The writing committee dedicates the Kansas Science Education Standards to all Kansas students. Our students are the future of Kansas. With this document, we pass on the legacy of our own teachers, who helped us to know that as lifelong learners of science, we can live more productive, responsible, and fulfilling lives.





Kansas Science Education Standards Writing Committee*

Stephen Angel, Chemist, Washburn University, Topeka, KS

Ramona Anshutz, Science Education Consultant, Pomona, KS

Ken Bingman, Biology Teacher, Shawnee Mission USD 512, Shawnee Mission, KS

Mary Blythe, K-5 Science Specialist, Kansas City USD 500, Kansas City, KS

Janeen Brown, Elementary Teacher, Wakeeney USD 208, Wakeeney, KS

Steve Case, Director, Kansas Collaborative Research Network, Lawrence, KS

Misty Gawith, Middle Level Teacher, Circle USD 375, Towanda, KS

Letha Gillaspie, Chemistry and Physics Teacher, Augusta USD 402, Augusta, KS

Betty Holderread, Science Education Consultant, Newton, KS

Loren Lutes, Superintendent, Elkhart USD 218, Elkhart, KS and Committee Co-Chair

Naomi Nibbelink, Health Sciences Educational Consultant, Topeka, KS

Jay Nicholson, Biology, Chemistry, Physics Teacher, Rock Creek USD 323, Westmoreland, KS

Karen Peck, Elementary Teacher, Wichita Diocese Schools, Wichita, KS

Linda Pierce, Elementary Teacher, Circle USD 375, Towanda, KS

Barbara Prater, Middle School Teacher, Blue Valley USD 229, Overland Park, KS

Linda Proehl, Assistant Superintendent, Parsons USD 503, Parsons, KS

Greg Schell, Science Education Program Consultant, KSDE, Topeka, KS

John Richard Schrock, Biologist, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS

Twyla Sherman, Science Educator, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS

Ben Starburg, Biology Teacher, Chapman USD 473, Chapman, KS

John Staver, Science Educator, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS and Committee Co-Chair

David Steinmetz, Chemistry and Physics Teacher, Arkansas City USD 470, Arkansas City, KS

Germaine Taggart, Science Educator, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS

Sandy Tauer, K-12 Science and Mathematics Coordinator, Derby USD 260, Derby, KS

Patrick Wakeman, Biology Teacher, Tonganoxie USD 464, Tonganoxie, KS

Brad Williamson, Biology Teacher, Olathe USD 233, Olathe, KS

Carol Williamson, Pre K-12 Science Coordinator, Olathe USD 233, Olathe, KS

* Note: Brief biographical sketches of each member of the committee are provided in Appendix 6.





Kansas Science Education Standards

Introduction

Mission Statement

The mission of science education in Kansas is to utilize science as a vehicle to prepare all students as lifelong learners who can use science to make reasoned decisions, contributing to their local, state, and international communities.

Vision Statement

"All students, regardless of gender, cultural or ethnic background, future aspirations or interest and motivation in science, should have the opportunity to attain high levels of scientific literacy" (Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Project, 1996, T-7).

The educational system must prepare the citizens of Kansas to meet the challenges of the 21st century. With this in mind, the intent for the Kansas Science Education Standards can be expressed in a single phrase: Science standards for all students. The phrase embodies both excellence and equity. These standards apply to all students, regardless of age, gender, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities, aspirations, or interest and motivation in science.

By emphasizing both excellence and equity, these standards also highlight the need to give students the opportunity to experience science to learn science. Students can achieve high levels of performance with:

access to skilled professional teachers;

adequate classroom time;

a rich array of learning material;

accommodating work spaces; and

the resources of the communities surrounding their schools.

Responsibility for providing this support falls on all those involved with the system of education in Kansas.

Inquiry is central to science learning. These standards call for more than "science as a process," in which students learn discrete skills such as observing, inferring, and experimenting. When engaging in inquiry, students describe objects and events, ask questions, construct explanations, test those explanations against current scientific knowledge, and communicate their ideas to others. They identify their assumptions, use critical and logical thinking, and consider alternative explanations. In this way, students actively develop their understanding of science by combining scientific knowledge with reasoning and thinking skills. They also experience first-hand the thrill and excitement of science. As a result of such experiences, students will be empowered to add to the growing body of scientific knowledge.

The importance of inquiry does not imply that all teachers should pursue a single approach to teaching science. Just as inquiry has many different facets, so do teachers need to use many different strategies to develop the understandings and abilities described here. These standards rest on the premise that science is an active process. Science is something that students and adults do, not something that is done to them.

The Kansas Science Education Standards:

Provide criteria that Kansas educators and stakeholders can use to judge whether particular actions will serve the vision of a scientifically literate society.

Bring coordination, consistency, and coherence to the improvement of science education.

Advocate that science education must be developmentally appropriate and reflect a systemic, progressive approach throughout the elementary, middle, and high school years.

These standards should not be viewed as a state curriculum nor as requiring a specific local curriculum. A curriculum is the way content is organized and presented in the classroom. The content embodied in these standards can be organized and presented with many different emphases and perspectives in many different curricula.

Purpose of this Document

These standards, benchmarks, indicators, and examples are designed to assist Kansas educators in selecting and developing local curricula, carrying out instruction, and assessing students' progress. Also, they will serve as the foundation for the development of state assessments in science. Finally, these standards, benchmarks, indicators, and examples represent high, yet reasonable, expectations for all students.

Students may need further support in and beyond the regular classroom to attain these expectations. Teachers, school administrators, parents, and other community members should be provided with the professional development and leadership resources necessary to enable them to help all students work toward meeting or exceeding these expectations.

Background Information

The original Kansas Curricular Standards for Science were drafted in 1992, approved by the Kansas State Board of Education in 1993, and up-dated in 1995. Although all of this work occurred prior to the release of the National Science Education Standards in 1996, the original Kansas standards reflect early work on the national standards. At the August, 1997 meeting of the Kansas State Board of Education, the Board directed that academic standards committees composed of stakeholders from throughout Kansas should be convened in each curriculum area defined by Kansas law (reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies).

The science committee was charged to:

1. Bring greater clarity and specificity to what teachers should teach and students should learn at the various grade levels.

2. Review current state curricular standards.

3. Prioritize the standards to be assessed by the state assessments.

4. Provide advice regarding assessment methodologies.

Acknowledgment of Prior Work

Carrying out this charge, the writing committee built upon and benefited from a great deal of prior work done on a national level. Two principal expressions of a unified vision and content for science education exist. One is the National Science Education Standards published by the National Research Council; the second is Benchmarks for Science Literacy from Project 2061 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. According to representatives of both groups, the vision and content overlap by at least 80%. These standards embrace the vision and content of the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) and Benchmarks for Science Literacy (Project 2061 AAAS, 1993). Therefore, the Kansas Science Education Standards are founded not only on the research base but also on the work of over 18,000 scientists, science educators, teachers, school administrators and parents across the country that produced national standards as well as the school district teams and thousands of individuals who contributed to the benchmarks. Thus, the Kansas Science Education Standards are consistent with both expressions of a unified vision for science education. Moreover the National Science Teachers Association recently published elementary, middle, and high school editions of Pathways to the Science Standards. The pathways documents provide a framework for aligning the Kansas Science Education Standards with national standards. All of the above mentioned documents contain many resources and teaching applications for further development of the ideas presented in the Kansas Science Education Standards. Permission to use specific segments of text in the Kansas Science Education Standards has been requested from the National Research Council, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Science Teachers Association, and other sources of text and diagrams.

Nature of Science

Science is the human activity of seeking natural explanations for what we observe in the world around us. Science does so through the use of observation, experimentation, and logical argument while maintaining strict empirical standards and healthy skepticism. In so doing, science distinguishes itself from other ways of knowing and from other bodies of knowledge. Explanations based on myths, personal beliefs, religious values, mystical inspiration, superstition, or authority may be personally useful and socially relevant, but they are not scientific. Scientific explanations are built on observations, hypotheses, and theories. A hypothesis is a testable statement about the natural world that can be used to build more complex inferences and explanations. A theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate observations, inferences, and tested hypotheses. Scientific explanations must meet certain criteria.

They must be logical.

They must be consistent with experimental and/or observational data.

They must be testable by scientists through additional experimentation and/or observation.

They must follow strict rules that govern the repeatability of observations and experiments.



The effect of these criteria is to insure that scientific explanations about the world are open to criticism and that they will be modified or abandoned in favor of new explanations if empirical evidence so warrants. Because all scientific explanations depend on observational and experimental confirmation, all scientific knowledge is, in principle, subject to change as new evidence becomes available. The core theories of science have been subjected to a wide variety of confirmations and have a high degree of reliability within the limits to which they have been tested. In areas where data or understanding are incomplete, new data may lead to changes in current theories or resolve current conflicts. In situations where information is still fragmentary, it is normal for scientific ideas to be incomplete, but this is also where the opportunity for making advances may be greatest. Science has flourished in different regions during different time periods, and in history, diverse cultures have contributed scientific knowledge and technological inventions. Changes in scientific knowledge usually occur as gradual modifications, but the scientific enterprise also experiences periods of rapid advancement. The daily work of science and technology results in incremental advances in our understanding of the world about us.

Teaching With Tolerance and Respect

Science studies natural phenomena by formulating explanations that can be tested against the natural world. Some scientific concepts and theories (e.g. blood transfusion, human sexuality, nervous system role in consciousness, cosmological and biological evolution, etc.) may conflict with a student's religious or cultural beliefs. The goal is to enhance understanding, and a science teacher has a responsibility to enhance students' understanding of scientific concepts and theories. Compelling student belief is inconsistent with the goal of education. Nothing in science or in any other field of knowledge shall be taught dogmatically.

A teacher is an important role model for demonstrating respect and civility, and teachers should not ridicule, belittle or embarrass a student for expressing an alternative view or belief. In doing this, teachers display and demand tolerance and respect for the diverse ideas, skills, and experiences of all students. If a student should raise a question in a natural science class that the teacher determines to be outside the domain of science, the teacher should treat the question with respect. The teacher should explain why the question is outside the domain of natural science and encourage the student to discuss the question further with his or her family and clergy.

Neither the Kansas Constitution nor the United States Constitution require time to be given in the science curriculum to accommodate religious views of those who object to certain material or activities presented in science classes. Nothing in the Kansas Statutes Annotated or the Kansas State Board Regulations allows students (or their parents) to excuse class attendance based on disagreement with the curriculum, except as specified for 1) any activity which is contrary to the religious teachings of the child or for 2) human sexuality education. (See Kansas Statutes Annotated 1111d and State Board Regulations91-31-3:(g)(2).)

A Perspective on Changing Emphases

The central nature of inquiry in learning science reflects substantive changes - steps forward - from the previous Kansas Curricular Standards for Science, last updated in 1995. The Kansas Science Education Standards envision change throughout the system of Kansas education. These standards reflect the following changes in emphases, as shown in the chart below:



Changing Emphases in the Nature of Science Content

and

Changing Emphases to Promote Inquiry

To help readers grasp the extent of changing emphases presented in the chart immediately above, the writing committee has included two sections from the prior Kansas standards in the appendices. Readers can find the classical science process skills defined in Appendix 4 and the Diagram Explanation for the Science Standards in Appendix 2. Regarding science process skills, these standards call for substantive change, for a decrease in emphasis on implementing inquiry as a set of isolated process skills, with a simultaneous increase on implementing inquiry as instructional strategies, ideas, and abilities to be learned. Close examination of the chart above reveals that science processes remain important, as they should. But, in these standards, students acquire proficiency in science processes within the context of learning to do scientific inquiry. This requires students to develop their abilities to think scientifically. To encourage a uniform understanding of what this means, the writing committee has also included a diagram on the Scientific Thinking Processes in Appendix 3.

Organization of the Kansas Science Education Standards

Each standard in the main body of the document contains a series of benchmarks, which describe what students should know and be able to do at the end of a certain point in their education (e.g., grade 2, 4, 8, 10). Each benchmark contains a series of indicators, which identify what it means for students to meet a benchmark. Indicators are frequently followed by examples, which are specific, concrete ideas or illustrations of the standards writers' intent.

Standards

There are seven standards for science. These standards are general statements of what students should know, understand, and be able to do in the natural sciences over the course of their K-12 education. The seven standards are interwoven ideas, not separate entities; thus, they should be taught as interwoven ideas, not as separate entities. These standards are clustered for grade levels K-2, 3-4, 5-8, and 9-12.

1. Science as Inquiry

2. Physical Science

3. Life Science

4. Earth and Space Science

5. Science and Technology

6. Science in Personal and Environmental Perspectives

7. History and Nature of Science

Benchmarks

These are specific statements of what students should know and be able to do at a specified point in their schooling. Benchmarks are used to measure students' progress toward meeting a standard. In these standards, benchmarks are defined for grades 2, 4, 8, and 10.

Indicators

These are statements of the knowledge or skills which students demonstrate in order to meet a benchmark. Indicators are critical to understanding the standards and benchmarks and are to be met by all students. The indicators listed under each benchmark are not listed in priority order, nor should the list be considered as all-inclusive. Moreover, the list of examples under each indicator should be considered as representative but not as comprehensive or all-inclusive.

Examples

Two kinds of examples are presented. An instructional example offers an activity or a specific concrete instance of an idea of what is called for by an indicator. A clarifying example provides an illustration of the meaning or intent of an indicator. Like the indicators themselves, examples are considered to be representative but not comprehensive or all-inclusive.

Keying the Standards to the Kansas Science Assessment

Readers should notice that selected indicators beneath standards have a box containing a number immediately to the left of the number of the indicator. The presence of such an internally numbered box beside an indicator means that the writing committee has designated this indicator for emphasis on the new Kansas Science Assessment, which will be developed to assess these standards. Thus, a box with the number "4" inside represents an indicator to be emphasized on the Grade 4 Kansas Science Assessment. Similarly, boxes with the numbers "7" or "10" inside represent indicators to be emphasized on the Grade 7 and Grade 10 Kansas Science Assessments, respectively. None of the indicators designated by a boxed-10 will assume competency through the second semester of grade 10. Finally, readers should know that the number represents the first point at which a particular indicator will be assessed. The same indicator may also be included on later assessments.



Unifying Concepts and Processes in the Kansas Science Education Standards

Science is traditionally a discipline-centered activity; however, broad, unifying concepts and processes exist which cut across the traditional disciplines of science. Five such concepts and processes, which are named and described below, have been embedded within and across the seven standards. These broad unifying concepts and processes complement the analytic, more discipline-based perspectives presented in the other content standards. Moreover, they provide students with productive and insightful ways of thinking about integrating a range of basic ideas that explain the world about us, including what occurs naturally as well as what is built by humans through science and technology. The embedded unifying concepts and processes named and described below are a subset of the many unifying ideas in science and technology. These were selected from the National Science Education Standards because they provide connections between and among traditional scientific disciplines, are fundamental and comprehensive, are understandable and usable by people who will implement science programs, and can be expressed and experienced in a developmentally appropriate manner during K-12 science education.

Systems, Order, and Organization: The world about us is complex; it is too large and complicated to investigate and comprehend all at once. Scientists and students learn to define small portions for the convenience of investigations. The units of investigation can be referred to as systems, where a system is an organized group of related objects or components that form a whole. Systems are categorized as open, closed, or isolated, and can consist of organisms, machines, fundamental particles, galaxies, ideas, numbers, transportation and education. Systems have boundaries, components, resources, flow (input and output), and feedback. Order - the behavior of units of matter, objects, organisms, or events in the universe - can be described statistically. Probability is the relative certainty (or uncertainty) that individuals can assign to selected events happening (or not happening) in a specified space or time. In science, reduction of uncertainty occurs through such processes as the development of knowledge about factors influencing objects, organisms, systems, or events; better and more observations; and better explanatory models. Types and levels of organization provide useful ways of thinking about the world. Types of organization include the periodic table of elements and the classification of organisms. Physical systems can be described at different levels of organization - such as fundamental particles, atoms, and molecules. Living systems also have different levels of organization - for example, cells, tissues, organs, organisms, populations, and communities.

Evidence, Models, and Explanation: Evidence consists of observations and empirical data on which to base scientific explanations. Using evidence to understand interactions allows individuals to predict changes in naturally occurring systems and systems built by humans. Models are tentative schemes or structures that correspond to real objects, events, or classes of events, and have explanatory and predictive power. Models help scientists and engineers understand how things work. Models take many forms, including physical objects, plans, mental constructs, mathematical equations, and computer simulations. Scientific explanations incorporate existing scientific knowledge and new evidence from observations, experiments, or models into internally consistent, logical statements. Different terms, such as "hypothesis," "model," "law," "principle," "theory," and "paradigm" are used to describe various types of scientific explanations.

Constancy, Change, and Measurement: Although most things are in the process of becoming different - changing - some properties of objects and processes are characterized by constancy (e.g., speed of light, charge of an electron, total mass plus energy in the universe). Changes might occur, for example, in properties of materials, position of objects, motion, and form and function of systems. Interactions within and among systems result in change. Changes vary in rate, scale, and pattern, including trends and cycles.

Equilibrium is a physical state in which forces and changes occur in opposite and off-setting directions. For example, opposite forces are of the same magnitude, or off-setting changes occur at equal rates. Steady state, balance, and homeostasis also describe equilibrium states. Interacting units of matter tend toward equilibrium states in which the energy is distributed as randomly and uniformly as possible. Changes in systems can be quantified, and evidence for interactions and subsequent change and the formulation of scientific explanations are often clarified through quantitative distinctions - measurement. All measurements are approximations, and the accuracy and precision of measurement depend on equipment, technology, and technique used during observations. Mathematics is essential for accurately measuring change. Different systems of measurement are used for different purposes. Scientists usually use the metric system. An important part of measurement is knowing when to use which system. For example a meteorologist might use degrees Fahrenheit when reporting the weather to the public, but in writing scientific reports, the meteorologist would use degrees Celsius.

Patterns of Cumulative Change: Accumulated changes through time, some gradual and some sporadic, account for the present form and function of objects, organisms, and natural systems. The general idea is that the present arises from materials and forms of the past. An example of cumulative change is the biological theory of evolution, which explains the process of descent with modification of organisms from common ancestors. Additional examples are continental drift, which is part of plate tectonic theory, fossilization, and erosion. Patterns of cumulative change also help to describe the current structure of the universe.

Form and Function: Form and function are complementary aspects of objects, organisms, and systems. The form or shape of an object or system is frequently related to use, operation, or function. Function frequently relies on form. Understanding of form and function applies to different levels of organization. Form and function can explain each other.

On the following page, a K-12 overview of science content is presented within the seven standards. At the beginning of the 4th (p. 19), 8th (p. 30), and 12th (p. 54) grade standards, the overview of science content for that section within the seven standards is connected to the unifying concepts and processes.

*

By The End Of SECOND GRADE

STANDARD 1: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY

As a result of the activities in grades K-2, all students should experience science as full inquiry. In elementary grades, students begin to develop the physical and intellectual abilities of scientific inquiry.

Benchmark 1: All students will be involved in activities that will develop skills necessary to do scientific inquiries. These activities will involve asking a simple question, completing an investigation, answering the question, and presenting the results to others. However, not every activity will involve all of these stages nor must any particular sequence of these stages be followed.

Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Identify characteristics of objects.

Example: States characteristics of leaves, shells, water, and air.

4 2. Classify and arrange groups of objects by a variety of characteristics.

Example: Group seeds by color, texture, size; group objects by whether they float or sink; group rocks by texture, color, and hardness.

4 3. Use appropriate materials and tools to collect information.

Example: Use magnifiers, balances, scales, thermometers, measuring cups, and spoons when engaged in investigations.

4. Ask and answer questions about objects, organisms, and events in their environment.

Example: The student may ask, "What must I do to balance a pencil, ruler, or piece of paper on my finger?"

5. Describe an observation orally or pictorially.

Example: Draw pictures of plant growth on a daily basis; note color, number of leaves.



STANDARD 2: PHYSICAL SCIENCE

As a result of the activities in grades K-2, all students should be encouraged to explore the world by observing and manipulating common objects and materials in their environment.

Benchmark 1: All students will develop skills to describe objects.

All students will have opportunities to compare, describe, and sort objects.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Observe properties and measure those properties using age appropriate tools and materials.

Example: Compare size, weight, shape, color, and temperature of objects.

4 2. Describe objects by the materials from which they are made.

Example: Compare objects made from wood, metal, and cloth.

4 3. Separate or sort a group of objects or materials by characteristics.

Example: Compare the shape, size, weight, and color of objects.



4 4. Compare solids and liquids.

Example: Compare the properties of water with the properties of wood.



STANDARD 3: LIFE SCIENCE

As a result of the activities for grades K-2, all students will begin to develop an understanding of biological concepts.

Benchmark 1: All students will develop an understanding of the characteristics of living things.

Through direct experiences, students will observe living things, their life cycles, and their habitats.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Discuss that living things need air, water, and food.

Example: What children need...what plants need...what animals need.



2. Observe life cycles of different living things.

Example: Observe butterflies, mealworms, plants, and humans.

3. Observe living things in various environments.

Example: Observe classroom plants; take nature walks in your own area and various field trips; observe terrariums and aquariums.

4 4. Examine the characteristics of living things.

Example: Butterflies have wings. Plants may have leaves and roots. People have skin and hair.



STANDARD 4: EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE

As a result of the activities for grades K-2, all students should be encouraged to observe closely the objects and materials in their environment.

Benchmark 1: All students will describe properties of Earth materials.

Earth materials may include rock, soil, air, and water.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Group Earth materials.

Example: Describe and compare soils by color and texture, sort pebbles and rocks by size, shape, and color.

4 2. Describe where Earth materials are found.

Example: Observe Earth materials around the playground, on a field trip, or in their own yard.

Benchmark 2: All students will observe and compare objects in the sky.

The sun, moon, stars, clouds, birds, and other objects such as airplanes have properties that can be observed and compared.



Indicators: The students will:

1. Distinguish between manmade and natural objects in the sky.



Example: Compare birds to airplanes.

2. Recognize sun, moon, and stars.

Example: Observe day and night sky regularly.

4 3. Describe that the sun provides light and warmth.

Example: Feel heat from the sun on the face and skin. Observe shadows.

Benchmark 3: All students will describe changes in weather.

Weather includes snow, rain, sleet, wind, and violent storms.



Indicators: The students will:

1. Observe changes in the weather from day to day.

Example: Draw pictures.

2. Record weather changes daily.

Example: Use weather charts, calendars, and logs to record daily weather.

3. Discuss weather safety procedures.

Examples: Practice tornado drill procedures; talk about the dangers of lightning and flooding.



STANDARD 5: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY



As a result of the activities for grades K-2, all students should have a variety of educational experiences that involve science and technology.

Benchmark 1: All students will use technology to learn about the world around them.

Students will use software and other technological resources to discover the world around them.



Indicators: The students will:

1. Explore the way things work.

Example: Observe the inner workings of non-working toys, clocks, telephones, toasters, music boxes.

4 2. Experience science through technology.

Example: Use science software programs, balances, thermometers, hand lenses, and bug viewers.

Second Grade - Continued



STANDARD 6: SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVES

As a result of the activities for grades K-2, all students should have a variety of experiences that provide initial understandings for various science-related personal and environmental challenges.

This standard should be integrated with physical science, life science, and Earth & space science standards.

Benchmark 1: All students will demonstrate responsibility for their own health.

Health encompasses safety, personal hygiene, exercise, and nutrition.



Indicators: The students will:

1. Discuss that safety and security are basic human needs.

Examples: Discuss the need to obey traffic signals, the use of crosswalks, and the danger of talking to strangers.

2. Engage in personal care.



Examples: Practice washing hands and brushing teeth. Discuss clothing. Discuss personal hygiene.

3. Discuss healthy foods.

Example: Cut out pictures of foods and sort into healthy and not healthy groups.



STANDARD 7: HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE



As a result of the activities for grades K-2, all students can experience scientific inquiry and learn about people from history.

This standard should be integrated with physical science, life science, and Earth & space science standards.

Benchmark 1: All students will know they practice science.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Be involved in explorations that make them wonder and know that they are

practicing science

Examples: Observe what happens when you place a banana or an orange (with and without the skin), or a crayon in water. Observe what happens when you hold an M&M, a chocolate chip, or a raisin in your hand. Note the changes. Observe what happens when you rub your hands together very fast.

2. Use technology to learn about people in science.

Examples: Read short stories, and view films or videos. Invite parents who are involved in science as guest speakers.

By The End Of FOURTH GRADE

Overview of Science Standards K-4

*

STANDARD 1: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY



As a result of the activities in grades 3-4, all students should experience science as full inquiry. Full inquiry involves asking a simple question, completing an investigation, answering the question, and presenting the results to others.

Benchmark 1: All students will develop the skills necessary to do full inquiry. However, not every activity will involve all of these stages nor must any particular sequences of these stages be followed. Students can design investigations to try things to see what happens.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Ask questions that they can answer by investigating.

Example: Will oil and water mix? How much water will a sponge hold?

4 2. Plan and conduct a simple investigation.

Example: Design a test of the wet strength of paper towels; experiment with plant growth; experiment to find ways to prevent soil erosion.

4 3. Employ appropriate equipment and tools to gather data.

Example: Use a balance to find the mass of the wet paper towel, meter sticks to measure length of the room, our height, arm span.

4 4. Begin developing the abilities to communicate, critique, and analyze their own investigations and interpret the work of other students.

Example: Describe investigations with pictures, written language, oral presentations.



STANDARD 2: PHYSICAL SCIENCE



As a result of the activities in grades 3-4, all students will compare, describe, and sort as they begin to form explanations of the world.

Benchmark 1: All students will develop skills to describe objects.

Through observation, manipulation, and classification of common objects, children reflect on the similarities and differences of the objects.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Observe properties and measure those properties using appropriate tools.

Example: Observe and record the size, weight, shape, color, and temperature of objects using balances, thermometers, and other measurement tools.

4 2. Classify objects by the materials from which they are made.

Example: Group a set of objects by the materials from which they are made.

4 3. Describe objects by more than one property.

Example: Observe that an object could be hard, round, and rough.

4 4. Observe and record how one object reacts with another object or substance.

Example: Mix baking soda and vinegar and record observations.

4 5. Recognize and describe the differences between solids and liquids.

Example: Observe differences between ice as a solid and water as a liquid.



Benchmark 2: All students will describe the movement of objects.

When students describe and manipulate objects, they will observe the position and movement of objects.



Indicators: The students will:

1. Move objects by pushing, pulling, throwing, spinning, dropping, and rolling,and describe the movement.

Example: Spin a top; roll a ball.

4 2. Describe locations of objects.



Example: Describe locations as up, down, in front, or behind.

Benchmark 3: All students will recognize and demonstrate what makes sounds.

The concept of sound is very abstract. However, by investigating a variety of sounds made by common objects, students can form a connection between sounds the objects make and the materials from which the objects are made. Plastic objects make a different sound than do wooden objects.

Indicators: The students will:

1. Discriminate between sounds made by different objects.

Example: Listen and compare the sounds made by drums and other musical instruments, such as cans, gourds, plastic spoons, pennies, and plastic disks.

Benchmark 4: All students will experiment with electricity and magnetism. Repeated activities involving simple electrical circuits can help students develop the concept that electrical circuits require a complete loop through which an electric current can pass. Magnets attract and repel each other and certain kinds of other materials.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Demonstrate that magnets attract and repel.

4 2. Design a simple experiment to determine whether various objects will be attracted

to magnets.

4 3. Construct a simple circuit.

Example: Use a battery, bulb, and wire to light a bulb, make a motor run, produce sound, or make an electromagnet.



STANDARD 3: LIFE SCIENCE



As a result of the activities for grades 3-4, all students will build an understanding of biological concepts through direct experience with living things, their life cycles, and their habitats.

Benchmark 1: All students will develop a knowledge of organisms in their environment.

The study of organisms should include observations and interactions within the natural world of the child.



Indicators: The Students will:

4 1. Compare and contrast structural characteristics and functions of different organisms.

Example: Compare the structures for movement of a meal worm to the structures for movement of a guppy. Compare the leaf structures of a sprouted bean seed to the leaf structures of a corn seed.

4 2. Compare basic needs of different organisms in their environment.

Example: Compare the basic needs of a guinea pig to the basic needs of a tree.

3. Discuss ways humans and other organisms use their senses in their environments.

Example: Compare how people and other living organisms get food, seek shelter, and defend themselves.

Benchmark 2: All students will observe and illustrate the life cycles of various organisms.

Plants and animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying.



Indicators: The Students will:

4 1. Compare, contrast, and ask questions about the life cycles of various organisms.

Example: Plant a seed and observe and record its growth. Observe and record the changes of an insect as it develops from birth to adult.



STANDARD 4: EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE



As a result of the activities for grades 3-4, all students will be encouraged to observe closely the objects, materials, and changes in their environment, note their properties, distinguish one from another, and develop their own explanations of how things become the way they are.

Benchmark 1: All students will develop an understanding of the properties of Earth materials.

Earth materials may include rock, soil, and water. Playgrounds or parks are convenient study sites to observe.



Indicators: The students will:

1. Observe a variety of Earth materials in their environment.

Examples: Observe rocks, soil, sand, air, and water.

4 2. Collect, observe, and become aware of properties of various soils.

Example: Students could bring in samples of soils from their surroundings and observe color, texture, and reaction to water.

4 3. Experiment with a variety of soils.

Example: By planting seeds in a variety of soil samples, students can compare the effect of different soils on plant growth.

4 4. Describe properties of many different kinds of rocks.

Example: Bring rocks from the playground, immerse in water, and observe color, texture, and reaction to liquids.

5. Observe fossils and discuss how fossils provide evidence of plants and animals that lived long ago.

Example: Observe a variety of fossils.



Benchmark 2: All students will observe and describe objects in the sky.

The sun, moon, stars, clouds, birds, and other objects such as airplanes have properties that can be observed and compared.



Indicators: The students will:

1. Observe the moon and stars.

Example: Sketch the position of the moon in relation to a tree, rooftop, or building.

2. Observe and compare the length of shadows.

Example: Students can observe the movement of an object's shadow during the course of a day, or construct simple sundials.

4 3. Discuss that the sun provides light and heat to maintain the temperature of the Earth.

Example: When on the playground and the sun goes behind a cloud, discuss why it seems cooler.

Benchmark 3: All students will develop skills necessary to describe changes in the Earth and weather.

If the students revisit a study site regularly, they will develop an understanding that the Earth's surface and weather are constantly changing.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Describe changes in the surface of the Earth.

Example: Students will observe erosion and changes in plant growth at a study site.

4 2. Observe, describe, and record daily and seasonal weather changes

Example: Record weather observations.



STANDARD 5: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY



As a result of the activities for grades 3-4, all students will have a variety of educational experiences that involve science and technology. They will begin to understand the design process, as well as develop the ability to solve simple design problems that are appropriately challenging for their developmental level.

Benchmark 1: All students will develop appropriate problem solving skills.

Problem solving should occur within the setting of the home and school.

Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Identify a simple problem; design an approach/plan; implement the plan; solve and check for reasonableness and communicate the results.

Examples: Compare two types of string to see which is best for lifting different objects; design the best paper airplane, helicopter, or terrarium; design a simple system to hold two objects together.

Benchmark 2: All students will apply their understanding about science and technology.

Children's abilities in technological problem solving can be developed by firsthand experience in tackling tasks with a technological purpose. They also can study technological products and systems in their world: zippers, coat hooks, can openers, bridges, and automobiles.

Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Discuss that science is a way of investigating questions about their world.

Examples: Discuss how you think a zipper works; discuss how you think a can opener works.

4 2. Invent a product to solve problems.

Examples: Invent a new use for old products; potato masher , strainer, carrot peeler. Use a juice can to invent something useful.

3. Work together to solve problems.

Examples: Share ideas about solving a problem.

4. Develop an awareness that women and men of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnic groups engage in a variety of scientific and technological work.

Example: Interview parents and other community and school workers.

5. Investigate how scientists use tools to observe.

Examples: Engage in research on the Internet; interview the weatherman; conduct research in the library; call or visit a laboratory.

Benchmark 3: All students will distinguish between natural and human-made objects.

Some objects occur in nature; others have been designed and made by people to solve human problems and enhance the quality of life.



Indicators: The student will:

4 1. Compare, contrast, and sort human-made versus natural objects.

Example: Compare and contrast real flowers to silk flowers.

4 2. Use appropriate tools when observing natural and human-made objects.

Example: Use a magnifier when observing objects.

3. Ask questions about natural or human-made objects and discuss the reasoning behind their answers.

Example: The teacher will ask, "Is this a human-made object? Why do you think so?" When observing a natural or human-made object, the child will be asked the reasoning behind his/her answer.



STANDARD 6: SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVES

As a result of the activities for grades 3-4, all students will demonstrate personal health and environmental practices, having a variety of experiences that provide initial understanding for various science-related personal and environmental challenges.

This standard should be integrated with physical science, life science, and Earth & space science standards.

Benchmark 1: All students will develop an understanding of personal health.

Personal health involves physical and mental well being, including hygienic practices, and self-respect.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Discuss that safety involves freedom from danger, risk, or injury.

Example: Classroom discussions could include bike safety, water safety,

weather safety, sun protection.

2. Assume some responsibility for their own health.

Example: Practice good dental hygiene, cleanliness, and exercise.

4 3. Discuss that various foods contribute to health.

Example: Read and compare nutrition information found on labels; discuss healthy foods; make a healthy snack.

Benchmark 2: All students will demonstrate an awareness of changes in the environment.

Through classroom discussions, students can begin to recognize pollution as an environmental issue, scarcity as a resource issue, and crowded classrooms or schools as a population issue.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Define pollution.

Example: Take a pollution walk, gathering examples of litter and trash.

4 2. Develop personal actions to solve pollution problems in and around the

neighborhood.

Example: After the pollution walk, children could work in groups to solve pollution problems they observed.

3. Practice reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Examples: Present the problem that paper is being wasted in the classroom. Students could meet and form a plan to resolve this problem.



STANDARD 7: HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE



As a result of the activities for grades 3-4, all students will experience some things about scientific inquiry and learn about people from history.

Experiences of investigating and thinking about explanations, not memorization, will provide fundamental ideas about the history and nature of science. This standard should be integrated with physical science, lift science, and Earth & space science standards.

Benchmark 1: All students will develop an awareness that people practice science.

Science and technology have been practiced by people for a long time. Children and adults can derive great pleasure from doing science. They can investigate, construct, and experience science. Individuals, as well as groups of students, can conduct investigations.



Indicators: The students will:

4 1. Recognize that they participate in science inquiry.

Examples: What will happen if a plant is under light for different lengths of time? What will happen if the length or width of the wing of a paper airplane is changed? What will happen if vinegar is dropped on different kinds of rocks?

2. Observe, using various media, historical samples of people in science who have made contributions.

Examples: Read short stories; view films or videos; discuss contributions made by people in science.

By The End Of EIGHTH GRADE

Overview of Science Standards 5-8

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STANDARD 1: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop the abilities to do scientific inquiry, be able to demonstrate how scientific inquiry is applied, and develop understandings about scientific inquiry.

Benchmark 1: The students will demonstrate abilities necessary to do the processes of scientific inquiry.

Students can develop the skills of investigation and the understanding that scientific inquiry is guided by knowledge, observations, questions, and a design which identifies and controls variables to gather evidence to formulate an answer to the original question, given appropriate curriculum and adequate instruction. Students are to be provided opportunities to engage in full and partial inquiries in order to develop the skills of inquiry.

Teachers can facilitate success by providing guidelines or boundaries within which to explore: assisting students in choosing interesting questions, monitoring design plans, providing relevant examples of effective observation and organization strategies and checking and improving skills in the use of instruments, technology and techniques. Students at the middle level need special guidance in using evidence to build explanations, inference, and models, guidance to think critically and logically, and to see the relationships between evidence and explanations.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.

Example: Explore properties and phenomena of materials, such as a balloon, string, straw, and tape. Students explore properties and phenomena and generate questions to investigate.



7 2. Design and conduct a scientific investigation.

Example: Students design and conduct an investigation on the question, "Which paper towel absorbs the most water?" Materials include different kinds of paper towels, water, and a measuring cup. Components of the investigation should include background and hypothesis, identification of independent variable, dependent variable, constants, list of materials, procedures, collection and analysis of data, and conclusions.

7 3. Use appropriate tools, mathematics, technology, and techniques to gather, analyze and interpret data.

Example: Given an investigative question, students determine what to measure, how to measure, students should display their results in a graph or other graphic format.



7 4. Think critically to make the relationships between evidence and logical conclusions.

Example: Students check data to determine: Was the question answered? Was the hypothesis supported/not supported? Did this design work? How could this experiment be improved? What other questions could be investigated?

7 5. Apply mathematical reasoning to scientific inquiry.

Examples: Look for patterns from the mean of multiple trials, such as rate of dissolving relative to different temperatures. Use observations for inductive and deductive reasoning, such as explaining a person's energy level after a change in eating habits (e.g., use Likert-type scale). State relationships in data, such as variables, which vary directly or inversely.



7 6. Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.

Example: Present a report of your investigation so that others understand it and can replicate the design.

Benchmark 2: The students will apply different kinds of investigations to different kinds of questions.

Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms or events. Investigations can also involve collecting specimens, experiments, seeking more information, discovery of new objects and phenomena, and creating models to explain the phenomena. Instructional activities of scientific inquiry need to engage students in identifying and shaping questions for investigations. Different kinds of investigations suggest different kinds of questions.

To help focus, students need to frame questions such as "What do we want to find out?" "How can we make the most accurate observations?" "If we do this, then what do we expect to happen?" Students need instruction to develop the ability to refine and refocus broad and ill-defined questions.

Indicators: The students will:



7 1. Differentiate between a qualitative and a quantitative investigation.

Example: While observing a decomposing compost pile, how could you collect quantitative (numerical, measurable) data? How could you collect qualitative (descriptive) data? What is a quantitative question? (e.g., is the temperature constant throughout the compost pile?) What is a qualitative question? (e.g., does the color of the compost pile change over time?)

Example: Each student designs a question to investigate. Class analyzes all questions to classify as qualitative or quantitative.

After reading a science news article, identify variables and write a qualitative and/or quantitative investigative question related to the topic of the article.



10 2. Develop questions and adapt the inquiry process to guide an investigation.



Example: Adapt an existing lab or activity to: write a different question, identify another variable, and/or adapt the procedure to guide a new investigation.



Benchmark 3: The students will analyze how science advances through new ideas, scientific investigations, skepticism, and examining evidence of varied explanations.

Scientific investigations often result in new ideas and phenomena for study. These generate new investigations in the scientific community. Science advances through legitimate skepticism. Asking questions and querying other scientists' explanations is part of scientific inquiry. Scientists evaluate the proposed explanations by examining and comparing evidence, identifying faulty reasoning, and suggesting other alternatives.

Much time can be spent asking students to scrutinize evidence and explanations, but to develop critical thinking skills students must be allowed this time. Data that is carefully recorded and communicated can be reviewed and revisited frequently providing insights beyond the original investigative period. This teaching and learning strategy allows students to discuss, debate, question, explain, clarify, compare, and propose new thinking through social discourse. Students will apply this strategy to their own investigations and to scientific theories.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. After doing an investigation, generate alternative methods of investigation and/or further questions for inquiry.



Example: Ask "What would happen if..?" questions to generate new ideas for investigation.

10 2. Determine evidence which supports or contradicts a scientific breakthrough.

Example: Locate a scientific breakthrough [such as a Hubble discovery] in a newspaper or science magazine and analyze evidence. Is it a reasonable conclusion?

10 3. Identify faulty reasoning or conclusions that go beyond evidence and/or are not supported by data.



Example: Analyze evidence and data which support the theory of continental drift.



STANDARD 2: PHYSICAL SCIENCE

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should be able to apply process skills to develop an understanding of physical science including: properties, changes of properties of matter, motion and forces, and transfer of energy.

Benchmark 1: The students will observe, compare, and classify properties of matter.

Substances have characteristic properties. Substances often are placed in categories if they react or act in similar ways. An example of a category is metals. There are more than 100 known elements that combine in a multitude of ways to produce compounds, which account for the living and non-living substances we encounter. Middle level students have the capability of understanding relationships among properties of matter. For example, they are able to understand that density is a ratio of mass to volume, boiling point is affected by atmospheric pressure, and solubility is dependent on pressure and temperature.

These relationships are developed by concrete activities that involve hands-on manipulation of apparatus, making quantitative measurements, and interpreting data using graphs. It is important to connect characteristics of matter to common experiences so that concepts can be reconstructed. Some relevant questions, are "What happens in a pressure cooker?" "Why does adding oil to boiling rice and pasta keep it from boiling over?" "What is in antifreeze and how does it keep your radiator from freezing? "Why do bridges have metal expansion joints?"

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Identify and communicate properties of matter, including phases of matter, boiling point, solubility, and density.



Examples: Measure and graph the boiling point temperatures for several different liquids. Graph the cooling curve of a freezing ice cream mixture. Observe substances that dissolve (sugar) and substances that do not dissolve (sand)



7 2. Using the characteristic properties of each original substance, distinguish

components of various types of mixtures.



Examples: Separate alcohol and water using distillation. Separate sand, iron filings, and salt using a magnet and dissolving in water. Observe properties of kitchen powders (baking soda, salt, sugar, flour). Mix in various combinations, then identify by properties.

10 3. Categorize chemicals to develop and understanding of properties.



Examples: Create operational definitions of metals and nonmetals and classify by observable chemical and physical properties.

Benchmark 2: The students will observe, measure, infer, and classify changes in properties of matter.

Substances react chemically in characteristic ways with other substances to form new substances (compounds) with different characteristic properties. Middle level students have the capability of inferring characteristics that are not directly observable and stating their reasons for their inferences. Students need opportunities to form relationships between what they can see and inferences of characteristics of matter.

We cannot always see the products of chemical reactions, so the teacher can provide opportunities for the student to measure reactants and products to build the concept of conservation of mass. "Is mass lost when baking soda (solid) and vinegar (liquid) react to produce a gas?" "How could we design an experiment which would (safely) contain the reaction in a closed container in order to measure the materials before and after the reaction?" Students need to engage in activities that lead to these understandings.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Measure and graph the effects of temperature on matter.

Examples: Change water from solid to liquid to gas using heat. Measure and graph temperature changes. Observe changes in volume occupied.



10 2. Understand that total mass is conserved in chemical reactions.



Examples: Measure the mass of an Alka Seltzer tablet, water, and a container with a lid. Then drop in tablet, close tightly, and measure the mass after the reaction.



10 3. Understand the relationship of elements to compounds.

Example: Draw a diagram to show how different compounds are composed of elements in various combinations.

Benchmark 3: The students will investigate motion and forces.

All matter is subjected to forces that affect its position and motion. Relating motions to direction, amount of force, and/or speed allows students to graphically represent data for making comparisons. A moving object that is not being subjected to a force will continue to move in a straight line at a constant speed. The principle of inertia helps to explain many events such as sports actions, household accidents, and space walks. If more than one force acts upon an object moving along a straight line, the forces may reinforce each other or cancel each other out, depending on their direction and magnitude.

Students experience forces and motions in their daily lives when kicking balls, riding in a car, and walking on ice. Teachers should provide hands-on opportunities for students to experience these physical principles. The forces acting on natural and human made structures can be analyzed using computer simulations, physical models, and games such as pool, soccer, bowling, and marbles.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Describe motion of an object (position, direction of motion, speed, potential, and kinetic energy).



Examples: Follow the path of a toy car down a ramp. The ramp is first covered with tile and then with sandpaper. Trace the force, direction, and speed of a baseball, from leaving the pitcher's hand and returning back to the pitcher through one of many possible paths.



7 2. Measure motion and represent data in a graph.

Example: Roll a marble down a ramp. Make adjustments to the board or to the marble's position in order to hit a target located on the floor. Measure and graph the results.



10 3. Demonstrate an understanding that an object not being subjected to a force will

continue to move at a constant speed in a straight line (Law of Inertia).

Example: Place a small object on a rolling toy vehicle; stop the vehicle

abruptly; observe the motion of the small object. Relate to personal experience - stopping rapidly in a car.



10 4. Demonstrate and mathematically communicate that unbalanced forces will cause

changes in the speed or direction of an object's motion.

Example: With a ping pong ball and 2 straws, investigate the effects of the force of air through two straws on the ping-pong ball with the straws at the same side of ball, on opposite sides, and at other angles. Illustrate results with vectors (force arrows).



10 5. Understand that a force (e.g., gravity and friction) is a push or a pull and investigate force variables.

Example: Explore the variables of (wheel and ramp) surfaces that would allow a powered car to overcome the forces of gravity and friction to climb an inclined plane.

Benchmark 4: The students will understand and demonstrate the transfer of energy.

Energy forms, such as heat, light, electricity, mechanical (motion), sound, and chemical energy are properties of substances. Energy can be transformed from one form to another. The sun is the ultimate source of energy for life systems while heat convection currents deep within the Earth are an energy source for gradually shaping the Earth's surface. Energy cycles through physical and living systems. Energy can be measured and predictions can be made based on these measurements.

Students can explore light energy using lenses and mirrors, then connect with real life applications such as cameras, eyeglasses, telescopes, and bar code scanners. Students connect the importance of energy transfer with sources of energy for their homes, such as chemical, nuclear, solar, and mechanical sources. Teachers provide opportunities for students to explore and experience energy forms, energy transfers, and make measurements to describe relationships.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Understand that energy can be transferred from one form to another, including mechanical heat, light, electrical, chemical, and nuclear energy.

Examples: Design an energy transfer device. Use various forms of energy. The device should accomplish a simple task such as popping a balloon. Explore sound waves using a spring.

7 2. Sequence the transmission of energy through various real life systems.



Examples: Draw a chart of energy flow through a telephone from the caller's voice to the listener's ear.



7 3. Observe and communicate how light interacts with matter: transmitted, reflected, refracted, absorbed.



Example: Classify classroom objects as to how they interact with light: a window transmits; black paper absorbs; a projector lens refracts; a mirror reflects.



7 4. Understand that heat energy can be transferred from hot to cold by radiation, convection, and conduction.

Examples: Add colored warm water to cool water. Observe convection. Measure and graph temperature over time.



STANDARD 3: LIFE SCIENCE

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should be able to apply process skills to explore and understand the structure and function in living systems, reproduction and heredity, regulation and behavior, populations and ecosystems, and diversity and adaptations of organisms.

Benchmark 1: The students will model structures of organisms and relate functions to the structures.

Living things at all levels of organization demonstrate the complimentary nature of structure and function. Disease is a breakdown in structure or function of an organism. It is useful for middle level students to think of life as being organized from simple to complex, such as a complex organ system includes simpler structures. Understanding the structure and function of a cell can help explain what is happening in more complex systems. Students must also understand how parts relate to the whole, such as each structure is distinct and has a set of functions that serve the whole.

Teachers can help students understand this organization of life by comparing and contrasting the levels of organization in both plants and animals. Teachers reinforce understanding of the cellular nature of life by providing opportunities to observe live cultures, such as pond water, creating models of cells, and using the Internet to observe and describe electron micrographs. Early adolescence is an ideal time to investigate the human body systems as an example of relating structure and function of parts to the whole.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Relate the structure of cells, organs, tissues, organ systems, and whole organisms to their functions.



Examples: Identify human body organs and characteristics. Then relate their characteristics to function. Map human body systems, research their functions and show how each supports the health of the human body. Relate an organism's structure to how it works (long neck for reaching leaves on a tree).



7 2. Compare organisms composed of single cells with organisms that are multi- cellular.

Example: Create and compare two models: the major parts and their functions of a single-cell organism and the major parts and their functions of a multi-cellular organism, i.e. amoeba and hydra.



10 3. Conclude that breakdowns in structure or function of an organism may be caused by disease, damage, heredity or aging.

Example: Compare lung capacity of smokers with that of non-smokers and graph the results.



Benchmark 2: The students will understand the role of reproduction and heredity for all living things.

Reproduction is an activity of all living systems to ensure the continuation of every species. Organisms reproduce sexually and/or asexually. Every organism requires a set of instructions for specifying its traits. Heredity is the passage of these instructions from one generation to another. Students need to clarify misconceptions about reproduction, specifically about the role of the sperm and egg, and the sexual reproduction of flowering plants. In learning about heredity, younger middle level students will focus on observable traits and older students will gain understanding that genetic material carries coded information.

Teachers should provide opportunities for students to observe a variety of organisms and their sexual and asexual methods of reproduction by culturing bacteria, yeast cells, paramecium, hydra, mealworms, guppies, or frogs. Tracing the origin of student's own development back to sperm and egg reinforces how life arises from a combination of male and female sex cells. Discussions with students about traits they possess from their father and mother lead to understanding of how an organism receives genetic information from both parents and how new combinations result in the students' unique characteristics.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Conclude that reproduction is essential to the continuation of a species.

Example: Observe and communicate the life cycle of an organism (seed to seed; larva to larva; or adult to adult). Culture more than one generation (life cycle) of an invertebrate organism. Discuss implications of one generation of the species not reproducing.



7 2. Differentiate between asexual and sexual reproduction in plants and animals.



Examples: Compare the regeneration of a planaria to the reproduction of an Earthworm.

Compare the propagation of new plants from cuttings, (which skips a portion of the life cycle) with the process of producing a new plant from fertilization to a seed.

7 3. Infer that the characteristics of an organism result from heredity and interactions with the environment.

Examples: Choose an organism. Research its characteristics. Infer if these characteristics result from heredity, environment, or both.

10 4. Understand that hereditary information contained in the genes (part of the chromosomes) of each cell is passed from one generation to the next.



Examples: In a cooperative setting, have students trace parent characteristics with that of an offspring.

Use coin tossing to predict the probability of traits being passed on. Remember that not all traits are single gene traits.



Benchmark 3: The students will describe the effects of a changing external environment on the regulation/balance of internal conditions and processes of organisms.

All organisms perform similar processes to maintain life. They take in food and gases, eliminate wastes, grow and progress through their life cycle, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing environment. An organism's behavior changes as its environment changes. Students need opportunities to investigate a variety of organisms to realize that all living things have similar fundamental needs. After observing an organism's way of moving, obtaining food, and responding to danger, students can alter the environment and observe the effects on the organism.

This is an appropriate time to study the human nervous and endocrine systems. Students can compare and contrast how messages are sent through the body and how the body responds. An example is how fright causes changes within the body, preparing it for fighting or fleeing.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Understand the effects of a change in environmental conditions on behavior of an organism by carrying out a full investigation.

Example: Select a variable to alter the environment (e.g., temperature, light, moisture, gravity) and observe the effects on an organism (e.g., pillbug or Earthworm). Students could also think of their own behaviors and determine environmental conditions that affect behavior.



7 2. Identify behaviors of an organism that are a response made to an internal or environmental stimulus.

Example: Observe the response of the body when competing in a running event. In order to maintain body temperature, various systems begin cooling through such processes as sweating and cooling the blood at the surface of the skin.



10 3. Explain that all organisms must be able to maintain and regulate stable internal conditions to survive in a constantly changing external environment.

Example: Investigate the effects of various stimuli on plants and how they adapt their growth: phototropism, geotropism, and thermotropism are examples.

Benchmark 4: The students will identify and relate interactions of populations of organisms within an ecosystem.

A population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given time and place. All populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem. Populations can be categorized by the functions they serve in an ecosystem: producers (make their own food), consumers (obtain food by eating other organisms), and decomposers (use waste materials). The major source of energy for ecosystems is sunlight. This energy enters the ecosystem as sunlight and is transformed by producers into food energy which then passes from organism to organism which we observe as food webs. The resources of an ecosystem, biotic and abiotic, determine the number of organisms within a population that can be supported.



Middle level students understand populations and ecosystems best when they have an opportunity to explore them actively. Taking students to a pond or a field, or even having them observe life under a rotting log, allows them to identify and observe interactions between populations and identify the physical conditions needed for their survival. A classroom terrarium, aquarium or river tank can serve as an excellent model for observing ecosystems and changes and interactions that occur over time between populations of organisms and changes in physical conditions. Constructing their own food webs, given a set of organisms, helps students to see multiple relationships more clearly.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Recognize that all populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem.



Examples: Create a classroom terrarium and identify the interactions between the populations and physical conditions needed for survival. Participate in a field study examining the living and non-living parts of a community.

7 2. Classify organisms in a system by the function they serve. (producers, consumers, decomposers).



Example: Explore populations at a pond, field, forest floor, and/or rotting log. Have students identify the various food webs and observe that organisms in a system are classified by their function.

7 3. Trace the energy flow from the sun (source) to producers (chemical energy) to other organisms in food webs.



Example: Role play the interactions and energy flow of organisms in a food web by passing a ball of string starting with the sun, progressing to green plants, insects, etc.



7 4. Relate the limiting factors of biotic and abiotic resources with a species' population growth and decline.

Examples: Change variables such as a wheat crop yield, mice, or a predator, and chart the possible outcomes. For example, how would a low population of mice affect the population of the predator over time? Participate in a simulation such as "Oh Deer" from Project Wild.

Benchmark 5: The students will observe the diversity of living things and relate their adaptations to their survival or extinction.

Millions of species of animals, plants and microorganisms are alive today. Animals and plants vary in body plans and internal structures. Biological evolution, gradual changes of characteristics of organisms over many generations, has brought variations in populations. Therefore, a structural characteristic or behavior that helps an organism survive in its environment is called an adaptation. When the environment changes and the adaptive characteristics are insufficient, the species becomes extinct.

As students investigate different types of organisms, teachers guide them toward thinking about similarities and differences. Students can compare similarities between organisms in different parts of the world, such as tigers in Asia and mountain lions in North America. Instruction needs to be designed to uncover and prevent misconceptions about natural selection. Students tend to think of all individuals in a population responding to change quickly rather than over a long period of time. Using examples such as Darwin's finches or the peppered moths of Manchester helps develop understanding of natural selection over time. (Resource: The Beak of the Finch by Jonathon Weiner). Providing students with fossil evidence and allowing them time to construct their own explanations is important in developing middle level students' understanding of extinction as a natural process that has affected Earth's species over time.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Conclude that millions of species of animals, plants, and microorganisms may look dissimilar on the outside but have similarities in internal structures, developmental characteristics, and chemical processes.



Examples: Research numerous organisms and create a classification system based on observations of similarities and differences. Compare this system with a dichotomous key used by scientists. Explore various ways animals take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.

7 2. Understand that adaptations of organisms - changes in structure, function, or behavior - contribute to biological diversity.



Example: Compare bird characteristics such as beaks, wings, and feet with how a bird behaves in its environment. Then students work in cooperative groups to design different parts of an imaginary bird. Relate characteristics and behaviors of that bird with its structures.

7 3. Associate extinction of a species with environmental changes and insufficient adaptive characteristics.



Example: Students use various objects to model bird beaks, such as spoons, toothpicks, clothespins. Students use "beaks" to "eat" several types of food, such as cereal, marbles, raisins, noodles. When "food" sources change, those species that have not adapted die.



STANDARD 4: EARTH and SPACE SCIENCE

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should be able to apply process skills to explore and develop an understanding of the structure of the Earth system, Earth's history, and Earth in the solar system.

Benchmark 1: The students will understand that the structure of the Earth's system is constantly changing due to the Earth's physical processes.

Earth has four major interacting systems: the lithosphere/geosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere. Earth material is constantly being reworked and changed. The rock cycle, the water cycle, and the carbon cycle are powered by physical forces, chemical reactions, heat, energy, and biological processes. The solid Earth is layered with a lithosphere, a hot, convecting mantle, and a dense, metallic core. Huge lithospheric plates containing continents and oceans slowly move in response to movement in the mantle. These plate motions also result in Earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building. Landforms are caused by constructive and destructive Earth forces.

Middle level students learn about the major Earth systems and their relationships through direct and indirect evidence. First-hand observations of weather, rocks, soil, oceans, and gases lead students to make inferences about some of those major systems. Indirect evidence is used when determining the composition and movement in Earth's mantle and core. Continents float on the denser mantle, like slabs of wax on the surface of water.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Predict patterns from data collected.

Example: Map the movement of weather systems, and predict the local weather conditions.

7 2. Identify properties of the solid Earth, the oceans and fresh water, and the atmosphere.



Examples: Create a concept map of Earth materials using links to show connections, such as water causing erosion of solid, wind evaporating water, etc. Compare the densities of salt and fresh water. Classify rocks, minerals, and soil by properties. Compare heating and cooling over land and water.

7 3. Model Earth's cycles.

Examples: Create rock cycle and water cycle dioramas.

Illustrate global ocean and wind currents.

Flow chart a carbon atom through the carbon cycle.

10 4. Understand that Earth's plate movements result in major geologic events and

landform development.



Example: Plot the location of the Earth's plate boundaries and compare with recent volcano and Earthquake activity in the Ring of Fire. Refer to US Geologic Survey data available on the Internet.

10 5. Understand water's major role in changing the solid surface of the Earth, such as the effect of oceans on climates and water as an erosional force.



Examples: Map major climate zones and relate to ocean currents.

Model top soil erosion.

Measure sediment load in a nearby stream.

Benchmark 2: The students will understand that past and present Earth processes are similar.

The constructive and destructive forces we see today are similar to those that occurred in the past. Constructive forces include crustal formation by plate movement, volcanic eruptions, Earthquakes, and deposition of sediments. Destructive forces include weathering, erosion, and glacial action. Earth's history is written in the layers of the rocks and clues in the rocks can be used to piece together a story and picture. Geologic processes that form rocks and mountains today are similar to processes that formed rocks and mountains over a long period of time in the distant past.

Teachers can provide opportunities for students to observe and research evidence of changes that can be found in the Earth's crust. Sedimentary rocks, such as limestone, sandstone, and shale show deposition of sediments over time. Volcanic flows of ancient volcanoes and Earthquake damage can show us what to expect from modern day catastrophes. Glacial deposits show past ice ages and global warming and cooling. Some fossil beds enable the matching of rocks from different continents, and other fossil beds show how organisms developed over a long period of time. Students will need to apply knowledge of Earth's past to make decisions relative to Earth's future.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Understand the dynamics of Earth's constructive and destructive forces over time.

Examples: Construct models of rock types using food. Peanut brittle without the peanuts can illustrate a molten material crystallizing to form a solid substance similar to an igneous rock.

Students take a piece of sandstone and apply destructive forces to change it into sand. Observe the effects of weathering on various rock types.

10 2. Model geologic time to scale.

Example: "Toilet Paper Earth History:" Plot the major events [last ice age, beginning of Paleozoic Era, etc.] of Earth history on a roll of toilet paper. Each sheet of toilet paper = 100 million years.

10 3. Relate geologic evidence to a record of Earth's history.



Example: Locate the same rock layer in two local road cuts; give fossil evidence and other kinds of evidence that the layer is the same in both exposures.



10 4. Compare the current arrangement of the continents with the arrangement of continents throughout the Earth's history.

Examples: Cut out continents from a world map and slide them together to see how they fit. Plot each continental plate's latitude and longitude through Earth history.

Benchmark 3: The students will identify and classify planets and other solar system components.

The solar system consists of the sun, which is an average-sized star in the middle of its life cycle, and the nine planets and their moons, asteroids, and comets, which travel in elliptical orbits around the sun. The sun, the central and largest body in the system, radiates energy outward. The Earth is the third of nine planets in the system, and has one moon. Other stars in our galaxy are visible from Earth, as are distant galaxies, but are so distant they appear as pinpoints of light. Scientists have discovered much about the composition and size of stars, and how they move in space.

Space and the solar system are of high interest to middle level students. Teachers can help students take advantage of the many print and on-line resources, as well as becoming amateur sky-watchers.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Compare and contrast the characteristics of the planets.

Example: Search reliable Internet sources for current information. Create a graphic organizer to visualize comparisons of planets.

7 2. Develop understanding of spatial relationships via models of the Earth/moon/planets/sun system to scale.



Examples: Model the solar system to scale in a long hallway or school yard using rocks for rocky planets and balloons for gaseous planets. Designate a large object as the sun. Model the Earth/moon/sun system to scale with the question: If the Earth were the size of a tennis ball, how big would the moon be? How big would the sun be? How far apart would they be?

3. Research smaller components of the solar system such as asteroids and comets.

Example: Identify and classify characteristics of asteroids and comets.

10 4. Identify the sun as a star and compare its characteristics to those of other stars.

Examples: Classify bright stars visible from Earth by color, temperature, apparent brightness, and distance from Earth.

5. Trace cultural, as well as scientific, influences on the study of astronomy.

Example: Research ancient observations and explanations of the heavens and compare with today's knowledge.



Benchmark 4: The students will model motions and identify forces that explain Earth phenomena.

There are many motions and forces that affect the Earth. Most objects in the solar system have regular motions, which can be tracked, measured, analyzed, and predicted. Such phenomena as the day, year, seasons, tides, phases of the moon, eclipses of the sun and moon, can be explained by these motions. The force that governs the motions of the solar system, and keeps the planets in orbit around the sun, and the moon around the Earth, is gravity. Phenomena on the Earth's surface, such as winds, ocean currents, the water cycle, and the growth of plants, receive their energy from the sun.

Misconceptions abound among middle level students about such concepts as the cause of the seasons and the reasons for the phases of the moon. Hands-on activities, role-playing, models, and computer simulations are helpful for understanding the relative motion of the planets and moons. Teachers can help students make connections between force and motion concepts, such as Newton's Laws of Motion and Newton's Law of Gravitational Force, and applications to Earth and space science. Many ideas are misconceptions which could be considered in a series of "what if" questions: What if the sun's energy did not cause cloud formation and other parts of the water cycle? What if the Earth rotated once a month? What if the Earth's axis was not tilted?

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Demonstrate object/space/time relationships that explain phenomena such as the day, the month, the year, and the seasons.

Example: Use an Earth/moon/sun model to demonstrate a day, a month, a year, and the seasons.

10 2. Model Earth/moon positions that create phases of the moon and eclipses.

Example: Use students to demonstrate the relative positions of the sun, Earth and moon to create eclipses, phases of the moon, and tides using a circle of students representing the fluid water.

10 3. Apply principles of force and motion to an understanding of the solar system.

Examples: Use string and ball model to illustrate gravity and movement creating an orbit around a hand.

10 4. Understand the effect of the angle of incidence of solar energy striking the Earth's surface on the amount of heat energy absorbed at the Earth's surface.

Examples: Place a piece of graph paper on the surface of a globe at the equator. Hold a flashlight 10 cm. from the paper parallel to the globe. Mark the lighted area of the paper. Then, place the graph paper at a high latitude. Again hold the flashlight parallel to the paper 10 cm from the paper. Compare the areas lit at the equator and at the high latitude, with the same amount of light energy. Where does each lighted square of paper receive the most energy?





STANDARD 5: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY



As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should be able to demonstrate abilities of technological design and understandings about science and technology.

Benchmark 1: The students will demonstrate abilities of technological design.

Technological design focuses on creating new products for meeting human needs. Students need to develop abilities to identify specific needs and design solutions for those needs. The tasks of technological design include addressing a range of needs, materials, and aspects of science. Suitable experiences could include designing inventions that meet a need in the student's life

Building a tower of straws is a good start for collaboration and work in design preparation and construction. Students need to develop criteria for evaluating their inventions/products. These questions could help develop criteria: Who will be the users of the product? How will we know if the product meets their needs? Are there any risks to the design? What is the cost? How much time will it take to build? Using their own criteria, students can design several ways of solving a problem and evaluate the best approach. Students could keep a log of their designs and evaluations to communicate the process of technological design. The log might address these questions: What is the function of the device? How does the device work? How did students come up with the idea? What were the sequential steps taken in constructing the design? What problems were encountered?

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Identify appropriate problems for technological design.

Examples: Design a measurement instrument (e.g., weather instruments) for a science question that students are investigating.

Select and research a current technology, then project how it might change in the next 20 years.

7 2. Design a solution or product, implement the proposed design, evaluate the product.



Example: Design, create and evaluate a product that meets a need or solves a problem in a student's life.



3. Communicate the process of technological design.

Example: Keep a log of designing [and building] a technology, then use the log to explain the process.

Benchmark 2: The students will develop understandings of the similarities, differences, and relationships in science and technology.

The primary difference between science and technology is that science investigates to answer questions about the natural world and technology creates a product to meet human needs by applying scientific principles. Middle level students are able to evaluate the impact of technologies, recognizing that most have both benefits and risks to society. Science and technology have advanced through contributions of many different people, in different cultures, at different times in history.

Students may compare and contrast scientific discoveries with advances in technological design. Students may select a device they use, such as a radio, microwave, or television, and compare it to one their grandparents used.



Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Compare the work of scientists with that of applied scientists and technologists.

Example: A scientist studies air pressure. An technologist designs an airplane wing. Complete a Venn diagram to compare the processes of scientists and technologists.

2. Evaluate limitations and trade-offs of technological solutions.



Example: Select a technology to evaluate using a graphic organizer. List uses, limitations, possible consequences.

3. Identify contributions to science and technology by many people and many cultures.



Example: Using a map of the world, mark the locations for people and events that have contributed to science. See Appendix for a reference to past contributions in science and technology.



STANDARD 6: SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVES

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should be able to apply process skills to explore and develop an understanding of issues of personal health, population, resources and environment, and natural hazards.

Benchmark 1: The students will make decisions based on scientific understanding of personal health.

Regular exercise, rest, and proper nutrition are important to the maintenance and improvement of human health. Injury and illness are risks to maintaining health. Middle level students need opportunities to apply science learning to their understanding of personal health and science-based decision making related to health risks.

Parents and teachers need to work in partnership to help students understand that they, the middle level students, not some outside force (parents, school, the law), are the ultimate decision makers about their own personal health. The challenge to teachers is to help students apply scientific understanding to health decisions by giving the students opportunities to gather evidence and draw their own conclusions on topics such as smoking, healthy eating, wearing bike helmets, and wearing car seat belts.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Identify individual nutrition, exercise, and rest needs based on science.

Example: Design, implement, and self-evaluate a personal nutrition and exercise program.

7 2. Use a systemic approach to thinking critically about personal health risks and benefits.

Example: Compare and contrast immediate benefits of eating junk food to long term benefits of a lifetime of healthy eating.

Example: Evaluate the risks and benefits of foods, medicines, and personal products. Evaluate and compare the nutritional and toxic properties of various natural and synthetic foods.

Benchmark 2: The students will understand the impact of human activity on resources and environment.

When an area becomes overpopulated by a species, the environment will change due to the increased use of resources. Middle level students need opportunities to learn about concepts of carrying capacity. They need to gather evidence and analyze effects of human interactions with the environment.

Teachers can help their students understand these global issues by starting locally. "What changes in the atmosphere are caused by all the cars we use in our community?" Ground-level ozone indicators provide an opportunity to quantify the effect. "After a heavy rain, where does the water go that runs off your lawn?" "What happens to that water source if your lawn was just fertilized before the rain?" The role of the teacher is to help students to apply scientific understanding, gained through their own investigations, of environmental issues. Teachers should help students base environmental decisions on understanding, not emotion.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Investigate the effects of human activities on the environment.

Examples: Count the number of cars that pass the school during a period of time. Investigate the effects of traffic volume on environmental quality (e.g., water and air quality, plant health).

Investigate the effects of repeatedly walking off the sidewalks. Discuss the implications to the environment. Participate in an environmental Internet study.

2. Base decisions on perceptions of benefits and risks.

Example: Evaluate the benefits of burning fossil fuels to meet energy needs against the risks of global warming.

Benchmark 3: The students will understand that natural hazards are dynamic examples of Earth processes which cause us to evaluate risks.

California has Earthquakes. Florida has hurricanes. Kansas has tornadoes. Natural hazards can also be caused by human interaction with the environment, such as channeling a stream. Middle level students need opportunities to identify the causes and human risks and challenges of natural hazards.

Teachers can help students use data on frequency of occurrence of natural hazard events both to dispel unnatural fears for some students and overcome the common middle level student misconception of invincibility (it won't happen to me). "What would you need in a tornado survival kit to keep in the basement for your family?" This question would cause students to assess the kinds of damage caused by a tornado (need a flashlight because electrical lines may be down) and the kinds of support services available in the community.

Indicators: The students will:

7 1. Evaluate risks and define appropriate actions associated with natural hazards.

Example: Find news articles that show inadvisable risks taken in a natural hazard situation.

10 2. Recognize patterns of internal and external Earth processes that may result in natural hazards.

Example: Build wood block models of plate boundary interaction: subduction, translation, and spreading.

10 3. Communicate human activities that can cause/contribute to natural hazards.



Example: How can channeling a stream promote flooding downstream? Borrow a County Conservation Commission's stream trailer to investigate the dynamics of a stream and the effects of human interaction with the stream.



STANDARD 7: HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should examine and develop an understanding of science as a historical human endeavor.

Benchmark 1: The students will develop scientific habits of mind.

Science requires varied abilities depending on the field of study, type of inquiry, and cultural context. The abilities characteristic of those engaged in scientific investigations include: reasoning, intellectual honesty, tolerance of ambiguity, appropriate skepticism, open-mindedness and the ability to make logical conclusions based on current evidence.

Teachers can support the development of scientific habits of mind by providing students with on-going instruction using inquiry as a framework. Middle level students can apply science concepts in investigations. They can work individually and on teams while conducting inquiry. They can share their work through varied mediums, and they can self-evaluate their learning. High expectations for accuracy, reliability, and openness to differing opinions should be exercised. The indicators listed below can be embedded within the other standards.

Indicators: The students will:

1. Practice intellectual honesty.

Example: Analyze news articles to evaluate if the articles apply statistics/data to bring clarity, or if the articles use data to mislead.

Analyze data and recognize that an hypothesis not supported by data should not be perceived as a right or wrong answer.

2. Demonstrate skepticism appropriately.

Example: Students will attempt to replicate an investigation to support or refute a conclusion.

3. Display open-mindedness to new ideas.

Example: Share interpretations that differ from currently held explanations on topics such as global warming and dietary claims. Evaluate the validity of results and accuracy of stated conclusions.

4. Base decisions on research.

Example: Review results of individual, group, or peer investigations to assess accuracy of conclusions based upon data collection and analysis and use of evidence to reach a conclusion.

Benchmark 2: The students will research contributions to science throughout history.

Scientific knowledge is not static. New knowledge leads to new questions and new discoveries that may be beneficial or harmful. Contributions to scientific knowledge can be met with resistance causing a need for replication and open sharing of ideas. Scientific contributions have been made over an expanse of time by individuals from varied cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and across gender and economic boundaries.

Students should engage in research realizing that the process may be a small portion of a larger process or of an event that takes place over a broad historical context. Teachers should focus on the contributions of scientists and how the culture of the time influenced their work. Reading biographies, interviews with scientists, and analyzing vignettes are strategies for understanding the role of scientists and the contributions of science throughout history.

Indicators: The students will:

1. Recognize that new knowledge leads to new questions and new discoveries.

Examples: Discuss recent discoveries that have replaced previously held knowledge, such as safety of freon or saccharine use, knowledge concerning the transmission of AIDS, cloning, Pluto's status as a planet.

2. Replicate historic experiments to understand principles of science.

Example: Rediscover principles of electromagnetism by replicating Oerstad's compass needle experiment. (Compass needle deflects perpendicular to current carrying wire.)

3. Relates contributions of men and women to the fields of science.

Example: Research the contributions of men and women of science, create a timeline to demonstrate the ongoing contributions of dedicated scientists from across ethnic, religious and gender lines. See Appendix 5 for contributions of scientists.





By The End Of TWELFTH GRADE

Overview of Science Standards 9-12

*

STANDARD 1: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY

As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry and understandings about scientific inquiry.

Benchmark 1: Students will demonstrate the fundamental abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry.

Indicators: The students will:

1. Develop through experience a rich understanding and curiosity of the natural (material) world.

Examples: Students must have a rich set of experiences to draw on to ask and evaluate research questions.

10 2. Develop questions and identify concepts that guide scientific investigations.

Examples: Formulate a testable hypothesis, where appropriate, and demonstrate the logical connections between the scientific concepts guiding an hypothesis and the design of an experiment. Demonstrate a knowledge base, appropriate procedures, and conceptual understanding of scientific investigations.

10 3. Design and conduct scientific investigations.

Examples: Requires introduction to the major concepts in the area being investigated, proper equipment, safety precautions, assistance with methodological problems, recommendations for use of technologies, clarification of ideas that guide the inquiry, and scientific knowledge obtained from sources other than the actual investigation. May also require student clarification of the question, method (including replication), controls, variables, display of data, revision of methods and replication of explanations, followed by a public presentation of the results with a critical response from peers. Always, students must use evidence, apply logic, and construct an argument for their proposed explanations.

10 4. Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications.



Example: A variety of technologies, such as hand tools, measuring instruments, and calculators, should be an integral component of scientific investigations. The use of computers for the collection, organization, analysis, and display of data is also a part of this standard. Mathematics plays an essential role in all aspects of an inquiry. Mathematical tools and models guide and improve the posing of questions, gathering data, constructing explanations, and communicating results.

Example: Technology is used to gather and manipulate data. New techniques and tools provide new evidence to guide inquiry and new methods to gather data, thereby contributing to the advance of science. The accuracy and precision of the data, and therefore the quality of the exploration, depends on the technology used.

5. Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.

Examples: Student inquiries should culminate in formulating an explanation or model. Models can be physical, conceptual, or mathematical. In the process of answering the questions, the students should engage in discussions that result in the revision of their explanations.

Discussions should be based on scientific knowledge, the use of logic, and evidence from their investigations.

6. Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and models.

Example: Emphasize the critical abilities of analyzing an argument by reviewing current scientific understanding, weighing the evidence, and examining the logic so as to decide which explanations and models are best. In other words, although there may be several plausible explanations, students should be able to use scientific criteria to determine the supported explanation(s).

7. Communicate and defend a scientific argument.

Example: These abilities include writing procedures, expressing concepts, reviewing information, summarizing data, using language appropriately, developing diagrams and charts, explaining statistical analysis, speaking clearly and logically, constructing a reasoned argument, and responding appropriately to critical comments.



STANDARD 2A: PHYSICAL SCIENCE - CHEMISTRY

As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop an understanding of the structure of atoms, chemical reactions, and the interactions of energy and matter.

Benchmark 1: The student will understand the structure of the atom.

Indicators: The students will understand:

10 1. Atoms are the fundamental organizational unit of matter.

10 2. Atoms have smaller components that have measurable mass and charge.

10 3. The nucleus of an atom is composed of protons and neutrons, which determine the mass of the atom.



10 4. The dense nucleus of an atom is in the center of an electron cloud, and that this electron cloud determines the size of the atom.

10 5. Isotopes are atoms with the same number of protons but differing in neutron number.

6. Radioactive isotopes spontaneously decompose and are a source of radioactivity.

Benchmark 2: The students will understand the states and properties of matter.

Indicators: The students will understand:

10 1. Elements are substances that contain only one kind of atom.

10 2. Elements are arranged according to increasing atomic number on the periodic table.



10 3. The periodic table organizes elements according to similar physical and chemical properties by groups (families), periods (series), and categories.

4. There are discrete energy levels for electrons in an atom.

5. Electrons farthest from the nucleus (highest energy electrons) determine the chemistry of the atom.

10 6. Atoms interact with each other to transfer or share electrons to form compounds, through chemical bonding.

7. The nature of interaction among ionic compounds or between molecular compounds determines their physical properties.



8. Physical properties of gases follow kinetic models.



9. Carbon atoms can bond to each other in chains, rings, and branching networks to form a variety of molecular structures including relatively large molecules essential to life.



Indicators: The students will:

1. Understand that chemical reactions may often be identified by two or more of the following: physical property change, effervescence, mass change, precipitation, light emission, and heat exchange.

2. Explore chemical reactions that absorb energy from or release energy to the surroundings.

3. Distinguish different types of chemical reactions such as oxidation/reduction, synthesis, decomposition, single and double displacement.

4. Establish the validity of the Law of Conservation of Mass through stoichiometric relationships.

5. Appreciate the significance of chemical reactions in nature and those used everyday in society.

6. Recognize entropy (degree of disorder) as a driving force behind chemical reactions.

7. Assess the interrelationships between the rate of chemical reactions and variables such as temperature, concentration, and reaction type.



STANDARD 2B: PHYSICAL SCIENCE - PHYSICS

Benchmark 1: The students will understand the relationship between motions and forces.



Indicators: The students will understand:

10 1. The motion of an object can be described in terms of its displacement, velocity and acceleration.

10 2. Objects change their motion only when a net force is applied.

Examples: When no net force acts, the system moves with constant speed in a straight line. When a net force acts, the acceleration of the system is nonzero. For a given force, the magnitude of the acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass of the system. The direction of acceleration is in the direction of the force.



3. All forces are manifestations of one of the four fundamental interactions: gravitational, electromagnetic, weak nuclear, and strong nuclear forces.*

Examples: Gravitation is a weak, attractive force that acts upon and between any two masses.

The electric force is a strong force that acts upon and between any two objects that possess a net electrical charge and may be either attractive or repulsive. The strong and weak nuclear forces are important in understanding the nucleus. Recent research has demonstrated that the electrical and weak nuclear forces are variations of a more inclusive force that has been named the electroweak force.

10 4. Electricity and magnetism are two aspects of a single electromagnetic force.

Example: Moving electrical charges produce magnetic forces, and moving magnets produce electrical forces.

*Note: The strong and weak nuclear forces are mentioned for completeness only and no in-depth student understanding of them is expected.

Benchmark 2: The students will understand the conservation of mass and energy, and that the overall disorder of the universe is increased during every chemical and physical change.

Indicators: The students will understand:

10 1. Matter and energy cannot be destroyed, but they can be interchanged.

10 2. Energy comes is different forms. The two main classifications are kinetic and potential.



Examples: Kinetic energy is the result of motion while potential energy results from position or is the energy contained by a field. Energy can be transferred by collisions in chemical and nuclear reactions, by electromagnetic radiation, and in other ways.

3. Heat results from the random motion of particles.

Example: The internal energy of substances consists in part of movement of atoms, molecules, and ions. Temperature is a measure of the average magnitude of this movement. Heat is the net movement of internal energy from one material to another.

4. The universe tends to become less organized and more disordered with time.

Example: A logical outcome of this is that the energy of the universe will tend toward a more uniform distribution.

Benchmark 3: The students will understand the basic interactions of matter and energy.

Indicators: The students will understand:

1. Waves can transfer energy when they interact with matter.

2. Electromagnetic waves result when a charged object is accelerated.

Electromagnetic waves include radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, and gamma rays.

3. Each kind of atom or molecule can gain or lose energy only in particular discrete amounts.

Example: Atoms and molecules can absorb and emit light only at wavelengths corresponding to specific amounts of energy. These wavelengths can be used to identify the substance and form the basis for several forms of spectroscopy.

10 4. Electrons flow easily in conductors (such as metals) whereas in insulators (such as glass) they hardly flow at all. Semiconducting materials have intermediate behavior.

Example: At low temperatures, some materials become superconductors and offer little resistance to the flow of electrons

5. There are different forms of energy that change from one form to another.



STANDARD 3: LIFE SCIENCE

As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop an understanding of the cell, molecular basis of heredity, biological evolution, interdependence of organisms, matter, energy, and organization in living systems, and the behavior of organisms.

Benchmark 1: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the structure and function of the cell.

Indicators: Students will understand that:

10 1. Cells are composed of a variety of specialized structures that carry out specific functions.

Examples: Every cell is surrounded by a membrane that separates it from the outside environment and controls flow of materials into and out of the cell.

Specialized bodies, including organelles, serve specific life functions of the cell.

10 2. Most cell functions involve specific chemical reactions.

Example: Food molecules taken into cells provide the chemicals needed to

synthesize other molecules. Both breakdown and synthesis in the cell are catalyzed by enzymes.



10 3. Cells function and replicate as a result of information stored in DNA and RNA molecules.

Example: Cell functions are regulated by proteins and gene expression. This regulation allows cells to respond to their environment and to control and coordinate cell division.

10 4. Some plant cells contain chloroplasts, which are the sites of photosynthesis.

Example: The process of photosynthesis provides a vital connection between the sun and the energy needs of living systems.

5. Cells can differentiate, thereby enabling complex multicellular organisms to form.

Example: In development of most multicellular organisms, a fertilized cell forms an embryo that differentiates into an adult. Differentiation is regulated through expression of different genes and leads to the formation of specialized cells, tissues, and organs.



Benchmark 2: Students will demonstrate an understanding of chromosomes, genes, and the molecular basis of heredity.



Indicators: The students will understand:

10 1. Mendelian genetics, which focuses on single gene traits, can explain many patterns of inheritance. However, the inheritance patterns of other traits are best explained as polygenic, which is the interaction of several genes.

Examples: Alleles, which are different forms of a gene, may be dominant, recessive, co-dominant, etc.



10 2. Experiments have shown that all known living organisms contain DNA or RNA as their genetic material.

Examples: Frederick Griffith & Avery's work with bacteria demonstrated DNA changed properties of cells.

Beadle & Tatum's work provided a mechanism for gene action and a link to modern molecular genetics.

Hershey and Chase's work demonstrated that viral DNA contained the genetic code for new virus production in bacterial cells.



10 3. DNA specifies the characteristics of most organisms.

Examples: Nucleotides (adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine and uracil) make up DNA and RNA molecules.

Sequences of nucleotides that either determine or contribute to a genetic trait are called genes.

DNA is replicated by using a template process that usually results in identical copies.

DNA is packaged in chromosomes during cell replication.

4. Organisms usually have a characteristic numbers of chromosomes; one pair of these may determine the sex of individual.

Example: Most cells in humans contain 23 pairs of chromosomes; the 23rd pair contains the XX for female or XY for male.

Gametes, sex cells, carry the genetic information to the next generation.

Gametes (sex cells) contain only one representative from each chromosome pair.

Gametes, sex cells, unite.

5. Gametes carry the genetic i