Physical Education 7 [ elective, every other day ] Intended Audience: Grade 7 Major Outcomes:
• Participate in team and group activities that promote fitness and cooperative learning.
• Engage in activities for lifetime fitness. Instructional Focus: Embedded throughout the curriculum is a structure that promotes character building, cooperation, teamwork and decision making. Students will participate in a variety of activities that may include: weight training, tennis, lacrosse, basketball, speedball, volleyball, floor hockey, skill development games and winter outdoor activities.
Physical Education 8 [ elective, every other day or full year ] Intended Audience: Grade 8 Major Outcomes:
• Participate in team and group activities that promote fitness and cooperative learning.
• Engage in activities for lifetime fitness. Instructional Focus: Embedded throughout the curriculum is a structure that promotes character building, cooperation, teamwork and decision making. Students will participate in a variety of activities that may include: archery, net games, lacrosse, strength training, basketball, volleyball and winter outdoor activities.
Physical Education: Fitness [ elective, every other day ] Intended Audience: Grades 7 and 8 Major Outcomes:
• Personal fitness.
• Engage in activities for lifetime fitness. Instructional Focus: This class will fulfill the needs of students who want to stay active, but want to concentrate more on individual, non-competitive and / or cooperative activities. Students will participate in a variety of activities that may include aerobic activities, walking and individual weight training.
Science Courses
Science 6 [ Physical Science ] [ full year ] Intended Audience: Grade 6 Major Outcomes:
• Investigate motion, energy transfer, waves, matter, and engineering
• Understand forces of nature
• Learn about the history and nature of science through scientific inquiry, engineering, experimental design and measurement
Projects / Activities: Experiments, force and motion activities and energy transfer investigations. Instructional Focus: Students will work individually, as well as in small and large groups. They will be involved in hands-on experiments, investigations, model design and creation, observations and data collection and analysis.
Advanced Physical Science 6 [ full year ] Prerequisite / Selection Process: District Placement Process Intended Audience: Grade 6 Major Outcomes:
• Learn about the nature of science and engineering through scientific inquiry, experimental design, and measurement.
• Investigate motion, energy transfer, waves, and engineering.
• Understand forces of nature. This course will address the same major concepts as Science 6 [ Physical Science ], but at an accelerated pace to allow for increased depth and integrated use of technology. Students will complete the PLTW Energy and the Environment Engineering module. Projects / Activities: Projects and activities may include individual and group investigations, both student and teacher directed. Potential investigations may involve forces and motion, energy transformations, and forces of nature. Students will present the results of a research and experimental project or a research and an engineering project in a STEM Fair setting. Participation in the District STEM Fair is strongly encouraged. Instructional Focus: Students will make in depth observations, ask questions, and generate creative and valid explanations. Students will be encouraged to apply skills and concepts to their everyday lives. Investigations will encourage higher order thinking and will have an increased pace and rigor.
Science 7 [ Life Science ] [ full year ] Intended Audience: Grade 7 Major Outcomes:
• Investigate cells, heredity and changes in biological populations over time.
• Investigate diversity among organisms, human biology and ecology.
• Increase knowledge of the history and nature of science through scientific inquiry and experimental design. Projects / Activities: May include cell labs, microscope use, cell models, ADAM human body software, owl pellet field study, dissections, and ecosystem models. Instructional Focus: Students will work individually, as well as in small and large groups. They will be involved in hands-on experiments, investigations, model design and creation, observations and data collection and analysis.
Advanced Life Science 7 [ full year ] Prerequisite / Selection Process: District Placement Process Intended Audience: Grade 7 Major Outcomes:
• Increase knowledge of the history and nature of science through scientific inquiry and experimental design.
• Investigate cells, heredity, and changes in biological populations over time.
• Understand diversity among organisms, human biology and ecology. This course will address the same major concepts as Science 7 [ Life Science ], but at an accelerated pace to allow for increased depth and integrated use of technology. Students will complete the PLTW Medical Detectives Engineering module. Projects / Activities: These will include lab investigations, field studies and use of computer technology. Students will present the results of a research and experimental project in a STEM Fair setting. Participation in the District STEM Fair is strongly encouraged. Instructional Focus: Students will work on in-depth analysis of life science concepts individually and in collaborative teams. This will include inquiry based investigation, model design, observation, data collection and analysis.
Middle School Registration Guide 11