Yokohama International School

Back to School Night Information 2010

GENERAL SCIENCE

Grade 6 Teacher: Mr. Robinson

Grade 7 Teachers: Mr. Lorimer and Mr. Robinson
Grade 8 Teachers: Mr. Robinson and Mr. Ware
Course Aims
The middle school General Science courses are designed to
encourage students to recognise, describe, use, and apply
scientific ideas to explain the physical world. Students
experience learning sequences that develop critical thinking and
practical skills. These help them to understand the world around
them and communicate their ideas thoughtfully.

Skills
Scientific inquiry has a central place in science because it helps
pupils to understand how scientific ideas are developed. Also, the
skills and processes of scientific inquiry are useful in many
everyday situations.

In General Science students:

• Think critically
• Test out ideas experimentally
• Develop laboratory skills
• Use collaborative approaches to solving problems
• Appreciate the importance of experimental evidence

Class materials
When attending science class there are a number of materials that
students must bring to each lesson:
• The text “Spotlight Science”
• 2 ring folder with loose sheets of A4 for notes and
experiments
• Blue or black pen
• Pencil and eraser

Homework
A small amount of homework will be given for most lessons and will
be checked once a week on an assigned day. It is the students'
responsibility to record the homework in their diary and ensure it
is completed. Progress reports are sent home for students who
consistently fail to complete homework.

Days when homework will be checked are as follows:

Class.......Week A...........Week B
6A..........TUESDAY..........MONDAY
6B..........TUESDAY..........TUESDAY
6C..........TUESDAY..........TUESDAY
7A..........WEDNESDAY........WEDNESDAY
7B..........MONDAY...........MONDAY
7C..........WEDNESDAY........WEDNESDAY
8A..........MONDAY...........MONDAY
8B..........MONDAY...........TUESDAY
8C..........WEDNESDAY........TUESDAY

*If a student is away and misses class, please email the teacher
for a copy of the class notes and homework that is to be
completed.
Assessment
Students in General Science are assessed according to 6 criteria
which cover a range of knowledge and skills. Each criteria is
scored on a scale of 0 to 6, with 6 being the highest possible
score. A score of 3 or below is considered unsatisfactory.

Throughout the year students will complete several assessment

tasks that are used to gauge their progress. These include tests,
projects, experiment reports, and exams. Each of these is graded
using the assessment criteria, and is used to determine the final
grade on the report card. The final grade for each criteria is not
an average, but the recently sustained level of achievement.

If a student is to miss an assessment for any reason, please

contact the teacher and inform them in advance. This way an
alternative time can be arranged.

Criteria
Criteria are used by the teacher and student to decide how well
the student has performed on an assessment task. The criteria are:
A) One world. This means how well a student understands the role
of science in society.
B) Communication in science. This means how well a student is
able to communicate scientific information.
C) Knowledge and understanding in science. This means how well a
student understands the scientific ideas and concepts.
D) Scientific inquiry. This means how well a student can design
and carry out experiments.
E) Processing data. This means how well a student is able to
organise and process data- including graphs and calculations.
F) Attitudes in science. This means how well a student works
with others. Are they safe, respectful, and cooperative.

Assessment Tasks
The assessment tasks this year have not changed from last year.
The tasks include:
3 tests (4 tests for grade 6)
1 exam (for grade 7 & 8 only)
3 experiment reports
1 poster project
1 experiment design project

Folios
Students will place all completed assessment tasks into a folio-
which in General Science is called the “student codex”. They will
take the codex home to show you twice a year, and you can discuss
it with them at the student led conferences later in the year.
Experiments and Practical Learning
Experimentation is central to the pursuit of scientific knowledge.
It is something scientists do every day, and is a practical way to
introduce students to the scientific method. As such, experiments
will be conducted on a regular basis throughout this course.

Experiments are written up on loose sheets of A4 and placed in the

back of the students' folders behind a divider. Students will be
shown a specific way to document their experiments, and they will
be expected to do so for each experiment that they conduct. These
experiments are to be kept together and will be periodically
collected and graded.

General Science Website (http://blogs.yis.ac.jp/robinsond)

This year General Science will not use the YIS web site, but will
instead be using the YIS learning hub.

The hub contains important student resources and is where

important due dates and reminders are posted. While a hard copy of
all documents is given to students, and due dates are written in
the students' diaries, you may find the hub a useful place to keep
track of what your children should be working on.

Course overviews:

In grade 6 students study the following units:

1. The scientific method
2. Organisms
3. Living interactions
4. Energy, forces, and space
5. Matter

In grade 7 students study the following units:

1. Energy for life
2. Transport and immunity
3. The Earth and its chemistry
4. Thermal and Electrical Energy
5. Waves

In grade 8 students study the following units:

1. Magnets
2. Forces and Speed
3. Pressure and Leverage
4. Chemicals and Reactions
5. Metals and Reactivity
6. Acids and Bases
7. Inheritance and Selection
8. Ecology and Evolution
9. Plants and the Biosphere