SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

    VISION: All students achieve full scientific literacy through standards referenced, problem/project based instruction that develops critical thinkers who apply scientific and engineering practices to authentic problems in a globally competitive society.

    TEACHERS:
    Staff email addresses and phone numbers are also listed in the Staff Directory.

    Beth Arias-Hoskins

    Science 6

    Bethzaida_Arias-hoskins@mcpsmd.org

    Aldo Cardoza

    Technology & Foundations of Computer Science

    Kellie Coble

    Science 6

    Kellie_L_Coble@mcpsmd.org

    Auda Cottrell

    Science 7 & FACS 7

    Auda_J_Cottrell@mcpsmd.org

    Sabina Di Maio

    Science 7

    Sabina_DiMaio@mcpsmd.org

    Tess Falabella

    Content Specialist & Science 8

    Terese_Falabella@mcpsmd.org

    Danielle Howard

    Science 6

    Danielle_N_Howard@mcpsmd.org

    Edgar Macal

    Science 8

    Edgar_H_MacalJr@mcpsmd.org

    John (Jack) McCloskey

    Science 8

    John_M_Mccloskey@mcpsmd.org

    Jennifer Zimmerman

    Science 7

     

     

     

    Grade 6 Science
    Unit Title Content Focus
    1 Ecosystems and Dynamics

    Essential Question: How do matter and energy move through an ecosystem? 

    Topics: Biomes, biotic and abiotic factors, biodiversity, limited resources, interactions among organisms, and producers, consumers and decomposers
    2 Earth’s Resources and Human Impacts

    Essential Idea: How does human consumption of Earth’s resources impact our planet? 

    Topics: Natural vs. man-made resources, renewable resources, natural resource distribution, resource usages, ocean resources, land pollution, and watersheds
    3 Matter and its Interactions

    Essential Question: How can you describe matter and predict its interactions?

    Topics: Atoms and elements, molecules and compounds, physical and chemical properties, states of matter, thermal energy, heat transfer, and physical and chemical changes
    4 Energy and Waves

    Essential Question: How is energy transferred or conserved between objects or systems? Topics: Static Electricity, magnetism, energy forms, energy transfer, and waves

     

    Grade 7 
    Unit Title Content Focus
    1 Cellular Structure and Processes 

    Essential Question: How do the structures of an organism enable its life functions? 

    Topics: Characteristics of living things, cell organelles, plants, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration
    2 Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms

    Essential Question: How do your body systems work together to make your body function? 

    Topics: Levels of organization, muscular system, cardiovascular system, nervous system, digestive system, excretory system and nutrients
    3 Inheritance and Variation of Traits

    Essential Question: Why do individuals of the same species vary in how they look, function, and behave? 

    Topics: Asexual vs. sexual reproduction, chromosomes and genes, punnett squares, artificial selection, mutations
    4 Earth’s History and Biological Evolution

    Earth’s History and Biological Evolution

    Essential Question: What evidence shows Earth’s history and how different species are related? 

    Topics: Geological time scale, fossil records, relative age, mass extinction, evidence of common ancestry, and Natural Selection

     

    Grade 8 
    Unit Title Content Focus
    1 Weather and Climate

    Essential Question: What regulates weather and climate? 

    Topics: Water cycle, oceanic circulation, air masses and influences, weather maps, and winds
    2 Earth’s Materials and Systems

    Essential Question: How and why is Earth’s surface constantly changing? 

    Topics: Hydraulic Fracturing, Earth’s interior, continental drift, Plate Tectonics, monitoring natural hazards, rocks and minerals. 
    3 Earth, the Solar System and the Universe

    Essential Question: What predictable patterns are caused by Earth’s movement in the solar system? 

    Topics: Earth-moon-sun models, unequal heating, seasons, phases of the moon, and gravity
    4 Forces, Motion and its Interactions

    Essential Question: How can you describe and predict an object’s motion? 

    Topics: Speed, acceleration, force, Newton’s Laws of Motion, potential and kinetic energy, and momentum

     

    Elective Grade 6-Technology
    Unit Title Content Focus
    1 Introduction to Technology & Engineering Students are introduced to technological systems and learn and apply the Engineering Design Process to a variety of challenges. Students are introduced to Computer Aided Design using TinkerCAD.
    2 Engineering Design & Modeling Students utilize the Engineering Design Process and technical skills of isometric sketching, multiview drawing, and Computer Aided Design using TinkerCAD to design solutions to engineering challenges.

     

    Elective Grade 7-Technology
    Unit Title Content Focus
    1 Innovation & Engineering Design Students learn the importance of invention and innovation in technological development and apply engineering-thinking skills and technical skills to complete each step of the engineering design process to creatively address a real world challenge. Students learn or extend technical drawing and Computer Aided Design skills. This course is accessible for students who have not taken the Grade 6 Engineering courses.
    2 Applied Engineering Design Students learn how societal factors affect technological development and apply the engineering design process, engineering-thinking skills, and technical skills including Computer Aided Design to design engineering solutions to real-world challenges.

     

    Elective Grade 8- Computer Science (High School Credit)
    Unit Title Content Focus
    1 Foundations of Computer Science A/B

    This course includes programming, but the focus is on the computational practices associated with doing computer science rather than just a narrow focus on coding syntax and tools.

    MCPS Resources: