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HOU Middle
School Curriculum Materials
and National Standards
HOU embraces the inquiry-based
approach to learning outlined in the NRC National Science Education Standards
which state that in grades 5-8 students should develop the ability to:
- Clarify questions
and inquiries and direct them toward objects and phenomena that
can be described, explained, or predicted by scientific investigation.
- Formulate questions,
design investigations, execute investigations, interpret data,
use evidence to generate explanations, propose alternative explanations,
and critique explanations and procedures.
- Use appropriate
tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.
- Communicate scientific
procedures and explanations.
Content-wise, the HOU
middle school curriculum pays heed to NRC National Science Education
Content Standards for Earth and Space Science (CONTENT STANDARD D) which
states that
"A major goal of science in the middle grades is for students to develop an understanding
of earth and the solar system as a set of closely coupled systems."
Specific elements of the Content Standards in Earth
and Space Science are
- The earth is the
third planet from the sun in a system that includes the moon, the
sun, eight other planets and their moons, and smaller objects, such
as asteroids and comets. The sun, an average star, is the central
and largest body in the solar system.[See Unifying Concepts and Processes]
- Most objects in
the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. Those motions
explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the moon,
and eclipses.
- Gravity is the force
that keeps planets in orbit around the sun and governs the rest of
the motion in the solar system. Gravity alone holds us to the earth's
surface and explains the phenomena of the tides.
- The sun is the major
source of energy for phenomena on the earth's surface, such as growth
of plants, winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle. Seasons result
from variations in the amount of the sun's energy hitting the surface,
due to the tilt of the earth's rotation on its axis and the length
of the day.
The National Standards
also include in Science and Technology (CONTENT STANDARD E):
"Science and technology are reciprocal. Science helps drive technology, as it
addresses questions that demand more sophisticated instruments and provides principles
for better instrumentation and technique. Technology is essential to science,
because it provides instruments and techniques that enable observations of objects
and phenomena that are otherwise unobservable due to factors such as quantity,
distance, location, size, and speed. Technology also provides tools for investigations,
inquiry, and analysis."
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