7th Grade Science Beginning of the Year
We are kicking the year off with Chapter 1: Introduction to Life Science. Throughout this chapter we will review many of the science process skills including: Observing, Inferring, Predicting, Classifying, and Graphing. Once we have reviewed these skills students will apply the processes in a variety of labs. Next we will review The Scientific Inquiry(Process), students will practice writing hypotheses and drawing conclusions from data. This chapter will also cover how science and technology work together to improve our lives.
Chapter One: Introduction to Life Science
Section One - What is Science?
Students will begin the year by learning and practicing the process skills scientists use to learn about the world around them.
Observing is the first skill students will experiment with. Students will all participate in the lab "Are Two Ears Better Than One?". One student will sit blindfolded in the middle of the room while 8 others stand around the room and bounce tennis balls. The blindfolded student can only use their sense of hearing to help them determine where the noise is coming from. After 16 trials the blindfolded student has to place an earplug in one of their ears to further challenge their sense of hearing. The second lab that students practice their skills of observation in is the "Reaction Test Lab". Students will test their reaction time in grabbing a ruler while doing three different tasks: concentrating on the ruler, reciting multiplication facts, and only using peripheral vision. Students will use their results to relate how being distracted while driving could create a problem.
Inferring, students will be shown a scene of a step by step interaction of animal foot prints. Students will record observations and inferences for what they believe occurred section by section. Students will then use their skills of observation to infer what office materials could be hidden in 6 mystery tins.
Predicting, students will practice their predicting skills by trying to guess how many drops of water will fit on a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.
Graphing, students will learn about the differences between bar graphs and line graphs and what Mrs. Nydle's expectations are for creating and turning in any graph in science:-).
Section Two - Scientific Inquiry
Students will learn what scientific inquiry involves including the six step method that we will follow for the 7th grade Science Fair. While learning the steps of the method students will focus on a few key steps of writing a science report including: variables, operational definitions, and writing hypotheses.
Hypotheses, 7th grade students will learn that a hypothesis is a prediction over what they think will happen in an experiment. They will also learn that hypotheses are written in an if/then/because form.
Variables, students will practice identifying at least 4 different variables that could be manipulated in a variety of different experiments. Students will then learn about three specific types of variables used in scientific experiments:Manipulated(Independent), Responding(Dependent), and Controlled variables. Students will then practice picking out these variables in a number of experiments.
Operational Definitions, students will learn what an operational definition is and why it is important to be very specific when creating your definition so that other scientists can repeat your experiment exactly.
Section 3 - Understanding Technology
Students will be introduced to how science and technology are different from each other as well as how technology effects society. Students will also learn the major goal of technology in society.
Section 4 - Lab Safety
As a class we will actually begin the chapter with a review of laboratory symbols and their meanings. Students will look at a number a different situations in a lab and try to decide what is wrong or unsafe.
