What will we learn this year?
The Land beneath Our Feet: How is the earth structured? How have forces over time shaped earth’s crust and surface? Specific topics will include plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, the rock cycle, and soil. (September and October)
Growing and Flowing: What are the structures, processes, and behaviors of plants that enable them to survive and reproduce? How does energy flow through an ecosystem? How do biotic and abiotic factors affect a population? (November and December)
What’s the Matter?: How is matter structured and classified and what are its physical properties? (January and February)
Catch a Wave: How do earthquakes, light, and sound all travel as waves? How is energy transferred from one type to another and how do matter and energy interact? (February and March)
Space Invaders: How do the earth, moon, and sun interact? What are the properties of various celestial bodies in the universe? (April and May)
First nine weeks : The students will understand how the cycling of matter (water and gas) in and out of the atmosphere relates to Earth’s atmosphere, weather, and climate, and the effects of the atmosphere on humans.
Second nine weeks : The students will understand the processes, structures and functions of living organisms that enable them to survive, reproduce, and carry out the basic functions of life.
Third nine weeks: The students will understand the relationship of the mechanisms of cellular reproduction, patterns of inheritance and external factors to potential variation among offspring.
Fourth nine weeks: The students will understand motion, the effects of forces on motion and the graphical representations of motion and forms of energy, energy transfer and transformation and conservation in mechanical systems
Hydrosphere: In this unit we will learn all about water on Earth. Specific topics include properties of water, water cycle, water distribution, water quality, water pollution and stewardship.
Chemistry: In this unit we will learn about the physical and chemical properties of matter. We will discover the wonder of the Periodic Table and how the elements are organized. We will experiment with chemical reactions and learn how they are different from physical mixtures.
Biotechnology: In this unit we will learn about the scientific advancements of genetic modification and cloning.
Microbiology: In this unit we will learn about infectious diseases and the pathogens that cause the diseases. We will study how diseases spread and can become an epidemic or pandemic.
Geology and Evolution: In this unit we will discover how the Earth formed and is still changing today. Specific topics include types of fossils, age of rocks, radioactive dating, and the geologic time scale. The unit continues as we explore the Theory of Evolution and see how living things has changed over time.
Ecosystems: In this unit we will learn how populations in an ecosystem change based on biotic and abiotic factors. We will discover how living things are dependent on each other and how energy is transferred in a food web.