Welcome to the Friends Middle School science homepage!

Hands-on learning is the theme throughout science classes in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Whenever possible, students are led to knowledge through experimentation and observation. In this way, they learn not just the “facts” of science, but how to think, question, and understand as scientists.

Sixth Grade: Biology

In sixth grade, students begin a year of life science study with observations of microhabitats around the schoolyard. They then build their understandings of ecosystem services and communities with visits to Shingletown Gap, a local forest and watershed area, and through the manipulation of “classroom ecosystems” such as planted aquaria and terrariums. After gaining a solid understanding of the interdependence of local ecosystems, students expand their view to in-depth studies of world biomes. Here, emphasis is placed on how organisms adapt to unique environments to fill their role within the ecosystem and on the ways in which groups of organisms are related.

Using adaptation as a jumping-off point, sixth grade students study similarities and differences in the anatomies and physiologies of organism groups through observation and dissection to comprehend evolution. This leads to an examination of evolution on a genetic and molecular level and culminates in a discussion of human reproduction.

Seventh Grade: Chemistry and Physics

In seventh grade, students start the year with a simple but delicious “formula”:

cream + sugar + vanilla ice cream

While the students churn, they closely observe the freezing process and form hypotheses about why salt is added to the ice. From there, students discover the differences between physical and chemical changes (brightly burning metals, purple smoke!). Once the difference between physical and chemical changes has been established, students investigate the underpinnings of the periodic table that influence chemical interactions and bonding through further experiments and simulations. They also learn to identify the main types of chemical reactions, acids and bases, and endothermic and exothermic reactions through experimentation reinforced by discussion, journaling, and assessment. Students in seventh grade finish out their first semester with an introduction to organic chemistry.

In their second semester, seventh graders study physics. Slinkies, toy cars, model roller coasters, and wind-up toys are among the playful things we use to do serious science. During this semester, students also have an opportunity to design, build, and race model solar cars in Penn State’s solar car competition.

Eighth Grade: Earth and Space Sciences

The eighth grade year starts off with a bang, quite literally. The first day of class sees students exploding black balloons filled with stars of different colors (and weights) to model the Big Bang and the formation of galaxies. Building on a solid understanding of physics from their seventh grade year, the eighth graders then model the space-time continuum using spandex and golf balls, formulate hypotheses about what happens past the event horizon of a black hole, and consider what the asteroid belt tells us about our own solar system. Throughout the year, the students learn about tectonic plates, use an extensive mineral collection to study the makeup of the earth, ponder the scale of geologic time, consider the earth’s waters and weather patterns (and how they are affected by both celestial bodies and humans themselves), astronomy throughout the ages, and space exploration.

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