Science

St. Agatha Catholic School middle school is designed to prepare students for what lays ahead … high school! Each grade has a homeroom where they go in the morning, get settled and start their day with prayer.  From there they move from class to class, subject to subject. With five basic subjects and four specialty subjects and an elective, there are seven periods each day. Our science curriculum is strengthened by field studies to local natural resources within close proximity to our school such as the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Preserve, Johnson Creek Watershed, the Willamette River and many parks and trails.

Key Areas of Study

Earth Science

• Science Foundations
• Structural Geology - Structure and composition of the Earth
• Volcanology - Types and origins of Volcanoes
• Seismology - Causes and effects of Earthquakes; Faults and Folding
• Mineralology - Classification and Identification of Minerals; Rock Cycle and identification of rocks
• Weathering and Erosion - Shaping forces: Gravity, ice, wind and water
• Hydrology - Water Cycle and Resources
• Astrology - Solar system; Stars and galaxies
• Oceanography
   

Chemical/Physical Science

• Science Foundations

• Matter - States of Matter and Physical Properties, Atoms and Molecules, Mixtures and Solutions, Compounds and Elements, and Atoms (theory, structure and atomic models)

• Basic Chemistry - Periodic Table, Chemical Properties, Reacctions and Equations, Elements, Chemical Reactions, and Organic Chemistry

• Energy - Fossil Fuels and Renewable Resources; Light, Heat and Sound; Nuclear Energy and weapons; Electricity and Magnetism

• Basic Physics - Force, Velocity and Acceleration, Simple Machines, Fission and fusion

• Engineering - Design, Drafting, Prototypes, and Testing
   

Life Science

• Science Foundations
• Cosmology - Origins of the Univers and Solar System
• Evolution and Taxonomy - Theories of Evolution, Classificatoin Systems
• Basic Cell Biology - Organic Chemistry, Cell Types, Microbiology
• Genegics and Heredity - DNA and Reproduction, Transference of Traits, Cloning
• Botany - Identificatoin and classification
• Ecology - Biomes and Habitats, Food Webs and Energy
• Biology - Systems of the human body

Every year, we begin by practicing with the tools of a good scientist. We review the scientific method, master the metric system, work on measuring, recording and organizing data, make observations and proper scientific drawings, develop inferences from our observations and plan experiments to test them. These skills re the basis of how we try to work as scientists at St. Agatha.

The content we cover in science is challenging. We teach the academic skills to help the students master the content. Critical thinking skills are taught and practiced. We learn to sift readings to record and organize information. All students are required to keep a chronological notebook of the topics discussed in class. We integrate all these skills at the end of each unit.