Regional Science Center Middle School Science Understanding by Design Wiggins and McTighe, 1998 Stage 1 Sixth Grade Investigations in Physical Science Scientific methods are useful tools in making sense of the natural world and in solving problems. Science is both a process of learning and a body of knowledge. Everything we know about in the universe is made of matter and energy. Matter and energy change forms. How do scientists work to learn about the natural world and to solve problems? How is the natural world affected by the actions of individuals and of society? How does the process of scientific investigation contribute to what we know about the world? How does the body of knowledge contribute to further investigation? How are matter and energy changed from one form to another? Diversity of Life Living things have definite characteristics that distinguish them from non-living things. The structures present in living things are related to the functions performed by those structures. The cell is the basic unit of life. Living things need appropriate environments to survive. Living things are highly diverse: there are millions of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Water is the basis of life on Earth. We learn more about living things through the use of careful and ethical observation, investigation, and technological tools. How are living things different from non-living things?
How are the structures (parts) of living things related to the jobs they do? How do cells build the other structures of living things? What must all living things do or have in order to survive? How are living things similar to each other and how are they different? How can we learn more about living things? Water and Weather The Sun is the major source of energy for the Earth. Water circulates through Earth s crust, oceans, and atmosphere in the water cycle. Weather and climate are the result of the interactions among Earth s water, its atmosphere and the Sun s heating of Earth s surface. Earth has seasons because of its tilt and its revolution around the Sun. In what ways does energy from the Sun affect Earth? How is Earth s weather produced? How is climate different from weather? What are the relationships among the parts of the water cycle on Earth? How does water affect weather, climate and life on Earth? Why does Earth have seasons? Seventh Grade Ecology Complex relationships exist between living and non-living parts in an ecosystem. Ecosystems are disrupted when their physical environment changes or when nonnative species are introduced. How do living and non-living parts of an ecosystem interact? Why are the relationships among the parts of an ecosystem so complex? How are ecosystems affected by physical changes in the environment? How are ecosystems affected by the introduction of non-native species? Earth History
Students will understand that Earth is a geologically active planet. Huge quantities of energy are always acting on the surface of the Earth and its interior. Observable evidence in the present gives information about processes and events that occurred in the past. How can we demonstrate that Earth is a geologically active planet? How do Earth s different systems/processes interact? How do different sources of energy act on the Earth? How does what we see today tell us about the Earth s past? Universe at Your Fingertips The relative positions and the movements of the Earth, Sun and Moon create patterns observed in phases, eclipses, tides and seasons. The Earth, Moon and Sun interact in ways that affect our planet in fundamental ways. The Earth is just one planet in the solar system, in a galaxy of billions of stars, in a universe of billions of other galaxies. A constellation is a region of the sky that appears to form a pattern of stars. Why do we see differences in the appearance and movements of the Sun and Moon from Earth? In what ways do the Earth, Sun and Moon affect each other? In what way is a solar system organized? How is the universe organized? Why are all the parts of the universe in motion? How does the force of gravity affect all matter in the universe? Eighth Grade Chemical Buildings Blocks Everything in the universe is composed of matter and energy. All kinds of matter can be identified based on their physical and chemical properties.
An atom is the basic unit of every element. All the matter in the universe is characterized in the Periodic Table of the Elements. Interactions between atoms cause chemical changes that produce new substances with different chemical properties. How are matter and energy similar and how are they different? How is the Periodic Table of the Elements used to help us understand matter? How do physical and chemical changes affect matter? How do we create models of something we can t see? Why do we create models in science? Motion, Forces and Energy Everything in the universe is in motion relative to some reference point. Inertia is a body s resistance to any change in motion. How a body accelerates is determined by its mass and the force exerted on it. All forces occur in pairs called action/reaction forces, which are equal and opposite. How can we explain that everything in the universe is in motion? Why does a body resist changes in its motion? How do bodies accelerate? How do mass and force determine acceleration? In what ways do forces occur? Our Genes, Ourselves / Evolution All organisms reproduce either sexually or asexually. All organisms have genes, which are units of information for inherited traits passed from parents to offspring. Both heredity and environment play a role in determining the traits of an organism. Evolution occurs over time. Organisms adapt to their environment. Natural selection is the process by which organisms favorably adapt to the environment and survive to reproduce. Difficult ethical issues can occur when using information obtained through modern biotechnology.
How do organisms reproduce? How are traits passed from one generation to the next? In what ways do both heredity and environment determine an organism s traits? How can the processes of evolution be determined and described? Why must organisms be able to adapt to their environment? How does natural selection occur? What are the pros and cons of the use of biotechnology?