Science Department

7th Grade

The focus of science in grade seven is “Life Science”. Here we will be exploring biological processes by means of scientific inquiry. In other words, we will be observing living things and how they work. We will be performing experiments to develop hypotheses and draw conclusions about these living things using a logical repeatable process.

By the end of this course all students should be able to answer the following questions:

  • What is Scientific Thinking and why is it important?

  • Why is the earth a special and unique planet?

  • What is life and what are the common characteristics of all organisms?

  • What are the fundamental biological processes of all organisms?

  • How and why are organisms different?

  • Why are plants so important?

  • How am I similar/different to other organisms?

  • How does the environment impact me and how do I impact it?

  • What responsibilities do I have to my environment?

The objective of this course is to enable students to observe the natural world with a critical eye, aid them in self-directed learning, teach how to use technologies in an ethical sense, to learn the importance collaboration, to be complex thinkers, and to take pride in producing quality work, in addition to being able to answer the above questions.

8th Grade

The focus of science in grade eight is “Earth and Space Science”. Here we will be exploring the physical world we live in by means of scientific inquiry. In other words, we will be observing the earth, oceans, and space, and making quantifiable measurements to study them. We will be performing experiments to develop hypotheses and draw conclusions about our physical universe using a logical repeatable process.

By the end of this course all students should be able to answer the following questions:

  • What is Scientific Thinking and why is it important?

  • What are the forces that shape the surface of the earth?

  • Why is the earth a special and unique planet?

  • What are the different properties of our oceans?

  • Why are our oceans so important?

  • How does energy cycle on earth?

  • What forces and factors drive our weather?

  • How does the environment impact me and how do I impact it?

  • What responsibilities do I have to my environment?

  • Are there forces and bodies that exist in our universe, what are they?

The objective of this course is to enable students to observe the natural world with a critical eye, aid them in self-directed learning, teach how to use technologies in an ethical sense, to learn the importance collaboration, to be complex thinkers, and to take pride in producing quality work, in addition to being able to answer the above questions.

Engineering (elective only)

This elective is appropriate for 7th and 8th grade students who are curious about the world of design and engineering. The major focus of the course is to expose students to design process, engineering skills and tools, research and analysis, technical documentation, global and human impacts, communication methods, and teamwork. The class provides students the opportunity to exercise the knowledge learned in core classes while developing skills and understanding of the course concepts through group activity, project, and problem-based learning. As members of an engineering design team, students are challenged to continually hone their interpersonal skills, creative abilities and understanding of the design process. Syllabus

UPDATED: September, 2018