Science

Curriculum Presentation Here

Quarter One: Introduction to Biology

Students will explore how living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem work together to support diverse and changing populations of life.  Students will collect and analyze population data to measure the health of an ecosystem and explore the factors that can cause populations to rise and fall.  We will end with methods of conservation and bio-remediation used to fix ecosystems that are struggling.  An in depth look at the Great Lakes ecosystem serves as a case study to find out, "Where have all the creatures gone?"

Quarter Two: The Human Body as a System

Students will follow food on its journey through the different body systems in order to provide the body with energy.  The human body is explored as a working system with inputs and outputs necessary for survival, and subsystems with specific responsibilities in maintaining homeostasis.  Students will view a variety of cells including amoeba, yogurt cells, and yeast as well as cells from their own body!

Quarter Three: Introduction to Heredity and Genetics

Students will take a look at the traits they posses and compare them to the traits in their families and others around them.  They will learn what determines the traits of an individual and how those traits can be passed down in generations.  Lastly, they will explore how traits of a population can change over time through the process of natural selection.  

Quarter Four: Food Chemistry and Cellular Respiration

Students explore the chemistry behind food and understand where the atoms and energy in food come from.  They will explore the chemical reaction of photosynthesis and cellular respiration to add on to the knowledge they gained in quarter two.