7th Grade Science Learning Targets

Students will know or be able to do the following things at the end of the teaching cycle: (subject to revision)

Cycle #1

Cycle #2

The traditional scientificmethod is generally defined as the following steps: question, hypothesis, experiment,analyze, conclusion.
Learning the meanings ofword roots makes scientific vocabulary much easier to understand.
Evidence gathered throughresearch and experimentation allows scientists to formulate conclusions bydisproving some hypotheses while supporting others.
Qualitative data describes characteristics. Quantitative data includes numerical values. Both are important in providing a complete descriptionof an experiment and its results
Variables are factors in an experiment that can affect the results;

Cycle #3

Elements of a good experimental design include a well written procedure that is repeatable, a defined variable and constants, a large sample size, careful data analysis, and presentation of your results.
The Engineering Design Process is a series of 5 steps used by engineers to solve problems.

Cycle #4

The Levels of Organization in Ecology are arranged from simplest to the most complex.
Identify the pros and cons of introduced species. Provide evidence for both sides.
Classification systems help scientists organize and identify the 2.5 million known species
A huge variety of animals contributes to the biodiversity of life found on earth.
Biologists classify organisms into large groups called kingdoms. Each kingdom is further divided into groups called phyla. Specific characteristics define the major animal phyla.
The phylum Chordata contains the vertebrate animals most people think of when they think of animals. The invertebrate phyla, however, are more numerous and diverse.

Cycle #5

Ecology is the study of relationships between living(biotic) organisms and the physical(abiotic)l environment.
Determining relationships within a habitat involves collecting data about organisms.
Feeding relationships in ecosystems are very complex and are best represented by webs, rather than by simple chains.
The energy for all ecosystems is provided by the sun.
Energy in an ecosystem is harnessed from sunlight by producers and then transferred to consumers through feeding relationships.
Producers produce food for their own energy needs. Through the process of photosynthesis, producers such as plants convert light energy into chemical energy stored in food.
Carbon dioxide, water, and light are necessary for photosynthesis to occur. Food and oxygen are the end products of photosynthesis.

Cycle #6

Organisms have habitat requirements, which include food, air, space, warmth, light(or darkness), water, and sometimes shelter.
The size of a population of organisms will vary due to natural changes in the living and non-living factors. The availability of food is one factor that can dramatically affect population size.
Carrying capacity is the maximum population of a species that an ecosystem can support
Carrying capacity is determined by a variety of factors, including the availability of space, food, water, oxygen, weather changes, and predators.

The Engineering Design Process is a series of 5 steps used by engineers to solve problems.

Cycle #7

Students plan and conduct scientific investigations to test hypothesis to establish the unifying concept of energy and conservation
Heat energy is usually one of the product on an energy transformation and is transferred through a heat conduction or infrared radiation interaction.
Matter can exist in three forms: solid, liquid, or gas
Stored phase energy is a form of energy that depends on the phase of the substance. Stored phase energy increases as the substance goes from solid to liquid to gas.
during phase changes only the stored phase energy of the substance changes.
Energy is not created or destroyed. Energy can only change from one form to another.

Cycle #7

Students plan and conduct scientific investigations to test hypothesis to establish the unifying concept of energy and conservation
Heat energy is usually one of the product on an energy transformation and is transferred through a heat conduction or infrared radiation interaction.
Matter can exist in three forms: solid, liquid, or gas
Stored phase energy is a form of energy that depends on the phase of the substance. Stored phase energy increases as the substance goes from solid to liquid to gas.
during phase changes only the stored phase energy of the substance changes.
Energy is not created or destroyed. Energy can only change from one form to another.

Cycle #9

A chemical interaction/reaction is any type of interaction (such as mechanical, heat conduction) that results in a new substance.
The evidence of a chemical interaction is that the materials at the end of the interaction have a different set of chemical and physical properties than than the original materials.

Cycle #10

Observations that can provide evidence of a chemical interaction include: 1. The disappearance of one of the reactants, 2. The appearance of a material in a different phase, 3. Changes in other properties (ie: color, odor, texture, density, flammability).
A chemical reaction is exothermic (produces energy) when the stored chemical energy of the reactants is greater than the stored chemical energy of the products.

Cycle #11

The three main layers of Earth are the crust, the mantle, and the core. These layers vary greatly in size, composition, temperature, and pressure.

The crust is a layer of solid rock that includes both dry land and the ocean floor.
Earth's mantle is made up of rock that is very hot, but solid. Scientists divide the mantle into layers based on physiccal characteristics.
The core is made mostly of iron and nickel. It consists of two parts--a liquid outer core and a solid inner core.

The theory of plate tectonics explains the formation, movement, and subduction of Earth's plates.

Major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, result from plate motions.
Seismic waves carry energy from an earthquake away from the focus, through Earth's interior, and across the surface.
Geologists use seismic waves to locate an earthquake's epicenter.
Earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults and volcanoes and fissures are locations where magma reaches the surface.
Volcanic belts form along the boundaries of Earth's plates.
A volcano forms above a hot spot when magma erupts through the crust and reaches the surface.

In sea-floor spreading, the sea floor spreads apart along both sides of a mid-ocean ridge as new crust is added. As a result, the ocean floors move like conveyor belts, carrying the continents along with them.

Cycle # 12

Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

Elementary