Science

Curriculum

We are using the California Edition of the FOSS kits and expect to transition to Next Generation Science Standards soon.

Module Guides

Unit 1: Magnetism and Electricity

This module consists of five sequential investigations, each designed to introduce or reinforce concepts in physical science. Students experience magnetism and electricity as related effects and learn useful applications of magnetism and electricity in everyday life.

FOSS EXPECTS STUDENTS TO:

  • Observe the interaction of permanent magnets with a variety of common materials.
  • Discover that magnets have two different poles, called north and south poles; like poles repel and opposite poles attract.
  • Build a compass and use it to detect magnetic fields, including Earth's magnetic field.
  • Measure the change in force between two magnets as the distance between them changes.
  • Create static charge and determine that electrically charged objects attract or repel each other.
  • Understand, design, and build simple open, closed, parallel, and series circuits.
  • Observe that electric current flowing in a wire produces a magnetic field.
  • Learn how to build an electromagnet.
  • Experience the relationship between the number of winds of wire around a core and the strength of the magnetism.
  • Use their knowledge of electromagnets to make a simple device, a telegraph, and understand how electromagnets are used in other devices such as motors and generators.
  • Learn that electric energy can be converted to heat, light, and motion.
  • Develop questions and perform scientific investigations to test predictions and draw conclusions.


Unit 2: Environments

The study of the relationships between one organism and its environment builds knowledge of all organisms. With this knowledge comes an awareness of limits. Such knowledge is important because humans can change environments. To do so without awareness of possible consequences can lead to disasters because all living things depend on the conditions in their environment. This module consists of five investigations that focus on the concepts that all organisms need energy and matter to live and grow and living organisms depend on one another and on their environment for their survival.

FOSS EXPECTS STUDENTS TO:

  • Develop an attitude of respect and understanding for life.
  • Gain experience with the major environmental components (living and nonliving) in terrestrial and aquatic systems.
  • Conduct experiments with plants to determine ranges of tolerance.
  • Determine an organism's optimum conditions and environmental preferences.
  • Organize and analyze data from experiments and investigations with plants and animals.
  • Observe and describe changes in complex systems over time and interpret those observations.
  • Relate laboratory studies to natural systems where in any particular environment some kinds of plants and animals survive well and others survive less well or not at all.
  • Explain the feeding relationships in a number of ecosystems through food chains and food webs describing the roles of producers and consumers (herbivores, carnivores, and decomposers).
  • Describe how organisms can compete for resources in an ecosystem.
  • Apply measurement in the context of science investigations.
  • Develop questions and perform scientific investigations to test predictions and draw conclusions.


Unit 3: Solid Earth

This module consists of five sequential investigations, each designed to introduce or reinforce concepts in earth science. The investigations provide students with firsthand experiences with rocks and minerals, and modeling experiences to study changes to rocks and minerals at Earth's surface.

FOSS EXPECTS STUDENTS TO:

  • Learn that rocks are composed of minerals and that minerals cannot be physically separated into other materials.
  • Use measurement in the context of scientific investigations.
  • Use evaporation to investigate rock composition.
  • Investigate the effect of vinegar (acid) on a specific mineral, calcite.
  • Identify and organize minerals with a diagnostic table of color, hardness, streak, luster, cleavage, and other special properties.
  • Become familiar with the processes that form igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and their place in the rock cycle.
  • Understand the processes that slowly change Earth's surface (physical and chemical weathering, erosion, and deposition) and those that cause more rapid changes (landslides, volcanism, floods, and earthquakes).
  • Observe the effect of water on surface features of the land, using stream tables.
  • Follow written instructions to conduct a scientific investigation.
  • Plan and conduct stream-table investigations.
  • Develop questions and perform scientific investigations to test predictions and draw conclusions.

Assessments

  • Science notebook check (textbook readings, lab work, table of contents, word bank)
  • Unit assessments (open notebook)

A detailed rubric for the science notebook check is posted (hardcopy in classroom, digital copy in Google Classroom) at the start of each unit. It is highly recommended that students use this as a resource prior to each notebook check due date.