8th Grade Adv.

Syllabus
Course

Facilitator Information: Mrs. Jennifer Esser

Email: Jennifer.Esser@k12.sd.us
Team Website: http://sms8th.weebly.com Twitter: @EsserJK

Topics to be covered:
Fall Semester: Skills of Science, Matter, Atomic Structure, Periodic Table, Chemical Bonds,
Chemical Reactions, Solutions, Acids & Bases, Carbon and Nuclear Chemistry
Spring Semester: Motion, Forces, Work, Power, and Machines, Energy, Waves, Optics,
Electricity, and Magnetism
Year-Round: Formulating and testing hypotheses, Investigating scientific articles

Textbook:
Physical Science: Concepts in Action with Earth and Space Science; Prentice Hall, 2009

Students are encouraged to utilize a three ring binder as a means to organize course
materials. Students will experience a variety of content organized through the use of science
kits as well as laboratory items and projects. Within the classroom, students will be keeping a
digital notebook in the Book Creator app. Both Empower and Google Classroom will be utilized for
communication and assignment completion.

Course Rationale:
Advanced science instruction is focused on student growth in becoming scientifically literate.
This includes being able to design their own investigations, conduct their own experiments, and
report their findings to the scientific community. Advanced students will be able to identify sources
of error, create their own meaning from personal experiences (inside and outside of the classroom),
and use the skills of science as a means to widen their science knowledge base. In order to develop
and refine critical thinking and problem solving skills, students will experience inquiry-based learning
opportunities while processing and manipulating a curriculum focused on the big ideas of science.

8A Learning Outcomes:
● Demonstrate advanced skills in conducting research and scientific exploration.
● Master content appropriate, adult-level science vocabulary.
● Integrate, critique, and synthesize ideas into real world events and problems.
● Use writing to clarify one’s thinking and to present position, facts or stance.
● Manipulate data via the collection and analysis processes.

● Differentiate and predict physical and chemical properties and changes of elements,
 compounds, and mixtures.
● Recognize and predict periodic trends with regards to atomic structure and element
reactivity.
● Categorize, balance and describe chemical reactions.
● Define and develop models to describe energy in context including energy conservation,
transfer and its relationship with forces.
● Describe energy in chemical processes, everyday life, and within the Laws of
Thermodynamics.
● Identify wave properties, including wavelength, frequency, reflection, absorption,
transmission of electromagnetic radiation and wave-particle duality.
● Design and conduct scientific investigations in which hypotheses are formulated and
tested.
● Read technical and scientific articles to gain understanding of interpretations,
apparatuses, techniques, procedures, and data.
● Reason about relationships between variables through the lens of ratios, rates, and
algebraic relationships to solve problems and interpret scientific situations.

Ways To Be Successful

Be Respectful:
▪ Respect others, property and yourself!
▪ Gum only during non-lab time and if I don’t see or hear it.
▪ Clean up after yourself!
▪ Cell phones must be put away before entering class and may only be out with teacher
permission. Park it in the cell phone parking lot if you do not trust yourself.
▪ Words matter! Encourage those around you with a positive attitude and appropriate
language.

Be Responsible:
▪ Come to class prepared with your writing utensil, device, headphones & any other required
materials.
▪ Be in your seat working on your daily bellringer in your Science Notebook when the bell rings.
You will receive a tardy if you are late to class without a note.
▪ Turn in completed assignments on time to the designated In Box. Failure to do so will result
in you being placed on the ICU list and work must be completed outside of class.
▪ Be on-task, making the most of your time in the classroom! Visit the restroom before or after
class. In case of an emergency speak with the teacher.

Be Safe:
▪ Work cooperatively with others.
▪ Follow all lab safety procedures outlined in the district’s Lab Safety Contract you signed.
▪ Above all use common sense!

For those following these expectations I will happily ☺ encourage you will verbal praise, preferred
activity time, prize candy, calls home....For those not following classroom expectations, a verbal
warning will be followed by a pink slip , followed by a trip to the office and a call home.
Grades:

Students will be assessed through a variety of measures in order to monitor student progress,
content mastery and provide the opportunity for curriculum refinement. All assignments must
be completed and late assignments will land you on the ICU list and must be completed during
Directed Studies. Student grades may be monitored through the school’s parent portal.

● Summative Assessments include: End of Unit Exams, Lab Reports, Group and
Independent Research Projects…

● Formative Assessments include: Science Notebooks, Lab Reports, Unit Relevant

Assignments, Socratic Seminars, Homework, Current Events, Quizzes…

✓ Assessments below an 80% or Progressing Grade may be required to be redone

following a conference with the facilitator.

A combined standards-based grading with a more traditional grading scale will be used to
distinguish between various levels of performance. Students must maintain a grade of
Emerging or higher in each course standard to pass the class.

For advanced 8th grade science, the middle school standards based grading process will be
used. However, the high school grading scale will be used to determine the letter grade they
will receive on their high school transcript. Students must achieve the desired percentage on
every standard in order to earn the respective high school letter grade.

Middle School Grading Scale

Grade Percentage
Meets Standard (M) 90% and above
Progressing (P) 80-89.5%
Emerging (E) 70-79.5%
Standard Not Met (N) 60-69.5%
Incomplete (I) Inadequate work; final grade not
assigned
Standard Not Assessed No score in grade book
 High School Grading Scale
Grade Percentage Required on
Every Standard
A 94-100
A- 92-93
B+ 90-91
B 86-89
B- 84-85
C+ 82-83
C 77-81
C- 75-76
D+ 73-74
D 70-72
D- 68-69

Homework:

One scheduled homework assignment will be given weekly to further expand and review course
content outside of the classroom. Incomplete or online assignments not scoring at Progressing
(P) Level will result in the student being placed on the ICU list and they must complete during
Directed Studies. In addition, any work not completed in class will need to be completed in DS or
at home.

Absences:
If you have an excused absence, please check with a trusted classmate to see what you missed
and then see Mrs. E for any needed materials or additional help.