Project Lead The Way
Our units of study for this year include: Solid Earth, Structure of Matter, Interdependence of Life, and our Reproductive Health Unit - The Wonder Years.
Click here to view the Michigan Department of Education Science Content Expectations for 6th Grade.
Earth Science: Solid Earth, Earth in Space and Time
Sixth grade students develop a deeper understanding of the Earth through the exploration of the rock cycle, phenomena that shape the Earth, and Earth’s history. In the elementary curriculum, students observed a variety of Earth materials and identified different properties that help sustain life. Sixth grade students explore the formation and weathering of rocks and how different soil types are formed. Their knowledge continues through study of movement of lithospheric plates, major geological events, and layers of the Earth. Students are introduced to the concept of the Earth as a magnet. (Michigan Department of Education)
Solid Earth - Wegener Speech
Structure of Matter
Sixth grade students deepen their understanding of changes in matter by exploring states in terms of the arrangement and motion of atoms and molecules. They are given the opportunity to design investigations that provide evidence that mass is conserved as it changes from state to state. (Michigan Department of Education)
Unit Websites:
Interdependence of Life: Organization of Living Things and Ecosystems
The study of life science in the elementary curriculum has introduced students to roles organisms play in a food web, their needs to survive, and the physical and behavioral characteristics that help them survive. The elementary student has a beginning understanding of the dependency of organisms on one another and balance in an ecosystem’s food web. Sixth grade students build on their prior knowledge by exploring classifications of organisms based on their source of energy (producers, consumers, and decomposers) and distinguish between ways in which organisms obtain energy. The study of ecosystems at this level includes interactions of organisms within populations, communities, and ecosystems including examples in the Great Lakes region. Students recognize patterns in ecosystems and broaden their understanding from the way one species lives in an environment to how populations and communities interact. They explore how populations can be mutually beneficial and how that relationship can lead to interdependency.
The final course of study in ecosystems for the sixth grader includes biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem that influence change. Included is the consequence of overpopulation of a species, including humans. Students explore how humans affect change, purposefully and accidentally, and recognize possible consequences for activity and development. (Michigan Department of Education)
Click here to view the Michigan Department of Education Science Content Expectations for 6th Grade.
Earth Science: Solid Earth, Earth in Space and Time
Sixth grade students develop a deeper understanding of the Earth through the exploration of the rock cycle, phenomena that shape the Earth, and Earth’s history. In the elementary curriculum, students observed a variety of Earth materials and identified different properties that help sustain life. Sixth grade students explore the formation and weathering of rocks and how different soil types are formed. Their knowledge continues through study of movement of lithospheric plates, major geological events, and layers of the Earth. Students are introduced to the concept of the Earth as a magnet. (Michigan Department of Education)
Solid Earth - Wegener Speech
- Movement of Earth/Seasons Animation
- This Dynamic Earth
- Sea Floor Spreading
- Plate Tectonic Map
- Topographical Features ppt
- Layers of the Earth Song
- Weathering, Erosion, Deposition ppt
- Rocks - Geology.com
- Intro to Rock Cycle with Animation and a game
- Rock Cycle Explained and Demonstrated
- Interactive Rock Cycle Animation
- Interactive Rock Cycle Diagram
- Interactive Rock Cycle
- Rock Cycle Game
- Rock Cycle Quiz
- http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/rockssoils.html
- See if you can Figure out what kind of rock you have using this site
- Rock Song
Structure of Matter
Sixth grade students deepen their understanding of changes in matter by exploring states in terms of the arrangement and motion of atoms and molecules. They are given the opportunity to design investigations that provide evidence that mass is conserved as it changes from state to state. (Michigan Department of Education)
Unit Websites:
- Bill Nye - Atoms, Part 1 Bill Nye - Atoms, Part 2
- Quizlet - Use this to study vocabulary terms for this unit
- Changes of State Reading Material for Phase Change Lab Report
- The Periodic Table of the Elements
- Information about the Elements of the Periodic Table
- ChemiCool - Element Information
- Interactive Periodic Table
- Interactive Periodic Table #2
- Density
- States of Matter (demonstration)
- Lab Station #7 - be sure to go to Chapter 2 Changes of State
Interdependence of Life: Organization of Living Things and Ecosystems
The study of life science in the elementary curriculum has introduced students to roles organisms play in a food web, their needs to survive, and the physical and behavioral characteristics that help them survive. The elementary student has a beginning understanding of the dependency of organisms on one another and balance in an ecosystem’s food web. Sixth grade students build on their prior knowledge by exploring classifications of organisms based on their source of energy (producers, consumers, and decomposers) and distinguish between ways in which organisms obtain energy. The study of ecosystems at this level includes interactions of organisms within populations, communities, and ecosystems including examples in the Great Lakes region. Students recognize patterns in ecosystems and broaden their understanding from the way one species lives in an environment to how populations and communities interact. They explore how populations can be mutually beneficial and how that relationship can lead to interdependency.
The final course of study in ecosystems for the sixth grader includes biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem that influence change. Included is the consequence of overpopulation of a species, including humans. Students explore how humans affect change, purposefully and accidentally, and recognize possible consequences for activity and development. (Michigan Department of Education)