Course Enduring Understandings

7th Grade Science Syllabus DRAFT

Text: Life Science, Holt

Course Enduring Understandings

What do we need to know about the following concepts and why are they essential to understanding and “doing” science?

ü  Inquiry process (GLEs 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.5)

ü  Problem solving strategies (GLEs 2.1.3, 2.1.2)

ü  Problem posing strategies (GLEs 2.1.1, 2.1.3)

ü  Analysis of systems ( GLEs 1.2.0, 2.2.5)

Sequence/ Duration / Text / Topics and Concepts (and essential questions) / Resources / Grade Level Expectations
6 weeks / Chapter 1
The World of Life Science
Scientific Method
Section 1 & 2
pages 4-17
Tools and measurement
Section 4
pages 22-29
Safety
pages xxx-xxxiii
Scientific Models
Section 3
pages 18-21 / Intro. To Science:
What is Science?
What is a theory (vs. a belief that has no externally verifiable evidence)?
Procedural Knowledge:
Observation (qualitative vs. quantitative)
Prediction
Notebook use
Sketching/drawing
Safety contract
Equipment use (introduce tools/activities
Metric system/appropriate units
Mass vs. weight
Design and conduct scientific investigations / Triple beam balance (mass)
Meter stick (length)
Graduated cylinder (volume)
Beakers
30 cm ruler
Metric tape
Microscope
Wet slide preparation Materials
Petri dishes
WASL Bubble gum lab
Science process skills book
Fast Labs
Teacher directed investigations and designs
Note: Send District HIV letter with start-up parent letter and syllabus / 2.1.1
2.1.2
2.1.3
2.1.4
2.1.5
2.2.1
2.2.2
2.2.3
2.2.4
2.2.5
1 week
Sequence/
Duration / Chapter 2
Is it Alive?
Characteristics of living things pages 38-41
Necessities of life pages 42-43
Text / Intro to living organisms/traits of life:
What is life?
What do organisms need to live?
What are producers? Consumers? Decomposers?
Understand how to categorize plants and animals into groups according to how they accomplish life processes and by similarities and differences.
Topics and Concepts (and essential questions) / Raisin lab
Life posters
Resources / 1.1.6, 1.2.6
Grade Level Expectations
4 weeks / Chapter 3
Cells, The Basic Unit of Life
The diversity of cells pages 60-66
Eukaryotic cells pages 68-74
The organization of living things pages 76-79
Chapter 4
The Cell in Action
Exchange with the environment pages 90-93
Cell energy pages 94-97
Cell cycle pages 98-101 / Intro to cells:
What are living things made of?
How do plant and animal cells differ?
What’s in a cell and how does it work?
How do cells differ within a single organism?
Apply modeling to investigate objects on process.
Understand that individual organisms, including cells, use matter and energy for life processes, and the mechanisms accomplishing these processes are complex, integrated, and regulated. / Cell diffusion lab
Cheek cells
Growing eggs
Microscope
Movie clips from Osmosis
Jones / 1.2.6, 2.1.4
1.2.1, 1.2.6, 1.3.8
3 weeks / Chapter 5 Heredity/Repro-duction
Mendal and His Peas pages 114-119
Traits and Inheritance pages 120-125
Meiosis pages 126-133 / What are genes?
How are they passed on?
What is the role of sex cells?
How are physical traits affected by genetic information and/or by interactions with the environment?
Understand that organisms pass on genetic information as they reproduce and that an organism’s characteristics are determined by both genetic and environmental influences. / 1.2.7, 1.3.9
Sequence/ Duration / Text / Topics and Concepts (and essential questions) / Resources / Grade Level Expectations
2 weeks / Chapter 10
Bacteria and Virus
Bacteria pages 246-251
Bacteria’s Role in The World pages 252-255
Viruses pages 256-259 / Intro to microscopic world (viruses and simple organisms)
What are the differences between viruses and living things?
Where do you find protest?
What is a Fungi? / Dist. HIV curriculum (2-4 days), send letter home in advance of instruction if not previously done
Fungi Perfecti (field trip?) http://www.fungi.com/
Prepared bacteria/protesta slides
Cover slips
Microscopes
Pond water
Bread/mold growth exploration (sandwich bag, drop water, hand print in bread slice)
Videos: Understand Bacteria and Understanding Viruses / 1.1.6
3 weeks / Chapter 11
Protists & Fungi
Protists page 270-273
Kinds of Protists page 274-281
Fungi page 282-289 / Prepared slides
Sequence/ Duration / Text / Topics and Concepts (and essential questions) / Resources / Grade Level Expectations
4 weeks / Chapter 12
Introduction to Plants
What is a plant? Page 300-303
Seedless plants page 304-307
Seed plants page 308-313
Structure of see plants page 314-321
Chapter 13 Plant Processes
Photosynthesis page 332-335
Reproduction of Flowering Plants page 336-339
Plant responses to the Environment page 340-343 / Intro to Plants:
What is a plant?
What are the life processes of plants?
( photosynthesis)
What are the rules governing their classification?
How are plants structured?
How do they reproduce?
What are the life cycles of plants?
How do plants change over time?
How do plants adapt to their environments?
Understand how to categorize plants and animals into groups according to how they accomplish life processes. / Baggy gardens
Knutson’s farm
by reproductive method-spores, cones, flowers / 1.2.6, 1.1.6
3 weeks / Chapter 14, 15,16
and 17
Animal Chapters
What is an Animal? Page 356-359
Animal Behavior page 360-365
Social Relationship page 366-369 / Intro to Animals:
What is an animal?
What are the life processes of animals? (respiration)
What are the rules governing their classification?
How do they reproduce?
What are the life cycles of animals?
How do organisms change over time?
How do organisms adapt to their environments?
Survey of Animal Kingdom / Animal behavior video
Dichotomous keys
Flynn Science catalog
Meal worms and habitats for life cycle
Planaria for regeneration
Wards catalog (get from department chair) / 1.1.6
Sequence/
Duration / Text / Topics and Concepts (and essential questions) / Resources / Grade Level
Expectations
3-4 weeks / Chapter 7
Evolution of Living Things
Change Over Time page 166-173
How Does Evolution Happen page 174-179
Natural Selection in Action page 180-183 / Intro to Changes in Living Organisms Over Time:
What is geologic time?
What is the evidence of geologic time?
What is the evidence that ecosystems change over time?
What is the evidence that organisms change over time?
What are homologous structures?
What is natural selection and how does it work?
Understand that organisms pass on genetic information as they reproduce and that natural selection, extinction, and change occur in species over time. / Darwin > Finchs PBS Evolution
Evidence—embryonic, fossil, homologous structures, plate tectonics and Pangaea
Tape hand – for survival / 1.3.9
1.1.6
1.3.5
6 weeks / Chapter 18
Interactions of Living Things
Everything is Connected page 480-483
Living Things Need Energy page 484-489
Types of Interactions page 490-497
Chapter 19
Cycles in Nature
The Cycles of Matter page 508-511
Ecological Succession page 512-514 / Intro to Ecology (microscopic world, animals, plants, and environments converge.
What is an ecosystem?
How do ecosystems differ?
What is a population?
How do changes in a population impact the ecosystem?
How do organisms interact?
How do populations interact?
What is carrying capacity?
How do each of the animal kingdoms contribute to the ecosystems?
What happens when parts of the ecosystem are manipulated?
Understand how organisms in ecosystems interact with and respond to their environment and other organisms as the organisms carry out life functions. / Bill Nye the Science Guy
Stream Team
Snake Lake Nature Center
Pierce County Waste Management
Dept. of Ecology / 1.2.1, 1.3.10, 3.1.2, 3.2.4

Teaching & Learning 10/2006