Pre - First Academics
Pre-first is a transitional year between Kindergarten and First Grade. The purpose of Pre-First is to give children developmentally young but academically advanced another year to refine their social skills.
Glenwood Academy specializes in affordable, private education in Howard County.
Language Arts:
The Pre-First Grade language arts program integrates reading, writing, listening, thinking, speaking, and language skills with the goal of developing student's fluency in reading and writing. The children are reading literature at a First Grade level.
The reading program in Pre-First is phonics-based and offers experiences rich in language and literature. Students continue to use sounds and spellings to create words. They also work on phonemic awareness and blending, and learn to recognize context clues and high frequency words. Students are taught to predict, interpret, and make connections between what's being read and what's already known to further enhance their skills as readers. Children enjoy a wide variety of reading materials including easy-to-read stories, folk and fairy tales, fables, fantasies, realistic fiction, expository text, plays, poetry.
Students use learned sounds and spellings in their own writing. They work on developing sentences with an emphasis on capitalization, punctuation, appropriate word usage, and proper sentence structure. Writing assignments include dictation, group stories, individual writing projects, and journal writing. Students are encouraged to proofread and self-correct.
Mathematics:
The Pre-First grade math program uses an exploratory, hands-on approach to help students reason mathematically, communicate mathematically, develop multiple problem solving strategies, and make mathematical connections. Computational practice is an integral part of instruction. The program builds on previous experience, offers repeated exposure to mathematical concepts, incorporates technology, and integrates math into ongoing daily routines across the curriculum with a special emphasis on Science and Social Studies.
Units in Pre-First focus on counting by ones, twos, fives, and tens forward and backward up to and beyond 100, identifying place value (one's, tens, and hundreds), determining fractions, adding and subtracting number facts to twenty and with tens from any number, identifying and writing number models for story problems, creating and graphing data, naming geometric figures, measuring in centimeters and inches, reading time in hours and minutes, determining number operations and values, identifying and counting coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters), making money exchanges, and determining money equivalencies.
Social Studies:
In Pre-First grade, students learn about their classmates and their school community. They learn about the earliest settlers in our country and their resourcefulness in meeting their wants. Pre-first graders learn about the goods and services available in local communities and develop a basic understanding of the people and events celebrated in national holiday. At the end of the year, they compare the lives of children living in Mexico and two other countries with their own.
Science:
In science, Pre-First graders continue to develop previously introduced skills and concepts through hands-on activities and simple laboratory experiences. The program focuses on the three major science disciplines and includes the following topics: Earth, the Moon, rocks and fossils, properties of matter, forces, organisms and habitats.
Music:
The emphasis in Pre-First grade music is on listening to music, dancing, and moving to a variety of styles of music, and singing with the incorporation of chant, finger plays, sign language, and repetition. Rhythm activities use classroom instruments and cover various periods and expression of music.
Physical Education:
The Pre-First physical education program continues to force on the improvement of fitness, coordination, listening skills, and cooperation through a sequential emphasis on the following areas:
Advanced movement exploration activities centering on fine and gross-motor skills.
Low-organizational games that encourage cooperation in game situations.
Specific activities that target diverse skills such as throwing, catching, kicking, running, and so on.
Non-competitive individual and group activities.
itness activities are incorporated into every class.
First Grade Academics
The First Grade language arts program integrates reading, writing, listening, thinking, speaking, and language skills with the goal of developing students fluency in reading and writing. The children are reading literature at a First/Second grade level.
The reading program in First grade is phonics-based and offers experiences rich in language and literature. Students continue to use sounds and spellings to create words. They also work on phonemic awareness and blending, and learn to recognize context clues and high frequency words. Students are taught to predict, interpret, and make connections between what's being read and what's already known to further enhance their skills as readers. Children enjoy a wide variety of reading materials including easy-to-read stories, folk and fairy tales, fables, fantasies, realistic fiction, expository text, plays, poetry.
The First grade math program uses an exploratory, hands-on approach to help students reason mathematically, communicate mathematically, develop multiple problem solving strategies, and make mathematical connections. Computational practice is an integral part of instruction. The program builds on previous experience, offers repeated exposure to mathematical concepts, incorporates technology, and integrates math into ongoing daily routines across the curriculum with a special emphasis on Science and Social Studies.
Units in First focus on counting by ones, twos, fives, and tens forward and backward up to and beyond 100, identifying place value (one's, tens, and hundreds), determining fractions, adding and subtracting number facts to twenty and with tens from any number, identifying and writing number models for story problems, creating and graphing data, naming geometric figures, measuring in centimeters and inches, reading time in hours and minutes, determining number operations and values, identifying and counting coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters), making money exchanges, and determining money equivalencies.
In First grade, students learn about their classmates and their school community. They learn about the earliest settlers in our country and their resourcefulness in meeting their wants. First graders learn about the goods and services available in local communities and develop a basic understanding of the people and events celebrated in national holiday. At the end of the year, they compare the lives of children living in Mexico and two other countries with their own.
In science, First graders continue to develop previously introduced skills and concepts through hands-on activities and simple laboratory experiences. The program focuses on the three major science disciplines and includes the following topics: Earth, the Moon, rocks and fossils, properties of matter, forces, organisms and habitats.
The emphasis in First grade music is on listening to music, dancing, and moving to a variety of styles of music, and singing with the incorporation of chant, finger plays, sign language, and repetition. Rhythm activities use classroom instruments and cover various periods and expression of music.
Art:
In art, First graders learn to recognize visual elements such as color, line, shape, pattern, and texture. Students explore these elements through the use of two and three-dimensional media.
The First physical education program continues to focus on the improvement of fitness, coordination, listening skills, and cooperation through a sequential emphasis on the following areas:
Noncompetitive individual and group activities.
Fitness activities are incorporated into every class.
Second Grade Academics
The Second Grade language arts program integrates reading, writing, listening, thinking, speaking, and language skills. Students gain fluency in reading and writing and learn to participate in the wondering, problem solving, and responsiveness of literacy.
The reading program in Second grade uses phonics and offers experiences rich in language and literature. Children read silently and orally, individually, on the development of sight vocabulary. Students develop comprehension skills through predicting, interpreting, summarizing, comparing and contrasting, and making connections between what is read and what is previously known. Children enjoy all types of reading materials including easy-to-read stories, folk and fairy tales, fables, fantasies, realistic fiction, expository text, plays, poetry.
The Second grade spelling program is cumulative and sequential. It focuses on bringing spelling literacy to students' writing by placing an emphasis on the mastery of the most commonly used words. Students are held accountable for a growing list of "no excuses" spelling words. They are also taught word patterns and spelling rules, proofreading and editing skills, and are exposed to hundreds of additional words for language growth.
Students apply reading skills to their writing. They work on developing sentences and paragraphs with an concentration on capitalization, punctuation, appropriate word usage, and proper sentence structure. Self-correction is encouraged through proofreading. Over the course of the year, students create a variety of writing samples including group stories, individual writing projects, and journal writing.
The Second grade math program uses an exploratory, hands-on approach to help students reason mathematically, communicate mathematically, develop multiple problem solving strategies, and make mathematical connections. Computational practice is an integral part of instruction. The program builds on previous experience, offers repeated exposure to mathematical concepts, incorporates technology, and integrates math into ongoing daily routines across the curriculum with a special emphasis on Science and Social Studies.
Units in Second grade focus on reading and writing four-and five-digit numbers; identifying place value; adding and subtracting two- and three-digit numbers with regrouping; defining and solving number problems; determining equivalent fractions; writing fractions as decimals; graphing; recognizing bases, faces, sides and angles of figures; estimating area; telling time to one minute intervals; measuring to the nearest half-inch and centimeter; comparing metric and standard units; determining operations and number values; using dollar-and-and cent notation; converting money; and performing money exchanges.
In Second grade, students concentrate on three main units. Unit 1: You Can Be a Geographer, Unit 2: People and Places in the United States, and Unit 3: Economics and Me.
In science, Second graders continue to develop previously introduced skills and concepts through hands-on activities and simple laboratory experiences. The students use scientific skills and processes to observe, identify, and describe physical properties, location, and movement. The program includes the following topics: the moon, soil and erosion, exploring interactions, and characteristics of organisms.
The emphasis in Second grade music is on listening to classical music, dancing, and moving to a variety of styles of music, and singing with the incorporation of chant, finger plays, sign language, and repetition. Rhythm activities use classroom instruments and cover various periods and expression of music.
In Second grade art class, each student creates an imaginary map. This project is connected to their Social Studies Unit, "You Can Be a Geographer." They will also be creative and invent a class community map. In the unit "People and Places in the United States," the students will design a stamp that represents Martin Luther King Junior's contribution to the United States. Other unit related art projects will be produced throughout the year. The elements of art are reinforced through fundamental drawing and painting projects.
Homework:
Second Grade students are typically assigned homework four times per week, with assignments expected to take a total of fifteen to twenty minutes to complete. Students will learn these concepts through various performance activities.
The Second grade physical education program continues to force on the improvement of fitness, coordination, listening skills, and cooperation through a sequential emphasis on the following areas:
Simple team games centering on fine and gross-motor skills.
Individual and partner activities with a specific skills concentration.
Movement exploration.
Third Grade Academics
The Third Grade language arts program integrates reading, writing, listening, thinking, speaking, and language skills with the goal of preparing independent, self-motivated, critical readers and writers.
The Third Grade reading program revolves around exploring various concepts, teaching students to question how to access needed information and how to effectively communicate findings.
Students learn to explore through research and reflective activities. They learn a variety of reading strategies to strengthen their reading comprehension and extend their critical thinking skills. When reading, an emphasis is placed on character analysis, writing style, point of view, setting and plot, as well as on summarizing, predicting, interpreting, comparing and contrasting.
Children enjoy all types of reading materials including fairy tales, fantasies, realistic, and humorous fiction, informational articles, biographies, poetry, plays and art.
Goal 1: The student will demonstrate the ability to identify and extend numeric and non-numeric patterns, solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of whole numbers and money, and analyze data in graphic representations in both oral and written form.
Goal 2: The students will demonstrate the ability to solve problems using multiplication, develop conceptual understanding of fractions, and apply concepts of probability to solve problems.
Goal 3: The students will demonstrate the ability to solve problems using concrete materials and drawings to describe and apply geometric relationships using one-, two-, and three-dimensional objects, and apply concepts in measurement to real-life problems.
Goal 4: The students will demonstrate the ability to solve problems using multiplication and division; apply algebraic thinking to solve problems using functions; collect, display, and interpret data; and develop conceptual understanding of decimals through concrete, and abstract materials.
The science curriculum reflects the intellectual rigor of scientific inquiry as well as the attitudes and social values conducive to preparing a scientific literate populace to meet the 21st Century. Effective student-centered science embodies an approach to learning that engages students physically and mentally in an inquiry-based laboratory program.
By capturing students' perceptions of the world around them, the program provides opportunities to expand, change, enhance, and modify the ways in which they view the world. Ongoing investigations engage students in manipulating materials and making observations, seeking answers to their questions, and explaining ideas based on evidence. Throughout an activity, students reflect regularly on what they have done, the problems they have met, and how they have come up with solutions.
The science curriculum is separated into three areas: Earth and Space Science, taught in the fall; Physical Science, for the second and third quarters; and Life and Environmental Science, which is taught in the spring.
Because of the increasing complexity of our society, it is vital that our country have an informed, responsible, and contributing citizenry. Social studies is that part of the curriculum which uses the facts, concepts, generalizations, and skills of history and the social sciences to promote responsible citizenship.
Third grade students apply concepts of economics and geography to establish a definition of culture; they study the culture of Howard County by examining the way people who live here meet their economic wants; they learn about the countries, regions, and physical and human-made features of the continent of North America, and they study countries in other parts of the world using what they have learned to understand the way economics and geography affect culture.
Fourth Grade Academics
The fourth grade Language Arts program integrates reading, writing, listening, thinking, speaking, and language skills with the goal of preparing independent, self-motivated, critical readers, and writers.
Reading sessions guided by teachers in very small groups, familiarize students with the elements of a story including setting, characters, plot, problems, and conclusions. Students continue to develop their analytical skills by making inferences, drawing conclusions, and making predictions about literature.
"Writer's Workshop" continues at this level as children become more proficient with writing, conferring, revising, editing, and proofreading.
The fourth grade Math program used an exploratory, hands-on approach to help students reason and communicate mathematically develop multiple problem solving strategies, and make learning FUN. Some of the units in fourth grade include:
Working toward mastery of basic skills in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
Multiplying one digit by two and three digits and beginning two digit by two digit multiplication
Division with multiples of tens, hundreds, and thousands
Exploring 2D and 3D geometry and symmetry (lines, rays, angles, and increasingly complex polygons
Data study including median, mode, range, and mean
Comparing and using fractions, decimals, and percentages
Fourth Graders are full of curiosity about the world. The study of science encourages and develops their inquiring minds. Our spiraling curriculum continually develops student understanding in the physical, earth, and life sciences. The following are some sample topics taught in the fourth grade:
The cells on Living Things
Plant Growth and Reproduction
Clues from Fossils
Inside Earth
What Matter is Made Of
Motion, Forces, and Energy
The Fourth Grade Social Studies Program is by McGraw-Hill. The book title is, Our Region. Each unit covers a different section of the U.S.: the Southwest, the Southeast, the Northeast, The Middle West, The Mountain States, and the West).
In stimulating classroom and outdoor environments, students feel free to express their unique thoughts and feelings while experimenting with a variety of art materials. They create drawings and paintings, identify lines and shapes, experiment with textures, learn about mixing tones, shades of colors, and the effect of light on objects.
Singing, listening, playing, and dancing are the care of the Fourth Grade Music programs with the continued study of the recorder as the highlight. The program enhances Students' enjoyment and understanding of music, often complementing studies in other areas
The Fourth Grade Physical Education program allows children to grow at their own pace in non-competitive learning situations. Our goal is for students to gain a positive and thoughtful lifetime attitude toward sports, physical fitness, and fair play.
Ffith Grade Academics
The Fifth Grade language Arts program promotes the development of reading, writing, listening, thinking, speaking, and language skills with the goal of preparing independent, self-motivated, critical readers and writers.
The Reading Program in Fifth Grade continues to strengthen comprehension and build and extend critical reading and thinking skills. As they read, they are asked to summarize, predict, interpret, compare, and contrast. Students explore and respond to concepts through discussions, reflective activities, and research.
Students are expected to apply what they learn in reading to their writing, with the goal of enhancing their mastery of written expression. Fifth Graders also work to improve their writing mechanics.
The Fifth Grade math program uses an exploratory, hands-on approach to help students reason and communicate mathematically. Units in Fifth Grade include estimating, organizing, and analyzing data, discovering statistics, prime factorization, divisibility, decimals, positive and negative numbers, writing algebraic expressions, measuring angles, fractions, percents, and ratios.
The Fifth Grade Science program is organized sequentially around Earth Science, Physical Science, and Life Science. Some of the topics are: roots, stems and leaves, animal adaptations, cycles of life, Earth's changing crust, energy resources, the solar system, severe storms, climate, matter and energy.
The Fifth Grade Social Studies program is by McGraw-Hill. The book is titled Our Nation. The units covered are:
The First Americans
Colonization
The Flight for Independence
Slavery
Our Neighbors in the Western Hemisphere
Fifth Graders are encouraged to become more critical and analytical in their thinking, and to use vocabulary relevant to the elements of art. They create landscapes and learn about graphic design.
Singing, listening, playing an dancing are the core of the Fifth Grade Music program. Children learn about harmony, rhythm, notation and musical interpretation in a sequential order.
The Fifth Grade Physical Education program continues to focus on improving coordination, fitness, listening skills, and cooperation. Fitness activities and evaluations continue. We offer an enjoyable and challenging envir
Sixth Grade Academics
Language Arts - Reading:
UNIT 1: Literary Archetypes
Goal 1: The student will demonstrate the ability to observe how recurring literary themes and motifs unify individual works and enable readers to compare works of literature.
Goal 2: The student will demonstrate the ability to use a variety of strategies to understand what he or she reads.
Goal 3: The student will demonstrate the ability to compose oral, written, and visual presentations that inform, persuade, and express personal ideas.
UNIT 2: Literary Forms: Biography and Autobiography
Goal 1: The student will demonstrate the ability to examine biography and autobiography as authenticate sources for understanding a person's life.
Language Arts - Writing:
Goal 1: The student will demonstrate the ability to apply the elements of the writing process to original work.
Goal 2: The student will demonstrate the ability to generate products that express personal ideas, inform, or persuade.
Language Arts - English:
Goal 1: The student will recognize, recall, and use grammar concepts and skills to strengthen control of oral and written language.
Goal 2: The student will comprehend and apply standard English usage in oral and written language.
Goal 3: The student will apply standard English capitalization and punctuation.
Goal 4: The student will compose texts using the revising and editing strategies of effective writers to achieve style and clarity.
QUARTER 1: Knowledge of Number Relationships and Computation/Arithmetic
Goal 1: The student will apply knowledge of rational numbers and place value.
Goal 2: The student will analyze number relations and compute.
Goal 3: The student will analyze ratios, proportions, and percents.
Goal 4: The student will analyze number relations and compute.
Goal 5: The student will apply knowledge of rational numbers and place value.
QUARTER 2: Knowledge of Geometry
Goal 1: The student will measure in customary and metric units.
Goal 2: The student will analyze the properties of plane geometric figures.
Goal 3: The student will analyze geometric relationships.
Goal 4: The student will represent plane geometric figures.
Goal 5: The student will analyze congruent figures.
Goal 6: The student will analyze a transformation in a coordinate plane.
QUARTER 3: Knowledge of Algebra, Patterns, or Functions
Goal 1: The student will locate points on a number line and in a coordinate plane.
Goal 2: The student will write and evaluate expressions.
Goal 3: The student will identify, write, solve, and apply equations and inequalities.
Goal 4: The student will identify, describe, extend, and create numeric patterns and functions.
Goal 5: The student will locate points on a number line and in a coordinate plane.
Goal 6: The student will analyze linear relationships.
QUARTER 4: Knowledge of Measurement
Knowledge of Statistics
Goal 1: The student will organize and display data.
Goal 2: The student will describe a set of data.
Knowledge of Probability
Goal 1: The student will identify simple space.
Goal 2: The student will determine the probability of an event comprised of no more than 2 independent events.
Goal 3: The student will analyze the results of a survey or simulation.
Goal 4: The student will conduct a probability experiment.
Unit 1: Early People
Goal 1: The student will apply social studies skills to develop an understanding that the lives of early people, who were hunters and gatherers, involved a constant search for food. With the discovery of fire and the making of tools, life became somewhat easier. Archaeologists study artifacts to learn about prehistoric people.
Unit 2: The Kingdoms of Egypt
Goal 1: The student will apply social studies skills to develop an understanding that the Egyptian society developed along the Nile River, ruled by Pharaohs Egypt had Old, Middle, and New Kingdom eras. Egyptians kept records using hieroglyphics written on papyrus, a code finally understood again about two centuries ago.
Goal 2: The student will apply social studies skills to develop an understanding that the Mauryan Empire was in many ways a modern government, with taxes, highways, and a postal system. The great emporer Asoka ruled during 40 years of peace and prosperity. Siddhartha Gautama set out to understand the causes of suffering and developed the teachings of Buddhism. The Gupta Empire was a time of achievements in literature, mathematics, astronomy, and human relations.
Unit 3: Early Indian Civilizations
Goal 1: The student will apply social studies skills to develop an understanding that geography and climate have influenced India's development. The Himalayan Mountains and the Indus and Ganges Rivers, along with the seasonal monsoons, have created unique culture in South Asia. Hinduism, a major world religion, developed in India.
Unit 4: China's First Dynasties
Goal 1: The student will apply social studies skills to develop an understanding that despite regular flooding of the region. Chinese civilization began in the Huang He Valley. China was separated from its neighbors by mountain ranges and deserts and called itself the Middle Kingdom.
Goal 2: The student will apply social studies skills to develop an understanding that during the Qin Dynasty, China was divided into provinces, and its currency and language were standardized.
Unit 1: Life Science
Goal 1: Diversity of Life - The student will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that living things are classified into six kingdoms based on their characteristics.
Unit 2: Earth Science
Goal 1: Changes Over Time - The student will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that the Earth's surface includes landforms and bodies of water.
Goal 2: Conserving Our Resources - The student will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that the Earth's resources include minerals, rocks, air, and water.
Unit 3: Physical Science
Goal 1: Classifying Matter - The student will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that matter can be described by physical properties and classified as an element or a compound.
Goal 2: Chemistry - The student will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that matter undergoes chemical changes when bonds are broken and formed. Knowing a substance's chemical properties can help us predict how it will interact with other matter.
Seventh Grade Academics
Unit I. The Basis of Life The five chapters of this unit introduce students to lifes structure.
Chapter 1: Lifes Structure and Classification Goal: The students will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that living things have some common characteristics. By classifying life, scientists can determine how all living things, including humans, relate to each other.
Chapter 2: Cell Processes Goal: The students will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that each cell undergoes processes that ensure its survival and often, the survival of other organisms.
Chapter 3: Cell Reproduction Goal: The students will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that reproduction must occur for species to survive. Different organisms can grow, repair damaged cells, and reproduce because of cell division and mitosis.
Chapter 4: Heredity Goal: The students will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that people have different skin colors, different kinds of hair, and different heights. Knowing how these differences are determined will help students predict when certain traits might appear.
Chapter 5: Adaptations over Time Goal: The students will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that life-forms have changed over time. Changes that occur during evolution can bring about stability by increasing variation within a population.
Unit II. Human Body Systems The four chapters of this unit introduce students to the different body systems.
Chapter 1: Circulation and Immunity Goal: The student will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that the circulatory and immune systems interact and keep the body healthy.
Chapter 2: Digestion, Respiration, and Excretion Goal: The students will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that your digestive, respiratory, and excretory systems work together to keep your body healthy.
Chapter 3: Support, Movement, and Responses Goal: The students will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that the structures and functions of the skin and the muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems help maintain your bodys homeostasis.
Chapter 4: Regulation and Reproduction Goal: The student will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that human reproduction and growth and development involve the interactions of all body systems.
Unit III. The Interdependence of Life The three chapters of this unit introduce students to plants, interactions of living things, and conserving resources.
Chapter 1: Plants Goal: The students will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that the diverse plants on Earth provide humans and other organisms with food, shelter, and oxygen.
Chapter 2: Interactions of Living Things Goal: The students will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that organisms interact with both the living and nonliving parts of their environment.
Chapter 3: Conserving Resources Goal: The students will use scientific skills and processes to better understand that many of Earths resources are limited.
Eighth Grade Academics
8th Grade Social Studies
Exploring Our World, People, Places and Cultures
Unit INorth Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia
The three chapters of this unit introduce students to the cultural region of North Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia.
Chapter 1: Physical Geography of North Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia
The student will understand that:
•The physical environment affects how people live.
•Places reflect the relationship between humans and the physical environment.
Chapter 2: History and Cultures of North Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia
•The characteristics and movement of people affect physical ad human systems.
•Culture groups shape human systems.
Chapter 3: North Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia Today
•Changes occur in the use and importance of natural resources.
•Cooperation and conflict among people have an impact on the Earths surface.
Unit IIAfrica South of the Sahara
The three chapters of this unit introduce students to the cultural region of South Africa.
Chapter 1: Physical Geography of Africa South of the Sahara
•Physical processes shape Earths surface.
•Geographers organize the Earth into regions that share common characteristics.
Chapter 2: History and Cultures of Africa South of the Sahara
•The characteristics and movement of people impact physical and human systems.
Chapter 3: Africa South of the Sahara Today
•Geographers study how people and the physical features are distributed on Earths surface.
•Cooperation and conflict among people have an effect on the Earths surface.
•Patterns of economic activities result in global interdependence.
Unit IIIAustralia, Oceania and Antarctica
The three chapters of this unit introduce students to the cultural region of Australia, Oceania and Antarctica.
Chapter 1: Physical Geography of Australia, Oceania and Antarctica.
Chapter 2: History and Cultures of Australia, Oceania and Antarctica
•Geographic factors influence where people settle.
Chapter 3: Australia, Oceania and Antarctica Today
•Peoples actions can change the physical environment.
•All living things are dependent upon one another and their surroundings for survival.
8th Grade Science
Unit IMotion and Forces
The four chapters of this unit introduce students to lifes forces.
Chapter 1: Describing Motion
•An objects position is its distance in a certain direction from a reference point.
•The position of an object in two dimensions can be described by choosing a reference point and two reference directions and then stating the distance along each reference direction.
•The distance an object moves is the actual length of its path. Its displacement is the difference between its initial position and its final position.
•Speed is the distance an object moves in a unit of time.
•An object moving the same distance each second is moving at a constant speed. The speed of an object at a certain moment is its instantaneous speed.
•You can calculate an objects average speed from a distance-time graph by dividing the distance the object travels by the total time it takes to travel that distance.
•Velocity changes when speed, direction, or both speed and direction change.
•Acceleration is a change in velocity over time. An object accelerates when it speeds up, slows down or changes direction.
•A speed-time graph shows the relationship between speed and time and can be used to determine information about the acceleration of an object.
Chapter 2: Laws of Motion
•Friction is a contact force. Magnetism is a noncontact force.
•The law of universal gravitation states that all objects are attracted to each other by gravity.
•Friction can stop or slow objects sliding past each other.
•According to Newtons first law of motion, the motion of an object is not changed by balanced forces acting on it.
•An objects motion can be changed only by unbalanced forces.
•Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist a change in its motion.
•According to Newtons second law of motion, an objects acceleration is the net force on the object divided by its mass.
•In circular motion, a centripetal force pulls an object toward the center of the curve.
•Newtons third law of motion states that when one object applies a force on another, the second object applies an equal force in the opposite direction on the first object.
•The forces of a force pair do not cancel because they act on different objects.
•According to the law of conservation of momentum, momentum is conserved during a collision unless an outside force acts on the colliding objects.
Chapter 3: Work and Simple Machines
•For work to be done on an object, an applied force must move the object in the direction of the force.
•When work is done on an object, the energy of the object increases.
•Power is the rate at which at which work is done.
•A machine can make work easier in three ways: by changing the size of a force, by changing the distance from which a force acts, or by changing the direction of a force.
•The mechanical advantage of a machine is the ratio of output force to the input force.
•Because of friction, the output work done by a machine is always less than the input work to the machine. Friction between moving parts converts some of the input work into thermal energy and decreases the efficiency of the machine.
•A simple machine does work using only one movement.
•The ideal mechanical advantage of simple machines is calculated using simple formulas.
•A compound machine is made up of two or more simple machines that operate together.
Chapter 4: Forces and Fluids
•Pressure is the ratio of force to area.
•Atmospheric pressure decreases with elevation. Pressure under water increases with depth.
•The density of a fluid depends on the mass of the fluid and its volume.
•The change in pressure between the top and the bottom of an object results in an upward force called the buoyant force.
•Archimedes principle states that the weight of the fluid displaced by an object is equal to the buoyant force on that object.
•An object sinks if its weight is greater than the buoyant force on it. An object does not sink if the buoyant force on it is equal to its weight.
