Introduction
Grade six science is newly revamped this year, 2006. We will be focusing on general science which will include earth, life and physical science. This study of science includes conducting laboratory investigations using scientific methods, critical-thinking, problem-solving, and using tools such as balances, beakers, graduated cylinders, and calculators to collect and analyze information to explain a phenomenon. Students also use computers and information technology tools to support scientific investigations.
Investigations are used to learn about the natural world. Students should understand that certain types of questions can be answered by investigations, and that methods, models, and conclusions built from these investigations change as new observations are made. Models of objects and events are tools for understanding the natural world and can show how systems work. They have limitations and based on new discoveries are constantly being modified to more closely reflect the natural world.
Science is a way of learning about the natural world. Students should know how science has built a vast body of changing and increasing knowledge described by physical, mathematical, and conceptual models, and should know that science may not answer all questions.
Grade six science is a standards based curriculum. Waltham's middle school science curriculum is going through major changes. The goal is to move away from a specific science and create more of a spiraling general science curriculum. Grade six curriculum was redesigned in the summer of 2006. The following two summers will be devoted to changes in Grade 7 and grade 8 curriculum.
Education is a dynamic enterprise, and this overview of the sixth grade sequence of content may be revised at any time to accommodate the changing needs of the student .
Nature of Science
processing skills of scientists
scientific method
Standard #2: Describe the layers of the solid earth, including the lithosphere, the hot convecting mantle, and the dense metallic core.
Movement of the earth
rotation
revolution
Causes of seasons
Standard #11: Explain that the earth is tilted as it goes around the sun, resulting in uneven heating, climate zones, and the seasons.
Physical Properties (the earth's matter)
mass
weight
volume
melting point
boiling point
Standard #1: Differentiate between weight and mass, recognizing that weight is the amount of gravitational pull on an object.
Standard #2: Differentiate between volume and mass.
Standard #3: Recognize that the measurement of volume and mass requires measurement tools (e.g., rulers, graduated cylinders, balances).
Standard #9: Recognize that a substance has a melting point and a boiling point, both of which are independent of the amount of the sample.
water cycle
Standard #4: The water cycle. * (This comes under Physical Science Standards for "properties of matter".)
Earth in Space
components of the solar system
properties of the planets
phases of the earth's moon
discovery in space
Standard #8: Recognize that gravity is a force that pulls all things on and near the earth toward the center of the earth…. * (This is a repeat of Physical Science Standard #1).
Standard #9: Describe lunar and solar eclipses, the observed moonphases, and tides. Relate them to the relative positions of the earth, moon, and sun.
Standard #10: Compare and contrast properties and conditions of objects in the solar system (i.e., sun, planets, and moons) to those on earth. (i.e., temperature, distance from sun, diameter, and mass) *(Focus on how the data is obtained.)
Standard #12: Recognize that the universe contains galaxies and within our galaxy, the Milky Way, there is a star (solar) system and constellations.
Ecology ( Life on the crust)
living vs. nonliving
Francesco Redi
Ecosystems
Decomposers
flowers and agents of pollination
seed dispersal
symbiosis
predator and prey
Standard #1: Classify organisms into the currently recognized kingdoms according to shared characteristics . Become familiar with organisms from Animal, Plant, and Fungi Kingdoms.
Standard #2: Recognize that all organisms are composed of cells, and that many organisms are single-celled. In these singled-celled organisms, one cell must carry out all of the basic functions of life. Living vs. Nonliving: The characteristics of life.
Standard #13: Give examples of ways in which organisms interact and have different functions within an ecosystem that enable the ecosystem to survive. Symbiosis, predator-prey, pollination, and seed dispersal
Standard #14: Explain the roles and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in the process of energy transfer in a food web.
Standard #15: Explain how dead plants and animals are broken down by other living organisms and how this process contributes to the system as a whole.
Decomposers, Fungi and Bacteria labs
