El Sereno Middle School

International Baccalaureate World School

Course Title: Honors Science 7th grade

Instructors Name: E Buck

School Year: 2017-2018

Course Overview:

Using the IB Model as a Framework we have developed Units of Study around the Next Generation Science Standards and the Engineering Design Cycle. We begin learning the Scientific Method and the Engineering Design Cycle and from there we transition to the NGSS which will help students develop strong science –based skills in specific content areas such as Physical Science, Chemistry and Environmental Science, as well as skills such as critical thinking and inquiry based problem solving.

Subject Aims:

The aims of MYP sciences are to encourage and enable students to:

·  understand and appreciate science and its implications

·  consider science as a human endeavor with benefits and limitations

·  cultivate analytical, inquiring and flexible minds that pose questions, solve problems, construct explanations and judge arguments

·  develop skills to design and perform investigations, evaluate evidence and reach conclusions

·  build an awareness of the need to effectively collaborate and communicate

·  apply language skills and knowledge in a variety of real-life contexts

·  develop sensitivity towards the living and non-living environments

·  reflect on learning experiences and make informed choices.

IB Objectives
A: Knowing and Understanding
B: Inquiring and Designing
C: Processing and Evaluating
D: Reflecting on the Impacts of Science

Units of Study:

IS / Life Science / Earth & Space Sciences / Physical Science / Engineering, Technology, and Applications to Science
1 / Objects move and collide.
The fossil record documents the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout Earth’s history. / Newton’s Laws explain the forces and motions of objects on Earth and in space.
Velocity and mass determine the results of collisions between objects. / Design Criteria
Evaluate Solutions
Analyze data
Iteratively test and modify
2 / Noncontact forces influence phenomena locally and in the solar system
Models explain lunar phases and eclipses of the Sun and Moon.
Gravity plays the major role in determining motions with the solar system and galaxies. / Gravitational and electromagnetic fields are the basis of noncontact forces.
Changing the arrangement of objects in a system affects the potential energy stored in that system.
3 / Evolution explains life’s unity and diversity.
Mutations in genes affect organisms’ structures and functions.
Evidence from fossils, anatomy, and embryos support the theory of biological evolution.
Natural selection is the main mechanism that leads to evolution of species that are adapted to their environment. / The geologic time scale organizes Earth’s 4.6 billion year history based on evidence from rock layers. / Chemical reactions make new substances.
Mass is conserved in physical changes and chemical reactions.
4 / Human activities help sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services in a changing world.
Changes to environments can affect probabilities of survival and reproduction of individual organisms, which can result in significant changes to populations and species. / Annual cycles in the amount of sunlight absorbed cause Earth’s seasons.
Increases in human population and per-capita consumption impact Earth’s systems. / Waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
Wave-based digital technologies provide very reliable ways to encode and transmit information. / Design criteria
Evaluate solutions

Global Contexts: In a world of increasing interconnection and complexity, learning in context provides students with opportunities to explore multiple dimensions of meaningful challenges facing young people in the world today, encouraging them to develop creative solutions and understanding. The IB identifies six global contexts for teaching and learning:

Identities and Relationships / Scientific and Technical Innovation / Fairness and Development
Globalization and Sustainability / Personal and Cultural Expression / Orientation in Space & Time

Approaches to Learning: Through ATL in IB programmes, students develop skills that have relevance across the curriculum that help them “learn how to learn.” IB programmes identify five ATL skill categories, expanded into developmentally appropriate skill clusters: Communication, Social (Collaboration), Self-Management (Organization, Affective, Reflection), Research (Information Literacy, Media Literacy), Thinking (Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking, Transfer).

Grading Scale:

Grades will be based on the following percentages:

90 – 100% A

80 – 89% B

70 – 79% C

60 – 69% D

0 – 59% FAIL