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:
SECONDARY GRADES
1. Explain the role of DNA in resolving questions of relationship and evolutionary change.
2. Describe similarities and differences among organisms within each level of the taxonomic system for classifying organisms (kingdom through species).
3. Analyze the basic characteristics of living things, including their need for food, water, and gases and the ability to reproduce.
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:
SECONDARY GRADES
1. Illustrate the cycles of matter in the environment and explain their interrelationships.
2. Compare the process of photosynthesis and respiration, and describe the factors that effect them.
3. Analyze the factors that affect population size (e.g., reproductive and survival rates).
4. Analyze the impact of human and other activities on the type and pace of change in ecosystems.
EXAMPLE
Create a poster illustrating the cycles of water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide as they relate to photosynthesis and respiration.
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:
SECONDARY GRADES
1. Relate the parts of a cell to its function.
2. Illustrate how cells replicate and transmit information, including the roles of DNA and RNA.
3. Discuss the function of the important "molecules of life" - proteins (including enzymes and hormones), carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.
4. Explain how the human body protects itself against disease and how the body might lose that ability.
5. Analyze and debate basic principles of genetic engineering: how it is done, its uses, and some ethical implications.
EXAMPLES
Describe how the structure of a cell membrane is related to its function.
Create a model contrasting the processes of meiosis and mitosis.
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:
SECONDARY GRADES
1. Explain how mutations can be caused by gene mutation or chromosomal alteration and describe the possible results of such mutations on individuals or populations.
2. Describe why the offspring of sexually reproducing species have different survival rates than those of asexually reproducing species under a variety of conditions. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each.
3. Explain and document the importance of relatively short-term changes (e.g., one generation) on a species' survival.
4. Describe how genetic manipulation can cause unusually rapid changes in species.
5. Compare and contrast fertilization, zygote formation, and embryo development in humans and other species.
6. Analyze a theory scientists use to explain the origin of life.
7. Explain both the evidence used to develop the geologic time scale and why an awareness of geologic time is important to an understanding of the process of change in the universe as well as on earth.
EXAMPLE
Describe how scientists use radioisotopes and other technologies to verify fossil changes 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:
SECONDARY GRADES
1. Trace the development of models of the atom to the present and describe how each model reflects the scientific understanding of their time.
2. Analyze how matter is affected by changes in temperature, pressure, and volume.
3. Describe the characteristics and behavior of acids and bases.
4. Describe an application of the Law of Conservation of Matter.
5. Describe how atoms are joined by chemical bonding.
6. Compare the physical and chemical characteristics of elements.
7. Describe nuclear reactions, including fusion, fission, and decay, their occurrences in nature, and how they can be used by humans.
EXAMPLES
Explain how advances in science and technology have increased our knowledge of the structure of atoms.
Describe how physical properties of the ocean, such as salinity and temperature, affect its global circulation and localized motion.
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:
SECONDARY GRADES
1. Describe how air pressure, temperature, and moisture interact to cause changes in the weather.
2. Analyze potential effects of changes in the earth's oceans and atmosphere.
3. Describe the impact of plate movement and erosion on the rock cycle.
4. Describe ways that scientists measure long periods of time and determine the age of very old objects.
5. Demonstrate how rocks and minerals are used to determine geologic history.
6. Analyze the changes in continental position and the evidence that supports the concept of tectonic plates.
EXAMPLES
Measure physical changes in the atmosphere to predict the weather.
Research the location of rock types and fossils in different parts of the world.
Conduct simulations to determine ways that global climate can be affected by large-scale circulation of the oceans and the atmosphere.
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:
SECONDARY GRADES
1. Describe how scientists gather data about the universe.
2. Research current explanations for phenomena such as black holes and quasars.
3. Explain how astronomers measure interstellar distances.
EXAMPLE
Use a computer to analyze images of planetary bodies.
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:
SECONDARY GRADES
1. Analyze the evidence that leads scientists to conclude that light behaves somewhat like a wave and somewhat like a particle.
2. Examine and describe how light is reflected and refracted (deflected)by mirrors and lenses.
3. Explain or demonstrate how sound waves travel.
4. Analyze the relationship between the kinetic and potential energy of a falling object.
5. Use mathematics to describe the work and power in a system.
6. Describe the relationship between matter and energy and how matter releases energy through the processes of nuclear fission and fusion.
7. Use mathematics to describe and predict electrical and magnetic activity (e.g., current, resistance, voltage).
8. Compare and contrast how conductors, semiconductors, and super-conductors work and describe their present and potential uses.
9. Demonstrate an understanding that energy can be found in chemical bonds and can be used when it is released from those bonds.
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:
SECONDARY GRADES
1. Use mathematics to describe the law of conservation of momentum.
2. Explain some current theories of gravitational force.
3. Use Newton's Laws to qualitatively and quantitatively describe the motion of objects.
4. Describe how forces affect fluids (e.g., air and water).
5. Explain the relationship between temperature, heat, and molecular motion.
6. Describe how forces within and between atoms affect their behavior and the properties of matter.
EXAMPLE
Investigate and describe the motion of an amusement park ride.
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:
SECONDARY GRADES
1. Make accurate observations using appropriate tools and units of measure.