- Caruso Middle School
- Curriculum
Working Together in Science
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Mr. Stempien and Mr. Swanson believe in a universal Science learning experience, meaning students on the Blue Team will receive the same learning experience in Science as the students on the White Team. This experience includes learning the same material, performing the same hands on activities, going over the same presentations and doing the same Design Challenges. One fun aspect of Science is that Mr. Stempien and Mr. Swanson enjoy combining classes as often as possible, provided the students can handle the responsibility of working across classes. This gives the teachers a chance to get to know all of the students, and the students the opportunity to work with either teacher as well as friends on the other team.
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Class Format
Each unit is run with the idea of building towards a demonstration of knowledge by the students.
- Introduce new material through a presentation.
- Apply the new material through a series of activities.
- Test the knowledge of the material through a quiz.
- Solve a Design Challenge applying the material to a challenge.
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Water
Students will look at the role water plays in Earth's surface processes. This includes the movement of water through the water cycle, how weathering has shaped land formations and how civilizations have been affected by water. Students will also look at how pollution affects bodies of water and ultimately affects the human population. The unit will end with the creation of a water filter designed to filter out specific pollutants based on a scenario chosen by the students.
Science Esape: 12,E
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Dynamic Earth
Students will study how geoscience processes have changed the earth's surface as well as describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy which drives the process. Some of the topics the students will be studying are Plate Tectonics, Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Convection Currents. Students will look at real world examples of natural disasters and how they have affected the people and region, as well as how they can affect life around the world. The unit will end with a DC in which the students will construct an Earthquake Proof House using only approved materials.
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Genetics
In the Genetics unit, two main topics will be covered: Inheritance of Traits and Common Ancestory among different species. Students will look at how traits are inherited from parents and how they can vary from person to person within the same family, as well as how a mutated gene can affect those organisms. Students will also compare the traits and characteristics of different species, looking at similarities and differences within those species. The unit will end with GenCon, our Genetics Conference where students can choose a genetics topic of their choosing and then present it at the conference.
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Sound and Light
Students will be able to describe a simple model for waves including how the wave is a repeating pattern with a specific wavelength, frequency and amplitude. Students should discover, and be able to apply to real world examples, that the amplitude of the wave is directly related to the amount of energy in a wave. Wave properties will also be studied including waves which need a medium to travel as well as electormagnetic waves which do not need a medium to travel. Students will also study the properties of light and sound, specifically how we see color, how waves can bend around an object, reflect or become absorbed by objects. The culminating activity for this unit will have students building a homemade instrument and then making a musick video incorporating the various properties of waves.