8th Grade Science Syllabus

Southeast Polk Junior High

Mr. Aldrich
jon.aldrich@southeastpolk.org
aldrichscience.weebly.com

Course Description
● 8th grade science will be an exciting and challenging year focused on the
following topics: Wave types and their characteristics, forces and motion, natural
selection and evolution, earth’s systems, natural resources, and climate change.

● Within each unit I utilize pre and post tests as tools to assess whether students
have met the standards according to the Iowa Common Core. Checks for
understanding and quizzes are used to see growth within the unit to reach the
standards. The students will monitor their own progress and create goals each
unit to achieve the standards or go beyond.

● I use inquiry methods and engineering in many of the science lessons throughout
the year. Inquiry is used to engage students in problem solving and critical
thinking. The engineering lessons are used to stimulate creativity and teamwork.

Course Objectives
● Students should come away with these essential understandings after taking this
course:
○ Everything you see and hear is due to the properties of matter and
electromagnetic waves.
○ Newton’s Laws give us a way to understand invisible forces and their effect on
objects in motion and at rest.
○ Life on Earth has changed radically over 4.6 billion years, as we can tell from
examining the fossil record.
○ Natural selection is the driving force behind evolutionary change in organisms.
○ Energy from the sun and the rotation of the earth give us the diversity of climates
and weather patterns on our planet.
○ Human activities are major factors in global warming; however, we can reduce
this negative impact with science.

Grading
● The following three categories are how students are graded in 8th grade science:
○ Assessments (Post Tests/Projects) - ​60%
○ Instructional Activities (Homework, In-class assignments, Labs) - ​30%
○ Quizzes - ​10%
Communication Protocols
 ● Please access my website (aldrichscience.weebly.com) weekly for updates on
assignments and dates for testing. The site will be updated weekly by Sunday
evening at the latest.
● Please allow at least 24 hours for a response if an email was sent with questions
or concerns.

Electronic Device Policy

● Cell phones are not allowed in class in ​any​ capacity according to the school
handbook.

Class Rules
● Respect yourself, your peers, your teacher, and your surroundings.
● Raise your hand silently to speak.
● Follow all directions quickly the first time they are given.

Course Calendar

Aug 23 - Aug 29 First week/ Intro to 8th Science Lessons (1 week)

Aug 30 - Sep 8 Review Atoms/ Matter (1.5 weeks)

Sep 11 - Oct 13 Waves Unit (5 weeks)

Sep 14 - 15 ELC TRIP

Oct 16 - Nov 10 Forces and Motion Unit (4 weeks)

Nov 13 - Nov 22 Science Fair Project (1.5 weeks)

Nov 27 - Dec 22 Evidence of Common Ancestry (4 weeks)

Jan 3 - Feb 2 Natural Selection (4 weeks)

Feb 5 - Mar 23 Earth’s Systems (6 weeks)

Mar 26 - May 2 Natural Resources and Climate Change (6 weeks)

May 10 - 11 ELC TRIP

May 3 - May 26 Fuel Cell Car (3 weeks)

Class Culture
Here are two quotes by Albert Einstein that sum up what I want my class culture to be:
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
“If you want to live a happy life tie it to a ​goal​, not to people or objects.”