Background on Unit 1

Throughout the year, I will be working closely with my current TUSD Connect fellow, Jana, and her teaching partner and one of the TUSD Robotics coaches, Angelica, to help determine weekly agendas that will connect each unit's overarching concept into a variety of lessons using new instructional models to try and meet the requirements of the NGSS. Both Jana and Angelica were on the curriculum design team that met for a week in August to begin designing the day to day lessons in Unit 1. Together, we will reflect on the implementation of these lessons to hopefully help others in their transition to the NGSS.

In Unit 1, we will be focusing our lessons around the overarching concept  that "Living and nonliving things are made of atoms."

We begin the unit by looking at the big picture of ecosystem dynamics in Earth's web of life. We will build on the 6th grade curriculum, going deeper into the atomic level of living systems with the organization of life. This shift will begin our study of chemistry, learning about the structure and function of atoms and molecules that make up living and nonliving matter (MS-PS1-1). We will also discover how the physical and chemical properties of the elements could help us identify a mystery metal, like the coins found by a California couple known as the Saddle Ridge Hoard.

We will then transition into molecular motion and states of matter where students will model how thermal energy is added or subtracted within systems in order for states of matter to change. We will investigate states of matter further and the law of thermodynamics with several hands-on labs (MS-PS1-4).

We will end this unit with a look at the distribution of natural resources and the state in which they exists around the globe. We will conclude with student presentations on how the amount of or lack of a particular natural resource affects the ecosystem in given areas around the world (MS-ESS3-1, MS-LS2-1).

Throughout this unit and the entire year, our focus is to try and create a student-centered culture in our classrooms that promotes student inquiry and requires students to formulate their own understandings rather than simply providing the information they need to know. We will also be focused on meeting the district's TUSD Connect Vision which is:

We will continue to focus on including and increasing the rigor of scientific literacy in our curriculum to meet individual school site writing goals and the goals of CCSS and the NGSS.

I want to mention how appreciative I am to Jana and Angelica for taking this huge risk of opening their classroom doors and sharing their reflections with the rest of us who are following along. Thank You!