Middle school science

Units

1. 1

   Matter and its interactions

   9 lessons

   1. Atoms, elements and molecules: building simple moleculesRead a formula as a count of atoms, build water, ammonia, methane and carbon dioxide from ball-and-stick models, and say why a molecule is a new substance and not a mixture.
   2. Extended structures: salt and diamond crystalsTell a molecule from a crystal, build a layer of salt from a grid of sodium and chlorine, write a crystal's formula as a ratio, and link a crystal's pattern to its properties.
   3. The particle model of solids, liquids and gasesUse one particle model to describe how particles sit and move in a solid, liquid and gas, explain squeezing and spreading, and say what stays the same when a substance changes state.
   4. Heating and cooling: temperature and changes of stateRead a heating curve, explain with the particle model why the temperature holds steady while ice melts or water boils, and explain cooling as energy leaving.
   5. Physical and chemical properties: density, melting point, solubilitySort properties into physical and chemical, calculate density from mass and volume, and use characteristic properties to identify a substance and predict whether it floats.
   6. Evidence of a chemical reaction from property dataDecide whether a reaction happened by comparing a property of the starting substances with the same property of the result, and write the claim, evidence and reasoning.
   7. Conservation of mass: counting atoms in a reactionShow that atoms are only rearranged in a reaction by counting each element before and after, and explain apparent mass changes in open containers.
   8. Synthetic materials from natural resourcesTrace a synthetic material back to a natural resource, use changed properties as evidence of a new substance, and weigh benefits and costs fairly.
   9. Design challenge: a hand warmer or cold pack (exothermic and endothermic)Classify a change as exothermic or endothermic from temperature data, test a hand warmer design against its criteria and constraints, and improve it by changing one variable at a time.
2. 2

   Forces and motion

   8 lessons

   1. Speed, velocity and distance-time graphsCalculate speed as distance divided by time, read speed from the steepness of a distance-time graph, find an average speed, and say how velocity differs from speed.
   2. Balanced and unbalanced forces: net forceDraw forces as arrows, find the net force on a line by adding and subtracting, and say how balanced and unbalanced forces change motion.
   3. Force, mass and change in motionUse data to show that a bigger net force gives a bigger change in speed and a bigger mass gives a smaller change, predict from the pattern, and explain inertia.
   4. Newton's third law and collisionsIdentify the action-reaction pair in a push, explain why the pair does not cancel, say why equal forces give unequal changes in motion, and judge designs that lengthen a stop.
   5. Electric forces: charge and distanceExplain static electricity as a move of charge, use attract and repel rules, say how the electric force depends on the size of the charges and on distance, and find the direction of a net electric force.
   6. Magnetic forces and electromagnetsUse the rules of magnetic poles and materials, show that the magnetic force weakens with distance, and explain how to make an electromagnet stronger with a fair test.
   7. Gravity depends on mass and distanceExplain gravity as an attraction between any two masses that grows with the masses and weakens with distance, tell mass from weight, and say how gravity keeps the Moon in orbit.
   8. Fields: forces at a distanceUse evidence to show that gravitational, electric and magnetic forces act without contact, read a field map, and say which objects each field acts on.
3. 3

   Energy

   7 lessons

   1. Kinetic energy: mass and speedSay that moving objects have kinetic energy, show that it grows in step with the mass and much faster with the speed, and compare two moving objects using both.
   2. Potential energy in systems: gravitational, elastic, magneticSay that potential energy is stored in a system of interacting objects, rank the stored energy of arrangements, and show how it changes when the arrangement changes.
   3. Energy transfer and conservationAccount for energy with an inventory before and after a change, say where motion energy goes when friction stops an object, and write a claim, evidence and reasoning about a transfer.
   4. Temperature, thermal energy and heatTell temperature, thermal energy and heat apart with the particle model, show with data that a bigger sample has more thermal energy at the same temperature, and describe heat as a transfer from hot to cold until equilibrium.
   5. Mass, material and temperature changeShow with data how the energy needed to warm a sample depends on its mass, the size of the temperature change and the material, rank materials by specific heat, and plan a fair test to compare them.
   6. Conduction, convection and radiationName the three ways thermal energy moves, explain each with particles or waves, choose materials from data, and say how to limit or speed up a transfer.
   7. Design challenge: an insulated containerJudge container designs against criteria and constraints, improve a design by changing one variable at a time, repeat trials, and weigh the tradeoff between insulation and cost.
4. 4

   Waves

   5 lessons

   1. Wave properties: amplitude, wavelength, frequencyDescribe a wave as a disturbance that carries energy and not matter, measure amplitude and wavelength on a drawing, find frequency and period, and say what sets the wave speed.
   2. Wave energy and amplitudeShow that a larger amplitude carries more energy for the same kind of wave, separate amplitude from frequency and speed, and explain why waves fade without losing energy.
   3. Light: reflection, absorption, transmission and refractionExplain how we see objects, say what light does at a surface, draw reflection with equal angles to the normal, and show how light bends in glass and in a converging lens.
   4. Sound waves need a mediumExplain sound as compressions and rarefactions travelling through a medium, use data to show sound cannot cross empty space, and compare the speed of sound in air, water and steel.
   5. Analog and digital signalsTell analog from digital signals, digitize a wave by sampling and rounding, and explain why a digital copy survives noise that an analog copy cannot shed.
5. 5

   Cells and organisms

   10 lessons

   1. Cells: the evidence from the microscopeState the cell theory, tell living from non-living with a checklist, find total magnification and real size from a drawing, and say why large animals have more cells and not bigger ones.
   2. Cell parts and their jobsName the main cell parts and what each does, explain how they work together as a system, and predict what happens when one part fails.
   3. Plant and animal cells comparedCompare plant and animal cells by their parts, link each plant-only part to its job, read a drawing to identify a cell, and say that stain colours are not natural colours.
   4. Levels of organization: cells to organ systemsPut the levels of organization in order from cell to organism, explain why an organ needs several tissues, and apply the levels to plants.
   5. Body systems working togetherDescribe the jobs of the digestive, respiratory, circulatory and excretory systems, trace a breath and a nutrient to a cell, and use exercise data to show the systems depend on each other.
   6. Senses, nerves and the brainTrace a stimulus through a receptor, nerves, the brain and a muscle to a response, tell a reflex from a thought-out action, and use reaction-time data and memory evidence.
   7. Photosynthesis: matter and energy into living thingsModel photosynthesis as carbon dioxide and water rearranged into sugar and oxygen using light energy, show that a plant's mass comes mainly from air and water, and trace matter and energy into food chains.
   8. Cellular respiration: food as fuel and building blocksModel cellular respiration as sugar and oxygen giving carbon dioxide and water with energy released, account for matter and energy, and separate respiration from breathing and from fuel-only use of food.
   9. Reproduction: animal behaviours and plant structuresExplain how animal behaviours and plant structures raise the chance that offspring are produced and survive, and compare outcomes with and without them using percentages.
   10. Growth: genes and environmentExplain that growth comes from cell division and depends on both genes and the environment, and use data from fair tests to show the effect of each.
6. 6

   Ecosystems

   6 lessons

   1. Resources and limiting factorsName the resources organisms need, read population and growth graphs as evidence of a limiting factor, and explain carrying capacity.
   2. Interactions: competition, predation, symbiosisIdentify competition, predation and the three kinds of symbiosis by the effect on each species, and read predator and prey numbers as a linked pattern.
   3. Food webs: producers, consumers, decomposersName producers, consumers and decomposers, draw arrows from the food to the eater, find the levels an omnivore feeds at, and predict what a change to one organism does in a web.
   4. Cycling matter and energy flow in an ecosystemShow that energy flows one way through an ecosystem while matter cycles, follow a carbon atom around a loop, and use an energy pyramid to say where the energy goes.
   5. Disruptions and population changeTrace how a change to one population ripples through a food web, read before-and-after data for evidence, and say when an ecosystem recovers and when it shifts to a new state.
   6. Biodiversity and ecosystem servicesDefine biodiversity as the number of species, name ecosystem services, show that diverse ecosystems are more stable, and compare solutions with criteria and constraints in a decision matrix.
7. 7

   Heredity and evolution

   9 lessons

   1. Genes, proteins, traits and mutationsFollow the path from gene to protein to trait, explain how a mutation can change a trait, sort mutations as harmful, helpful or neutral, and say which mutations can be passed on.
   2. Asexual and sexual reproductionCompare one-parent and two-parent reproduction, show that each parent gives half the chromosomes, and explain why variation helps a population survive.
   3. Punnett squares for one traitUse alleles, dominant and recessive, genotype and phenotype, fill a Punnett square for one trait, and read its chances without treating them as guarantees.
   4. The fossil recordSay what a fossil is, order fossils by rock layer, read patterns of change and extinction from layers, and explain why the record is incomplete.
   5. Anatomical evidence of common ancestryUse homologous structures, shared traits and a simple cladogram to say which species are more closely related, and separate real kinship from a look-alike body shape.
   6. Embryo evidenceCompare early embryos of different animals by matching features, show that likeness fades with development, and explain why similar early embryos are evidence of common ancestry.
   7. Natural selectionExplain natural selection with its four parts, variation, competition, survival and reproduction, and a shift in the population, and use data from beetles and finches as evidence.
   8. Adaptation over generations: graphing trait frequenciesCompute the percent of a population with a trait, graph it against generation, tell a rising count from a rising proportion, and write a claim, evidence and reasoning about adaptation.
   9. Artificial selection and genetic engineeringExplain how breeders choose traits that already exist, how genetic engineering moves a gene into another organism, compare the two methods, and weigh benefits and concerns with evidence.
8. 8

   Earth's place in the universe

   9 lessons

   1. Moon phasesExplain the phases as the lit half of the Moon seen from different places along its orbit, name the phases in order, predict when each rises and sets, and find the date of the next phase.
   2. EclipsesExplain solar and lunar eclipses by what blocks the light, name the umbra and penumbra, say why eclipses are not monthly, explain why the Moon just covers the Sun, and state eclipse safety.
   3. Seasons and Earth's tiltExplain seasons as the effect of Earth's tilted axis, with sunlight spread over more or less ground and days longer or shorter, and show that distance from the Sun is not the cause.
   4. Tides: the Moon and Sun pull on the oceansExplain tides as two bulges of water caused mainly by the Moon's gravity, predict the times of high tides, and tell spring tides from neap tides by the Moon's phase.
   5. Gravity and orbits in the solar systemExplain an orbit as sideways motion plus a pull toward the Sun, say why the Sun controls the solar system, and use data to show planets nearer the Sun move faster and the pull falls off quickly with distance.
   6. Galaxies and the Milky WayPlace the solar system inside the Milky Way, tell a galaxy from a solar system and the universe, describe the Milky Way's shape, and use a scale model and counting to grasp its size.
   7. Scale of the solar systemUse the astronomical unit and the light-year, compare sizes and distances in the solar system, work out how long light takes to travel, and build a scale model with one ratio.
   8. Relative dating with rock layersPut the events recorded in rock layers in order using superposition, original horizontality, cross-cutting and unconformities, and see that this gives order and not ages in years.
   9. Fossils and the geologic time scaleUse index fossils to date and match layers, read the geologic time scale as a to-scale bar, place major events in order, and say that dinosaurs and humans did not live together.
9. 9

   Earth's systems

   13 lessons

   1. Minerals and their propertiesSay what a mineral is and how it differs from a rock, identify a mineral by streak, density and hardness instead of colour, and use the Mohs scale to bracket a hardness.
   2. Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocksTell the three rock families by how they form, read a rock's texture as evidence of its origin, and link crystal size to cooling speed.
   3. The rock cycle and what drives itShow the rock cycle as many paths between rock types with no start or end, say the Sun and Earth's interior drive different processes, and show that matter is conserved.
   4. Weathering, erosion and depositionTell weathering, erosion and deposition apart with one test, name agents and landforms, explain why small pieces weather faster, and compare slow and sudden changes in time and space.
   5. Evidence for plate tectonicsArgue from several kinds of evidence that Earth's plates move: today's GPS motion, matching rocks and fossils across oceans, the age of the seafloor, and the pattern of earthquakes and volcanoes, and compute how long an ocean takes to open.
   6. Plate boundaries: earthquakes, volcanoes, mountainsTell divergent, convergent and transform boundaries by plate motion, link each to its landforms and hazards, read earthquake depths at a trench, and explain what drives the plates.
   7. The water cycleName the processes that move water around Earth, say the Sun and gravity drive them, show that water is conserved, and say where Earth's water is and how long it stays there.
   8. Groundwater and watershedsExplain how water soaks into the ground and is stored in aquifers, tell porous from permeable, say what a watershed is, and predict when a well runs dry if water is pumped faster than it is refilled.
   9. Air pressure, humidity and air massesExplain air pressure and why wind blows from high to low pressure, compute relative humidity and find the dew point, and describe air masses and how they bring changes in weather.
   10. Fronts and weather forecastingDescribe cold and warm fronts, link lows and highs to clouds and clear skies, read the changes in station data as a front passes, and read a forecast percentage as a probability.
   11. Global winds and the Coriolis effectExplain that unequal heating by the Sun drives the atmosphere, describe the circulation loops and the belts of prevailing wind, and say Earth's rotation makes moving air curve right in the north and left in the south.
   12. Ocean currentsExplain surface currents as driven by winds and bent by rotation and continents into gyres, show that currents carry heat, and explain deep circulation by density and upwelling.
   13. What sets a region's climateTell weather from climate, list the factors that set a region's climate, estimate temperature change with height, show that the ocean moderates temperature swings, and explain a rain shadow.
10. 10

    Earth and human activity

    9 lessons

    1. Mineral, energy and groundwater resourcesExplain that resources are unevenly spread because they formed by past geologic processes, trace fossil fuels back to buried organisms, and compute how long a resource lasts at its rate of use.
    2. Renewable and nonrenewable resourcesTell renewable from nonrenewable by rates, compare energy sources with data on emissions and reliability, work out how many homes a wind turbine supplies, and say how using less helps.
    3. Forecasting natural hazardsSay what data scientists use to forecast hazards, use the gap between P and S waves to find an earthquake's distance, read magnitude as a scale with big steps, and read a flood's chance over many years as a probability.
    4. Reducing hazard impactsShow that the damage of a hazard depends on people as well as nature, list layers of protection, compare options by benefit and cost, and see that a protection can shift harm elsewhere.
    5. Designing ways to reduce human impactIdentify human impacts on water, land and air, measure an impact with a control, design and test a way to reduce it, compare designs with a weighted matrix, and plan to monitor side effects.
    6. Population, consumption and Earth's systemsRead the growth of world population, show that total demand is people times use per person, say how greater demand changes Earth's systems, and separate what science can say from what society decides.
    7. Evidence of rising global temperaturesRead long-term trends in temperature, sea level and other data, explain why one cold day does not contradict a warming planet, and compare today's rate of warming with past changes.
    8. The greenhouse effect and its causesExplain how greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit heat, say that the natural effect is needed for life, tell it apart from the ozone hole, and show with numbers and evidence that people have added carbon dioxide.
    9. Natural and human factors in recent warmingRule causes of recent warming in or out with data, compare the size of natural and human factors on Earth's energy balance, and use models to conclude that human activities are the main cause.
11. 11

    Engineering design

    4 lessons

    1. Defining an engineering problem: criteria and constraintsState a problem as a need and not a product, write measurable criteria, name constraints, rank criteria, and judge a prototype against all of them.
    2. Comparing designs with a decision matrixScore designs on each criterion from test rules, weight the scores by the ranking, check constraints first, find the weighted totals and justify a choice, and see that the weights decide the winner.
    3. Using test data to improve a designCompare prototypes from a fair test with several trials, find which meet each limit, name each design's best feature, combine features into a new design, and say why the new design must be retested.
    4. Models and iterative testingUse a model to test a design cheaply, change one variable at a time, repeat a test cycle to refine the design, find an optimum from data, and say what the model leaves out.