| Science |
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| Subject Outline |
| Grand Canyon MYP sciences encourage students to inquire about the world around them leading to investigation, understanding, and explaining how they are an integral part of the global environment. The concepts of science require the development of the skills and processes necessary to investigate and evaluate scientific evidence. Inquiry will be used to relate local and global issues to science, leading to the development of positive attitudes and beliefs guided by scientific reasoning. Through an integrated approach to learning concepts and skills students will engage in forming opinions, making decisions and developing ethical reasoning skills. |
| Aims and Objectives |
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| AIMS
OBJECTIVES A One world This objective refers to enabling students to understand the interdependence between science and society. Students should be aware of the global dimension of science, as a universal activity with consequences for our lives and subject to social, economic, political, environmental, cultural and ethical factors.
B Communication in science This objective refers to enabling students to develop their communication skills in science. Students should be able to understand scientific information, such as data, ideas, arguments and investigations, and communicate it using appropriate scientific language in a variety of communication modes and formats as appropriate.
C Knowledge and understanding of science This objective refers to enabling students to understand the main ideas and concepts of science and to apply them to solve problems in familiar and unfamiliar situations. Students are expected to develop critical and reflective thinking and judge the credibility of scientific information when this is presented to them.
D Scientific inquiry This objective refers to enabling students to develop scientific inquiry skills to design and carry out scientific investigations.
E Processing data This objective refers to enabling students to record, organize and process data. Students should be able to collect and transform data by numerical calculations into diagrammatic form. Students should be able to analyse and interpret data and explain appropriate conclusions.
F Attitudes in science This objective refers to encouraging attitudes and dispositions that will contribute to studentsí development as caring and responsible individuals and members of society. It includes notions of safety and responsibility when working in science as well as respect for and collaboration with others and their shared environment.
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| Course Outline |
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| Level I | Level II | level III | Level IV | Level V |
| Inquiry Process Water Weather, Climate, Natural Disasters Structure and Function of Living Systems (Cells) Heat, Transfer of Energy Scientific Inventions |
Biodiversity and Energy Flow Rocks, Minerals, and Plate Tectonics Solar System How the surface of the Earth changes |
Diversity, Adaptation, Natural Selection, Evolution Genetics and Bioethics Motion and Forces Properties of Matter Environmental Impacts of Humans Modern Science Overview |
Weather and Climate Origins Earth system and processes Human impact on resources Geologic time Water |
Population study Human Impact Relationships/Organization Biochemical cycles Chemistry of life Cellular structure and function Photosynthesis/ Cellular respiration Mitosis/Meiosis DNA/Protein Genetics Darwin and Natural Selection Evolution Selection |
| Assessment Criteria |
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A. One World
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B. Communication
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C. Knowledge and Understanding of Science
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D. Scientific Inquiry
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E. Processing Data
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F. Attitudes in Science
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Course Name: Level I Integrated Science
Teacher: Jesse Smith Jesse@grandcanyonschool.org (928) 638-2461, ext. 501
Course Description:
This course is the first year of a three-year program of integrated science in the middle school. This course will focus on the skills, processes, and concepts of science, as well as the personal, social, and global awareness necessary to think and act as a modern citizen scientist. The course will be broken down into a series of units in which students will learn the skills and knowledge necessary to complete a culminating project in each unit.
The sixth grade units share the common theme of Life: Students will explore what all things need to live, what fuels our lives, and the questions and inventions that emerge when we live our lives to the fullest. Through these units, students will develop the skills of oral, written, and visual communication in science, critical thinking, and experimental design. There will be ongoing formative assessment throughout all units, as well as a variety of assessment activities such as tests and quizzes, performance tasks, written assignments, projects, and a summative assessment at the end of each semester. Overall, this course aims to impel students to explore the ethical and environmental consequences of their actions, and hopes to inspire students to use their new knowledge and perspectives in science to improve the natural and social environment that they live in. This course will push students to connect their scientific learning to the environment around them, by considering how science relates to personal health, our Grand Canyon community, American society, as well as connecting to the global world.
Topics:
The following content units follow the Arizona State Science Standards for the sixth grade, as well as the IB MYP Framework for Sciences.
First Semester: How can water be both necessary for life while also leading to so much destruction?
Unit 1: The Inquiry Process and Nature of Scientific Knowledge - How do scientists ask and answer questions?
This unit will be focused through the Homo Faber area of interaction and will push students to ask their own questions and design experiments in order to find the answers and share their knowledge with others. The unit will give students the skills needed to start communicating scientifically, and the tools needed to start designing their science fair project.
Unit 2: Water - What does it mean to have enough?
Unit 3: Weather, Atmosphere, and Natural Disasters - How do we handle disaster?
Natural Disasters can be studied through the lens of Community and Service. Students will investigate famous natural disasters around the world and study how different communities prepare for and deal with disaster. They will consider how human actions may increase or decrease the destruction of disasters.
Second Semester: What fuels our lives and our inventions?
Unit 4: Structure and Function of Living Systems - What does it mean to live?
In this unit, students will learn about the structure and function of cells and systems. Through learning anatomy and physiology of the human body, students will learn the principles of basic life support which could be used in an emergency situation. In this way, students could choose to serve their community through using their new medical skills when needed. (Community and Service)
Unit 5: Heat and Transfer of Energy - How do we fuel our lives?
This unit will look at heat and energy from the standpoint of the Environment. The concepts of heat transfer and our energy consumption choices have a significant effect on the environment of the polar regions of the globe. Students will examine the causes and global effects of our energy choices.
Unit 6: Scientific Inventions - What have we created, and what can I contribute?
This unit will emphasize the genius and creativity of humans and survey some of the great discoveries and inventions made possible by science and technology. Students will use their own genius and creativity to identify a problem and design a solution for that problem. (Homo Faber)
Teaching and Assessment:
Students will participate in small and large group discussions, inquiry-based investigations and hands-on activities, reflective and analytical writing, and long-term projects. Students will be assessed in their content and skills knowledge through a variety of formats including ongoing formative assessment, tests and quizzes, written reflection, oral group presentations, performance assessments, science fair projects, and a summative assessment each semester focusing on the guiding questions for that semesterís units. Students will be assessed using the IB rubric for science for each assignment and project. The IB criteria are listed below:
Resources:
We will be using the Prentice Hall Science Explorer text for all middle school classes.
All science lab materials will be provided by the school. Occasionally students will be asked to bring in everyday items from home for use in an investigation. We will also use relevant newspaper and magazine articles, video, and computer animations and simulations in class. We will go on occasional field trips and use the outdoor environment to further explore concepts.
Course Name: Level II Integrated Science
Teacher: Jesse Smith Jesse@grandcanyonschool.org (928) 638-2461, ext. 501
Course Description:
This course is the second year of a three-year program of integrated science in the middle school. This course will focus on the skills, processes, and concepts of science, as well as the personal, social, and global awareness necessary to think and act as a modern citizen scientist. The course will be broken down into a series of units in which students will learn the skills and knowledge necessary to complete a culminating project in each unit.
The seventh grade units share a common theme of the Earth and our relationships to the natural communities that we are a part of. Students will explore the Earthís structure, geologic history, and changing topography; the Earthís relationship to the rest of the universe; and how natural communities relate to one another and to larger communities on a local, global, and universal scale. Through these units, students will develop the skills of oral, written, and visual communication in science, critical thinking, and mapping and modeling of the Earthís systems. There will be ongoing formative assessment throughout all units, as well as a variety of assessment activities such as tests and quizzes, performance tasks, written assignments, projects, and a summative assessment at the end of each semester.
Overall, this course aims to impel students to explore the ethical and environmental consequences of their actions, and hopes to inspire students to use their new knowledge and perspectives in science to improve the natural and social environment that they live in. This course will push students to connect their scientific learning to the environment around them, by considering how science relates to life in the Grand Canyon community, as well as connecting to the global world and universe.
Topics:
The following content units follow the Arizona State Science Standards for the seventh grade, as well as the IB MYP Framework for Sciences.
First Semester: What is the Earth and how is it changing?
This unit will be focused through the Homo Faber area of interaction and will review the Inquiry process and metric measurement skills learned in sixth grade.
Unit 2: Rocks, Minerals, and Plate Tectonics - What is the Earth made of?
This unit focuses on how natural and manmade factors can shape and change the surface of the Earth. Students will look at these changes through the lens of Health and Social Education by examining the mining industry and social issues associated with the industry.
Second Semester: What role do I play in the universal, global, and local community?
Unit 4: The Solar System - What is my place in the universe?
This unit will be focused on defining our environment and the factors outside of our planet that influence our environment on Earth. Students will research different cultures around the world and examine how each related what they see in the nighttime sky to their own environment and lives. (Environment)
Unit 5: Biodiversity and Energy Flow - How is everything connected, and how do I fit in?
This unit will be focused through Community and Service as students explore the natural communities around them and consider their own niche in the ecosystem. Students will prepare a presentation to teach others about their role in the Grand Canyon ecosystem.
Teaching and Assessment:
Students will participate in small and large group discussions, inquiry-based investigations and hands-on activities, reflective and analytical writing, and long-term projects. Students will be assessed in their content and skills knowledge through a variety of formats including ongoing formative assessment, tests and quizzes, written reflection, oral group presentations, performance assessments, science fair projects, and a summative assessment each semester focusing on the guiding questions for that semesterís units. Students will be assessed using the IB rubric for science for each assignment and project. The IB criteria are listed below:
A. One World
B. Communication
C. Knowledge and Understanding of Science
D. Scientific Inquiry
E. Processing Data
F. Attitudes in Science
Resources:
We will be using the Prentice Hall Science Explorer text for all middle school classes.
All science lab materials will be provided by the school. Occasionally students will be asked to bring in everyday items from home for use in an investigation. We will also use relevant newspaper and magazine articles, video, and computer animations and simulations in class. We will go on occasional field trips and use the outdoor environment to further explore concepts.
Course Name: Level III Integrated Science
Teacher: Jesse Smith Jesse@grandcanyonschool.org (928) 638-2461, ext. 501
Course Description:
This course is the third year of a three-year program of integrated science in the middle school. This course will focus on the skills, processes, and concepts of science, as well as the personal, social, and global awareness necessary to think and act as a modern citizen scientist. The course will be broken down into a series of units in which students will learn the skills and knowledge necessary to complete a culminating project in each unit.
The eighth grade units share a common theme of Ethics and Controversy in Modern Science. Students will analyze the evidence supporting controversial issues in Biology such as human evolution and genetics. Students will then consider how we apply our knowledge of Chemistry and Physics, which sometimes leads to unintended consequences. Through these units, students will develop the skills of oral, written, and visual communication in science, critical thinking, and experimental design. There will be ongoing formative assessment throughout all units, as well as a variety of assessment activities such as tests and quizzes, performance tasks, written assignments, projects, and a summative assessment at the end of each semester.
Overall, this course aims to impel students to explore the ethical and environmental consequences of their actions, and hopes to inspire students to use their new knowledge and perspectives in science to improve the natural and social environment that they live in. This course will push students to connect their scientific learning to the environment around them, by considering how science relates to human evolution and health, American society, as well as connecting to the global world.
Topics:
The following content units follow the Arizona State Science Standards for the eighth grade, as well as the IB MYP Framework for Sciences.
First Semester: What do we choose and what choices are made for us?
Unit 1: The Inquiry Process - How do scientists ask and answer questions?
In this unit, students will use the skills learned in 6th and 7th grade to design and carry out their own investigations, focusing on accurate measurements and data analysis. (Homo Faber)
Unit 2: Diversity and Adaptation - What is the next environmental challenge that humans must adapt to?
Students will look at current challenges in the environment and predict what adaptations might be necessary in the near future. Students will use their creativity to ìinventî the next human adaptation or technology which our species will need in order to survive the next global challenge. (Homo Faber)
Unit 3: Natural Selection and Evolution - Do the benefits of walking upright justify the costs?
The human body evolved to walk upright over many generations through natural selection happening at isolated times due to isolated events or environmental changes. The current human body has many costs associated with our upright locomotion. Are the benefits worth the costs? (Environment)
Unit 4: Genetics and Bioethics - Even though we can, how do we decide if we should?
This unit will be focused through the lens of Health and Social Education. Students will apply their knowledge of inheritance and genetics to research genetic disorders and make tough decisions around the issue of genetic screening.
Second Semester: How has our Technology helped or hurt ourselves and the world?
Unit 5: Motion and Forces - How do we take flight?
In this Homo Faber unit, students will learn the basics of motion and forces and conduct experiments to explore how motion and forces interact. This will be an interdisciplinary unit with Technology as students design, build, and launch their own rockets in an exploration of flight.
Unit 6: Properties of matter - What is the world made up of?
In this unit, students will learn about the chemical building blocks and technologies that emerge with our better understanding of what matter is made of. Through a Health and Social perspective, students will consider the health risks as well as benefits that have emerged through radiation.
Unit 7: Environmental Impacts of Humans - What kind of impact will I make on the Earth?
Students will look at the Environmental Impacts of Humans through the lens of Community and Service. Students will learn about the evidence for and projected consequences of global warming, and research how individual countries are dealing with this environmental threat.
Teaching and Assessment:
Students will participate in small and large group discussions, inquiry-based investigations and hands-on activities, reflective and analytical writing, and long-term projects. Students will be assessed in their content and skills knowledge through a variety of formats including ongoing formative assessment, tests and quizzes, written reflection, oral group presentations, performance assessments, science fair projects, and a summative assessment each semester focusing on the guiding questions for that semesterís units. Students will be assessed using the IB rubric for science for each assignment and project. The IB criteria are listed below:
A. One World
B. Communication
C. Knowledge and Understanding of Science
D. Scientific Inquiry
E. Processing Data
F. Attitudes in Science
Resources:
We will be using the Prentice Hall Science Explorer text for all middle school classes. All science lab materials will be provided by the school. Occasionally students will be asked to bring in everyday items from home for use in an investigation. We will also use relevant newspaper and magazine articles, video, and computer animations and simulations in class. We will go on occasional field trips and use the outdoor environment to further explore concepts.
Name of Course: Earth Science, Level IV
Teacher: Betty Hultin Email: betty@grandcanyonschool.org (928) 638-2461 ex. 433
Course Description:
Earth Science will focus on the major concepts of Earth and Space Science. The course is broken down into units that connect areas of content and are designed for students to use evidence to support how the processes function.
The emphasis is a guided investigation-based approach where students will use models, activities and research to determine the sources of energy and forces that govern the dynamics of the earth and universe.
Students are encouraged to develop international-mindedness in two different ways: by examining the processes of the earth determining the effects in different areas of the world and by determining how and where other countries are addressing the issues that we are studying.
Topics: The course content is based on the Arizona State Standards and IB MYP framework for Sciences.
Origins - What do you need to know to ask a question?
What evidence and observations does man use to question the origin?
This topic will be focused through Homo Faber as students are led to address the evidence and observations that are necessary before you can ìask the question.î Students will explain what evidence can be used to support why and how the components originated and what theories are best supported by this evidence.
Motion - What keeps the motion going?
What forces are at work?
This topic will be focused through the Environment area of interaction as students examine the forces that control the environment of the earth from the universe, on the surface and within.
Human Impact on Resources - What does it take to get something done?
What has let to our water problems in the southwest and what solutions are possible?
This topic will be focused through the Community and Service area of interaction as students learn about the funding, development, implementation and current use of the water treatment facility in Tusayan. They will compare and contrast with other facilities throughout the world and design a pamphlet explaining the need for systems that efficiently use reclaimed water.
Weather and Climate- What does energy have to do with it?
How does solar energy influence weather?
This topic will be focused through the Health and Social area of interaction as students will evaluate conditions that cause severe weather throughout the world and propose safety measures that can be taken.
Geologic Time - What does age have to do with it?
What methods are used to date and classify fossils?
This topic will be focused through the Environment area of interaction as students will address the environmental changes that have taken place that influenced the evolution of life on earth.
Teaching and Assessment:
Students will design and construct a variety of models to demonstrate dynamics and processes, participate in partner and group research projects, perform investigation activities using pre-selected data, keep a journal of all information processed and write a persuasive pamphlet.
Formative assessment will include quizzes and tests, presentations, investigations, research assignments, demonstration and use of models and written reflections.
A summative assessment will be given at the end of each unit and the semester based on the guiding questions.
Assessment will be according to the IB rubric for Science and rubrics given out with each assignment.
Criterion A One World
Criterion B Communication
Criterion C Knowledge and Understanding of Science
Criterion D Scientific Inquiry
Criterion E Processing Data
Criterion F Attitudes in Science
Resources:
The text book used is Modern Earth Science. Students will be required to have their class note book, provided, for every class session. The internet will be a primary source of research information as well as data collection.
Name of Course: Biology (Level V)
Teacher: Betty Hultin Email: betty@gandcanyonschool.org (928) 638-2461 ex. 433
Course Description:
Biology is Level 6 Science in the high school and will on focus on the functions and requirements of living organisms, primarily based on humans, and their role in the environment. The course is broken down into topics that connect related concepts and is designed for students to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for understanding and applying science when making decision about their environment.
The emphasis is a guided inquiry-based approach where students will participate in discussions, research topics and perform investigative lab experiments and activities to make the students more responsible for their learning experience and to develop a sound base of knowledge.
Students are encouraged to develop international-mindedness by examining the concepts from the view of humans in the ecosystem Earth and how the decisions made will affect regions of the Earth differently.
Topics: The course content is based on the Arizona State Standards and IB MYP framework for Sciences.
Population - What is the human role on Earth?
What is required for a population to maintain homeostasis?
This topic will be focused through the Environment area of interaction as students determine the factors affecting their population experiment and then apply these concepts to the environment and the effects of human population growth.
Organization - What is the human role on Earth?
What determines an organismís role?
This topic will be focused through the Environment area of interaction as students identify organisms in their environment and design models of ecosystems defining the interactions required for the systems to be sustained.
Chemistry of Life - What keeps us going?
What are the structural and functional requirements of life?
This topic will be focused through the Health and Social area of interaction as students learn the metabolic reactions of living organism that will guide them to make better choices for their personal health and examine how society can affect these decisions.
Continuity of Life - Why sex?
Does division destroy the integrity of the original plan?
This topic will be focused through the Health and Social area of interaction as students will apply their knowledge to make informed decisions concerning current and future genetic research.
Changes Over Time - Where are we now and where are we going?
How is the evidence for evolution supported?
This topic will be focused through the Homo Faber area of interaction as students will
Research, test and evaluate information to design/predict the evolutionary path of an existing organism.
Teaching and Assessment:
Students will participate in partner and group discussions, research projects, inquiry-based investigations and activities; keep a journal of all information processed and engage in analytical writing.
Formative assessment will include quizzes and tests, presentations, investigations, research assignments, and written reflections.
A summative assessment will be given at the end of each unit and the semester, based on the guiding questions.
Assessment will be according to the IB rubric for Science and rubrics given out with each assignment.
Criterion A One World
Criterion B Communication
Criterion C Knowledge and Understanding of Science
Criterion D Scientific Inquiry
Criterion E Processing Data
Criterion F Attitudes in Science
Resources:
The text book used is Insights into Science. Students will be required to have their class note book, provided, for every class session. The internet will be a primary source of research information as well as data collection.