Investigations in Science Grade 6 Overview Science Teacher: Christyn Day E-Mail: Christyn_D_Day@mcpsmd.

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Welcome to Investigations in Science for grade 6! This curriculum is a unique problem/project based curriculum. The learning is student-centered with the teacher acting as a facilitator. Instruction is woven around one main problem within each unit of study. Minds-on inquiry, hands on explorations, productive discourse, purposeful reading, and meaningful writing will guide the students through this exciting Science course!

Units of Study
Quarter
1

Title

Summary Statement
Students will describe motion and the relationships between position, direction, time, and distance. They will discover Newtons Laws of Motion and explain the forces acting on a mass. They will design, build, and test their own well-designed car bumper that integrates all the concepts taught in this physics unit. Students will discover diversity of organisms and the factors that affect populations in ecosystems. Students will identify that characteristics of organisms gradually change over time as a result of natural selection and that energy flows throughout an ecosystem in predictable patterns. Students will discover that natural resources are used by living things in a variety of ways. Natural resources also need protection and conservation in a given environment. They will identify that as resources are used in a habitat, the environment is changed. Students will discover that electrical current moving through a wire produces a magnetic force. They will also investigate electrical energy and conclude it can be generated from a variety of sources and transferred into almost any form of energy. They will be able to explain how waves are able to transfer energy.

Sudden Impact

Butterfly Habitat
2

Going Green
3

Alternative Energy Project

Examples of Formative Assessments * quizzes * lab activities/investigations * graded class work * journal entries * activators * entrance & exit cards * homework for mastery

Examples of Summative Assessments *unit tests *culminating project

Homework Policy for Science: usually assigned 2-3 nights per week may be scored for completion grade or for as a graded task (formative assessment) graded assignments will be given a due date and a deadline Classroom Behavior use the SCC model including ROARS for positive behaviors emphasis on personal responsibility and respect for others and their property

Forest Oak Middle School Grading & Reporting: Homework completion 10% of Cumulative Grade Formative Assessments 65% of Cumulative Grade Summative Assessments 25% of Cumulative Grade

Academic Grades: Grades will reflect individual achievement of the MCPS course standards and objectives for a specific marking period, using a variety of assessment forms. Grades will be reported on the report card as A, B, C, D, E. Grades will be calculated based on Summative Assessments (25%), Formative Assessments (65%) and Homework Completion (10%). Learning Skills: Participation (asking questions, giving ideas, using feedback, engaging in learning) will be reported as being consistent, often, sometimes, rarely, or not enough information. Assignment Completion will be reported separately on the report card as being consistent, often, sometimes, rarely, or not enough information. Late work and Missing Work: Each assignment will have a due date. This is the date by which the assignment expected to be submitted to the teacher. The deadline is the last day an assignment will be accepted for a grade. Work not turned in by the deadline will be considered missing and recorded as a 0. Reteaching and Reassessment of student work: Selected assessments may be reassessed once, before the end of a lesson sequence, in order to receive a higher grade. When a task/assessment is reassessed, regardless of grade on the original task/assessment, students must meet the following requirements: complete the original task/assessment, complete the required assignments, and complete the reteaching/relearning activities, as determined by the teacher. The end-of-lesson sequence assessments, the end-of-unit assessments and final assessments cannot be retaken. The reassessment grade replaces original grade. Extra Credit: There will be no extra credit assignments. Communication: Student record assignments in the Student Planner Check EDLINE on the FOMS webpage Emails Progress reports/grade sheets Interim reports (midpoint of quarter) Report Cards (quarterly) PTA newsletter (quarterly) Dear Parents Blue Letter (weekly) Parent Conferences (as needed) Phone call (as needed)