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EAST LONGMEADOW PUBLIC SCHOOLS |
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2006 - 2007 DISTRICT CURRICULUM GUIDES |
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Science - Grade 7 |
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Earth's History
The learner will be able to
explain and give examples of how physical evidence such as fossils and surface features of glaciation supports theories that the earth has evolved over geological time.
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| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Earth: History |
Introduce |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Classification
The learner will be able to
classify organisms into all kingdoms according to characteristics that they share. Be familiar with organisms from each kingdoms.
| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Kingdoms |
Master |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Cells
The learner will be able to
recognize that all organisms are composed of cells, and that most organisms are single-celled. In these single-celled organisms, one cell must carry out all of the basic functions of life.
- Compare and contrast plant and animal cells, including major organelles (cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus, cytoplasm, chloroplasts, mitochondria, vacuoles).
- Recognize that within cells, many of the basic functions of organisms (e.g., extracting energy from food and getting rid of waste) are carried out. The way in which cells function is similar in all living organisms.
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| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Cells |
Master |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Systems
The learner will be able to
describe the hierarchical organization of multicellular organisms from cells to tissues to organs to systems to organisms.
| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Cells: Function and Structure |
Master |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Reproduction and Heredity
The learner will be able to
recognize that every organism requires a set of instructions for specifying its traits. Heredity is the passage of these instructions from one generation to another.
- Recognize that hereditary information is contained in genes located in the chromosomes of each cell. A human cell contains many thousands of different genes.
- Differentiate between sexual reproduction (offspring inherit half of their genes from each parent) and asexual reproduction (offspring is an identical copy of the parent's cell).
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| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Heredity: Traits |
Master |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Evolution and Diversity
The learner will be able to
give examples of ways in which genetic variation and environmental factors are causes of evolution and the diversity of organisms.
- Recognize that evidence drawn from geology, fossils, and comparative anatomy provide the basis of the theory of evolution.
- Relate the extinction of species to a mismatch of adaptation and the environment.
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| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Evolution |
Master |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Living things and their environment
The learner will be able to
give examples of ways in which organisms interact and have different functions within an ecosystem that enable the ecosystem to survive.
| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Environment |
Master |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Energy and living things
The learner will be able to
explain the roles and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in the process of energy transfer in a food web.
- Explain how dead plants and animals are broken down by other living organisms and how this process contributes to the system as a whole.
- Recognize that producers (plants that contain chlorophyll) use the energy from sunlight to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water through a process called photosynthesis. This food can be used immediately, stored for later use, or used by other organisms.
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| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Cells: Photosynthesis/Respiration |
Master |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Ecosystem change
The learner will be able to
identify ways in which ecosystems have changed throughout geologic time in response to physical conditions, interactions among organisms, and the actions of humans. Describe how changes may be catastrophes such as volcanic eruptions or ice storms.
- Recognize that biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations.
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| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Environment: Changes |
Master |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Properties of Matter
The learner will be able to
differentiate between weight and mass, recognizing that weight is the amount of gravitational pull on an object.
- Differentiate between volume and mass.
- Recognize that the measurement of volume and mass requires understanding of the sensitivity of measurement tools (e.g., rulers, graduated cylinders, balances) and knowledge and appropriate use of significant digits.
- Explain and give examples of how mass is conserved in a closed system.
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| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Matter: Properties |
Introduce |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Elements, Compounds and Mixtures
The learner will be able to
recognize that there are more than 100 elements that combine in a multitude of ways to produce compounds that make up all of the living and nonliving things that we encounter.
- Differentiate between an atom (the smallest unit of an element that maintains the characteristics of that element) and a molecule (the smallest unit of a compound that maintains the characteristics of that compound).
- Give basic examples of elements and compounds.
- Differentiate between mixtures and pure substances.
- Recognize that a substance (element or compound) has a melting point and a boiling point, both of which are independent of the amount of the sample.
- Differentiate between physical changes and chemical changes.
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| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Chemical Compounds |
Master |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Forms of Energy
The learner will be able to
differentiate between potential and kinetic energy. Identify situations where kinetic energy is transformed into potential energy and vice versa.
| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Energy |
Introduce |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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Heat Energy
The learner will be able to
explain the effect of heat on particle motion through a description of what happens to particles during a change in phase.
- Give examples of how heat moves in predictable ways, moving from warmer objects to cooler ones until they reach equilibrium.
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| Strand |
Scope |
Source |
| Heat |
Introduce |
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks |
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