Textbook: Science Insights: Exploring Matter and Energy; Addison Wesley Longman
Inc. ISBN 0-201-33285-X
Overview & Objectives
Although the course is largely descriptive, there will be some investigations, inquiries, and/or labs, the latter of which will occur only when time, resources, and safety allow. A major objective of the course is to develop the students' science process skills of observation, classification, inference, prediction, measurement, communication, hypothesizing, model-making, estimation, collecting, interpreting, and data analysis. A goal for this course will be to help students appreciate and understand some of the reoccurring themes in science. These themes include: energy; evolution; stability & Structure; diversity & unity; patterns & cycles of change; scale & structure; and systems & interactions.
Supplementary Materials
In order to facilitate students' conceptions of scientific themes, a number of supplementary materials will be employed throughout the course. These are as follows:
- Section Activities: Includes enrichment worksheets, vocabulary, and section reviews.
- Skills Worksheets: Focus is on process skills, language arts and writing skills, and decision-making skills.
- Integrated Resource Book: Examines thematic, interdisciplinary, and intrascience connections of scientific concepts.
- Assessment Program: Includes chapter and unit tests, in which chapter tests contain two versions-the first consisting of multiple choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions, and the second being a skill-based, extended answer format.
Course Track
The course will refrain from following the textbook lessons in any sort of chapter-by-chapter format, and will instead seek to establish connections where they are most thematically linked and useful. Students then should expect to jump around through their textbooks except when consecutive chapters engage the same topic. Also, due to the past experience that students have had with this particular textbook, certain chapters will be given precedence over others in order to provide students with the widest possible base of scientific knowledge before entering high school. The following is a tentative, chronological list of chapters that will be covered throughout the course, accompanied by a brief description of the content assigned to that/those particular chapter(s):
Chapter 1-Studying Science (An introduction/review of basic science skills and methods)
Chapter 6-Properties of Matter (phases & changes)
Chapter 7-Atoms, Elements, Compounds, & Mixtures (structures)
Chapter 8-The Periodic Table (metals, non-metals, & metalloids)
Chapter 19-Chemical Bonding (ionic & covalent bonds)
Chapter 20-Chemical Reactions (characteristics, equations, types)
Chapter 21-Solution Chemistry (suspensions, colloids, acids, bases, salts)
Chapter 24-Energy Use & Technology (electric power, alternatives, conservation)
Chapter 25-Chemical Technology (petroleum fuels, the environment)
Grading
Grades will be based on test scores and daily work, both to be considered equally. Chapter tests will be given following the completion of each chapter, and unit tests will be given where appropriate. Daily work will consist of resources from the supplementary materials listed above, and from any other resources the instructor deems appropriate. Labs will occur when time, resources, and safety allow, and will factor evenly into students' grades.
If you should have any questions or concerns that arise at any time during the course of the school year, please feel free to contact me either by phone or email at the numbers and addresses listed above. I wish you all the best for the coming year.
Sincerely,
Tim Cosgrove
