SEVENTH GRADE

Life Science

Seventh-grade students experience a wide range of physical and psychological changes during this stage of development where peer perception and social interaction play major roles. As students seek to distance themselves from younger students, they must be encouraged to preserve the excitement of discovery while developing the self-discipline necessary for mastery of concepts at a higher level.

A variety of instructional strategies and techniques is essential for guiding students in Grade 7. Teachers must capitalize on the need for students to communicate and interact with classmates while harnessing their energy and enthusiasm for constructive learning activities. “Hands-on,” “minds-on” learning by doing provides an excellent method of instruction for students at this stage as learning progresses from the concrete to the abstract and from knowledge to application in science.

The focus of the Life Science course allows seventh-grade students to connect the dynamics of the sixth-grade Earth and Space Science course with the rules that govern the known universe in the eighth-grade Physical Science course. As students’ lives are affected daily by growth and experience, the curriculum for this age group provides the means for understanding the mechanisms behind maturity and development. Seventh-grade learners are ready to explore and question new ideas and theories. To preserve their natural curiosity and channel their focus on content, students in Grade 7 are encouraged to develop an appreciation for the importance of diversity of life while simultaneously understanding the impact their roles as individuals play in the community of life.

Cherokee County Schools: This Curriculum Guide shows one possible way that the Alabama Course of Study: Science standards may be presented over the time of a particular class. The guide also shows alignment with state mandated student assessment objectives as well as newly adopted county textbooks.

The 7^th and 8^th grade curriculum guides are based on a block schedule using 96 minutes of class time with the course being taught over approximately 19 weeks, or one semester. The 6^th grade curriculum guide is based on a regular schedule with the class time being approximately 50 minutes and the class lasting all year or 37 - 38 weeks. The 7^th and 8^th grade guides can be used on a regular 50-minute class schedule if the suggested time frames are approximately doubled. (If one chapter is covered in one week on a block schedule, the same material will take approximately 2 weeks on a regular schedule.)

The resources that are included in the county’s newly adopted textbooks are an excellent source of materials. There are many hands-on activities, transparencies, PowerPoint presentations, and demonstrations that can be used in class to enhance your presentation of the particular subject being taught. The Lab Activities include instructions as well as needed materials to perform the activity. The activities found in the “Additional Resources” of the Curriculum guide are included as extra suggestions that may be used in addition to resources included with the new textbook material. They are not to be considered an exhaustive list of suggestions, but merely as a starting point.

7th Grade

Alabama Course of Study: Science	Timeline	Stanford 10	Alabama High School Graduation Exam	Textbook Prentice Hall: Science Explorer – Grade 7	Additional Resources/ Activities
LIFE SCIENCE Students will: Describe characteristics common to living things, including growth and development, reproduction, cellular organization, use of energy, exchange of gases, and response to the environment. - Identify homeostasis as the process by which an organism responds to its internal or external environment - Predict how an organism’s behavior impacts the environment - Identify unicellular organisms, including bacteria and protists, by locomotion, reproduction, ingestion, excretion, and effects on other organisms - Identify the structure of a virus	Week 1, 2, 5	X	Standard III, Objective 1: Distinguish among taxonomic groups by major characteristics. Standard V, Objective 1: Distinguish among cell structures, functions, and organization in living organisms	Chapter 1 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 2 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 7 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4	Use microscope to show students microscopic organisms. Have students construct cell model.
Identify functions of organelles found in eukaryotic cells, including the nucleus, cell membrane, cell wall, mitochondria, chloroplasts, and vacuoles. - Identify components of the cell theory - Identify cells as prokaryotic or eukaryotic - List the sequence of the mitotic cell cycle	Week 3-4		Standard V, Objective 1: Distinguish among cell structures, functions, and organization in living organisms Standard V, Objective 2: Differentiate between mitosis and meiosis	Chapter 3 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5	Observe plant and animal cells using the microscope. Draw plant and animal cells.
Identify major differences between plants and animals, including internal structures, external structures, methods of locomotion, methods of reproduction, and stages of development. - Describe the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration	Week 3-4, 5-6	X	Standard II, Objective 1: Trace the transfer of matter and energy through biological systems Standard III, Objective 2: Differentiate structures, functions, and characteristics of plants Standard III, Objective 3: Differentiate structures, functions, and characteristics of animals Standard V, Objective 1: Distinguish among cell structures, functions, and organization in living organisms	Chapter 3 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Chapter 8 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5	Observe plant and animal cells using the microscope. Draw plant and animal cells.
4. Describe organisms in the six-kingdom classification system by their characteristics. - Recognize genus and species as components of a scientific name - Identify contributions of Aristotle and Linnaeus to the early history of taxonomy	Week 2	X	Standard III, Objective 1: Distinguish among taxonomic groups by major characteristics.	Chapter 2 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4	Collect pictures of as many different organisms as possible and construct a poster
8. Describe the functions of chromosomes. - Identify genes as parts of chromosomes that carry genetic traits	Week 7-8		Standard IV, Objective 2: Explain how the DNA molecule transfers genetic information from parent to offspring	Chapter 4 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 5 Section 1, 2, 3	Construct karyotypes.
9. Identify the process of chromosome reduction in the production of sperm and egg cells during meiosis.	Week 7-8		Standard IV, Objective 2: Explain how the DNA molecule transfers genetic information from parent to offspring Standard V, Objective 2: Differentiate between mitosis and meiosis	Chapter 4 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 5 Section 1, 2, 3	Model meiosis
10. Identify differences between deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). - Identify Watson and Crick as scientists who discovered the shape of the DNA molecule	Week 7-8		Standard IV, Objective 2: Explain how the DNA molecule transfers genetic information from parent to offspring	Chapter 4 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 5 Section 1, 2, 3	Construct DNA models
11. Identify Mendel’s laws of genetics. - Recognize Down’s syndrome and sickle cell anemia as inherited genetic disorders - Use a monohybrid Punnett square to predict the probability of traits passed from parents to offspring	Week 7-8		Standard IV, Objective 1: Recognize heritable characteristics of organisms	Chapter 4 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 5 Section 1, 2, 3	Fill in and use Punnett squares for monohybrid crosses
6. Describe evidence of species variation due to climate, changing landforms, interspecies interaction, and genetic mutation.	Week 9	X	Standard VI, Objective 1: Demonstrate an understanding of factors that affect the dynamic equilibrium of populations and ecosystems	Chapter 6 Sections 1, 2, 3	Research Darwin’s findings and his travels using Internet
7. Describe biotic and abiotic factors in the environment. - Classify organisms as autotrophs or heterotrophs - Arrange the sequence of energy flow in an ecosystem through food webs, food chains, and energy pyramids	Week 10, 11, 12	X	Standard II, Objective 1: Trace the transfer of matter and energy through biological systems Standard VI, Objective 1: Demonstrate an understanding of factors that affect the dynamic equilibrium of populations and ecosystems	Chapter 21 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 22 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4	Construct food chains and pyramids using pictures of organisms Research and draw examples of biomes
3. Relate major tissues and organs of the skeletal, circulatory, reproductive, muscular, respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems to their functions. - Arrange in order the organizational levels of the human body from the cell through organ systems	Week 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19	X	Standard III, Objective 3: Differentiate structures, functions, and characteristics of animals Standard V, Objective 1: Distinguish among cell structures, functions, and organization in living organisms	Chapter 14 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 15 Sections 1, 2, 3 Chapter 16 Sections 1, 2, 3 Chapter 17 Sections 1, 2, 3 Chapter 19 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter 20 Sections 1, 2, 3	Research different diseases or conditions of each system Draw organs that make up each system and make a portfolio

Alabama Course of Study: Science

Timeline

Stanford

Alabama High School Graduation Exam

Textbook

Prentice Hall:

Science Explorer – Grade 7

Additional Resources/

Activities

LIFE SCIENCE

Students will:

Describe characteristics common to living things, including growth and development, reproduction, cellular organization, use of energy, exchange of gases, and response to the environment.

- Identify homeostasis as the process by which an organism responds to its internal or external environment

- Predict how an organism’s behavior impacts the environment

- Identify unicellular organisms, including bacteria and protists, by locomotion, reproduction, ingestion, excretion, and effects on other organisms

- Identify the structure of a virus

Week 1, 2, 5

Standard III, Objective 1:

Distinguish among taxonomic groups by major characteristics.

Standard V, Objective 1:

Distinguish among cell structures, functions, and organization in living organisms

Chapter 1

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Chapter 2

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Chapter 7

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Use microscope to show students microscopic organisms.

Have students construct cell model.

Identify functions of organelles found in eukaryotic cells, including the nucleus, cell membrane, cell wall, mitochondria, chloroplasts, and vacuoles.

- Identify components of the cell theory

- Identify cells as prokaryotic or eukaryotic

- List the sequence of the mitotic cell cycle

Week 3-4

Standard V, Objective 1:

Distinguish among cell structures, functions, and organization in living organisms

Standard V, Objective 2:

Differentiate between mitosis and meiosis

Chapter 3

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Observe plant and animal cells using the microscope.

Draw plant and animal cells.

Identify major differences between plants and animals, including internal structures, external structures, methods of locomotion, methods of reproduction, and stages of development.

- Describe the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration

Week 3-4, 5-6

Standard II, Objective 1:

Trace the transfer of matter and energy through biological systems

Standard III, Objective 2:

Differentiate structures, functions, and characteristics of plants

Standard III, Objective 3:

Differentiate structures, functions, and characteristics of animals

Standard V, Objective 1:

Distinguish among cell structures, functions, and organization in living organisms

Chapter 3

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Chapter 8

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Observe plant and animal cells using the microscope.

Draw plant and animal cells.

4. Describe organisms in the six-kingdom classification system by their characteristics.

- Recognize genus and species as components of a scientific name

- Identify contributions of Aristotle and Linnaeus to the early history of taxonomy

Week 2

Standard III, Objective 1:

Distinguish among taxonomic groups by major characteristics.

Chapter 2

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Collect pictures of as many different organisms as possible and construct a poster

8. Describe the functions of chromosomes.

- Identify genes as parts of chromosomes that carry

genetic traits

Week 7-8

Standard IV, Objective 2:

Explain how the DNA molecule transfers genetic information from parent to offspring

Chapter 4

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Chapter 5

Section 1, 2, 3

Construct karyotypes.

9. Identify the process of chromosome reduction in

the production of sperm and egg cells during

meiosis.

Week 7-8

Standard IV, Objective 2:

Explain how the DNA molecule transfers genetic information from parent to offspring

Standard V, Objective 2:

Differentiate between mitosis and meiosis

Chapter 4

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Chapter 5

Section 1, 2, 3

Model meiosis

10. Identify differences between deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).

- Identify Watson and Crick as scientists who

discovered the shape of the DNA molecule

Week 7-8

Standard IV, Objective 2:

Explain how the DNA molecule transfers genetic information from parent to offspring

Chapter 4

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Chapter 5

Section 1, 2, 3

Construct DNA models

11. Identify Mendel’s laws of genetics.

- Recognize Down’s syndrome and sickle cell anemia as inherited genetic disorders

- Use a monohybrid Punnett square to predict the probability of traits passed from parents to offspring

Week 7-8

Standard IV, Objective 1:

Recognize heritable characteristics of organisms

Chapter 4

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Chapter 5

Section 1, 2, 3

Fill in and use Punnett squares for monohybrid crosses

6. Describe evidence of species variation due to climate, changing landforms, interspecies interaction, and genetic mutation.

Week 9

Standard VI, Objective 1:

Demonstrate an understanding of factors that affect the dynamic equilibrium of populations and ecosystems

Chapter 6

Sections 1, 2, 3

Research Darwin’s findings and his travels using Internet

7. Describe biotic and abiotic factors in the environment.

- Classify organisms as autotrophs or heterotrophs

- Arrange the sequence of energy flow in an ecosystem through food webs, food chains, and energy pyramids

Week 10, 11, 12

Standard II, Objective 1:

Trace the transfer of matter and energy through biological systems

Standard VI, Objective 1:

Demonstrate an understanding of factors that affect the dynamic equilibrium of populations and ecosystems

Chapter 21

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Chapter 22

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Construct food chains and pyramids using pictures of organisms

Research and draw examples of biomes

3. Relate major tissues and organs of the skeletal, circulatory, reproductive, muscular, respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems to their functions.

- Arrange in order the organizational levels of the human body from the cell through organ systems

Week 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Standard III, Objective 3:

Differentiate structures, functions, and characteristics of animals

Standard V, Objective 1:

Distinguish among cell structures, functions, and organization in living organisms

Chapter 14

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Chapter 15

Sections 1, 2, 3

Chapter 16

Sections 1, 2, 3

Chapter 17

Sections 1, 2, 3

Chapter 19

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4

Chapter 20

Sections 1, 2, 3

Research different diseases or conditions of each system

Draw organs that make up each system and make a portfolio