Unit Plan 1 (Grade 7 Science): Science Skills & Inquiry Routines

Focus: Build lab safety, observation, modeling routines, and evidence-based reasoning to launch the year’s investigations—especially upcoming work on cells and engineering design problems.

Grade Level: 7

Subject Area: Science (General Science Skills • Life Science Prep • Engineering Design)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this opening unit, students build the habits and routines they will need for productive science learning all year. They practice lab safety, careful observation, and scientific modeling while revisiting core ideas: living things are made of cells and design problems must have clear criteria and constraints. Through simple investigations (including introductory microscope/cell observations) and a small classroom design challenge, students learn how to ask questions, plan and record investigations, and use evidence to support claims. By the end of the week, the class has shared expectations, lab norms, and inquiry routines that will support upcoming work with MS-LS1-1 and MS-ETS1-1.

Essential Questions

• What does it mean to think and work like a scientist or engineer in our classroom?
• How do lab safety rules, observation routines, and models help us collect better evidence?
• Why do scientists say that all living things are made of cells, and how could we investigate that idea?
• Why do engineers need clear criteria and constraints when they define a design problem?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate and explain key lab safety expectations and responsible handling of equipment (including microscopes and glassware).
2. Use qualitative and quantitative observations and organized data tables to record what they see during simple investigations (including introductory cell observations).
3. Create and revise simple models (drawings, diagrams, labeled sketches) to represent what they observe, including the idea that living things are made of cells.
4. Use evidence-based reasoning to write or explain a basic claim–evidence–reasoning (CER) statement.
5. Work with a team to define a design problem (related to lab routines or observation tools), listing clear criteria and constraints in preparation for later engineering work.

Standards Alignment — 7th Grade (NGSS-based custom, prep focus)

• MS-LS1-1 (prep) — Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells, either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.
  • In this unit, students build the skills and routines (safety, observation, recording, basic microscope use) that will support later full LS1-1 investigations.
• MS-ETS1-1 — Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution.
  • Here, students practice defining small, classroom-scale design problems tied to lab routines and tools.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can explain and follow our class lab safety rules and show I know how to handle equipment responsibly.
• I can make careful observations (what I see, measure, or notice) and record them in an organized data table.
• I can draw and label simple models (like a cell sketch or setup diagram) and revise them when I learn more.
• I can write or say a claim and support it with evidence and reasoning from an investigation.
• I can help my group define a design problem by listing what our solution must do (criteria) and what limits we have (constraints).