Grade 7 Science Updates:

🌍 Unit Intro: Plate Motion 🌍

What is the land like where Mesosaurus fossils are found?

In this unit, we’ll investigate this question to uncover evidence about how Earth’s surface has changed over time. Mesosaurus fossils have been found on different continents that are now far apart—but what does the land in those locations tell us?

As we explore maps, models, and geological evidence, you’ll figure out:

• What the land is like where Mesosaurus fossils are found

• How different landforms, rocks, and fossils provide clues about the past

• How Earth’s plates move and change the surface of our planet over time

By the end of the unit, you’ll be able to use evidence to explain how continents that are far apart today may have once been connected—and what that tells us about plate motion. Get ready to think like a geologist and piece together clues from Earth’s past! 🧩🌎

• Homework posted on Google Classroom and due on Tuesday 4/1/26

Grade 8 Science Updates:

 🧬 Unit 7: Natural Selection 🧬

What caused the newt population in Oregon State Park to become more poisonous?

In this unit, we’ll investigate this puzzling phenomenon as we explore how living things change over time through a process called natural selection. You’ll figure out how differences in traits within a population—like how poisonous a newt is—can affect which individuals survive and reproduce.

As we work through models, data, and real-world examples, we’ll try to answer questions like:

• Why are individuals in a species different from one another?

• How do some traits become more common over generations?

• How does the environment influence survival?

By the end of the unit, you’ll be able to explain how small differences in traits can lead to big changes in populations over time—and use evidence to explain what might have caused the newts in Oregon State Park to become more poisonous. Get ready to think like a scientist and solve the mystery! 🔍