Online Instructional Resources

• Google Classroom--sign in with your school Google Gmail account

• Quizlet--sign-in with your Google account

• Gizmos--username and password required

• Edulastics - login with Google

Google Classroom

Students can expect to find assignments posted on Google Classroom. Additionally, students will be able to find instructional videos, slide presentations and study guides to help them study and prepare for the learning goals of the class. If a student is absent they should log-in to Google Classroom to keep up on daily assignments. They can post assignments and interact with the class via the internet (within reason of course).

Google Slides

This is our primary instructional tool used to help students learn, understand and retain concepts. Instructional videos and activities are linked in the presentation. The presentation is accessible via Google Classroom and can be used as a study tool for the assessment.

Hyperdocs

HyperDocs are digital, interactive documents that give students engaging, inquiry-based learning; HyperDocs allow the teacher to assess students’ understanding of the concepts. HyperDocs allow the teacher to give quick and immediate feedback to each student. Students complete HyperDocs independently or with partners. Students can work at their own pace and differentiate as needed. Some students may have a strong amount of background knowledge on a topic and can move quickly, while others may need to take more time. They will also keep track of their progress.

Other Resources

The pull-down menu under science, on this Website, contains additional resources.

Curriculum

Students will be given at least one or two in-class projects per quarter. Written assessments, computer-based assessments, and/or performance tasks will be given at the end of each unit or chapter.

​We use three different sets of textbooks. They are class sets, but copies are available online. Textbooks are supplemental material. In other words, they are used to help guide our learning, but much of what we do in class is based on interactive lab work, in-class videos and demonstrations, lecture, computer based activities (Gizmos), and more.

• Scott Foresman Science (PDF available here)

• Pearson Science (PDF available here)

Yearlong:

Throughout the year, students will work on the following scientific processes, with appropriate laboratory safety techniques, to construct their knowledge and understanding in all science content areas:

• Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations;

• Design and conduct a scientific investigation;

• Use appropriate mathematics, tools and techniques to gather data and information;

• Analyze and interpret data;

• Develop descriptions, models, explanations and predictions;

• Think critically and logically to connect evidence and explanations;

• Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions; and

• Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.

• Many of these scientific processes will be incorporated in our in-class design challenges.

1st - 2nd Quarters:

Students will study the Cycles and Patterns in the Solar System. This topic focuses on the characteristics, cycles and patterns in the solar system and within the universe. We will use a variety of online simulations (e.g. GIZMOS), interactive activities, in-class projects, and engaging NASA image/video footage to help students explore space and go where no person has ever gone before. With the help of the Avon Lake Public Library, students will experience a Star Lab (a portable planetarium) to observe cycles and patterns in our stars.

2nd - 3rd Quarters:

Students will study the Interactions within Ecosystems. This topic focuses on foundational knowledge of the structures and functions of ecosystems. We will use a variety of online simulations, interactive activities, outdoor exploration, and engaging in-class projects to learn about the numerous roles organisms perform in an ecosystem. By the end of the unit, students will be able to defend the importance of every role. Students will learn that organisms require energy and that cycles and patterns also exist in these systems.

3rd - 4th Quarters:

Students will study light, sound, and motion. This topic focuses on the forces that affect motion. Light and sound energy are also explored as forms of energy that move in predictable ways, depending on the matter through which they move. We will use a variety of online simulations, interactive activities, and engaging in-class projects to learn that cycles and patterns exist in light, sound, and motion too.