7th Grade Science Semester 2

Enrollment Message

Students need access to a webcam or video recording device.

Course Description

This semester, students in grade 7 study the Earth’s history, investigating the different eras, evidence for these divisions,  and the events that defined each era. Students distinguish between nonrenewable and renewable resources, their formation and how we use them on a daily basis. Students describe the smallest component of living organisms, the cell.  They will discuss different types of cells and the smaller organelles that perform the functions of those cells. Students then describe how cells work together to form tissues, then organs, organ systems and organisms. The science and engineering processes as well as engineering opportunities are integrated with content throughout the course. Along with the current academic standards for this subject, the Science/Technical Studies Content Area Literacy Standards are incorporated with the expectation of a continuum of reading and writing skills development.

Course Goals

Upon completion of the course, students will…

• Physical Science
• Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.
• Differentiate between renewable and nonrenewable resources.
• Discuss the uses of renewable and nonrenewable resources in our lives.
• Propose and defend their position on which resources should be used in the future.
• Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history.
• Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
• Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.
• Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions. 
• Life Science
• Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function.
• Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting
• subsystems composed of groups of cells.
• Explain the hierarchy of cells as they form tissues, organs, organ systems, and organisms.
• Engineering
• Identify the criteria and constraints of a design to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
• Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to identify how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
• Analyze data from investigations to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
• Develop a prototype to generate data for repeated investigations and modify a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Indiana Academic Standards

• Science Grade 7

Units of Instruction

• Unit 1 Scientific Method
• Unit 2 Science and Engineering
• Unit 3 Physical Science
• Unit 4 Newton’s Laws
• Unit 5 Energy Transfer

Grading/Evaluation

Indiana Online does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school of record can also access this score within the Student Information System, Genius. The final score will be shown as a percentage in Canvas and Genius. The student’s school of record will determine the letter grade based on their specific grading scale.

Students must complete at least 70% of the course and take all parts of the final exam(s) to have a score reported to their school of record. Failure to meet these requirements will result in a score of 0 reported to the school of record.

Assessments

Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, teacher-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments. The course includes the minimum number of assessments

• 3 Discussions
• 17 Assignments
• 13 Quizzes

The assessments for this asynchronous course are weighted as follows

Teacher Contact Response Time

Students can use email or the private message system within Genius or Canvas to access highly qualified teachers when they need teacher assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside Canvas. The Teacher Information page of their course may describe additional communication options.

The teacher will respond to student inquiries (email, text, call) within one business day. Assignments will be graded and posted within two business days.

Expectations for Academic Conduct 

Student Handbook 

It is your responsibility to read the student handbook to understand all aspects of taking an online course including expectations for academic conduct. Contact your teacher if you have any questions. 

Assistance for Students with Accommodations

Indiana Online supports an inclusive learning environment for all students. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that hinder your full participation, such as inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos and podcasts, reasonable accommodations can be arranged.

Technology

Technology Requirements 

Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube. Please review the Indiana Online’s Technology Requirements.

Technical Skills Needed 

Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to

• download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
• download and install software
• use a messaging service similar to email
• communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
• open attachments shared in messages
• create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
• save a file as a .pdf
• copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
• insert images or links into a file
• search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
• work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
• activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
• use presentation and graphics programs
• follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
• use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
• create and maintain usernames and passwords

Technical Questions?  Please contact the Indiana Online Helpdesk.