate motions.

6.ESS.2-1 - Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.

6.ESS.2-2 - Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial rates.

6.ESS.2-3 - Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils, rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.

6.ESS.1-4 - Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6 billion year old history.

VI. Earth's Atmospheric Systems

Students explore the water cycle and weather patterns. They will also develop models to understand how the uneven heating of earth and the rotation of earth determines the climate of a region.  Students will apply their knowledge of weather and natural disasters by using atmospheric data to forecast and mitigate a potential catastrophic event. 

6.ESS.2-4 - Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the Sun and the force of gravity.

6.ESS.2-5 - Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses result in changes in weather conditions.

6.ESS.2-6 - Develop and use models to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.

6.ESS.3-2 - Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to identify patterns, which help forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

Textbook Our textbook is found in a digital format via Pearson Savaas, which can be accessed through Classlink

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS AND PROCEDURES: 

Students are expected always to respect each other. There are several required expectations: 

ALL students must wear an ID badge.

ALL students must carry their materials.

ALL students must abide by the dress code.

ALL students must practice the 3 R's: Rights of others, Respect for others, Responsibility for learning

Students must follow the school and classroom rules.

SCHOOL-WIDE DISCIPLINE PLAN: 

Specific rules and policies regarding discipline can be found on the school district website and our student planner. Our school-wide discipline plan concerning minor rule violations consists of a step plan to allow parents to assist with discipline whenever possible. The steps are:

1.      Conference with the student and possible seat change

2.      Parent phone call/email and student reflection letter

3.      Teacher After-school detention and parent communication

4.      Office referral

Rudolph Student Handbook 2023-2024: https://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/gordon/page.asp?titleid=handbook 

PROCEDURES for NON-INSTRUCTIONAL ROUTINES: Students are expected to be on time and to have all assignments and materials needed for the class. Attendance is taken at the beginning of the class period.  As students enter the room, they should get their required materials for the day, sharpen their pencils, be seated, and begin completing the assigned bell work. Roll is taken at the beginning of the day, and delay is noted. Students are asked not to go to the restroom during class unless it is an emergency. They can go to the bathroom before each class starts. Instructional time is significant. 

HONOR CODE POLICY AND PLAGIARISM: I adhere to our school honor code and plagiarism policy. Cheating or copying work belonging to another person is a violation of school rules as well as personal ethics. The lender and borrower will receive 50s (district floor) on the work, and parents will be notified.

 Plagiarism is cheating. Examples of plagiarism include:

● Copying, and pasting from the Internet or copying directly from books or magazines without properly citing the source. 

● Copying another student’s work, turning in another student’s work, or having another student do the work. 

● Buying papers on the Internet.   

PARENT COMMUNICATION:  Parents, teachers, and students work together to promote learning. I must communicate with you regularly concerning your child’s progress in learning the required concepts and standards. Please feel free to call me at any time. Calls during the instructional day are directed straight to my voicemail. I will respond within 24 hours. You can also reach me by email. (ajeffcoat@greenville.k12.sc.us)

 I am always available for a conference.  Please contact me with conference requests at 452-1269.

 Mrs. AJ Jeffcoat

Room 1306