Science

  • Academics: Science

     

    Science classes at Reeves Middle School (RMS) follow the Next Generation Science Standards. To meet the standards, the Science Team uses the Full Option Science System (FOSS),  a research-based science curriculum for middle school developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley.


    Students will do science and engineering as collaborative teams while engaging in lasting experiences that helps them gain a better understanding of the natural world.

     

    Curriculum Resources:

    FOSSWeb: The Full Option Science System Portal. FOSSweb is the official website of the science program implemented at RMS. Students and families can explore resources and engaging activities connected to classroom learning. Access your FOSSWeb class page using the login credentials provided by your Science teacher.

     

    6th Grade

    The RMS 6th Grade Science curriculum consists of three courses.

    Course one is a FOSS kit called Variables and Design (Draft).
    The overarching themes of the course are: Controls, variables, engineering, and graphs. Students will engage in scientific inquiry. They identify and control variables and conduct controlled experiments using several multivariable systems. Students observe and compare the outcomes of experiments to identify relationships between independent and dependent variables, graph relationships, and make predictions using the results of their experiments. Each investigation within this course concludes with an Engineering Challenge.

    Course two is a FOSS kit called Earth History.
    The Earth History Course emphasizes the use of knowledge and evidence to construct explanations about the processes and systems that have operated over geological time. Students investigate sedimentary rocks and fossils from the Grand Canyon to discover clues that reveal Earth's history. They study the processes that create sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks and organize their observations and inferences into the Rock Cycle. Students use the knowledge and data gained from observing rocks to make inferences about organisms, environments, and events that occurred over Earth's history. The Grand Canyon will be our focus of study.

    Course three is a FOSS kit called Diversity of Life.
    This course introduces students to the big picture of life on Earth. We are living on a small, crowded planet among millions of other kinds of organisms. We will study the structures and functions of these living organisms. Since these students will inherit Earth, their understanding of life may lead to a more robust and informed response to the rapid loss of diversity.

     

    7th Grade

    The RMS 7th Grade Science curriculum consists of: [coming soon]

     

    8th Grade

    The RMS 8th Grade Science curriculum consists of four courses.

    Course One:  Populations & Ecosystems will be taught from September to the end of November.
    This unit includes:

    • Observations of different ecosystems.

    • In-depth study of the cool ecosystem in Mono Lake, California.

    • tracking/demonstrating energy passing from one trophic level to the next.

    • Creation of ecosystems with appropriate forms of life, adaptations of plants and animals.

    • Study of terrestrial and aquatic organisms including milkweed bugs, guppies, isopods, elodea, etc.

    • In-depth study/presentation of a particularly fragile Ecoscenario somewhere in the world.

    Course Two: Heredity & Adaptations will be taught in December.
    This unit includes:

    • Fossil dating.

    • Mendel and Punnett Squares.

    • Mapping the human genome.

    • Adaptations.

    • Natural selection.

    • Discussions on scientific theory.

    Course Three: Gravity & Kinetic Energy will be taught from January to February.
    This NEW unit replaces the old Force and Motion kit - Physics. Teachers have yet to be trained in this kit! We will all learn together!

     

    Course Four: Planetary Science will be taught from March to June.
    This unit includes:

    • Explanation of our Earth address.

    • Round vs flat Earth.

    • Explanation of day and night.

    • Deep discovery into the moon and its characteristics – craters, mares, and scale features.

    • Phases of the moon.

    • Other planets’ moons and their differences.

    • Solar and lunar eclipses.

    • Current events including new space probe discoveries from NASA.