Seventh Grade Science Course Outline

Men love to wonder,
and that is the seed of science.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

See the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter112/index.html.

Below is the proposed scope and sequence for this year. Education is a dynamic enterprise, and this may be revised at any time to accommodate the changing needs of the students.

FIRST SEMESTER
Over-arching Theme / Cognitive Organizer: Change

I. First SixWeeks

A. Nature of science

1. Types of research

a. experimental

b. descriptive

2. Skills & methods

a. observing

b. predicting

c. hypothesizing

d. collecting data

e. measuring

i. precision

ii. accuracy

f. analyzing data

i. graphing

ii. statistics

g. concluding

h. communicating

i. oral

ii. written

iii. multimedia

B. Cycles in space

1. Revolution & rotation of the Earth and Sun

a. day and night

b. length of days and nights

i. tilt of Earth's axis

ii. latitude

c. seasons

i. tilt of Earth's axis

ii. equinoxes

iii. solstices

2. Revolution and rotation of the Earth, Sun, and Moon

a. moon phases

II. Second Six Weeks

A. Motion

1. Describing motion

2. Measuring motion

a. speed

b. velocity

c. distance

B. Forces - changing motion

1. Newton's laws of motion

a. inertia

b. acceleration

c. action - reaction

2. Work

3. Mechanical advantage

C. Simple machines

1. Levers

a. 1st class

b. 2nd class

c. 3rd class

2. Pulleys

a. single

b. double

c. block & tackle

3. Wedge

4. Inclined plane

5. Screw

6. Wheel & axle

D. Energy

1. Forms of energy

a. chemical

b. mechanical

c. electrical

d. energy transformation

i. Law of conservation of energy

2. Types of energy

A. Potential

B. Kinetic

C. Energy conversions

III. Third Six Weeks

A. Atomic Structure

1. Electron cloud model

2. Protons

3. Neutrons

4. Electrons

B. Periodic Table

1. Periods

2. Groups / Families

3. Symbols

4. Atomic mass

5. Atomic weight

6. Mass number

C. Combinations of matter

1. Compounds

a. symbols

b. bonds

c. molecules

i.formulas

D. Movement of matter

1. Diffusion

2. Osmosis

E. Properties of matter

1. Physical

a. size dependent

b. size independent

2. Chemical

F. Changes in matter

1. Physical

2. Chemical

a. equations

b. products

c. reactants

3. Photosynthesis

4. Cellular respiration

SECOND SEMESTER
Over-arching Theme / Cognitive Organizer: Relationships

IV. Fourth Six Weeks

A. Levels of organization

B. Digestive system

1. Organs

a. alimentary canal

b. accessory organs

2. Functions

a. mechanical digestion

b. chemical digestion

3. Chemistry

a. elements in food

b. chemical reactions during digestion

4. Forces

5. Relationships

C. Respiratory system

1. Organs

2. Functions

3. Chemistry

4. Forces

5. Relationships

D. Circulatory system

1. Heart

a. parts & functions

b. forces

2. Vascular system

a. parts & functions

b. forces

3. Blood

a. parts & functions

b. types

4. Relationships

E. Skeletal system

1. Organs

2. Functions

3. Forces produced

4. Levers

5. Relationships

V. Fifth Six Weeks

A. Muscular system

1. Types of muscles

2. Functions

3. Forces produced

4. Cellular respiration

5. Diffusion of O2 & CO2

6. Relationship of muscles & bones

B. Nervous system

1. Structure & function

a. nerves

b. brain

c. spinal cord

d. peripheral NS

e. central NS

2. Somatic vs autonomic NS

3. Stimulous-response

C. Reproduction

1. Structure & functure of human systems

a. male

b. female

2. Sexual reproduction

a. diversity

3. Asexual reproduction

a. budding

b. regeneration

c. fission

4. Mitosis

5. Meiosis

D. Genetics

1. DNA

2. Genes

3. Chromosomes

4. Heredity

a. dominance /recessiveness

b. punnett squares & probability

c. adaptations

VI. Sixth Six Weeks

A. Ecosystems

1. Components

a. biotic

b. abiotic

c. populations

d. communities

2. Relationships

a. competition

b. symbiosis

i. mutualism

ii. commensalism

iii. parasitism

c. predator-prey

B. Energy transfer in an ecosystem

1. Food chains

a. producers

b. consumers

d. decomposers

2. Food webs

3. Energy pyramids

C. Types of ecosystems

1. Texas ecoregions

2. Biomes

a. terrestrial

b. aquatic

3. Adaptations

D. Changes in ecosystems

1. Succession

a. primary

b. secondary

2. Weathering

a. mechanical

b. chemical

c. biological

3. Erosion

a. water, wind, ice

b. slump

c. deflation

d. creep

4. Human impact

1. Pollution

a. soil

b. water

c. air

i. acid precipitation

d. global warming

i. greenhouse effect

ii. ozone depletion

iii. controversy

2. Natural resources

a. renewable

b. non-renewable

c. inexhaustible

d. fossil fuels

e. alternative fuels