Syllabus

To see Ms. Powell's syllabus, click on the document below. Pressing Ctrl + will enlarge it. 

Content Specifics

Unit 1 (Motion & Stability) - Describing force & motion, calculating net force, scalar vs. vector quantities, Newton's Laws of Motion (1, 2, & 3), types of friction, (static, sliding, rolling, and fluid) gravitational interactions between objects large & small with connections to celestial objects in space, collisions of objects, momentum (p=m*v), magnets and electromagnets 

Unit 2 (Waves) - types of waves (transverse & compression), understanding the frequency and amplitude of a wave, specific applications of waves (communication, medicine, technology, signals), the electromagnetic spectrum, understanding sound waves and interpreting sound waves based on frequency (pitch) and amplitude (volume)

Unit 3 (Earth in the Universe) - the solar system and objects within the solar system, lunar phases and the connection to eclipses, tides, the earth-sun-moon system, and seasons due to axial tilt with revolution around the sun, gravitational interactions between celestial bodies, types of galaxies, and the Milky Way Galaxy 

Unit 4 (Molecules to Organisms) - animal/plant behaviors to increase probability of survival and reproduction (i.e. seeds, flowers, herding, vocalization, cooperative hunting, etc.), genetic factors as well as local conditions that affect the growth of a plant, and the role of genes and external factors that influence the growth of animals

Unit 5 (Heredity) - differentiation between DNA/genes/chromosomes, discussion of genes containing instructions (within DNA sequencing) for building proteins, types of genetic mutations and their results on an organism, modes of reproduction and the genetic variation or lack there of that results from each one, and punnett squares 

Unit 6 (Biological Evolution) - evidence of evolution (fossil record, comparative anatomy, molecular biology, embryology, biogeography, & direct observation), geologic record of Earth, techniques for dating materials (radiocarbon dating vs. relative dating), natural selection as survival of the fittest, and adaptations of organisms as a result of genetic material and environmental changes