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Students will be looking at content through the lens (CCC) of systems and system models as they study the
Earth as a system and systems that drive phenomenon on Earth as well as systems of living organisms.
There is also an emphasis on investigating the influence humans have on the systems covered in the units.
In the first unit students will be investigating energy, specifically the flow of energy in systems and how it is
transferred and converted. Students will also look at how heat moves and the ways conductors and
insulators can influence the flow of heat, culminating in a passive solar design engineering project.
In the second unit, students will begin to learn about Earth systems and weather. They will draw on
understanding of energy and apply that knowledge to understand how energy is transferred within the
atmosphere and hydrosphere. Students will use understanding of weather patterns to predict climates in
various parts of the world.
In the third unit, students will focus on human activity in Earths systems and the impact made on global
climate. They will engage in an engineering design project to monitor and minimize human impact.
As students move into the final two units they will shift from Earth systems to living organisms. Students will
still be focused on the CCC of systems and they look at body systems and the organization of living
organisms. Students will look at cells and the way the organelles of a cell function together as a system.
Finally, students will conclude with an investigation of reproduction and basics of genetic inheritance.
Unit 1: Energy
PEs: CCCs:
6-PS3-4. Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
6-PS3-5.
Energy and Matter
6-PS3-3.
SEPs: Subunits:
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Energy
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Heat
PEs: CCCs:
MS-ESS2- 4 Energy and Matter
MS-ESS2- 5 Cause and Effect
Systems and System Models
MS-ESS2- 6
Stability and Change
SEPs: Subunits:
Developing and Using Models Water Cycle
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Weather
PEs: CCCs:
MS-ESS3- 5. Cause and Effect
MS-ESS3- 3. Systems and System Models
Stability and Change
SEPs: Subunits:
Asking Questions and Defining Problems Climate Change
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Human Impact
PEs: CCCs:
MS-LS1- 8 Systems and System Models
MS-LS1- 3 Structure and Function
SEPs: Subunits:
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Senses
Information Body Systems
Engaging in Argument from Evidence Cells
PEs: CCCs:
SEPs: Subunits:
Environmental and Genetic Factors
Reproduction