COMMUNICATION
My email address is loscott@greenville.k12.sc.us. I will respond to your emails within 24 hours. My telephone number is (864) 355-6480. This phone number will directly connect you to my voicemail. Please leave your name and a phone number so I can address your needs during my next planning period.
Additionally, students and guardians have access to Liveschool, our platform for communicating behavioral celebrations and discipline handled at the classroom-level. It’s important that you have access to this platform and check it frequently throughout the year! Visit our school website for information on registration.
Student/Parent Backpack is an essential tool for accessing grades. Please contact the front office if you need assistance accessing your account. Google Classroom will be your greatest asset for staying up to date on work that is due – students are enrolled in my specific course and will find all graded assignments located through google classroom.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
While in my classroom, I expect students to adhere to the following classroom rules at all times – Any behaviors that threaten this environment will be subject to Lakeview Middle School’s discipline policy. Please see the student handbook for additional information.
Students must treat each other with respect and compassion.
Students must work with urgency.
Students must follow directions quickly and quietly.
Students must take responsibility for their learning.
Students must contribute positively to the classroom environment.
LMS GRADING POLICIES : Major Assessments (12) 50% Minor Assessments (36) 50%
Grades are divided into two categories. Major assessments include tests, formal writing assignments, performance tasks, and other culminating demonstrations of learning that measure students' mastery of priority standards. Minor assessments include classwork, skills-based quizzes, practice assignments, short writing tasks, informal presentations, and other formative assessments that support student learning throughout a unit.
Grades reflect a student's demonstrated performance on academic work. Students are encouraged to take advantage of Lakeview Middle School's opportunities for late work, revisions, and reassessments as outlined in the school's grading policies.
High school credit courses follow the South Carolina high school grading model. Semester 1 and Semester 2 each account for 45% of the final course grade, and the teacher-created final exam accounts for the remaining 10%. Within each semester, major assessments are weighted at 60% and minor assessments are weighted at 40%
LMS LATE WORK POLICIES
Students may submit required assignments for up to five (5) school days after the original due date for full academic credit. There are no grade penalties for work submitted within this window. Students returning from an excused absence have five (5) school days after returning to complete missed work unless other arrangements have been made.
Certain learning experiences, such as laboratory investigations, collaborative discussions, performances, or other in-class activities, cannot always be recreated. When appropriate, an alternative assignment may be provided.
Students are responsible for checking Google Classroom and communicating with their teacher regarding missed work after an absence.
It is the responsibility of each student to inquire about make-up work upon returning from an absence. Students must also check google classroom for classwork and homework information for any days missed.
REDO/RETAKE/REVISION POLICIES
Lakeview Middle School believes students should have opportunities to demonstrate growth and mastery. Students may receive one additional opportunity to demonstrate mastery on eligible major assessments or substantial performance tasks. Before reassessment, students must:
Complete the original assessment or assignment.
Complete any teacher-assigned corrections, practice, tutoring, or relearning.
Request the reassessment within five (5) school days of receiving the original grade.
The reassessment may be administered in a different format, and the higher score will replace the original score (up to full credit). Routine classwork, homework, participation grades, and other minor practice assignments are not automatically eligible for retakes or revisions. Late work, retakes, and revisions must be completed at least five (5) school days before the end of the grading period.
GCS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE POLICIES
This year, students will use Magic School AI, a generative AI platform designed specifically for education. As tools like Chat GPT and Gemini become standard in the professional world, utilizing Magic School prepares students for the future workforce by teaching safe and responsible technology use. Students will use these tools for real-time feedback and dynamic problem-solving. To ensure appropriate use, teachers retain access to all student chats. Magic School strictly protects privacy and does not collect or utilize student data. All AI software, including Magic School, complies with GCS Board Policy and Administrative Rule IA.
This course may utilize generative AI tools, such as Magic School and Google Gemini, to supplement traditional instruction. Greenville County Schools prioritizes the ethical use of these technologies for brainstorming and self-guided learning:
Critical Thinking First: AI must not replace original thought or coursework.
Academic Integrity: Using AI to complete and submit assignments as original work constitutes plagiarism.
Required Citation: If teacher-approved, all AI use must be properly cited.
Content Awareness: Students must remain vigilant regarding potential biases and inaccuracies in AI-generated content.
Policy Compliance: All AI programs align with GCS Board Policy and Administrative Rule IA
SUPPLIES
Composition Notebook, Highlighters + Pencils, Headphones, Colored Pencils, Glue Stick, and Elevate Savvas 7th Grade Science Book.
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PACING Grade 7 Science Curriculum Map Overview
The information below includes an outline of the content that will be covered in each quarter. This plan is subject to change in response to student needs based on assessment data. Seventh grade science is a general science class with a focus on the study of matter, energy, ecosystems and earth and human activity.
Quarter 1 - Quarter 2
Week 1-2: Lab Safety
Lab Safety: Lab Safety: ALL students assigned to Science classes 6th - 12th grades must participate in “Science Safety Training” with their teacher prior to engaging in any lab work.
Weeks 3-10: Unit 1 ~ Matter and Its Interactions Science Standards 7 PS 1 , PS 2, PS 3, PS 4, PS 5, PS 6
Introduction to Matter
● Atoms, Elements, Molecules, Compounds, and Mixtures ● Physical and Chemical Properties
● Mass, Volume, Weight and Density
● Physical and Chemical changes
● Thermal Energy
● Chemical Reactions
● Colloids, Suspensions, Solutions, Solubility
● Chemical Reactions
● Chemical Equations
● Law of Conservation of Mass
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.
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 2-Weeks 11-15 - Energy:
Science Standards PS 3-1, PS 3-2, PS 3-5
● Energy, Motion, Force, Work, and Power
● Kinetic and Potential Energy
● Mechanical, Nuclear, Thermal, Chemical, and Electrical Energy
● Electromagnetic Radiation
● Law of Conservation of Energy
Unit 3-Week 16 - 18 : Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Function:
SC Science Standards: 7-LS1-6 and 7
Savvas: Topic 4 Lessons 1 & 2
● Cellular Processes
● Photosynthesis
● Cellular Respiration
● Fermentation
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
Quarter 3 - Quarter 4
Unit 4 ~ Ecosystem Dynamics
Weeks 19-27 - Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics:
SC Science Standards: 7-LS2-1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Ecosystems
● Levels of Organization
● Abiotic and Biotic Factors
● Limiting Factors
● Immigration and Emigration
● Food Chains and Webs
● Energy Pyramid
● Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy
● Water, Carbon, and Oxygen Cycles
● Nitrogen Fixation
Populations, Communities, and Ecosystems
● Relationships within Ecosystems (Competition, Predation, Symbiosis, Commensalism, Parasitism, and Mutualism)
● Primary and Secondary Succession
● Pioneer, Keystone, and Invasive Species
● Extinction
● Ecosystem Services
● Natural Resources
● Sustainability and Ecological Restoration
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 and Human Activity
(Weeks 28-36)
SC Science Standards: 7.ESS3-1, 3, 4, and 5
Savvas: Topic 7 Lessons 1-4, Topic 8 Lessons 1-4, and Topic 9 Lessons 2 & 3
Distribution of Natural Resources
● Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
● Nuclear Fission
● Solar, Wind, and Geothermal Energy
● Biomass
● Crystallization and Mineral Distribution
● Surface and Groundwater
● Desalination
Human Impacts on the Environment
● Birth and Death Rate
● Exponential Growth
● Overpopulation
● Conservation
● Pollution, Emissions, Ozone, and Acid Rain
● Deforestation, Erosion, and Desertification
● Sewage and Sediment
Climate
● Climate Change
● Greenhouse Gas and Effect
● Global Warming
● Fossil Fuels
● Cascade Effect
● Alternative Energy
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.
Grade Seven Science and Engineering Practices
Throughout each unit of study, students will be engaged in scientific and engineering practices as a means to learn about specific topics.
Engineering Design
Ask questions and define problems
Develop, use, and refine models
Plan and conduct investigations
o Formulate scientific questions and testable hypotheses
o Identify materials, procedures, and variables
o Select and use tools to collect qualitative and quantitative data
o Record and present data
o Use appropriate safety procedures
o Reveal patterns and construct meaning
o Support hypotheses, explanations, claims, and designs
o Use and manipulate appropriate metric units
o Collect and analyze data
o Express relationships between variables
o Statistically analyze data
Construct explanations and design solutions
Engage in scientific argument from evidence
Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information
Construct devices or designs to solve problems
Crosscutting Concepts
To connect knowledge across the science disciplines and employ universal properties and processes that are valued by both scientists and engineers, the following crosscutting concepts will be emphasized throughout the year:
1. Patterns
2. Cause and Effect
3. Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
4. Systems and System Models
5. Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation
6. Structure and Function
7. Stability and Change
Required Textbook: South Carolina Elevate Science Grade 7 (Savvas)
