7C Life Science

- - - - Course syllabus | 2019-2020 - - -

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Contact In this course you will
Information
Seventh grade will adopt the Georgia
School: Henderson Middle School Standards of Excellence for science that
are designed to give all students the
School Phone Number:
678-874-2902 necessary skills for a smooth transition
from elementary life science to high
Instructor: school biology standards. The purpose is
Christine Clarke to give all students an overview of
Email: common standards in life science
christine_clarke@dekalbschoolsga.org
including, but not limited to, diversity of
Website: living organisms, structure and function
Clarke7Cscience.weebly.com of cells, heredity, ecosystems, and
biological evolution.
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Assignments and grading
45% Guided, Independent, or Group practice

30% Summative Assessment or Assessment of Learning

25% Assessment During Learning

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What we’ll accomplish
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Expectations
We will have a great time learning how to
analyze the data students collect, recognize
patterns in the data to explain diversity of living
organisms and how they are classified, how
they reproduce, and how genetic information is
passed from parents to offspring. They will use
different models to represent life systems,
understand ecosystems, and cycles of energy.
Students’ will use the concepts of natural
selection and fossil evidence to construct
explanations about the diversity of life they see
all around them.
I can’t WAIT to get started!
 Policies
- - - - Course syllabus | 2019-2020 - - -
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Late/make-up work policy technology
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The expectation is that you submit all We will be utilizing various resources to
assignments on time. I always accept access the Internet to research, review
late assignments after the due date, with material, and submit assignments. You
a lose of 50% of the original grade. must hold yourselves to high
expectations when you use these
If you are absent, it is your responsibility to resources. Your time must be spent
follow proper procedures to ensure that well.
you receive your work. For each day’s
excused absence, students will have the Unless I specifically say that you may
number of days missed to make up their have your cell phones out, you must
work. keep them away at all times. If I see
your cell phone in class, I will take it for
Technological issues do not excuse you the remainder of the day.
from completing your work.

Test Corrections are allowed but must be

student driven.
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Other policies
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Academic Integrity

All work that you submit must be • You may have bottled water in the
your own work. You may not do classroom as long as it’s not noisy or too
any of the following: messy.
• Please raise your hand to speak.
1) Turn in or copy someone else’s work. • Do not interrupt valuable instruction to
2) Copy someone’s work and change a ask to go to the bathroom. Please wait
few of the words. for an appropriate time. You have three
3) Copying words from a source without bathroom passes per semester.
citing it and giving credit to the source. • Come prepared to class with your
4) Attempt to use any notes on a closed- materials and a positive attitude.
not assignment. • Arrive on time. If you are late, you will
5) Look at someone else’s work during an receive a verbal warning, After that,
quiz, test, or otherwise individual you face detentions and referrals.
assessment. • Be respectful to everyone.
• Clean up after yourself.
If you are doing any of the above or
anything else that constitutes cheating,
you will receive a zero on that assignment, Be respectful.
and you will be referred for discipline.
Be
successful.
 School Expectations for Success
- - - - Course syllabus | 2019-2020 - - -
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Materials And supplies Extra Help
• 3 ring binder (1 ½ inch) I will be available
• Dividers (10) Before or after school
• Pencils for extra help by
• Pencil Sharpener appointment only
• Pens
• Colored Pencils
• Glue Sticks (no liquid glue)

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Classroom expectations
Students must adhere to the DCSS Homework
Student Code of Conduct as well
as specific class and team rules.

Punctual: Be present and on time to class. Homework assignments should be

Tardiness is unacceptable. meaningful and an application or
adaption of a classroom
Accountable: Be prepared for class, be on experience. Homework is at all times
task and take responsibility for your actions
in class. You are responsible for bringing
an extension of the
textbooks, notebooks, and writing utensils teaching/learning experience. It
to class every day. should be considered the possession
of the student and should be
Respectful: Be mindful of others and their collected, evaluated and returned
rights to a distraction free education. to the student. Homework is
Always conduct yourself so that learning
may take place.
expected to be completed as
assigned and returned the next day
Citizenship: Be mindful of the distinct, (unless otherwise instructed)
school and classroom rules. Follow them for
your safety and the safety of others.

Self-Discipline: Be able to control your

emotions, actions, words, and impulses.
7th Grade Science Georgia Standards of Excellence
S7L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to investigate the diversity of living
organisms and how they can be compared scientifically.
a. Develop and defend a model that categorizes organisms based on common
characteristics.
b. Evaluate historical models of how organisms were classified based on physical characteristics
and how that led to the six kingdom system (currently Achaea, bacteria, protists, fungi,
plants and animals)
S7L2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate
information to describe how cell structures,
cells, tissues, organs, and organ system
interact to maintain the basic needs of
organisms.
a. Develop a model and construct and
explanation of how cell structures
(specifically the nucleus, cytoplasm, cell
membrane, cell wall, chloroplast, lysosome,
and mitochondria) contribute to the
function of the cell as a system in obtaining
nutrients in order to grow, reproduce, make
needed materials, and process waste.
b. Develop and use a conceptual model of
how cells are organized into tissues, tissues
into organs, organs into systems, and
systems into organisms.
c. Construct an argument that systems of the
body (Cardiovascular, Excretory, Digestive,
Respiratory, Muscular, Nervous, and
Immune) interact with one another to carry
out life processes.
S7L5. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate
information from multiple sources to explain
the theory of evolution of living organisms
through inherited characteristics.
a. Use mathematical representations to
evaluate explanations of how natural
selection leads to changes in specific
traits of populations over successive
generations.
b. Construct an explanation based on
evidence that describes how genetic
variation and environmental factors
influence the probability of survival and
reproduction of a species.
c. Analyze and interpret data for patterns
in the fossil record that document the
existence, diversity, and extinction of
organisms and their relationships to
modern organisms.
S7L3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate
information to explain how organisms
reproduce either sexually or asexually and
transfer genetic information to determine
the traits of their offspring.
a. Construct an explanation supported
with scientific evidence of the role of
genes and chromosomes in the
process of inheriting a specific trait.
b. Develop and use a model to describe
how asexual reproduction can result in
offspring with identical genetic
information while sexual reproduction
results in genetic variation.
c. Ask questions and synthesize
information about the ways humans
influence the inheritance of desired
traits in organisms through selective
breeding.
S7L4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate
information to examine the interdependence
of organisms with one another and their
environment.
a. Construct an explanation for the patterns
of interactions observed in different
ecosystems in terms of the relationships
among and between organisms and
abiotic components of the ecosystems.
b. Develop a model to describe the cycling
of matter and the flow of energy among
biotic and abiotic components of an
ecosystem.
c. Analyze and interpret data to provide
evidence for how resource availability,
disease, and human activity affect
individual organisms, populations,
communities, and ecosystems.
d. Ask questions to gather and synthesize
information from multiple sources to
differentiate between Earth’s major
terrestrial biomes.
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