Teaching and Learning

Eighth-grade students in Clayton will complete the following units:

Humanity and the Environment
Students investigate the history and consequences of contemporary global environmental issues and historical examples of a similar issue. The essential questions of the unit are “How do humans impact the environment?” and “How does the environment impact humans?” Students approach these questions through current world issues of water availability, food security, deforestation, human population, and disease.  Students explore these issues through science and social studies and culminate in completion of individual and group components of a research project.

Climate Chemistry
Students study the effects of the changing global climate by gaining an understanding of climate science and chemistry. They investigate matter and its predictable nature, then apply this understanding to climate patterns on Earth. Students explore the factors and processes of determining climate and the causes and effects of global climate change.

Ecology II
Students investigate how ecosystems and populations change over time by studying the relationships between organisms and their environment. Students will focus on factors and conditions that cause an ecosystem or a population to adapt and the consequences of those changes to the ecosystem. They will also investigate human involvement in impacting change to ecosystems, as well as in preservation, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems.