Science A (8th Grade)
Course Description:
This is the first course in a two-course sequence. Middle School Comprehensive Science 3 is the third in a series of three consecutive middle school science classes. It builds on concepts introduced in the first and second courses of the series, including the disciplines of life science, physical science, and earth-space science. In addition, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts are integrated throughout the course. Students learn about properties of matter, physical and chemical changes, atoms and the periodic table of elements, photosynthesis and cellular respiration, the universe, and the solar system. Hands-on and virtual laboratory investigations are included throughout the course to provide students opportunities for exploration through scientific inquiry, research, measurement, problem solving, and experimental procedures. By the end of the course, students will be practicing, experimenting, thinking, and talking like a scientist!
Course Details:
| Course Title (District): |
Science A (8th Grade) |
| Course Title (NCES SCED) : |
Science (grade 8) |
| Course Provider : |
Michigan Virtual |
| Content Provided By : |
Florida Virtual School |
| Online Instructor Provided By : |
Michigan Virtual |
| Standards Addressed : |
Next Generation Science Standards |
| Alignment Document : |
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YY28s12KeCCsiVniLs5mT9Ch6HwS-mPh/view?usp=sharing |
| Academic Terms : |
Semester, Open Entry / Fixed End |
| NCES SCED Code : 03238 |
| Subject Area : |
Life and Physical Sciences |
| Course Identifier : |
Science (grade 8) |
| Course Level : |
Elem/Middle School (Prior to Secondary) |
| Available Credit : |
0.5 |
| Sequence : |
1 of 2 |
|
How To Enroll:
Students and Parents: It is important to work closely with your local school counselor or
registrar to follow the school's enrollment procedures. By clicking the "Start Registration
Request" button below, you will be able to notify the school of your interest in registering for
the online course. However, it is the responsibility of the district or school to review the
registration request and approve or deny the request. Please make a note to follow up with
your school after submitting a registration request.
Start Registration Request
Additional Course Information:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (888) 889-2840
Additional Cost: $0.0
Additional Cost Description:
NA
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- describe the steps of the scientific method and how it is used to explain natural phenomena;
- recognize common measurements of matter and calculate density, mass, and volume;
- compare and classify substances based on their physical properties;
- describe the atomic theory of atoms and compare the properties of solids, liquids, and gases;
- differentiate between physical and chemical properties of substances and identify processes in nature that represent physical and chemical changes;
- demonstrate that mass is conserved after a physical or chemical change;
- describe how temperature influences chemical changes;
- describe the structure of an atom and the electrical charges/forces that exist between protons, neutrons, and electrons;
- predict properties of an element when given its name or its atomic number;
- explain why there are many, but limited, combinations of elements to make compounds;
- describe the properties of acids, bases, and salts and identify common examples of acids, bases, and salts;
- explain the differences between pure substances, mixtures, and solutions
iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses
| Academic Content Standards and Assessments |
Rating
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Comments |
| The goals and objectives clearly state what the participants will know or be able to do at the end of the course. The goals and objectives are measurable in multiple ways. |
Fully Met
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| The course content and assignments are aligned with the state’s content standards, Common Core curriculum, or other accepted content standards set for Advanced Placement® courses, technology, computer science, or other courses whose content is not included in the state standards. |
Fully Met
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| The course content and assignments are of sufficient rigor, depth and breadth to teach the standards being addressed. |
Fully Met
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| Information literacy and communication skills are incorporated and taught as an integral part of the curriculum. |
Fully Met
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| Multiple learning resources and materials to increase student success are available to students before the course begins. |
Partially Met
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Pacing guide needs to be completed. |
| Course Overview and Introduction |
Rating
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Comments |
| Clear, complete course overview and syllabus are included in the course. |
Fully Met
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| Course requirements are consistent with course goals, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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| Information is provided to students, parents and mentors on how to communicate with the online instructor and course provider. |
Fully Met
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| Legal and Acceptable Use Policies |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course reflects multi-cultural education, and the content is accurate, current and free of bias or advertising. |
Fully Met
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| Expectations for academic integrity, use of copyrighted materials, plagiarism and netiquette (Internet etiquette) regarding lesson activities, discussions, and e-mail communications are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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MVS Acceptable Use Policy |
| Privacy policies are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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MVS Policy |
| Instructor Resources |
Rating
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Comments |
| Online instructor resources and notes are included. |
Fully Met
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| Assessment and assignment answers and explanations are included. |
Fully Met
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| Accessing Course Effectiveness |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course provider uses multiple ways of assessing course effectiveness. |
Fully Met
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| The course is evaluated using a continuous improvement cycle for effectiveness and the findings used as a basis for improvement. |
Fully Met
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| Course Updates |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course is updated periodically to ensure that the content is current. |
Fully Met
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| Certification |
Rating
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Comments |
| Course instructors, whether faceto-face or virtual, are certificated and “highly qualified.” The online course teacher possesses a teaching credential from a state-licensing agency and is “highly qualified” as defined under ESEA. |
Fully Met
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| Instructor and Student Support |
Rating
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Comments |
| Professional development about the online course delivery system is offered by the provider to assure effective use of the courseware and various instructional media available. |
Fully Met
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| The course provider offers technical support and course management assistance to students, the course instructor, and the school coordinator. |
Fully Met
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| Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, have been provided professional development in the behavioral, social, and when necessary, emotional, aspects of the learning environment. |
Fully Met
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| Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, receive instructor professional development, which includes the support and use of a variety of communication modes to stimulate student engagement online. |
Fully Met
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| The provider assures that course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, are provided support, as needed, to ensure their effectiveness and success in meeting the needs of online students. |
Fully Met
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| Students are offered an orientation for taking an online course before starting the coursework. |
Fully Met
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| Instructional and Audience Analysis |
Rating
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Comments |
| Course design reflects a clear understanding of all students’ needs and incorporates varied ways to learn and master the curriculum. |
Fully Met
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| Course, Unit and Lesson Design |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course is organized by units and lessons that fall into a logical sequence. Each unit and lesson includes an overview describing objectives, activities, assignments, assessments, and resources to provide multiple learning opportunities for students to master the content. |
Fully Met
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| Instructional Strategies and Activities |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course instruction includes activities that engage students in active learning. |
Fully Met
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| The course and course instructor provide students with multiple learning paths, based on student needs that engage students in a variety of ways. |
Fully Met
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| The course provides opportunities for students to engage in higher-order thinking, critical reasoning activities and thinking in increasingly complex ways. |
Fully Met
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| The course provides options for the instructor to adapt learning activities to accommodate students’ needs. |
Fully Met
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While the course content is not modifiable, assignments and assessments can be modified to meet learners' diverse needs. |
| Readability levels, written language assignments and mathematical requirements are appropriate for the course content and grade-level expectations. |
Fully Met
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| Communication and Interaction |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course design provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student interaction, including opportunities for timely and frequent feedback about student progress. |
Fully Met
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| The course design includes explicit communication/activities (both before and during the first week of the course) that confirms whether students are engaged and are progressing through the course. The instructor will follow program guidelines to address non-responsive students. |
Fully Met
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| The course provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student and student-student interaction to foster mastery and application of the material. |
Fully Met
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| Resources and Materials |
Rating
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Comments |
| Students have access to resources that enrich the course content. |
Fully Met
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| Evaluation Strategies |
Rating
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Comments |
| Student evaluation strategies are consistent with course goals and objectives, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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| The course structure includes adequate and appropriate methods and procedures to assess students’ mastery of content. |
Fully Met
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| Feedback |
Rating
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Comments |
| Ongoing, varied, and frequent assessments are conducted throughout the course to inform instruction. |
Fully Met
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| Assessment strategies and tools make the student continuously aware of his/her progress in class and mastery of the content. |
Fully Met
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| Assessment Resources and Materials |
Rating
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Comments |
| Assessment materials provide the instructor with the flexibility to assess students in a variety of ways. |
Fully Met
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| Grading rubrics are provided to the instructor and may be shared with students. |
Fully Met
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Rubrics are provided only for bigger projects. If the instructor has need of grading rubrics, they are available through MVS. |
| The grading policy and practices are easy to understand. |
Fully Met
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| Course Architecture |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course architecture permits the online instructor to add content, activities and assessments to extend learning opportunities. |
Fully Met
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| The course accommodates multiple school calendars; e.g., block, 4X4 and traditional schedules. |
Fully Met
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| User Interface |
Rating
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Comments |
| Clear and consistent navigation is present throughout the course. |
Fully Met
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| Rich media are provided in multiple formats for ease of use and access in order to address diverse student needs. |
Fully Met
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| Technology Requirements and Interoperability |
Rating
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Comments |
| All technology requirements (including hardware, browser, software, etc...) are specified. |
Fully Met
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| Prerequisite skills in the use of technology are identified. |
Fully Met
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| The course uses content-specific tools and software appropriately. |
Fully Met
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| The course is designed to meet internationally recognized interoperability standards. |
Fully Met
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MVS Policy |
| Copyright and licensing status, including permission to share where applicable, is clearly stated and easily found. |
Fully Met
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MVS Policy |
| Accessibility |
Rating
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Comments |
| Course materials and activities are designed to provide appropriate access to all students. The course, developed with universal design principles in mind, conforms to the U.S. Section 504 and Section 508 provisions for electronic and information technology as well as the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility guidelines (WCAg 2.0). |
Fully Met
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MVS Policy |
| Data Security |
Rating
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Comments |
| Student information remains confidential, as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). |
Fully Met
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Review Conducted By: Michigan Virtual
Date of Review:
05/05/2014
Module 01: Matter (Scientific Knowledge; Measurements of Matter; Volume and Density; Physical Properties; Measuring Physical Properties)
Module 02: Changes in Matter (States of Matter; Physical versus Chemical Changes; Conservation of Mass; Thermal Energy and Chemical Change; Physical Models)
Module 03: Elements and Compounds (Atomic Theory; The Periodic Table; Compounds; pH and Salts; Mixtures and Pure Substances)
Segment One Exam
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Random Draw Date |
Enrollment Drop Date |
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Potential Additional Costs |
| Drop Policy |
Completion Policy |
Term Type |
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Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Lightweight devices such as Apple iPads, Google Chromebooks, and tablets have limited support for Java or Flash which still appear in a small percentage of our catalog. While FLVS does not offer technical support for these devices, FLVS is working to remove Flash from their remaining course content. Students will need extra work-around steps or alternate browsers to engage with some portions of those courses. FLVS recommends students have a Windows or Mac based computer available to complete coursework in the event that your selected mobile device does not meet the needs of the course. Fully supported Operating Systems for FLVS courses include Windows (10 or higher) and MacOS (11 or higher). Supported Browsers include the most recent versions of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari on devices that support Java and HTML5. Browsers need to be up to date, and some FLVS courses may require installation or enabling of the following Plug-ins: JavaScript enabled, Cookies enabled, Java installed. https://www.flvs.net/student-parent-resources/more/system-requirements
