Austin Road Middle School Vision
Austin Road Middle School will cultivate an environment for creativity, innovation and leadership where we exceed expectations everyday.
Austin Road Middle School Mission Statement
Austin Road Middle School strives to develop a nurturing school community that encourages academic success for each student through a rigorous curriculum and extracurricular opportunities supported by dedicated teachers and staff. Each student will become a contributing citizen of our community and global environment.
Course Description
Sixth grade students use records they keep and analyze the data they collect. They observe and explain how an aspect of weather can affect a weather system. They use different models to represent systems such as the solar system and the sun/moon/earth system. They use what they observe about the earth’s materials to infer the processes and timelines that formed them. Sixth graders write instructions, describe observations, and show information in graphical form. When analyzing the data they collect, sixth graders can recognize relationships in simple charts and graphs and find more than one way to interpret their findings. The students replicate investigations and compare results to find similarities and differences. The middle school earth science course is designed to give all students an overview of common strands in earth science including, but not limited to, meteorology, geology, astronomy, oceanography, resources, and human impact on the earth.
6th Grade Life Science Content Standards
S6E1. Students will explore current scientific views of the universe and how those views evolved.
a. Relate the Nature of Science to the progression of basic historical scientific models (geocentric, heliocentric) as they describe our solar system, and the Big Bang as it describes the formation of the universe.
b. Describe the position of the solar system in the Milky Way galaxy and the universe.
c. Compare and contrast the planets in terms of Size relative to the earth Surface and atmospheric features Relative distance from the sun Ability to support life
d. Explain the motion of objects in the day/night sky in terms of relative position.
e. Explain that gravity is the force that governs the motion in the solar system.
f. Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
S6E2. Students will understand the effects of the relative positions of the earth, moon and sun.
a. Demonstrate the phases of the moon by showing the alignment of the earth, moon, and sun.
b. Explain the alignment of the earth, moon, and sun during solar and lunar eclipses.
c. Relate the tilt of the earth to the distribution of sunlight throughout the year and its effect on climate.
S6E3. Students will recognize the significant role of water in earth processes.
a. Explain that a large portion of the Earth’s surface is water, consisting of oceans, rivers, lakes, underground water, and ice.
b. Relate various atmospheric conditions to stages of the water cycle.
c. Describe the composition, location, and subsurface topography of the world’s oceans.
d. Explain the causes of waves, currents, and tides.
S6E4. Students will understand how the distribution of land and oceans affects climate and weather.
a. Demonstrate that land and water absorb and lose heat at different rates and explain the resulting effects on weather patterns.
b. Relate unequal heating of land and water surfaces to form large global wind systems and weather events such as tornados and thunderstorms.
c. Relate how moisture evaporating from the oceans affects the weather patterns and weather events such as hurricanes.
S6E5. Students will investigate the scientific view of how the earth’s surface is formed.
a. Compare and contrast the Earth’s crust, mantle, and core including temperature, density, and composition.
b. Investigate the contribution of minerals to rock composition.
c. Classify rocks by their process of formation.
d. Describe processes that change rocks and the surface of the earth.
e. Recognize that lithospheric plates constantly move and cause major geological events on the earth’s surface.
f. Explain the effects of physical processes (plate tectonics, erosion, deposition, volcanic eruption, gravity) on geological features including oceans (composition, currents, and tides).
g. Describe how fossils show evidence of the changing surface and climate of the Earth.
h. Describe soil as consisting of weathered rocks and decomposed organic material.
i. Explain the effects of human activity on the erosion of the earth’s surface.
j. Describe methods for conserving natural resources such as water, soil, and air.
S6E6. Students will describe various sources of energy and with their uses and conservation.
a. Explain the role of the sun as the major source of energy and its relationship to wind and water energy.
b. Identify renewable and nonrenewable resources.
Course Outline
Unit 1 Minerals, Rocks, Fossils, Natural Resources (approximately 6 weeks)
Unit 2Weathering, Erosion, Soil Conservation (approximately 5 weeks)
Unit 3Inside the Earth (approximately 5 weeks)
Unit 4Hydrology (approximately 4 weeks)
Unit 5 Meteorology (approximately 4 weeks)
Unit 6Earth, Moon, and Sun(approximately 2 weeks)
Unit 7 Universe and Solar System (approximately 2 weeks)
Textbooks and Materials
Textbook: Georgia Science: Grade 6 by Glencoe Science
The student must provide:
- Composition Notebook
- Writing Utensil (Pencil/ Pen- blue or black ink ONLY)
- (2) Glue Sticks
- Lined loose-leaf paper (Daily)
- Color Pencils
- Scissors
- (1) 2” binder with at least 3 tabs (Shared with mathematics)
- Flash Drive (2GB or higher)
Course Evaluation Categories
- Practice Work: Max 20%
Labs/Classwork 10%
Homework 5%
Notebook 5%
- Assessment: Max 65%
Tests/Projects 25%
Quizzes 15%
CSA (Common Summative Assessments) 25%
- Final Exam: 15%
Total: 100 %
Expectations
Students will be allowed to make up missed work. Students will have three days from the date of the missed absence to complete and turn in missed work to teacher. Missed lab experiments will be made up under the teacher’s supervision. The teacher reserves the right to substitute or modify assignments missed by students. In order to complete make-up assignments for credit, students must see their teacher to request make-up assignments. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain make-up assignments.
The role of homework serves as reinforcement for concepts covered in class. Because of the scheduling of science and social studies, homework has an increased value for both student and teacher. Depending on the unit of study, the volume of homework could be greater or lesser than the previous week. Any late homework (without an accompanying excused absence) will be scored with per Austin Road Middle School’s Late Work Policy:
1 day late- 30 point deduction
2 days late- additional 20 point deduction
3 days late- not accepted for credit.
1.All students are expected to follow the rules as outlined in the classroom policies and procedure documents and student handbook.
2.All students are expected to bring all materials to class daily (including pencils, books, notebooks with paper, etc.)
Please note: It may be necessary to make adjustments in the above course syllabus based on the teacher professional observations and student needs:
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