SCIENCE
7th Grade Science
Seventh grade is an exciting year in science! For most students, this is their first chance to take a laboratory and research based science class. We will be learning about all the different kinds of living things in the world and how they interact with each other and the environment.
We begin the year with an introduction to life science and learn what exactly biologists do. We examine and discuss all the characteristics of living things and go on to study the cellular nature of life—students will look at their own cells and learn the parts of the cell and each function. We then explore the topic of genetics and heredity. Students look at their own physical characteristics and how they inherited them from their parents. The adaptation, evolution, and classification of life are discussed next. We learn how scientists categorize and classify all life forms based on their characteristics and evolutionary relationships. We then study the two major groups of living things— plants and animals—and examine the structure and function of their major parts.
Throughout the year students do many laboratory activities, projects and reports, all related to the topic of study. We use technology and hands-on activities and projects to engage the students in independent learning.
8th Grade Science
Eighth grade science is a standards based survey course designed to teach students about our physical universe. The content of this class includes the scientific studies of physics, chemistry and astronomy.
We start off the year by learning about the scientific method and the basics of physical science. Students will learn about the history of science and how scientists do their work. We then study atoms and the atomic structure of matter, investigating the atomic nature of our universe. To solidify their understanding each student will do research on and construct an atom model of an element that they have chosen. We will then look at how atoms interact with each other—more commonly known as chemistry. We study the chemical nature of our world, and students will discover the difference between chemical and physical properties and the ways that matter changes. We then turn our attention to the topic of energy and how it interacts with matter. Students will learn about the different types of energy, motion and forces. Finally, we end the year by exploring astronomy.
We ask the students to do many laboratory activities and projects throughout the year to give them hands on experience in science. Students are also given the opportunity to enter the Santa Barbara County Science Fair.