|
*Seventh Grade Inquiry-Based Science Curriculum*
Orange County’s newly adopted inquiry-based curriculum is highly dependent on cooperative learning or group/team work. Each student’s participation in both his/her assigned group’s tasks as well as in our class discussions is imperative and counts as 25% of his/her science grade. Participation and teamwork is necessary in order to demonstrate that he/she has mastered the concepts and skills presented. Students will be working on a daily basis in groups of 3-4. They each contribute to their group. Lab activities will be graded by collecting at random the record sheet of one of the members of each group. The grade on the record sheet will go to all of the members of the group. This is a way of guaranteeing that all group members are actively working on their assigned task as a team, like scientists in the real world do. This grading by group will only be used for lab activities (class work category) and is equal to 25% of the final grade. In the classroom the students will be working with the Interactions textbook and with their own individual Interactions workbook. The workbook’s pages are perforated and hole-punched allowing students to remove the activity record sheets as well as the practice homework sheets. As the students remove and work on these pages, they will attach them to the science section of their three ring binder. Organization of their notebooks is a factor that will weigh in when they have a notebook check test at the end of each marking period. There will be no take home textbooks because 99% of the textbook is composed of the in class hands on activities. Students may access the Interactions website for help, practice exercises, practice quizzes, tests, review games, many resources, etc. The website is: cpucips.sdsu.edu ; then click on Interactions and then click on student site. For each marking period, the students will have three tests and 6 - 8 short quizzes. Tests and quizzes count for 25% of the final grade. There will be no test re-takes. Tests are announced at least five days before the testing date. Students should do all homework, review each day and bring questions/doubts to class. Long term assignments and projects will count as 20% of their grade. These assignments will require research to be done and the use of the scientific method. They must be done in pen or on a computer. Last, but certainly not least, each student must have and read their AR book twice a week in Science during the first 20 minutes of class. AR counts as 10% of their final grade. |