SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
VISION: All students achieve full scientific literacy through standards referenced, problem/project based instruction that develops critical thinkers who apply scientific and engineering practices to authentic problems in a globally competitive society.
TEACHERS:
Staff email addresses and phone numbers are also listed in the Staff Directory.
Beth Arias-Hoskins Science 6 |
Aldo Cardoza Technology & Foundations of Computer Science |
Kellie Coble Science 6 |
Auda Cottrell Science 7 & FACS 7 |
Sabina Di Maio Science 7 |
Tess Falabella Content Specialist & Science 8 |
Danielle Howard Science 6 |
Edgar Macal Science 8 |
John (Jack) McCloskey Science 8 |
Jennifer Zimmerman Science 7 |
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Grade 6 Science | ||
Unit | Title | Content Focus |
1 | Ecosystems and Dynamics |
Essential Question: How do matter and energy move through an ecosystem? Topics: Biomes, biotic and abiotic factors, biodiversity, limited resources, interactions among organisms, and producers, consumers and decomposers |
2 | Earth’s Resources and Human Impacts |
Essential Idea: How does human consumption of Earth’s resources impact our planet? Topics: Natural vs. man-made resources, renewable resources, natural resource distribution, resource usages, ocean resources, land pollution, and watersheds |
3 | Matter and its Interactions |
Essential Question: How can you describe matter and predict its interactions? Topics: Atoms and elements, molecules and compounds, physical and chemical properties, states of matter, thermal energy, heat transfer, and physical and chemical changes |
4 | Energy and Waves |
Essential Question: How is energy transferred or conserved between objects or systems? Topics: Static Electricity, magnetism, energy forms, energy transfer, and waves |
Grade 7 | ||
Unit | Title | Content Focus |
1 | Cellular Structure and Processes |
Essential Question: How do the structures of an organism enable its life functions? Topics: Characteristics of living things, cell organelles, plants, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration |
2 | Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms |
Essential Question: How do your body systems work together to make your body function? Topics: Levels of organization, muscular system, cardiovascular system, nervous system, digestive system, excretory system and nutrients |
3 | Inheritance and Variation of Traits |
Essential Question: Why do individuals of the same species vary in how they look, function, and behave? Topics: Asexual vs. sexual reproduction, chromosomes and genes, punnett squares, artificial selection, mutations |
4 | Earth’s History and Biological Evolution |
Earth’s History and Biological Evolution Essential Question: What evidence shows Earth’s history and how different species are related? Topics: Geological time scale, fossil records, relative age, mass extinction, evidence of common ancestry, and Natural Selection |
Grade 8 | ||
Unit | Title | Content Focus |
1 | Weather and Climate |
Essential Question: What regulates weather and climate? Topics: Water cycle, oceanic circulation, air masses and influences, weather maps, and winds |
2 | Earth’s Materials and Systems |
Essential Question: How and why is Earth’s surface constantly changing? Topics: Hydraulic Fracturing, Earth’s interior, continental drift, Plate Tectonics, monitoring natural hazards, rocks and minerals. |
3 | Earth, the Solar System and the Universe |
Essential Question: What predictable patterns are caused by Earth’s movement in the solar system? Topics: Earth-moon-sun models, unequal heating, seasons, phases of the moon, and gravity |
4 | Forces, Motion and its Interactions |
Essential Question: How can you describe and predict an object’s motion? Topics: Speed, acceleration, force, Newton’s Laws of Motion, potential and kinetic energy, and momentum |
Elective Grade 6-Technology | ||
Unit | Title | Content Focus |
1 | Introduction to Technology & Engineering | Students are introduced to technological systems and learn and apply the Engineering Design Process to a variety of challenges. Students are introduced to Computer Aided Design using TinkerCAD. |
2 | Engineering Design & Modeling | Students utilize the Engineering Design Process and technical skills of isometric sketching, multiview drawing, and Computer Aided Design using TinkerCAD to design solutions to engineering challenges. |
Elective Grade 7-Technology |
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Unit | Title | Content Focus |
1 | Innovation & Engineering Design | Students learn the importance of invention and innovation in technological development and apply engineering-thinking skills and technical skills to complete each step of the engineering design process to creatively address a real world challenge. Students learn or extend technical drawing and Computer Aided Design skills. This course is accessible for students who have not taken the Grade 6 Engineering courses. |
2 | Applied Engineering Design | Students learn how societal factors affect technological development and apply the engineering design process, engineering-thinking skills, and technical skills including Computer Aided Design to design engineering solutions to real-world challenges. |
Elective Grade 8- Computer Science (High School Credit) | ||
Unit | Title | Content Focus |
1 | Foundations of Computer Science A/B |
This course includes programming, but the focus is on the computational practices associated with doing computer science rather than just a narrow focus on coding syntax and tools. |
MCPS Resources:
- MCPS Science Department Website
- Science Curriculum
- STEM Opportunities for Students
- Featured Scientist
- Monthly Challenge Activity
- Science Spotlights
- Middle School Computer Science & Technology Education: Curriculum
- MCPS Course descriptions
- High School Computer Science & Technology Education: Curriculum