The description of physical properties of substances and the concept of a chemical reaction are introduced. Build a Community Students examine the essential services a community should provide as they explore the relationships and interactions between humans and their environment. In small groups, students design an ideal community and present their proposals to their classroom community members. Sound Students explore the cause of, and variables involved in, the production of sound. Students also examine testimony in a mock jury trial as they try to determine fault in a case involving a person s hearing loss.
Students investigate electricity and magnetism as they make simple battery-powered electromagnets.
They then explore trade-offs in the consumer use of different kinds of batteries and learn about the environmental effects of battery usage and disposal. CHEM Chronicle Students identify and explore how different media techniques are used for different purposes. Using media methods, they produce a class newspaper that summarizes their prior CHEM experiences. This newspaper can be used both as an indicator of what the class has learned and as a means of informing parents about classroom activities. The Inside Story Students are introduced to the idea that all foods are made up of chemicals.