Neither the Common Core nor National Standards breaks down expectations for middle school by grade. Instead, both institutions specify standards for middle school as a whole. Below is a list of skills covered throughout middle school. Consult your child’s teacher for more specifics pertaining to the topics and skills covered in her science class.
In middle school, students continue to deepen their knowledge and skills in the physical, life, earth, and space sciences. There is a specific focus on explaining and understanding real-life events and processes in relation to the concepts and topics learned. 6th-8th graders also focus on applying scientific methods as described below in order to deepen their understanding and work like actual scientists.
In order to build science skills, your 6th-8th grader:
- Plans and conducts investigations and experiments.
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Applies the scientific method in order to practice like a scientist (there are many different ways people present "the scientific method," but here's a basic example):
- Questions, observes, and researches.
- Develops a hypothesis (based on observations and research).
- Make predictions.
- Experiments and follows multi-step processes and instructions in order to conduct experiments.
- Develops a conclusion.
- Compares the results of an experiment to what is written about the topic in a text.
- Analyzes and interprets data.
- Uses measurement and mathematical computations while working with data.
- Develops and presents explanations for processes and practices used and results obtained.
- Determines the main ideas of a scientific text and cites specific evidence to support ideas and claims about scientific texts.
- Learns topic-specific science vocabulary.
- Analyzes relevant charts, diagrams, and graphs about a scientific topic.
