Middle School Science

GRADE 6

Unifying concepts and processes

• Explain common cycles in Earth systems (e.g., tides, movements of celestial objects, predator-prey populations, life cycle, the rock cycle)
• Understand that cycles can be described in terms of cycle length or frequency
• Understand that any system is usually connected to other systems, thus becoming a subset of a larger system. A change in one system may cause a change in other systems
• Analyze a variety of systems in terms of inputs and outputs
• Recognize that energy is often an input or an output in a system, and analyze the effect on the system of changing the amount of energy coming in or going out
• Predict the effect of changing a component of a simple system such as a food web
• Analyze diagrams of rock layers to determine the order in which they were deposited
• Explain how the layers in which fossils have been found indicate their relative age
• Compare the shape of coastlines of continents and other evidence to infer the movement of crustal plates
• Relate modern occurrences such as earthquakes, volcanoes, continental movement detected by satellites and floods to historical evidence of how Earth has changed
• Identify and describe the relationship between soil type and the vegetation it will support

 Scientific Inquiry

• Ask focused questions about objects, organisms, and events that can be answered through investigation
• Identify variables that influence a situation and can be controlled
• Describe and conduct a controlled experiment
• Recognize a set of procedures which will provide data to address the question or hypothesis in question
• Gather, record, and interpret data
• Organize data to produce a report

Earth and Space Science

• Recognize the Earth is layered with a lithosphere, a hot convecting mantle, and a dense metallic core
• Understand that the lithosphere plates move at centimeters per year in response to movement in the mantle (e.g., earthquakes, volcanic eruptions)
• Distinguish between constructive (crustal  deformation, volcanic eruptions) and destructive (weathering and erosion) forces in land formation
• Discriminate between steps in the rock cycle, types of rock formed (sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous) and consequent changes to Earth’s surface
• Identify factors affecting water flow, soil erosion, and deposition
• Understand the evidence that supports the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics
• Trace a drop of water through the water cycle and be able to explain the process
• Know that clouds form by the condensation of water vapor, affect weather and climate
• Define factors that cause or affect weather patterns
• Identify examples of evaporation and condensation in the students’ environment
• Explain the effect of oceans on temperature and precipitation
• Distinguish among surface water, atmospheric water, and ground water

 Life Science

• Identify populations of organisms within an ecosystem by the function they serve (i.e., producer, consumer, or decomposer) and how they interact
• Describe conditions that might cause a species to become endangered or extinct

 GRADE 7

 Unifying Concepts and Process

• Apply the concept that system means a set of parts that function together as a whole
• Understand that any system is usually connected to other systems, thus becoming a subset of a larger system. A change in one system may cause a change in other systems
• Predict the effect of changing a component of a simple system such as a food web
• Recognize that in complex systems, it is often impossible to predict the effect of changing one component of the system
• Identify and describe differences among structures in organisms that arise from special adaptations (e.g., the bones of birds are hollow, thus making flight possible)

 Physical Science

• Recognize that substances may be grouped by their physical or chemical properties
• Understand that two or more elements can combine to make a compound (i.e., the elements hydrogen and oxygen combine to make the compound water)
• Recognize that substances that react in the same way may by grouped or categorized (e.g., metals)
• Distinguish between examples of chemical changes and physical changes
• Recognize that physical changes do not alter the basic properties of substances, while chemical changes produce new substances with new properties
• Distinguish between mixtures and compounds
• Describe events that accompany changes, but not physical changes, such as production of heat, precipitates, or color changes

Scientific Inquiry

• Ask focused questions about objects, organisms, and events that can be answered through investigation
• Identify variables that influence a situation and can be controlled
• Describe and conduct a controlled experiment
• Recognize a set of procedures which will provide data to address the question or hypothesis in question
• Identify and use the basics of experimenting such as controlling variables, quantifying results, and observing objectively
• Gather, record, and interpret data
• Organize data to produce a report
• Represent data in multiple ways using the best format for the hypothesis
• Identify sources of error in the data and the impact on the results

Life Science

• Identify differences and similarities between plant and animal cells
• Draw analogies between the functions of cell structures and the functions of organs in a complex organism
• Recognize how structural differences among organisms (at both the cellular and organ level) are related to their habitat and life requirements
• Draw comparisons between common structures in plants and animals or between two animals
• Describe the correlation between plant and animal organ systems and the varied functions or each system
• Classify organisms by the system to which they belong
• Explain how an organ’s specialized structures help accomplish particular functions (e.g., root structure, capillary action, immune system)
• Identify organ systems at work during a particular activity and describe their effect on each other (e.g., how running increases the activity on the circulatory system but decreases activity in the digestive system)
• Cite which variations within a population would be naturally selected from a specific environment and why
• Explain how random variations in species can be preserved through natural selection (e.g., camouflage)
• Distinguish between asexual and sexual reproduction
• Identify energy sources within a food web and determine how energy is passed through the ecosystem
• Identify and describe how the balance of biotic and abiotic resources will change with the introduction of a new element with an ecosystem
• Identify populations of organisms within an ecosystem by the race they serve (i.e., producer, consumer, or decomposer)
• Differentiate between relationships among organisms including predator-prey, parasitism, mutualism, and communalism
• Relate the importance of niche to an organism’s abilityto avoid direct competition for resources
• Disect a frog

GRADE 8 

Unifying Concepts and Process

• Explain common cycles in Earth systems (e.g., tides, movements of celestial objects, predator-prey populations, life cycles)
• Apply the concept that system means a set of parts that function together as a whole
• Understand that any system is usually connected to other systems, thus becoming a subset of a larger system
• Analyze the effect on a variety of different systems if one of the system’s components is changed
• Recognize that energy is often an input or an output in a system, and analyze the effect on the system of changing the amount of energy coming in or going out
• Recognize that in complex systems, it is often impossible to predict the effect of changing one component of the system
• Explain the interaction of forces and changes within a system which has achieved equilibrium

Earth Science

• Interpret a diagram of the sun, Earth, and moon and make predictions as to the phases of the moon, eclipses, or night-day cycles
• Predict changes in the length of daylight due to the motion of the Earth around the sun
• Relate changes such as length of day and shadows to Earth, sun, and moon motions
• Indicate the season in Oregon based upon a diagram of the tilt of the Earth on its axis and its position relative to the sun
• Describe how the tilt of the Earth on its axis affects the amount of atmosphere through which solar radiation must pass before reaching Earth, and therefore the amount of filtration which occurs
• Describe the movement of crustal plates and identify the evidence of such movement

Physical Science

• Use the concepts of density and buoyancy to predict which objects will float or sink in water
• Describe how to determine physical properties in simple laboratory experiments
• Predict the motion of an object based upon one or more forces acting on it
• Predict ways to change direction or speed of an object by changing the forces acting upon it
• Apply the principle that moving objects with no forces acting on them continue to move at the same speed and in the same direction
• Recognize how force, mass, and acceleration are related
• Distinguish among chemical, heat, light, electrical, sound, and mechanical energy
• Associate unique properties with each of the various types of energy
• Predict which way energy will flow in a system
• Use diagrams to make predictions about the flow of electricity in a circuit
• Explain the relationship between various types of energy with their ability to transfer through different types of substances
• Recognize the difference between chemical and mechanical energy
• Recognize that heat energy is almost always a byproduct of energy transformations
• Analyze the flow of energy in a system from one point to another and from one form to another
• Apply the principle that energy is conserved, neither created nor destroyed 

Scientific Inquiry

• Ask focused questions about objects, organisms, and events that can be answered through investigation
• Identify variables that influence a situation and can be controlled
• Describe and conduct a controlled experiment
• Recognize a set of procedures which will provide data to address the question or hypothesis in question
• Gather, record, and interpret data
• Organize data to produce a report
• Represent data in multiple ways using the best format for the hypothesis
• Identify sources of error in the data and the impact on the results

• Pre-K
• Kindergarten
• 1st Grade
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• 5th Grade
• 6th-8th Social Studies
• 6th-8th Math
• 6th-8th Science
• 6th-8th Language Arts
• 6th-8th Religion