Ms. Rosenkoetter's Classrooms

FIFTH GRADE SCIENCE:  2^nd Trimester—Simple Machines

In Trimester 2 we use simple machines as an introduction to the concepts of force and motion that we will build on in 6^th grade.  We will be covering the following standards and associated objectives:

Standard: An object's motion is affected by forces and can be described by the object's speed and the direction it is moving.

• Give examples of simple machines and demonstrate how they change the input and output of forces and motion. 
• Identify the force that starts something moving or changes its speed or direction of motion.  
• Demonstrate that a greater force on an object can produce a greater change in motion. 

SIXTH GRADE SCIENCE:  2^nd Trimester—Force and Motion

Trimester 2 is always a favorite of students because we get to play while we learn as we explore the concepts of force and motion.  We build on the concepts that were learned in 5^th grade.  We will be covering the following standards and associated objectives:

Standard:  The motion of an object can be described in terms of speed, direction and change of position.

• Measure and calculate the speed of an object that is traveling in a straight line. 
• For an object traveling in a straight line, graph the object’s position as a function of time, and its speed as a function of time.  Explain how these graphs describe the object’s motion.

Standard:  Forces have magnitude and direction and affect the motion of objects. 

• Recognize that when the forces acting on an object are balanced, the object remains at rest or continues to move at a constant speed in a straight line, and that unbalanced forces cause a change in the speed or direction of the motion of an object.
• Identify the forces acting on an object and describe how the sum of the forces affects the motion of the object.
• Recognize that some forces between objects act when the objects are in direct contact and others, such as magnetic, electrical and gravitational forces can act from a distance.

SEVENTH GRADE SCIENCE: 2^nd Trimester—DNA and Genetics

I always tell students that although 7^th grade Science is the most difficult year they will have with me in terms of vocabulary and abstract concepts; it is also the year that they form the strongest connections and generates the most amazing questions!  I especially enjoy seeing the excitement that students have during Trimester 2 when we learn about DNA and genetics.  We will be covering the following standards and associated objectives:

Standard:  Reproduction is a characteristic of all organisms and is essential for the continuation of a species. Hereditary information is contained in genes which are inherited through asexual or sexual reproduction. 

• Recognize that cells contain genes and that each gene carries a single unit of information that either alone, or with other genes, determines the inherited traits of an organism.
• Recognize that in asexually reproducing organisms all the genes come from a single parent and that in sexually reproducing organisms about half of the genes come from each parent.
• Distinguish between characteristics of organisms that are inherited and those acquired through environmental influences.

Standard:  Individual organisms with certain traits in particular environments are more likely than others to survive and have offspring.

• Explain how the fossil record documents the appearance, diversification and extinction of many life forms.
• Use internal and external anatomical structures to compare and infer relationships between living organisms as well as those in the fossil record.
• Recognize that variation exists in every population and describe how a variation can help or hinder an organism’s ability to survive.
• Recognize that extinction is a common event and it can occur when the environment changes and a population’s ability to adapt is insufficient to allow its survival.

EIGHTH GRADE SCIENCE:  2^nd Trimester—Rocks and Minerals

In Trimester 2 we conduct a series of investigations to learn about the properties of rocks and minerals.  Students really enjoy making careful observations of the characteristics of a variety of rocks and minerals and then applying their collected data to identify the mystery samples.  Students also participate in a debate on mining the Ocean’s minerals.  We will be covering the following standards and associated objectives:

Standard:  Rocks and rock formations indicate evidence of the materials and conditions that produced them.

• Interpret successive layers of sedimentary rocks and their fossils to infer relative ages of rock sequences, past geologic events, changes in environmental conditions, and the appearance and extinction of life forms.
• Classify and identify rocks and minerals using characteristics including, but not limited to, density, hardness and streak for minerals; and texture and composition for rocks.
• Relate rock composition and texture to physical conditions at the time of formation of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock.

Standard:  In order to maintain and improve their existence, humans interact with and influence Earth systems.

• Describe how mineral and fossil fuel resources have formed over millions of years, and explain why these resources are finite and non-renewable over human time frames.
• Recognize that land and water use practices can affect natural processes and that natural processes interfere and interact with human systems.