Science Workshops Starting Wednesday 9/26

Here's an opportunity available to all sixth grade students to get extra help in their science classes.  The science teachers will be hosting Science Workshops on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:30 – 4:00 throughout the school year.  This is a great way for students to get extra help, retake assessments, or simply review content covered in the classroom.  Space is limited for each Science Workshop session so the teacher is able to provide adequate support for your child.  Please encourage your child to attend these sessions.  The school district is not able to provide transportation, so it is important that you make arrangements to pick your child up at 4:00 p.m. if they stay for a Science Workshop.  If you have questions, you can contact your child’s science teacher by email or call the school at 494-3061. 

Students, here's a post we would like you to comment on...

Please share with us your best strategies for studying vocabulary.  You have the words, the tests start next week.  How are you learning the 99 vocabulary words?  Please comment!!!

What am I going to learn this year?

This is a great question that teachers often get asked at the beginning of school.  Below is a list of all the Big Ideas, Learning Targets and Guiding Questions for the year.  We hope this helps answser this question for you.

6^th Grade Science Learning Targets

Module K: Introduction to Science and Technology (August-September)

Big Idea:  Scientists use careful observations and clear reasoning to understand

                  processes and patterns in nature.

-I can distinguish what characterizes science and scientific explanations.

-I can differentiate between science and pseudoscience.

-I can summarize the processes and characteristics of different kinds of scientific    investigations.

-I can differentiate the methods that scientists use to gain empirical evidence.

-I can explain how empirical evidence leads to scientific change.

By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions: 

-What are the characteristics of science?

-How do scientists discover things?

-What are the types of scientific knowledge?

-How does science affect our lives?

Module I: Motion, Forces and Energy (September-November)

Big Idea:  Unbalanced forces cause changes in the motion of objects, and these changes

                  can be predicted and described.

-I can analyze how distance, time, and speed are related.

-I can analyze how acceleration is related to time and velocity.

-I can describe different types of forces.

-I can explain the effect force has on motion.

-I can describe the effect that gravity, including Earth’s gravity, has on matter.

By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions: 

-How are distance, time, and speed related?

-How does motion change?

-How do forces affect motion?

-How do objects move under the influence of gravity?

Module G: Space Science  (November-February)

Big Idea:  Planets and a variety of other bodies form a system of objects orbiting the  

                  sun.

-I can compare and contrast historical models of the solar system.

-I can explain the role that gravity played in the formation of the solar system.

-I can describe how gravity affects the motion of the planets.

-I can describe the structure and rotation of the sun.

-I can describe how energy is produced and transported in the sun.

-I can describe solar activity on the sun.

-I can describe some of the properties of terrestrial planets.

-I can compare and contrast the properties of the other inner planets and Earth.

-I can describe some of the properties of the gas giant planets.

-I can compare and contrast the properties of gas giant planets and Earth.

-I can compare and contrast the properties of small bodies in the solar system.

By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions: 

-How have people modeled the solar system?

-Why is gravity important in the solar system?

-What are the properties of the sun?

-What is known about the terrestrial planets?

-What is known about the gas giant planets?

Big Idea:  Earth and the moon move in predictable ways and have predictable effects on

                  each other as they orbit the sun.

-I can relate Earth’s days, years, and seasons to Earth’s movement in space.

-I can describe the effects the sun and moon have on Earth, including gravitational attraction, moon phases, and eclipses.

-I can explain what tides are and what causes them.

-I can describe variations in the tides.

By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions: 

-How are Earth’s day, years and seasons related to the way Earth moves in space?

-How do Earth, the moon, and the sun affect each other?

-What causes tides?

Module D: Ecology and the Environment  (February-May)

Big Idea:  Organisms interact with each other and with the nonliving parts of their

                  environment.

-I can analyze the parts of an environment.

-I can describe the roles organisms play in the transfer of energy in food chains and food webs.

-I can explain how environmental factors and interactions between organisms affect population size.

-I can predict the effects of different interactions in communities.

By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions: 

-How are different parts of the an environment connected?

-How does energy flow through an ecosystem?

-What determines a population’s size?

-How do organisms interact?

Big Idea:  Matter and energy together support life within an environment.

-I can compare and contrast the characteristics of land biomes.

-I can describe the characteristics of marine, freshwater, and other aquatic ecosystems.

-I can explain the flow of energy and the cycles of matter in an ecosystem.

-I can describe how natural processes change ecosystems.

-I can describe how natural processes help ecosystems develop after natural disturbances.

-I can describe the effects of human activities on ecosystems.

-I can explain the role of conservation in protecting natural resources.

By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions: 

-What are land biomes?

-What are aquatic ecosystems?

-How do energy and matter move through ecosystems?

-How do ecosystems change?

-How do human activities affect ecosystems?

HERE THEY ARE...All the vocabulary words for the entire school year!!!

Below is information on the 99 words students will know by the end of sixth grade science.  Students will be tested weekly on ten of these words drawn randomly from the list.  On Friday, students started making review cards using index cards.  The word gets written on the front, the definition and a picture on the back.  These become a great tool to help students learn the words.  Find creative ways to use the cards, for example, place the cards in a pile on the table at dinner.  Have each member of the family draw a card from the pile, read the definition on the back and then guess the word OR show everyone at the table the picture and see who can guess the word first. 

Module K: Introduction to Science and Technology

Unit 1:  The Nature of Science

Lesson 1: What is Science, pages 4-15
1.	science – the systematic study of natural events and conditions
2.	empirical evidence – all the measurements and data scientists gather in support of a scientific explanation
3.	pseudoscience – a belief or practice that is based on incorrectly applied scientific methods
Lesson 2:  Scientific Investigations, pages 16-27
4.	experiment – an organized procedure to study something under controlled conditions
5.	observation – the process of obtaining information by using the senses (taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing)
6.	hypothesis – a testable idea or explanation that leads to scientific investigation (educated guess)
7.	independent variable – the factor in an experiment that changed by the scientists
8.	dependent variable – the factor in an experiment that changes as a result of a change of an independent variable
9.	data – information gathered by observation or experimentation
Lesson 3: Scientific Knowledge, pages 30-41
10.	theory – well supported explanation of nature
11.	law – a descriptive statement or equation that reliably predicts events under certain conditions

Module I: Motion, Forces and Energy

Unit 1: Motion and Forces

Lesson 1: Motion and Speed, pages 4-17
12.	position – describes the location of an object
13.	reference point – a location to which you compare other locations
14.	motion – a change in position over time
15.	speed – measure of how far something moves in a given amount of time
16.	velocity – the speed of an object in a particular direction
Lesson 2:  Acceleration, pages 20-27
17.	acceleration – the rate at which velocity changes over time

Lesson 3: Forces, pages 28-41
18.	force – a push or pull exerted on an object
19.	net force – the combination of all the forces acting on an object
20.	inertia – the tendency of all objects to resist a change in motion
Lesson 4:  Gravity and Motion, pages 42-51
21.	gravity – a force of attraction between objects due to their mass
22.	free fall – the motion of a body when only the force of gravity is acting on the body
23.	orbit – the path that a body follows as it travels around another body in space

Module G: Space Science

Unit 2: Solar System

Lesson 1:  Historical Models of the Solar System, pages 48-57
24.	solar system – the sun and all of the bodies that orbit the sun
Lesson 2:  Gravity and the Solar System, pages 60-73
25.	centripetal force – the inward force that causes an object to move in a circular path
Lesson 3: The Sun, pages 74-85
26.	sunspot – a dark areas that form on the surface of the sun
27.	solar flare – an explosive release of energy that extends outward from the sun
Lesson 4: The Terrestrial Planets, pages 86-99
28.	terrestrial planets – the four small, dense, rocky planets that orbit closest to the sun (inner planets)
29.	astronomical unit – the average distance between Earth and the sun
Lesson 5: The Gas Giant Planets, pages 102-113
30.	gas giant – a large planet that has a deep, massive atmosphere (outer planets)
Lesson 6: Small Bodies in the Solar System, pages 114-127
31.	dwarf planet – a celestial body that orbits the sun and is round because of its own gravity (Pluto)
32.	Kuiper Belt – a region of the solar system that extends beyond the orbit of Neptune and contains dwarf planets and small bodies made of ice
33.	comet – a small body of ice, rock and dust follows an elliptical orbit around the sun
34.	asteroid – small, irregularly shaped, rocky object that orbits the sun
35.	meteoroid – a relatively small rocky body that travels through space
36.	meteor – a bright streak of light that results when a meteoroid burns up in Earth’s atmosphere
37.	meteorite – a meteoroid that reaches Earth’s surface without burning up

Module G: Space Science

Unit 3: The Earth-Moon-Sun System

Lesson 1: Earth’s Days, Years, and Seasons, pages 140-149
38.	rotation – the spinning of an object, such as a planet, on its axis
39.	day – the time it takes a planet to make one full rotation on its axis
40.	revolution – one complete trip along an orbit
41.	year – the time it takes a planet to make one full revolution
42.	season – a division of the year that is characterized by temperature and other weather trends
43.	equinox – sunlight shines equally on the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
44.	solstice – the area of sunlight is at a maximum in one hemisphere and a minimum in the other hemisphere
Lesson 2:  Moon Phases and Eclipses, pages 152-161
45.	satellite – a body that orbits a larger body
46.	lunar phases – the different appearances of the moon from Earth throughout the month
47.	eclipse – an event in which the shadow of one celestial body falls on another
48.	umbra – the darkest part of a shadow
49.	penumbra – the outer part of a shadow
Lesson 3: Earth’s Tides, pages 166-175
50.	tide – daily changes in the level of ocean water
51.	tidal range – the difference in water levels between high and low tide
52.	spring tide – tides that have the largest daily tidal range
53.	neap tide – tides that have smallest daily tidal range

Module D: Ecology and the Environment

Unit 1: Interactions of Living Things

Lesson 1:  Introduction to Ecology, pages 4-15
54.	ecology – the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment
55.	biotic factor – an interaction that involves a living or once living organism
56.	abiotic factor – a nonliving part of an environment
57.	population – a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same place at the same time
58.	species – organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring
59.	community – all the populations of species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other
60.	ecosystem – a community of organisms and their nonliving environment
61.	biome – a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities
62.	habitat – the place where an organism usually lives
63.	niche – the role of a species in its community
Lesson 2: Roles in Energy Transfer, pages 18-29
64.	producer – an organism that can make its own food
65.	decomposer – an organism that gets energy and nutrients by breaking down the remains of other organisms
66.	consumer – an organism that eats other organisms
67.	herbivore – a consumer that eats only plants
68.	carnivore – a consumer that eats animals
69.	omnivore – a consumer that eats both plants and animals
70.	food chain – the path of energy transfer from producers to consumers
71.	food web – a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
Lesson 3:  Population Dynamics, pages 30-41
72.	carrying capacity – the largest population that an environment can support
73.	limiting factor – an environmental factor that prevents an organism or population from reaching its full potential of size or activity
74.	competition – ecological relationship in which two or more organisms depend on the same limited resource
75.	cooperation – an interaction between two or more living things in which they are said to work together
Lesson 4:  Interactions in Communities, pages 42-51
76.	predator – an organism that kills and eats all or part of another organism
77.	prey – an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism
78.	symbiosis – a relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other
79.	mutualism – a relationship between two species in which both species benefit
80.	commensalism – a relationship between two species in which one specie benefits and the other is unaffected
81.	parasitism – a relationship between two species in which one species, the parasite, benefits from the other species, the host, which is harmed
82.	competition – ecological relationship in which two or more organisms depend on the same limited resource

Module D: Ecology and the Environment

Unit 2: Earth’s Biomes and Ecosystems

Lesson 1:  Land Biomes, pages 62-73
83.	tundra – a region found at far northern and far southern latitudes characterized by low–lying plants, a lack of trees, and long winters with very low temperatures
84.	taiga – a region of evergreen, coniferous forest below the arctic and subarctic tundra regions
85.	desert – a region characterized by a very dry climate and extreme temperatures
86.	grassland – a region that is dominated by grasses, that has few woody shrubs and trees, that has fertile soils, and that receives moderate amounts of seasonal rainfall
Lesson 2:  Aquatic Ecosystems, pages 74-85
87.	wetland – an area of land that is periodically underwater or whose soil contains a great deal of moisture
88.	estuary – an area where fresh water mixes with salt water from the ocean
Lesson 3: Energy and Matter in Ecosystems, pages 88-99
89.	energy – the ability to cause change
90.	matter – anything that has mass and takes up space
91.	law of conservation of energy – the law that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be changed from one form to another
92.	law of conservation of mass – the law that states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in ordinary chemical and physical changes
93.	energy pyramid – a tool that can be used to trace the flow of energy through an ecosystem
Lesson 4:  Changes in Ecosystems, pages 100-109
94.	succession – the replacement of one type of community by another at a single location over a period of time
95.	pioneer species – a species that colonizes an uninhabited area and that starts a process of succession
96.	biodiversity – the number and variety of organisms in a given area during a specific period of time
Lesson 5:  Human Activity and Ecosystems, pages 114-125
97.	urbanization – an increase in the proportion of a population living in urban areas rather than in rural areas
98.	stewardship – the careful and responsible management of a resource
99.	conservation – the wise use of and preservation of natural resources