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.
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.