6th Grade Physical Science
Mrs. Theresa Davis
Ms. Sharlena Good
Unit: Scientific Inquiry: Doing science must go beyond the facts, vocabulary and formulas. In order for students to gain a true appreciation of the nature of science, they need to experience the dynamic nature of inquiry. Methods of science should be quickly introduced at the beginning of the year, then practiced, reinforced and expanded on throughout the course of study. Inquiry is a daily experience – not just the first chapter of the book.
Unit: 1: Building a Better Scientist: This unit provides a foundation of science skills that include measurement, classification, investigation procedures, safe science practices, graphing, and working in cooperative groups.
Unit 2: Matter and Its Properties: This unit is designed to incorporate tasks that will introduce the student to the structure and properties of matter. Matter and its states/phases are reviewed and chemical and physical properties are explored. Students will calculate density and describe how density may change between different states of matter of the same substance, as well as density changes with different substances. Students are also introduced to the differences between physical and chemical changes.
Unit: 3:Elements, Compounds, and Reactions: This unit develops student understandings of the structure of the atom, properties of the atom, and the various ways that elements react. The periodic table is introduced, and students should learn the basis for placement of an element on the chart, as well as the information about the element that is included on this reference tool. This unit explores chemical changes
Unit 4: Forces and Motion: This unit is designed to introduce students to the concepts of force and motion with an emphasis on Newton’s laws of motion.
Unit 5: Introduction to Energy and Properties of Waves: This unit introduces the student to the basic forms of energy with an emphasis on the properties of energy. Conduction, convection, and radiation of heat energy is explored.
Unit: 6: Electromagnetic waves, sound and light: This unit reviews the characteristics of wave energy, makes comparisons of electromagnetic waves and explorations of light and sound waves.
Unit 7: Work, Power, and Efficiency: This unit introduces the concepts of force, work, power, and efficiency and how they are interrelated. The review of simple machines is an integral part of this unit.
Unit 8: Electricity , Energy Use and Renewal: This unit introduces students to the basic concepts of electricity and makes real-world applications of energy use and renewal, with special emphasis on the varied sources from which our energy comes. Environmental and social questions concerning energy use and overuse of selected energy forms and sources will be the main focus of this unit.
Some Helpful Websites:
www.Brainpop.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/
http://www.playingwithtime.org/index.html
http://edheads.org/
Text We Will Use this Year:
Prentice Hall Textbook- Green, Blue and Red
Prentice Hall Inquiry Skill Activity Book
Buckle Down Workbook
