Life ScienceAugust 2014

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to Hamilton! I am pleased to be able to educate your child in lifescience so that they can look forward to a successful future. The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms – such as microorganisms, plants, animals, and human beings – as well as related considerations like bioethics at a level that 7th graders can understand. Your student’s education is very important to me. In an effort to ensure the best possible educational experience for your student, please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with my class expectations, which can be found on the home page of my science website:

There are multiple pages on my website and this will be the go to place for all science needs. I encourage all students to sign up for the Remind101 texts or emails so they can have the most up to date information from me. A brief overview of the subject and curriculum can be found on the next page. Parents can access their student’s progress and recorded assignments through the parent portal, please stop by Hamilton’s main office to be able get this information. If you ever have any concerns, please feel free to call me here at Hamilton M.S (720-423-9485), but the best way to contact me is by email ().

Respectfully Submitted,

Mr. Ian. Sutherland

Course Outline

Science and Life Issues (SALI) is a standards-based, issues-oriented science course that emphasizes the life/health sciences. SALI has four process-oriented components:

* Scientific thinking

* Personal and societal decision-making

* Science and technology as professions

* Science as a predictive activity

First Quarter

Unit A. Studying People Scientifically

  • Student investigations address important ideas about the nature of science, the traditional scientific method and experimental design. At the end of the unit, they evaluate several proposed studies for the quality of their scientific design.

Unit B. Body Works

  • Students investigate heart disease and the use of medication, nutrition and exercise. The unit focuses on the role of organ systems in providing nutrients and oxygen to the body and transporting and eliminating wastes (maintaining internal balance).

Second Quarter

Unit C. Micro-Life

  • Students study microbiology; cell size, structure, function and permeability; and systems of classification. They explore the function of the immune system and the growth of antibiotic-resistant organisms. A project on disease develops research skills.

Third Quarter

Unit D. Our Genes, Our Selves

  • Students explore fundamental principles of Mendelian genetics in pea plants and humans. They study asexual and sexual reproduction, the process of cell division, and the role of nature and nurture in determining traits. Near the end, students model the use of DNA technologies to solve real problems.

Fourth Quarter

Unit E. Ecology

  • Students consider what happens when a new species is introduced into an ecosystem as they model ecological relationships within an ecosystem; simulate the effect of competition, predation and other factors on population size; and investigate local ecosystems

Unit F. Evolution

  • Students consider whether an extinct species should be brought back to life as they examine fossils, consider the lines of evidence for evolution, natural selection, and the role of genetic mutations. Students evaluate the impact of humans on the extinction/evolution of species.