Science Curriculum K-12
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Guilford Public Schools Focused on Learning Science Curriculum K-12 Approved by the Guilford Board of Education June 11, 2018 Updated August 1, 2018 Table of Contents Introduction, Guiding Principles and Overview...................................................................................................................................iii Kindergarten........................................................................................................................................................................................1 Grade 1................................................................................................................................................................................................15 Grade 2................................................................................................................................................................................................25 Grade 3................................................................................................................................................................................................37 Grade 4................................................................................................................................................................................................55 Grade 5................................................................................................................................................................................................71 Grade 6................................................................................................................................................................................................91 Grade 7................................................................................................................................................................................................113 Grade 8................................................................................................................................................................................................137 H.S. Life Science...................................................................................................................................................................................181 H.S. Physical Science............................................................................................................................................................................203 H.S. Earth and Space Science...............................................................................................................................................................223 Introduction In the summer of 2017, a committee of K-12 science teachers convened to review and revise the science curriculum. The committee used the Next Generation Science Standards as its guide. This document, organized by grade level, provides expectations for student learning in physical, life and earth and space sciences. The document is designed to help students, over multiple years of school, actively engage in science and engineering practices and apply crosscutting concepts to deepen their understanding of the core ideas in these fields. The learning experiences provided for students should engage them with fundamental questions about the world and with how scientists have investigated and found answers to those questions. Throughout the K-12 grades, students should have the opportunity to carry out scientific investigations and engineering design projects related to the disciplinary core ideas. The document supports teachers in understanding the content and pedagogy of science instruction and reflects the guiding principles for Science established by the committee to align with the mission and vision of Guilford Public Schools. The Next Generation Science Standards defines science as a way of explaining the natural world. In common parlance, science is both a set of practices and the historical accumulation of knowledge. An essential part of science education is learning science and engineering practices and developing knowledge of the concepts that are foundational to science disciplines. Further, students should develop an understanding of the enterprise of science as a whole—the wondering, investigating, questioning, data collecting and analyzing. Guiding Principles The following guiding principles should be considered to engage all students in a rigorous, authentic, student centered learning environment that incorporates disciplinary core ideas, cross cutting concepts and science and engineering practices: • Build on student’s prior understanding and learning experiences; practices grow in complexity and sophistication across the grades. • Provide students time and opportunity to process disciplinary core standards. • Promote learning that is connected to a real-life phenomenon and is experiential. • Ask open-ended questions that require evidence-based reasoning. • Encourage mistakes as an opportunity to learn and to refine thinking. • Engage students in discourse to understand different perspectives and remember new ideas, terms or concepts. • Provide opportunities for students to think like scientists and engineers. • Promote understanding of social and ethical implications of science decisions. • Apply understanding to new contexts. Overview For each disciplinary core idea, sample instructional approaches are provided to assist teachers in understanding the intent of the dimension and focusing student learning as it relates to the standard. The grade level curricular components of this document are organized into four columns. The first three columns contain the engineering practices, crosscutting concepts and the disciplinary core ideas that are used to form the performance expectations. The science and engineering practices are activities that scientist and engineers engage in to either understand the world or solve a problem. Crosscutting concepts are ideas that are not specific to any one discipline but cut across all of them. Disciplinary core ideas are concepts in science and engineering that have broad importance within and across disciplines as well as relevance in people’s lives. The fourth column provides instructional approaches, examples, or tasks developed by the committee as suggestions to support teachers in creating lessons that invite effort and support academic rigor. The guide reflects a specific, conscious decision not to produce fully developed and comprehensive lessons or units. However, teachers should find guidance within each grade level document around the key components of instruction. The Guilford Public Schools teachers who were members of the curriculum review committee are: Tara White, Kindergarten, Calvin Leete Elementary School Cristina Fontana, Grade 2, A.W. Cox Elementary School Matt Guarnieri, Grade 3, Melissa Jones Elementary School Lori Luyckx, Grade 4, Guilford Lakes Elementary School Jennifer Lisi, Grade 5, Baldwin Middle School Kristin Skelly, Grade 6, Baldwin Middle School Cory Slifstein, Grades 7-8, Adams Middle School Kristie Whitcomb, Grades 9-12, Guilford High School Scott Macdowall, 9-12 Science Chair, Guilford High School Jim Murtagh, Technology Specialist, Guilford Public Schools Heather Gaieski, K-4 Special Education, Guilford Public Schools Jennifer DeWallace, Mathematics Specialist, Guilford Public Schools Stacy Ewings, Ed.D., Literacy Coach, Guilford Public Schools Anne Keene, Ed.D., Associate Superintendent, Guilford Public Schools Kindergarten Earth Science and Physical Sciences Life Sciences Space Sciences From Molecules to Motion and Organisms: Stability: Forces Earth's Systems Structure and and Interactions Processes Earth and Human Energy Activity 1 The Physical Sciences Topic: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions Kindergarten Overview: Examples of pushes or pulls could include a string attached to an object being pulled, a person pushing an object, a person stopping a rolling ball, and two objects colliding and pushing on each other. Examples of problems requiring a solution could include having a marble or other object move a certain distance, follow a particular path, and knock down other objects. Examples of solutions could include tools such as a ramp to increase the speed of the object and a structure that would cause an object such as a marble or ball to turn. Guiding Questions: What happens when you push or pull on an object? How can you make an object move faster or in a different direction? Performance Expectations: K-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes, and pulls on the motion of an object. K-PS2-2. Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull. Example Phenomena/Engineering Problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpkq_GYIxRk Which path is faster? Why? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnrrbKFWL3Q&list=PLA95indu8zalyCKi7w-3IK1wyvmik6_aq Pin ball machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4eGtoua4y4 A bowling ball in motion (play from 50-54 sec) 2 Highlighted Highlighted Disciplinary Core Ideas Sample Instructional Strategies Science and Cross Engineering Cutting Practices Concepts [SEP-1] [CCC-1] PS2.A: Forces and Motion Invent a back scratcher from everyday objects and compare Asking Patterns Pushes and pulls can have designs and effectiveness with classmates’