Syllabus

Syllabus:

Middle School Sciences: 

Course Syllabus: Science

School Year: 2025-26

Instructor: Mrs. Brown-Shuford

Room: 108

Phone: 355-0214

Email: kbrownshuford@greenville.k12.sc.us

General Course Description and Objectives: Middle Sciences

Lab Safety and SEP Skills (Unit 1: Lab Safety and SEP Skills for grades 6th-12th)

Science and engineering practices represent what scientists and engineers do as a matter of routine

and illustrate how scientific knowledge and concepts develop through asking questions and

conducting investigation, obtaining and analyzing data, constructing explanations, arguing claims

supported by evidence, and communicating and evaluating information. They also describe how

needs and problems are addressed through the design process that designs, constructs, tests,

evaluates, and refines solutions.

Science is the study of the universe and all of its contained phenomena. Engineering is the way we

fulfill human needs and solve problems. These practices represent the skills and knowledge

necessary for scientists and engineers to accomplish what they do.

Scientific practices start with questioning that leads to inquiry, seeking evidence to ultimately

construct explanations and develop models that can be used to best describe and predict (at the

present) how and why natural phenomena occur. Engineering practices start with defining problems and identifying human needs; this

process leads to designing, testing, and refining solutions in order to accumulate evidence necessary to determine the best possible solution

(at the present) for the perceived need or problem.

As defined by the performance indicators of the standards, the science and engineering practices

serve to identify performance expectations that our students will demonstrate in the context of

disciplinary core content ideas. Not only will these practices serve as a means by which students

will develop scientific conceptual understandings, but they will also function as the means by which

students will demonstrate these understandings in an authentic manner. These practices should be

used to drive the instructional design of learning experiences in such a way as to guide students to

develop the capacity to perform these science and engineering practices as part of the process of

developing an understanding of scientific concepts. The practices also serve to drive assessment as teachers are tasked with not only

assessing conceptual understandings related to content but also assessing the degree to which their students are able to meet the

performance expectations of the different scientific and engineering practices (scaled appropriately for the age and grade of the student).

ALL students assigned to Science classes in 6th - 12th grades must participate in “Science Safety Training” with their teacher prior to engaging

in any lab work. This unit focuses on safety training for the Secondary Science Lab experience and introduces students to the practices of

 “doing” science as identified in the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs).

The softback Textbook for Middle School is Elevate Science by Savvas

Middle School Science 6th Grade

Unit 1:  Energy & Waves

Students explore the interactions of matter and energy. Matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space. Energy is the ability to do work. This unit includes wave properties and behaviors, heat, and energy transfer. Students may build and design a device to minimize or maximize heat transfer. Students will use models to describe wave behavior.  Students will explore how waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

Unit 2: Life Science

Students explore the properties 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 discover how the brain responds to stimuli and stores memories. 

 Unit 3: History of Earth

Students explore the geologic processes that shape earth. Topics include plate tectonics, meteor impacts, weathering, landslides, continental drift, and the geologic time scale. Students will apply their knowledge by using data on natural hazards to forecast and mitigate a potential catastrophic event. 

Unit 4: Earth and the Atmosphere

Students explore the water cycle and weather patterns. They will 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 by using data to forecast and mitigate a potential catastrophic event. 

Middle School Science 7th Grade:

Unit 1 Matter 

Students will explore the interactions of simple molecules and extended structures. They will analyze the properties of substances before and after a chemical reaction and how matter is conserved during this reaction. Students will also describe how the properties of matter change when thermal energy is added and removed and design a device that produces these changes. 

Unit 2: Energy

Students will analyze how the mass and distance of an object affects the amount of kinetic and potential energy it has. They will explore how energy is transferred between systems and how that affects the temperature of a sample. Students will then design a device that either minimizes or maximizes this transfer of thermal energy. 

Unit 3: Molecules to Organisms 

Students will analyze the cycling of energy through living systems in both plant and animal cells.  Students will compare and contrast the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration and how food is broken down and rearranged into usable energy for the cell. 

Unit 4: Ecosystems

Students will predict the interactions and flow of energy between organisms in various ecosystems. They will investigate how various factors like resource availability impact population dynamics and students will design solutions that address biodiversity and how to create services to maintain it. 

Unit 5: Earth & Human Activity 

Students will explore how human activity and consumption of natural resources impact the environment and earth’s systems. They will design a method for monitoring and minimizing this impact and investigate the various factors that have led to a rise in global temperature over the past century. 

Middle School Science 8th Grade:

Unit 1: Motion 

Students will explore interactions among colliding objects through the lens of Newton’s Laws of Motion. Students will investigate how the forces acting on an object and the mass of the object determines the object’s motion. In addition, students will identify factors that impact the strength of magnetic and electrical forces. 

Unit 2: Waves 

Students will examine the relationship between the amplitude of a wave and the energy of that wave. Students will defend a claim that digital devices transmit information through waves and are a more reliable way to transmit data. 

Unit 3: Earth's Place in the Universe

Students will explore the objects in the solar system through scale models. Students will create an Earth-Sun-Moon model and use it to describe the existence of lunar phases, eclipses, tides, and seasons. Students will use models to explain how gravity impacts the motion of celestial objects. Students will create sound scientific arguments about the relationship between the masses of objects and the gravitational attraction among them. In addition, students will use the experimental design process to determine if fields exist between objects that exert forces on other objects even though they are not in direct contact. 

Unit 4:Molecules to Organisms

Students will create a scientifically sound argument that explains how animal behaviors and plant structures impact the probability of successful reproduction. Students will explain how the environment and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms. 

Unit 5: Heredity: 

Students will describe why chromosomal mutations might result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism. Students will model how asexual and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation. In addition, students will research the impact technologies have influenced the expression of desired traits in organisms. 

Unit 6: Biological Evolution

Students will analyze the fossil record through the lens of uniformitarianism to document the existence of diverse flora and fauna throughout time. Students will construct explanations as to why modern and fossilized organisms have similarities and differences. Students will explain how genetic variation in a population increases the organisms’ chances of survival. In addition, students will use mathematical reasoning to explain how natural selection increases or decreases a population’s specific traits over time. 

Middle School Social Studies 8th Grade: South Carolina and the United States History

This course is aligned with the 2020 South Carolina Social Studies College and Career Ready Standards for the history of South Carolina and the United States, Grade 8. Instruction utilizes the historical thinking skills developed for South Carolina history students. These historical thinking skills are aligned with the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate that focuses on world-class knowledge, world-class skills, and life and career characteristics. Students will acquire content knowledge through reading and analyzing multiple primary and secondary sources, group discussions, and whole class instruction. They will apply the historical thinking skills to the acquired knowledge, and then design and communicate their interpretation of the past. This process as a whole is known as inquiry. Rather than focusing on the memorization of facts with one correct answer, inquiry differs because students are evaluated on their ability to make a claim and support it with reliable evidence from research. 

Unit 1: Settlement

The Carolina colony was composed of indigenous, immigrant, and enslaved populations. Various factors across North America and the Carolina colony facilitated the eventual emergence of an American national identity. In Unit 1, students will use inquiry and historical thinking to learn about the Native American experiences in South Carolina before and after the arrival of European settlers. They will also explore the early years of European settlement and the development of three distinct colonial regions 

Unit 2: Development

The Carolina colony was composed of indigenous, immigrant, and enslaved populations. Various factors across North America and the Carolina colony facilitated the eventual emergence of an American national identity. Through an abundance of natural resources and enslaved labor, South Carolina emerged as a prosperous colony. Students will use inquiry and historical thinking to analyze the events and institutions that developed in the colony prior to the American Revolution. Students will focus on the social, economic, and political factors that impacted the individuals, events, and institutions within the time period.

Unit 3: Revolution

Political and economic developments underscored how the colonists in British North America had become uniquely American, prompting the development of a new nation. Drawing on their experience under British rule, the founding generation created a government with shared powers between the state and federal institutions. In Unit 3, students will use inquiry and historical thinking to explore the impact of the American Revolution on various groups of people.

Unit 4: Foundation

Political and economic developments underscored how the colonists in British North America had become uniquely American, prompting the development of a new nation. Drawing on their experience under British rule, the founding generation created a government with shared powers between the state and federal institutions. Independence from Great Britain resulted in a new national government and individual state governments. As students progress through Unit 4 they will utilize standards-aligned historical thinking skills and inquiry-based learning to demonstrate their understanding of how and why these governments were created, and South Carolina’s role in the development of the new national government. 

Unit 5: Compromise

As the nation expanded, regional differences were exacerbated creating sectionalism threatening South Carolina’s identity and American unity. South Carolina struggled to maintain its unique culture and economy throughout the Reconstruction Era. As students progress through Unit 5, they will utilize historical thinking skills, inquiry, and content specific themes to demonstrate their understanding of the multiple causes of the Civil War, and how South Carolina came to be at the center of this conflict.

Unit 6: Conflict

As the nation expanded, regional differences were exacerbated creating sectionalism threatening South Carolina’s identity and American unity. South Carolina struggled to maintain its unique culture and economy throughout the Reconstruction Era. The outbreak of the Civil War was the culminating event in a decades-long series of regional issues that threatened American unity and South Carolina’s identity as one of the United States. As students progress through Unit 6,they will utilize standards-based historical thinking skills, inquiry, and content specific themes to demonstrate their understanding of the events that lead to the Civil War, events of the Civil War, and their impact on South Carolina and the nation.

Unit 7: Reconstruction

Beginning with Reconstruction, South Carolina searched for ways to revitalize its economy and determine the social and political status of its population. Later in the period, South Carolina both contributed to World War I and grappled with economic depression. As students progress through Unit 7,they will utilize standards-aligned historical thinking skills, inquiry, and content specific themes to understand turning points that defined this period and evaluate the political, economic, and social effects of Reconstruction.

Unit 8: Progressivism

Beginning with Reconstruction, South Carolina searched for ways to revitalize its economy and determine the social and political status of its population. Later in the period, South Carolina both contributed to World War I and grappled with economic depression. In the late  nineteenth century, South Carolina realized a need to diversify its economy. Industrialization had a significant impact on the state’s society and politics. Unit 8 focuses on the changes South Carolina experienced during this era. Students will utilize standards-aligned historical thinking skills, inquiry, and content-specific themes to understand South Carolina’s experience as representative of its region and the United States as a whole during this period. 

Unit 9: Economics and Global Politics

As a result of new perspectives on national security following World War I, South Carolina continues to benefit from and contribute to national and global communities. Additionally, civic participation and social change altered South Carolina’s social standing and political alignment. This unit takes South Carolina through two world wars and the Great Depression. South Carolina’s contributions to the war effort included military service, the use of military bases, and participation in homefront support (i.e. liberty gardens and rationing)

The World Wars impacted marginalized groups such as African American and women socially, economically, and culturally. To help alleviate the effects of the Great Depression, the New Deal was implemented to stabilize the economy and provide temporary support to people experiencing the hardships of the economic depression. Soldiers after WWII benefitted from the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, resulting in increased income and education levels throughout South Carolina. Students will use historical thinking skills to develop an understanding of how these global events impacted our state.

Unit 10: Progress

As a result of new perspectives on national security following World War I, South Carolina continues to benefit from and contribute to national and global communities. Additionally, civic participation and social change altered South Carolina’s social standing and political alignment. Students will engage in inquiry and apply historical thinking skills to explore the relationship between national leadership, protests, and events and South Carolina’s leadership, protests, and events during the period referred to as the Civil Rights Movement. They will learn about the impact of civic participation of different individuals and groups and how people used the court system and legislation to affect South Carolina’s identity following World War II. Finally, students will apply historical thinking skills to develop a narrative on the economic development of our state from the colonial period to the present day.

Electives Courses

Agriculture

Students will be provided a broad overview of ornamental gardening and how it plays a crucial role in sustainable farming practices, crop production, livestock management, and sustainable farming methods. As they learn about the plant life cycle, maintaining a garden, taking care of livestock, and the business side of farming.

PLTW: Automation & Robotics

Students are given the opportunity to combine mechanisms with input and output devices to automate the mechanisms. Construction and programming skills are layered, and projects and the problem provide students the opportunity to connect their learning throughout the lessons in the unit. Students take on the role of interns, and work in teams to identify design requirements and create prototypes to meet the needs of clients. They also explore different aspects of automation and robotics, and experience how solving real-life problems involves the teamwork of mechanical engineers, software developers, and electrical engineers 

Unit Assessments: Journal entries, tests, quizzes, projects, portfolio assessment, worksheets, teacher observations, graphic organizers, student interviews

Materials Needed: Students need to come prepared for class with a pencil and loose-leaf notebook paper and Chromebook. The teacher will provide journals.

Grading Policy and Assessments:

A= 90-100

B= 80-89

C= 70-79

D= 60-69

F= 0-59

Major Assessments: 50%

Minor Assessments/Homework: 50%

Homework:   Homework will be assigned to the students. Each student will receive their homework via Google Classroom and/or folder during the current week. It is expected for all homework to be turned in by Friday of the same week.  

To receive full credit for homework, the work must be completed according to the directions given during class.  

If you are absent, it is your responsibility to get the assignments from the teacher. 

Attendance Policy: Per School Policy, a student may not miss more than ten days from a yearlong course. Those ten days include parents’ notes, suspensions, unexcused absences, administrative, or late arrivals. After ten absences, a doctor’s note or administrative excuse must be provided or the student will not receive credit for the course.

What to do if you miss a class: You need to provide Mrs. Brown-Shuford with a full explanation both written and verbal for an excused absence. Make up work will be provided for excused absences.

Academic and Behavioral Expectations:

• Appropriate Language

  • Be respectful

  • Speak academically

  • Use kinds words

  • Tell the truth

• Following Directions

  • Follow directions completely

  • Do first ask later

  • Respond appropriately      

• Safe Behavior

  • Respect personal space and things

  • Be where you are supposed to be

  • Practice self-care

• Work Completion

  • Participate actively

  • Be awake and alert

  • Give your best effort

All school and district rules apply to the class.

Discipline procedures are as follows:

First offense: Verbal Warning

Second offense: Student Teacher conference

Third Offense: Parent phone call

Fourth offense: Referral

** Any severe disruptions will result in an immediate referral and removal from class**