Science 8 Course Outline
Please read through the course outline. At the end, please collect the necessary
signatures and submit the signed copy to the assignment dropbox.
If you have any questions about the course outline, please contact your teacher.
Course Layout
This course is broken down as follows:
Unit Topic
Preliminary Assignments Course Outline
About Me
1 Biology
2 Chemistry
3 Physics
4 Earth Science
Course Completion Core Competency Reflection
Assessment
At the end of the year, you will receive a Proficiency Assessment for the course. There
are no percentages or letter grades given in this course.
Proficiency Explanation
Extending You have demonstrated a sophisticated
understanding of the concept and
competency and/or broadened your
learning beyond the expectations of this
outcome. Your work is detailed and tidy
and demonstrates an exceptional
understanding of the learning outcomes.
Proficient You have a complete understanding of
the concept and competency. Your work
is tidy and demonstrates the strategies
used to solve the problems.
Developing You have demonstrated a partial
understanding of the concept and
competencies.
Emerging You have demonstrated an initial
understanding of the concept and
competency and require additional
support to demonstrate understanding.
Each assignment, including the Learning Guides and the Inquiry Projects, will be marked
on the proficiency scale. There is a rubric attached to each assignment.
Tests will be marked using a percentage.
Percentage Proficiency Scale
86%+ Extending
73% - 85% Proficient
60% - 72% Developing
50% - 59% Emerging
<50% Additional Support Required and Retest
Learning Guides
You are encouraged to complete the Learning Guide as you work through the lessons.
When you have finished the lessons for this unit, you are encouraged to use the
Learning Checks to verify your learning. A strong student will examine their mistakes
and try to fix them to improve in their understanding.
Student who choose to submit to the learning checks will receive a work effort
comment on their learning updates based on the rubric. Students who do not partake in
this additional learning opportunity will receive the comment: This student did not
review and reflect upon learning through guided self-assessment practices.
Be sure to keep your work neat and organized as you will be studying from the Learning
Guide for the Unit Test. Communicate your ideas as well as you can and try not to skip
any questions. If you need help with a question, please email your teacher for additional
support.
Inquiry Projects
Inquiry projects are designed for you to apply what learned to real life. Each unit has
two inquiry projects:
- Inquiry Project 1: These are meant to be completed in under 2 hours. Students
have multiple project choices to choose from.
- Inquiry Project 2: These are the largest components of each unit and provide
opportunities for building scientific skills in STEAM. These inquiry projects will
take approximately 5-10 hours to be done proficiently.
Exam Supervision
There is a unit test at the end of each unit. There is a total of four unit tests. All exams
are "closed book" and require supervision.
Your parent or guardian must:
- ensure the student has reviewed feedback for the learning guide and submitted
the inquiry projects
- email the teacher at [Link]@[Link] for the passwords and
indicate which unit your child is ready to write
- supervise your test-taking to ensure no additional notes or resources are used
while taking the test.
You will only have one attempt at the unit test unless you receive a score of <50%. If
this is the case, you may be asked to meet virtually with the teacher for additional
assistance or demonstrate a fully completed learning guide before being allowed to
attempt the unit test a second time.
Course Activity
Students must be working to complete learning engagements on a regular basis.
Students who are inactive after two weeks will receive an email to their Brightspace
email program providing a warning of inactivity. Students who are inactive after 1
month may be withdrawn from the course. If a student is planning to be inactive due to
personal reasons, they need to contact their teacher to inform them of the period of
inactivity.
Students should aim to complete one unit every two months to finish the course within
a 10-month period.
To finalize your registration in the course, you need to complete the Preliminary
Assignments and Inquiry Project 1 – Biology within 30 days of your registration. You
may be removed from the course if this has not been completed in time.
Contacting your Teacher
The best way to communicate with your teacher is through the Brightspace Email
program. To access the email program, click on the small envelope at the top right-
hand corner of your screen, then click Email. This will direct you to the Brightspace Email
program.
Students should be checking their Brightspace email program at least once a week.
Parents and Guardians can email your teacher at [Link]@[Link]
Resources
There are NO textbooks required for this course. You do need a basic scientific
calculator.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is unacceptable under any circumstance. You are expected to create
authentic work which demonstrates your own understanding. If you are caught
cheating, plagiarizing, or submitting AI-generated responses within this course, you may
be removed from the course.
Keys to Success
1. Actively work through each lesson: try examples and reflect on the materials.
2. Use the Learning Guide as your tool for documenting your understanding. Lay it
out neatly and well organized.
3. Review feedback from your teacher before writing Unit Tests.
4. Use the message system for regular communication with your instructor.