TOPIC ARRANGEMENTS and Disciplinary Core Ideas Grades 6-8
ELEVATE SCIENCE A Logical Progression for Middle School Science Elevate Science puts students on a successful path to science learning. The topic arrangement connects the Performance Expectations (PEs) within and across the middle grades, creating a natural, balanced, and coherent sequence that deepens student understanding. Students connect the core ideas to the application of science and engineering practices as they experience the crosscutting concepts. Integrated Engineering Design standards drive instruction in each topic. *Next Generation Science Standards is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it. Fully Supports the Progressions Within the Next Generation Science Standards* 2
The Elevate Science Story: Fostering Curiosity and Building Understanding NGSS TOPIC ARRANGEMENT Presents a coherent instructional sequence within and across grades based on Appendix K 3D LEARNING Provides multiple opportunities to engage in the three dimensions of science with real-world phenomena ENGINEERING DESIGN Integrates the ETS standards and the design process in every topic across the grades MATH CONNECTIONS Considers the needed mathematical skills from the middle grades progression CONCEPTUAL COMPLEXITY Builds across the topic sequence as described in Appendix K ELEVATE SCIENCE 3
ELEVATE SCIENCE 4 Topic Arrangement Map for the Middle School Sequence Grade 6 Matter Energy Heat Earth Systems Weather Biosphere Surface Systems Weathering and Erosion Plate Tectonics The Rock Cycle Grade 7 Cell Systems and Their Processes Information Technology Human Body System Electricity and Magnetism Reproduction and Growth Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation Populations, Communities, and Ecosystems Natural Resources and Human Impact on Environment Grade 8 Atomic Structure Solar System and Beyond Chemical Reactions Sun Earth Moon System Forces and Motion Climate Genes Heredity Energy in the Atmosphere Natural Selection History of Earth KEY: Physical Sciences Life Sciences Earth and Space Sciences Students engage in Engineering, Technology, and the Applications of Science throughout.
Elevate Science Grade 6, Course 1 Students make sense of phenomena as they explore the disciplinary core ideas through the lens of crosscutting concepts, such as Systems and System Models, Cause and Effect, and Matter and Energy. Each topic seamlessly integrates the science and engineering practices with Engineering Design principles as students experience a variety of hands-on investigations. Matter Energy Heat Earth Systems Weather Students begin their discovery in the physical world with models of observable phenomena......and move to explore the concept of energy and how it is needed to change matter......which leads to the study of thermal energy and heat transfer. Earth systems are introduced where energy flow and the cycling of matter are driving factors. Students......explore cause and effect factors driving the water cycle as models of energy flow in the atmosphere... Biosphere Surface Systems Weathering and Erosion Plate Tectonics The Rock Cycle Students end the year being introduced to the biosphere, looking at how matter and energy are cycled....and how matter is cycled through the processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition. Models help to explain how thermal energy drives the movement of Earth s crust......and in the geosphere students examine the cycling of matter as they investigate different types of rocks. ELEVATE SCIENCE 5
ELEVATE SCIENCE 6 Elevate Science Grade 7, Course 2 Students continue their study of the biosphere. Investigations begin at the microscopic level with System Models and expand outward with Structure and Function in the life sciences and Stability and Change in the Earth s systems. Students return to the concepts of Energy in the study of waves and electromagnetic radiation, ending with the application of these core ideas in Information Technology. Cell Systems and Their Processes Human Body System Reproduction and Growth Populations, Communities, and Ecosystems Students consider systems and how they interact as they investigate cell function and cellular processes......and explore the human body as a system model, driven by the flow of energy and the cycling of matter. This leads to the study of reproduction and the plant and animal structures that support it. Students consider stability and change as a core concept in the biosphere. They examine factors that impact living things and the environments they live in... Information Technology Electricity and Magnetism Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation Natural Resources and Human Impact on Environment...which they apply as they investigate innovations in communication technologies....leading to the introduction of forces found in two common student experiences... The study of energy begun in Grade 6 is extended as students investigate another form of energy......and connect that to the geosphere as they investigate the use of natural resources and consider human impact on the environment.
Elevate Science Grade 8, Course 3 Students return to the study of the physical world, applying the concepts of Patterns and Scale, Proportion, and Quantity. Their investigations begin at the atomic level and expand outwards. Students look at different Systems and Models in the physical world, in the living world, and across earth and space sciences. More sophisticated understandings are developed in topics like Heredity and Climate, using the concepts of Stability and Change and Cause and Effect. Atomic Structure Chemical Reactions Forces and Motion Genes Heredity Natural Selection Students look at patterns as they explore atomic theory, structure, bonding, and acids and bases......leading to an understanding of chemical reactions and how materials may be created. Students return to forces and build models to explain the relationship between speed, velocity, and acceleration. Examining patterns in genes and heredity continues, including coding and protein synthesis, leading to an understanding......of how genetic mutations represent change and provide an explanation to the theory of evolution. Solar System and Beyond Sun Earth Moon System Climate Energy in the Atmosphere History of Earth...where the Earth is governed by forces of planetary motion that extend beyond our Solar System. Earth s movement in space is part of a larger system and follows a predictable pattern......understanding of climate. They explore models of how changes in climate can affect Earth s systems. Students review energy concepts as they look at patterns of circulation in the atmosphere and oceans leading to an... Applying concepts of atomic theory helps students use patterns to comprehend how rock ages can be calculated. ELEVATE SCIENCE 7
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