A. CLASSIFYING LIFE FORMS
Students will understand that there are similarities within the diversity of all living things. Modern classification systems are based on comparisons of the structure, function, life-cycles, and behavior of organisms.Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Compare systems of classifying organisms including systems used by scientists.
2. Decipher the system for assigning a scientific name to every living thing.
3. Describe some structural and behavioral adaptations that allow organisms to survive in a changing environment.
EXAMPLE
Use Internet resources to research and report on bird migration.
B. ECOLOGY
Students will understand how living things depend on one another and on non-living aspects of the environment. Balance in ecosystems is based on an intricate web of relationships among populations of living organisms and on non-living factors such as water and temperature. Changes in specific populations or conditions affect other parts of the ecosystem. Individual systems continually change in response to human and other factors. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Describe in general terms the chemical processes of photosynthesis and respiration.
2. Analyze how the finite resources in an ecosystem limit the types and populations of organisms within it.
3. Describe succession and other ways that ecosystems can change over time.
4. Generate examples of the variety of ways that organisms interact (e.g., competition, predator/prey, parasitism/mutualism).
5. Describe various mechanisms found in the natural world for transporting living and non-living matter and the results of such movements.
C. CELLS
Students will understand that cells are the basic units of life. The functions performed by organelles (specialized structures found in cells) within individual cells are also carried out by the organ system in multi-cellular organisms. This standard requires that students be conversant with magnifying devices, cell structure and function, body systems, and disease causes and the body's defense against them. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Compare and contrast human organ systems with those of other species.
2. Prepare and examine microscope slides of single-celled and multi-celled organisms.
3. Describe the structure and function of major organs in human systems.
4. Identify the causes and effects of diseases, explain their transmission, and identify prevention strategies.
5. Describe how body systems work together.
EXAMPLES
Identify the functions of different cells in multi-celled organisms.
Use models to compare and contrast the structure and function of the circulatory system with the structure and function of the skeletal system.
D. CONTINUITY AND CHANGE
Students will understand the basis for all life and that all living things change over time. Fossils show past life, extinct species, and environmental changes over time. Organisms change and new species may arise due to genetically coded adaptations. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Describe how fossils can be used by scientists to trace the history of a species.
2. Explain how scientists use fossils to prove that life forms, climate, environment, and geologic features in a certain location are not the same now as they were in the past.
3. Provide examples of the concept of natural and artificial selection and its role in species changes over time.
4. Compare how sexually and asexually reproducing species transfer genetic information to offspring.
EXAMPLES
Explain how sexual reproduction can lead to offspring that have traits different from the traits of their parents.
Describe how new varieties of plants and animals have been produced by humans through selective breeding for certain traits.
Choose an animal and describe how environmental pressures may lead to changes in that species over time.
E. STRUCTURE OF MATTER
Students will understand the structure of matter and the changes it can undergo. Matter is made of atoms, each with characteristic properties, which can combine to form all substances in the universe. The state and properties of matter may differ when it experiences chemical, physical, and nuclear changes. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Predict and test whether objects will float or sink based on a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the concepts of density and buoyancy.
2. Describe the evidence that all matter consists of particles called atoms that are made up of certain smaller particles.
3. Use the Periodic Table to group elements based on their characteristics.
4. Describe how a substance can combine with different substances in different ways, depending on the conditions and the properties of each substance.
5. Describe how the motion of the particles of matter determines the state of that matter (e.g., solid, liquid, gas, plasma) and vice versa.
6. Explain how the relatively small number of naturally occurring elements can result in the large variety of substances found in the world.
7. Investigate the similarities and differences between elements, compounds, and mixtures.
8. Demonstrate the law of conservation of matter.
F. THE EARTH
Students will gain knowledge about the earth and the processes that change it. The earth's surface undergoes steady or sudden changes due to forces of wind, water, ice, volcanism, and shifting of tectonic plates. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Demonstrate how the earth's tilt on its axis results in the seasons.
2. Describe how soils are formed and why soils differ from one place to another.
3. Explain the evidence scientists use when they give the age of the earth.
4. Describe factors that can cause short-term and long-term changes to the earth.
5. Classify and identify rocks and minerals based on their physical and chemical properties, their composition, and the processes which formed them.
6. Describe the many products used by humans that are derived from materials in the earth's crust.
7. Demonstrate factors effecting the flow of groundwater.
EXAMPLES
Collect and analyze soil samples from various locations in the community.
Study weather fronts as well as short-term catastrophic events (e.g., hurricanes and tornadoes).
G. THE UNIVERSE
Students will gain knowledge about the universe and how humans have learned about it, and about the principles upon which it operates. This includes understanding the result of the relative positions and movement of the earth, moon, sun, stars, planets, and galaxies. It also entails an understanding of how scientists gather data and formulate explanations for phenomena in space. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Compare past and present knowledge about characteristics of stars (e.g., composition, location, life-cycles) and explain how people have learned about them.
2. Describe the concept of galaxies, including size and number of stars.
3. Compare and contrast distances and the time required to travel those distances on earth, in the solar system, in the galaxy, and between galaxies.
4. Describe scientists' exploration of space and the objects they have found (e.g., comets, asteroids, pulsars).
5. Describe the motions of moons, planets, stars, solar systems, and galaxies.
EXAMPLE
Use available satellite pictures to identify objects found in space.
H. ENERGY
Students will understand concepts of energy. Energy takes many forms which can exert forces and do work. The conversion of energy from one form to another offers useful applications and sometimes presents problems. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Analyze the benefits and drawbacks of energy conversions (e.g., in electricity generation).
2. Demonstrate that energy cannot be created or destroyed but only changed from one form to another.
3. Compare and contrast the ways energy travels (e.g., waves, conduction, convection, radiation).
4. Describe the characteristics of static and current electricity.
5. Categorize energy sources as renewable or non-renewable and compare how these sources are used by humans.
6. Describe how energy put into or taken out of a system can cause changes in the motion of particles in matter.
I. MOTION
Students will understand the motion of objects and how forces can change that motion. All objects are in motion, at least at an atomic/subatomic level. By understanding how forces (e.g., gravity, friction, and magnetism) act on objects, they can predict their effects on the motion of the object. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Describe the motion of objects using knowledge of Newton's Laws.
2. Use mathematics to describe the motion of objects (e.g., speed, distance, time, acceleration).
3. Describe and quantify the ways machines can provide mechanical advantages in producing motion.
J. INQUIRY AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Students will apply inquiry and problem-solving approaches in science and technology. Scientific inquiry, problem solving, and the technological method provide insight into and comprehension of the world around us. A variety of tools, including emerging technologies, assist the inquiry processes. Models are used to understand the world. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Make accurate observations using appropriate tools and units of measure.
2. Design and conduct scientific investigations which include controlled experiments and systematic observations. Collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions fairly.
3. Verify and evaluate scientific investigations and use the results in a purposeful way.
4. Compare and contrast the processes of scientific inquiry and the technological method.
5. Explain how personal bias can affect observations.
6. Design, construct, and test a device (invention) that solves a special problem.
EXAMPLE
Given temperature data from hot liquids contained in a variety of cups, predict the relative insulating capacity of each. Then, test the prediction and formulate additional questions based on a comparison of the results.
K. SCIENTIFIC REASONING
Students will learn to formulate and justify ideas and to make informed decisions. This involves framing and supporting arguments, recognizing patterns and relationships, identifying bias and stereotypes, brainstorming alternative explanations and solutions, judging accuracy, analyzing situations, and revising studies to improve their validity. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Examine the ways people form generalizations.
2. Identify exceptions to proposed generalizations.
3. Identify basic informal fallacies in arguments.
4. Analyze means of slanting information.
5. Identify stereotypes.
6. Support reasoning by using a variety of evidence.
7. Show that proving a hypothesis false is easier than proving it true, and explain why.
8. Construct logical arguments.
9. Apply analogous reasoning.
EXAMPLES
Use logical connectors such as "if.....then" to accurately reflect cause and effect.
Recognize the intermingling of fact and opinion in scientific explanations.
L. COMMUNICATION
Students will communicate effectively in the applications of science and technology. Clear and accurate communication employs appropriate symbols and terminology, models, and a variety of media and presentation styles. Communication includes constructing knowledge through reflection, evaluation, refocusing, and critically analyzing information from a variety of sources. Individuals and collaborative groups must communicate effectively. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Discuss scientific and technological ideas and make conjectures and convincing arguments.
2. Defend problem-solving strategies and solutions.
3. Evaluate individual and group communication for clarity, and work to improve communication.
4. Make and use scale drawings, maps, and three-dimensional models to represent real objects, find locations, and describe relationships.
5. Access information at remote sites using telecommunications.
6. Identify and perform roles necessary to accomplish group tasks.
EXAMPLE
Given actual census data on populations and species in a wetland, present arguments in support of and against a proposition to develop the area.
M. IMPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Students will understand the historical, social, economic, environmental, and ethical implications of science and technology. Scientific and technological breakthroughs are influenced by prevailing beliefs and conditions which in turn are impacted by new ideas and inventions. By assessing the impacts of technological activity on the environment, students will develop their own sense of global stewardship. Students will be able to:
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
1. Research and evaluate the social and environmental impacts of scientific and technological developments.
2. Describe the historical and cultural conditions at the time of an invention or discovery, and analyze the societal impacts of that invention.
3. Discuss the ethical issues surrounding a specific scientific or technological development.
4. Describe an individual's biological and other impacts on an environmental system.
5. Identify factors that have caused some countries to become leaders in science and technology.
6. Give examples of actions which may have expected or unexpected consequences that may be positive, negative, or both.
7. Explain the connections between industry, natural resources, population, and economic development.
8. Recognize scientific and technological contributions of diverse people including women, different ethnic groups, races, and physically disabled.
EXAMPLES
Investigate the events and technology that led to the discovery of microorganisms and to the subsequent changes in medicine.
Identify an historical human problem, describe the possible solutions available at the time the problem was discovered, explain how the problem was solved, and evaluate the positive and negative effects of the solution.