Hands-On Science 6/7! Ongoing Middle School Full Curriculum | 36 Weeks | STEM

⭐️General⭐️
This is an ongoing homeroom science class covering the curriculum for 6th and 7th grade learners in 36 lessons from September to May. Stay for the year or jump in at any time. We will be learning through experiments, scientific observation, manipulatives, games, art, nature, videos, writing, listening, speaking and group work. The teacher will provide optional weekly extension activities and extra practice resources including outdoor activities, art activities, online activities, worksheets and games. In July and August, select sections will continue with special units on *Habitats and Ecosystems* and *The Sun, Moon and Earth System* before the curriculum begins anew in September.


😎Summer 2024😎

🌲July: Habitats and Ecosystems🐫
Week 1: July 7-13: Tundra and Taiga
Week 2: July 14-20: Temperate Deciduous and Coniferous Forest
Week 3: July 21-27: Temperate and Tropical Grasslands
Week 4: July 28-Aug 3: Tropical Rainforests and Deserts

☀️August: The Sun, Earth and Moon System🌎
Week 1: Aug 3-10: Earth’s Rotation: Day and Night
Week 2: Aug 11-17: Earth’s Orbit and the Seasons
Week 3: Aug 18-24: Moon Phases
Week 4: Aug 25-31: Eclipses


📚2024/2025 Academic Year📚

🌿Biology: Evolution🦁
September 3-9: Darwin’s Voyage
September 10-16: Survival Needs for Life
September 17-23: Natural Selection
September 24-30: Artificial Selection
October 1-7: Speciation 
October 8-14: The Fossil Record
October 15-21: Biodiversity 
October 22-28: Microbiology
October 29-November 4: Plants         
November 5-11: Animals
November 12-18: Ecosystems
🙏November 19-25: *Thanksgiving (USA) NO CLASS*
November 26-December 2: Human Impact and Climate Change 
December 3-9: Resources and Sustainability

🧪️Chemistry: Chemical Reactions⚛️
December 10-16: Atoms and Elements 
❄️December 17-23: *Winter Break NO CLASS* 
❄️December 24-30: *Winter Break NO CLASS*
December 31-January 6: The Periodic Table
January 7-13: Building an Atom
January 14-20: Molecules and Compounds        
January 21-27: Lab Equipment and Safety  
January 28-February 3: Substances, Mixtures and Solutions                    
February 4-10: Crystalline Structures
February 11-17: Synthesis and Decomposition Reactions
February 18-24: Replacement Reaction
February 25-March 2: Combustion and Acid/Base Reactions                
March 3-9: The Chemical Industry	
March 10-16: The Chemistry of Food

💡Physics: Electromagnetic Energy ☀️                               
March 17-23: Energy
March 24-30: Electricity
March 31-April 6: Simple Circuits
April 7-13: Advanced Circuits
🌸April 14-20: *Spring Break NO CLASS* 
🌸April 21-27: *Spring Break NO CLASS* 
April 28-May 4: Magnetism	
May 5-11: Electromagnetism
May 12-18: Generators
May 19-25: Motors
May 26-June 1: Energy Generation and The Environment
June 2-June 8: The Electromagnetic Spectrum
June 9-June 15: Electricity in the Body   
  

⭐️Class Structure⭐️

✔️Preview: 10 vocabulary words and a short video will be posted to the classroom before our meeting. The preview is optional and recommended. It will provide a good foundation and prerequisite knowledge prior to our class.

✔️New: A new science topic will be taught using a variety of hands-on activities, experiments, and online technologies. Lessons follow a presentation in Nearpod and students are invited to read the slides along with the teacher. The Nearpod presentation is screen-shared and the teacher includes interactive slides and alternative ways to participate through chat and video. Each lesson includes a set of guided notes with fill-in-the-blank spaces highlighting keywords which match the presentation slides.

✔️Practice: Each week, learners will complete an in-class activity. This is often an experiment, scientific observation or guided drawing.

✔️Extension: Optional extension materials will be suggested to parents for ongoing practice at the parent's discretion. These can be a powerful part of your child’s learning. Please take a look at the sample materials for examples.


⭐️Teaching Methods⭐️
Our educators bring passion for the natural world, the human world, the technological world and the bridges between them. We lead children on their quest for knowledge, inspire them to create and imagine anew, and to guide them as they carve out their purpose in life. We foster human beliefs and systems that support a peaceful and sustainable future for people and the planet. Our approach to education is hands-on, literacy-based and interdisciplinary. We help students develop the skills, confidence and curiosity to be lifelong learners. You can expect experiments, scientific observation, games, art, nature, videos, writing, listening, speaking and group work.


⭐️Interaction⭐️
Learners will interact with each other and the teacher through discussion, reading, games and sharing of creative projects.


⭐️Prior Knowledge⭐️
Learning science occasionally requires scaffolding, or building on previously learned skills. While this is an ongoing class, learners will be expected to have a strong understanding of 5th Grade science concepts and other prerequisite knowledge listed for each meeting. Learners will be encouraged to watch a related instructional video and review vocabulary posted to the classroom each week prior to the class.


⭐️Sample Materials⭐️
I have included examples of materials below for parents to reference when deciding about enrollment. 

Please note: These materials will be used during our sessions, so please do not complete the lesson independently or share the guided-notes key with your child prior to class. All materials are copyrighted and are not free for public distribution.

Biology Sample: https://bit.ly/HOS-bio-sample

Chemistry Sample: https://bit.ly/HOS-chem-sample

Physics Sample: https://bit.ly/HOS-phys-sample

(*note: some links in the sample packs are only active for the month of that lesson)


⭐️About the Teachers⭐️

Miss Eva is an educator and homeschool parent with a degree in biochemistry and a certificate in education. She has experience teaching math and science in grades 8-12, home learning with her elementary-aged children and leading homeschool groups. She is passionate about outdoor education and the arts and you will see her passions shine in her interactive classes. 

Miss Jacquie is a certified teacher with degrees in biology, international relations and education. She has worked in education for over 15 years with teaching specialties in sciences and humanities. She has experience in public education, private education and as a homeschool parent inspired by Waldorf, Charlotte Mason and Traditional philosophies. Her goals as an educator are to support children on their quest for knowledge, to inspire them to create and imagine, and to guide them as they carve out their purpose in life. Her approach to education is hands-on, literacy-based and interdisciplinary.


⭐️Policies⭐️
Late: Late learners will be welcomed with open arms. The teacher will not spend class time to catch them up, however the recording is posted after the lesson so the learner can review the missed time.

Absent: The class recording and learner-paced Nearpod will post in the classroom following the lesson. There are no refunds for missed classes. Please note: if you are new to a section and miss class, the recording is not available until the learner is verified by the teacher or by Outschool.

Transfer Request: Transfer requests must be made with 24hours notice. Every section will offer the same material each week, so transferring is a great way to still catch the lesson if your schedule changes and you prefer the live lesson to the recording.