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Getting Started - Easy as  1-2-3

Enjoy the new menu and assessments. If you would like to reference the old menu, scroll down on the page.

6th Grade

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Administer this e-survey at beginning of school year and at school year end.

Are You Changing Perceptions?

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Meet the Micro:bits

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Meet Meeka Microscope

Coding is easy and fun when students meet the micro:bits. Learn to write and download code, so you are ready to create your own scientific tools!

Before you start using the microscopes, do this fun get-to-know-you lab.

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Hands-on Labs Menu Organized by Journal Article Chapter

STEMTaught Journal Article 1 (Pg 10-36)

All Living Things Are Made of Cells

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS1-1: Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells, either of one cell or of many different numbers and types of cells.

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Cells in Pond Water

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Your students will be amazed at the life that can be found with a single drop of water. 

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Bubble Bots are on the Move

Manipulate angles and coordinate axes 

Students assign movements the bubble bots to make them move over geometric puzzle backgrounds. Make your bubble bot trace obtuse angles, acute angles and various triangles, parallelograms, and shapes.

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Programming Challenge:

Bacterial Multiplication Rate!

One bacterium divides to make two bacteria every 20 minutes. Create an interactive visual of bacteria multiplication rate. 

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STEMTaught Journal Article 2 (Pg 37-69)

What's Inside a Cell? - Discovering Organelles

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS1-1: Develop a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole, and ways that parts of a cell contribute the function of a cell.

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Discovering Plant Cells

Students explore plant cells under the microscope and discover the cellular structures that all living things are made from. 

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Organelle Bingo

Print 34 unique Bingo Cards to practice Organelle . 

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STEMTaught Journal Article 3 (Pg 37-69)

Body Systems: The Anatomical Studies of Leonardo da Vinci

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS1-3: Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.

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Programming Tutorial:

Digestive System Game!

Students create a simple maze game using if statements. 

Programming Tutorial:

Digestive System Game!

Students create a simple maze game using if statements. 

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STEMTaught Journal Article 4 (Pg 104-132)

Sensory Receptors- How We Understand a Complex World

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS1-8: Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories.

Nervous System

Students explore basic principles of electricity and relate them to how our nervous system functions. nerve.

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Digital Conductor Circuit

Program a conductivity tester  

You can code a micro:bit to test a materials conductivity. 

STEMTaught Journal Article 5 (Pg 37-69)

Survival Is in Our Genes: Genetics and the Environment Affect Our Growth

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS1-5: Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.

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Genetics Generator

Program an interactive genetic code 

Students code a set of micro:bits to randomly select genetic traits.

STEMTaught Journal Article 6 (Pg 160 - 177)

Using a Punnett Square: Predicting Variation in Genetic Traits

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS3-2: Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation..

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Programming Tutorial:

Interactive Punnet Square

Students create an interactive Punnet Square.

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STEMTaught Journal Article 7 (178 - 203)

The Parts of a Flower: Pollination in Flowering Plants

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS1-4: Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.

Discovering Flowers

Students dissect flowers under the microscope.  They  are on a quest to discover specialized structures involved in plant reproduction. They identify pollen, anthers, pistil, stamen, ovary, and undeveloped seeds in various flower samples. 

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STEMTaught Journal Article 8 (Pg 204 - 231)

Animal Parenting: What Works and Who does It Best?

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS1-4: Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals.

Nesting Eagle Observation

In a series of wildlife observation sessions students watch a nesting pair of eagles and discover how they cooperate to raise their young.    

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My Pet Micro:bit

Students program their micro:bit to as an electronic pet. They can imagine what they want it to do and program it to respond to inputs. For example, a cricket goes to sleep in the day and begins chirp at night. they could make their micro:bit pet respond to light in a similar way.

STEMTaught Journal Article 9 (Pg 232-261)

Earth's Water: It Freezes, It Flows, It Floats

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS1-1: Develop a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole, and ways that parts of a cell contribute the function of a cell.

Groundwater and Surface Tension

Students explore the properties of water and reservoir rock related to groundwater. They test and observe the porosity and permeability of sedimentary rocks.

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Digital Temperature Transmitter

Program your own digital thermometer  

You can code the instructions that teach a pair of micro:bits how to become a remote sensing thermometer. Use one micro:bit to transmit its temperature reading on a radio channel. Use your other micro:bit to receive the signal.

Make a Thermometer

Students explore the properties of water by making a thermometer.

STEMTaught Journal Article 10 (Electronic Article)

Learning and Memory - A Breeze Through Brainland

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS1-1: Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories (This article has emphasis on the brain and memory).

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Students close their eyes and step into the world of Braille. They feel, guess and graph their way through this amazing experience designed by Karen Arcos, our blind neuroscience author.  

Braille Lab

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Memory Game

Program a random code generator

You can code a micro:bit to generate random numbers and test your friends memories.

STEMTaught Journal Article 11 (Electronic Article)

Gene Mutations Make New Traits - A Competition to be Better, Faster, and Smarter

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes MS-LS3-1: Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism.

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STEMTaught Engineering Activity (Engineering Design)

Paper Rocket design

Energy and Motion MS-PS3-5: Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the motion energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object. 

Stomp Rocket Design

Students launch paper rockets to discover what makes a good rocket design using the engineering design process.

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3-2-1 Countdown Timer

Students make a 3-2-1 blast off count down timer. They program the timing and display of numbers and a simple animation on their micro:bit.

In designing these labs we strive for FIVE STARS

Next Gen SAS (Short and Simple)

Sixth Grade

 

Biology-  All living things are made of cells (MS-LS1-1). Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.

 

Biology-  Cell organelles (MS-LS1-2). Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function  

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Biology-  Body systems (MS-LS1-3). Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells. (circulatory, excretory, digestive, respiratory, muscular, and nervous systems)

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Biology-  Sensory Receptors (MS-LS1-8). Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories.

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Biology-  Plant reproduction (MS-LS1-4.). Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.  

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Biology-  Heredity (MS-LS1-5). Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.  Describe specialized plant structures. 

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Biology-  The energy cycle and carbon cycle (MS-LS1-6). Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.  

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Biology-  We are what you eat (MS-LS1-7). Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism. 

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Biology-  Gene Mutations (MMS-LS3-1). Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism. 

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Biology-  Asexual Reproduction (MS-LS3-2). Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.

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Earth Science-  Hydrologic Cycle (MS-ESS2-4). Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the ways water changes its state as it moves through the multiple pathways of the hydrologic cycle.   Examples of models can be conceptual or physical.] [Assessment Boundary: A quantitative understanding of the latent heats of vaporization and fusion is not assessed.

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Earth's Systems (MS-ESS2-6.). Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how patterns vary   by latitude, altitude, and geographic land distribution. Emphasis of atmospheric circulation is on the sunlight-driven latitudinal banding, the Coriolis effect, and resulting prevailing winds; emphasis of ocean circulation is on the transfer of heat by the global ocean convection cycle, which is constrained by the Coriolis effect.] 

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Energy and Motion-  Kinetic energy related to mass (MS-PS3-1 ). Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object. Emphasis is on kinetic energy and mass separately  from kinetic energy and speed.  Examples can include riding a bike at different speeds, rolling different sized rocks downhill and getting hit by a wiffel ball vs a tennis ball.

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Energy and Motion-  Potential energy (MS-PS3-2). Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system. Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on relative amounts of potential energy, not on calculations of potential energy. Examples of objects within systems interacting at varying distances could include: the Earth and either a roller coaster cart at varying positions 

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Energy and Motion-  Kinetic energy transfer(MS-PS3-5 ). Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the motion energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object. 

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Heat Transfer-  Design insulators and conductors (MS-PS3-2 ). Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.*   [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices could include an insulated box, a solar cooker, and a Styrofoam cup.]

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Heat Transfer-  Thermal inertia (MS-PS3-4). Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.   [Clarification Statement: Examples of experiments could include comparing final water temperatures after different masses of ice melted in the same volume of water with the same initial temperature, the temperature change of samples of different materials with the same mass as they cool or heat in the environment, or the same material with different masses when a specific amount of energy is added.]

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