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Standards, Grades 5-8
National Science Education Standards -- Summary of Science Content, Grades 5-8
The NSES identify five unifying concepts and processes that are woven throughout all of the science content standards for grades 5-8. They are:
1. Systems, order, and organization.
2. Evidence, models, and explanation.
3. Change, constancy, and measurement.
4. Evolution and equilibrium.
5. Form and function.
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National Science Education Standards – Science Content for Grades 5-8
The following summary is extracted directly from the National Science Education Standards, published at http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/index.html.
CONTENT STANDARD A: Science as
Inquiry
As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all
students should develop:
Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, including the following eight specific skills.
1. Identify questions that can be
answered through scientific investigations. Students
should develop the ability to refine and refocus broad and ill-defined
questions. An important aspect of this ability consists of students' ability to
clarify questions and inquiries and direct them toward objects and phenomena
that can be described, explained, or predicted by scientific investigations.
Students should develop the ability to identify their questions with scientific
ideas, concepts, and quantitative relationships that guide investigation.
2.
Design and conduct a scientific investigation. Students should
develop general abilities, such as systematic observation, making accurate
measurements, and identifying and controlling variables. They should also
develop the ability to clarify their ideas that are influencing and guiding the
inquiry, and to understand how those ideas compare with current scientific
knowledge. Students can learn to formulate questions, design investigations,
execute investigations, interpret data, use evidence to generate explanations,
propose alternative explanations, and critique explanations and procedures.
4.
Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.
Students should base their explanation on what they observed, and as they
develop cognitive skills, they should be able to differentiate explanation from
description--providing causes for effects and establishing relationships based
on evidence and logical argument. This standard requires a subject matter
knowledge base so the students can effectively conduct investigations, because
developing explanations establishes connections between the content of science
and the contexts within which students develop new knowledge.
5.
Think critically and logically to make the relationship between evidence and
explanations. Thinking critically about evidence includes deciding
what evidence should be used and accounting for anomalous data. Specifically,
students should be able to review data from a simple experiment, summarize the
data, and form a logical argument about the cause-and-effect relationships in
the experiment. Students should begin to state some explanations in terms of
the relationship between two or more variables.
6.
Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.
Students should develop the ability to listen to and respect the explanations
proposed by other students. They should remain open to and acknowledge
different ideas and explanations, be able to accept the skepticism of others,
and consider alternative explanations.
7.
Communicate scientific procedures and explanations. With practice,
students should become competent at communicating experimental methods,
following instructions, describing observations, summarizing the results of other
groups, and telling other students about investigations and explanations.
8.
Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry. Mathematics
is essential to asking and answering questions about the natural world.
Mathematics can be used to ask questions; to gather, organize, and present
data; and to structure convincing explanations.
Understandings
about scientific inquiry, including these seven concepts:
1. Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events; some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects and phenomena; and some involve making models.
2. Current scientific knowledge and understanding guide scientific investigations. Different scientific domains employ different methods, core theories, and standards to advance scientific knowledge and understanding.
3. Mathematics is important in all aspects of scientific inquiry.
4. Technology used to gather data enhances accuracy and allows scientists to analyze and quantify results of investigations.
5. Scientific explanations emphasize evidence, have logically consistent arguments, and use scientific principles, models, and theories. The scientific community accepts and uses such explanations until displaced by better scientific ones. When such displacement occurs, science advances.
6. Science advances through legitimate skepticism. Asking questions and querying other scientists' explanations is part of scientific inquiry. Scientists evaluate the explanations proposed by other scientists by examining evidence, comparing evidence, identifying faulty reasoning, pointing out statements that go beyond the evidence, and suggesting alternative explanations for the same observations.
7. Scientific investigations sometimes result in new ideas and phenomena for study, generate new methods or procedures for an investigation, or develop new technologies to improve the collection of data. All of these results can lead to new investigations.
CONTENT STANDARD B: Physical Science
As a result of their
activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop an understanding of:
Properties and changes
of properties in matter, including these three concepts:
1.
A substance has characteristic properties, such as density, a boiling point,
and solubility, all of which are independent of the amount of the sample. A
mixture of substances often can be separated into the original substances using
one or more of the characteristic properties.
2.
Substances react chemically in characteristic ways with other substances to
form new substances (compounds) with different characteristic properties.
In chemical reactions, the total mass is conserved. Substances often are placed
in categories or groups if they react in similar ways; metals
is an example of such a group.
3.
Chemical elements do not break down during normal laboratory reactions
involving such treatments as heating, exposure to electric current, or reaction
with acids. There are more than 100 known elements that combine in a
multitude of ways to produce compounds, which account for the living and
nonliving substances that we encounter.
Motions and forces,
including these three concepts:
1.
The motion of an object can be described by its position, direction of motion,
and speed. That motion can be measured and represented on a graph.
2. An
object that is not being subjected to a force will continue to move at a
constant speed and in a straight line.
3.
If more than one force acts on an object along a straight line, then the
forces will reinforce or cancel one another, depending on their direction and
magnitude. Unbalanced forces will cause changes in the speed or direction
of an object's motion.
Transfer of energy,
including these six concepts:
1.
Energy is a property of many substances and is associated with heat, light,
electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and the nature of a chemical.
Energy is transferred in many ways.
2.
Heat moves in predictable ways, flowing from warmer objects to cooler ones,
until both reach the same temperature.
3.
Light interacts with matter by transmission (including refraction),
absorption, or scattering (including reflection). To see an object, light
from that object--emitted by or scattered from it--must enter the eye.
4.
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring electrical energy when
heat, light, sound, and chemical changes are produced.
5.
In most chemical and nuclear reactions, energy is transferred into or out of
a system. Heat, light, mechanical motion, or electricity might all be
involved in such transfers.
6.
The sun is a major source of energy for changes on the earth's surface.
The sun loses energy by emitting light. A tiny fraction of that light reaches
the earth, transferring energy from the sun to the earth. The sun's energy
arrives as light with a range of wavelengths, consisting of visible light,
infrared, and ultraviolet radiation.
CONTENT STANDARD C: Life
Science
As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop
understanding of:
Structure and function
in living systems, including these six concepts:
1.
Living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary
nature of structure and function. Important levels of organization for
structure and function include cells, organs, tissues, organ systems, whole
organisms, and ecosystems.
2.
All organisms are composed of cells--the fundamental unit of life. Most
organisms are single cells; other organisms, including humans, are multicellular.
3.
Cells carry on the many functions needed to sustain life. They grow and
divide, thereby producing more cells. This requires that they take in
nutrients, which they use to provide energy for the work that cells do and to
make the materials that a cell or an organism needs.
4.
Specialized cells perform specialized functions in multicellular
organisms. Groups of specialized cells cooperate to form a tissue, such as
a muscle. Different tissues are in turn grouped
together to form larger functional units, called organs. Each type of cell,
tissue, and organ has a distinct structure and set of functions that serve the
organism as a whole.
5.
The human organism has systems for digestion, respiration, reproduction,
circulation, excretion, movement, control, and coordination, and for protection
from disease. These systems interact with one another.
6.
Disease is a breakdown in structures or functions of an organism. Some
diseases are the result of intrinsic failures of the system. Others are the
result of damage by infection by other organisms.
Reproduction
and heredity, including these five concepts:
1.
Reproduction is a characteristic of all living systems; because no
individual organism lives forever, reproduction is essential to the
continuation of every species. Some organisms reproduce asexually. Other
organisms reproduce sexually.
2.
In many species, including humans, females produce eggs and males produce
sperm. Plants also reproduce sexually--the egg and sperm are produced in the
flowers of flowering plants. An egg and sperm unite to begin development of
a new individual. That new individual receives genetic information from its
mother (via the egg) and its father (via the sperm). Sexually produced
offspring never are identical to either of their parents.
3.
Every organism requires a set of instructions for specifying its traits.
Heredity is the passage of these instructions from one generation to another.
4.
Hereditary information is contained in genes, located in the chromosomes of
each cell. Each gene carries a single unit of information. An inherited
trait of an individual can be determined by one or by many genes, and a single
gene can influence more than one trait. A human cell contains many thousands of
different genes.
5.
The characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of a
combination of traits. Some traits are inherited and others result from
interactions with the environment.
Regulation and
behavior, including these four concepts:
1.
All organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and
maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing
external environment.
2.
Regulation of an organism's internal environment involves sensing the
internal environment and changing physiological activities to keep conditions
within the range required to survive.
3.
Behavior is one kind of response an organism can make to an internal or
environmental stimulus. A behavioral response requires coordination and
communication at many levels, including cells, organ systems, and whole
organisms. Behavioral response is a set of actions determined in part by
heredity and in part from experience.
4.
An organism's behavior evolves through adaptation to its environment.
How a species moves, obtains food, reproduces, and responds to danger are based in the species' evolutionary history.
Populations and
ecosystems, including these four concepts:
1.
A population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at
a given place and time. All populations living together and the physical
factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem.
2.
Populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an
ecosystem. Plants and some micro-organisms are producers--they make their
own food. All animals, including humans, are consumers, which obtain food by
eating other organisms. Decomposers, primarily bacteria and fungi, are
consumers that use waste materials and dead organisms for food. Food webs
identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in an
ecosystem.
3.
For ecosystems, the major source of energy is sunlight. Energy entering
ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through
photosynthesis. That energy then passes from organism to organism in food webs.
4. The
number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available
and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and
water, range of temperatures, and soil composition. Given adequate biotic
and abiotic resources and no disease or predators,
populations (including humans) increase at rapid rates. Lack
of resources and other factors, such as predation and climate, limit the growth
of populations in specific niches in the ecosystem.
Diversity and
adaptations of organisms, including these three concepts:
1.
Millions of species of animals, plants, and
microorganisms are alive today. Although different species might look
dissimilar, the unity among organisms becomes apparent from an analysis of
internal structures, the similarity of their chemical processes, and the
evidence of common ancestry.
2.
Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through
gradual processes over many generations. Species acquire many of their
unique characteristics through biological adaptation, which involves the
selection of naturally occurring variations in populations. Biological
adaptations include changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that
enhance survival and reproductive success in a particular environment.
3.
Extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive
characteristics of a species are insufficient to allow its survival.
Fossils indicate that many organisms that lived long ago are extinct.
Extinction of species is common; most of the species that have lived on the
earth no longer exist.
CONTENT STANDARD D: Earth
and Space Science
As a result of their activities in
grades 5-8, all students should develop an understanding of:
Structure of the earth
system, including these eleven concepts:
1.
The solid earth is layered with a lithosphere; hot, convecting mantle; and
dense, metallic core.
2.
Lithospheric plates on the scales of continents and oceans constantly move
at rates of centimeters per year in response to movements in the mantle. Major
geological events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain
building, result from these plate motions.
3.
Land forms are the result of a combination of constructive and destructive
forces. Constructive forces include crustal deformation, volcanic eruption,
and deposition of sediment, while destructive forces include weathering and
erosion.
4.
Some changes in the solid earth can be described as the "rock
cycle." Old rocks at the earth's surface weather,
forming sediments that are buried, then compacted, heated, and often recrystallized into new rock. Eventually, those new
rocks may be brought to the surface by the forces that drive plate motions, and
the rock cycle continues.
5.
Soil consists of weathered rocks and decomposed organic material from dead
plants, animals, and bacteria. Soils are often found in layers, with each
having a different chemical composition and texture.
6.
Water, which covers the majority of the earth's surface, circulates through
the crust, oceans, and atmosphere in what is known as the "water
cycle." Water evaporates from the earth's surface, rises and cools as
it moves to higher elevations, condenses as rain or snow, and falls to the
surface where it collects in lakes, oceans, soil, and in rocks underground.
7.
Water is a solvent. As it passes through the water cycle it dissolves
minerals and gases and carries them to the oceans.
8.
The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and trace gases that
include water vapor. The atmosphere has different properties at different
elevations.
9.
Clouds, formed by the condensation of water vapor, affect weather and
climate.
10.
Global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather. Oceans
have a major effect on climate, because water in the oceans holds a large
amount of heat.
11.
Living organisms have played many roles in the earth system, including
affecting the composition of the atmosphere, producing some types of rocks, and
contributing to the weathering of rocks.
Earth's history,
including these two concepts:
1.
The earth processes we see today, including erosion, movement of
lithospheric plates, and changes in atmospheric composition, are similar to
those that occurred in the past. Earth history is also influenced by
occasional catastrophes, such as the impact of an asteroid or comet.
2.
Fossils provide important evidence of how life and environmental conditions
have changed.
Earth in the solar
system, including these four concepts:
1.
The earth is the third planet from the sun in a system that includes the
moon, the sun, eight other planets and their moons, and smaller objects, such
as asteroids and comets. The sun, an average star, is the central and
largest body in the solar system.
2.
Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion.
Those motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the moon,
and eclipses.
3.
Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the sun and governs
the rest of the motion in the solar system. Gravity alone holds us to the
earth's surface and explains the phenomena of the tides.
4.
The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earth's surface,
such as growth of plants, winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle.
Seasons result from variations in the amount of the sun's energy hitting the
surface, due to the tilt of the earth's rotation on its axis and the length of
the day.
CONTENT STANDARD E: Science
and Technology
As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all
students should develop:
Abilities
of technological design, including these five skills:
1.
Identify appropriate problems for technological design. Students
should develop their abilities by identifying a specified need, considering its
various aspects, and talking to different potential users or beneficiaries. They
should appreciate that for some needs, the cultural backgrounds and beliefs of
different groups can affect the criteria for a suitable product.
2. Design
a solution or product. Students should make and compare different
proposals in the light of the criteria they have selected. They must consider
constraints--such as cost, time, trade-offs, and
materials needed--and communicate ideas with drawings and simple models.
3.
Implement a proposed design. Students should organize materials
and other resources, plan their work, make good use of group collaboration
where appropriate, choose suitable tools and techniques, and work with
appropriate measurement methods to ensure adequate accuracy.
4.
Evaluate completed technological designs or products. Students
should use criteria relevant to the original purpose or need, consider a
variety of factors that might affect acceptability and suitability for intended
users or beneficiaries, and develop measures of quality with respect to such
criteria and factors; they should also suggest improvements and, for their own
products, try proposed modifications.
5.
Communicate the process of technological design. Students should
review and describe any completed piece of work and identify the stages of
problem identification, solution design, implementation, and evaluation.
Understandings
about science and technology, including these six concepts:
1.
Scientific inquiry and technological design have similarities and
differences. Scientists propose explanations for questions about the
natural world, and engineers propose solutions relating to human problems,
needs, and aspirations. Technological solutions are temporary; technologies
exist within nature and so they cannot contravene physical or biological
principles; technological solutions have side effects; and technologies cost,
carry risks, and provide benefits.
2.
Many different people in different cultures have made and continue to make
contributions to science and technology.
3.
Science and technology are reciprocal. Science helps drive technology,
as it addresses questions that demand more sophisticated instruments and
provides principles for better instrumentation and technique. Technology is
essential to science, because it provides instruments and techniques that
enable observations of objects and phenomena that are otherwise unobservable
due to factors such as quantity, distance, location, size, and speed.
Technology also provides tools for investigations, inquiry, and analysis.
4.
Perfectly designed solutions do not exist. All technological solutions
have trade-offs, such as safety, cost, efficiency, and appearance. Engineers
often build in back-up systems to provide safety. Risk is part of living in a
highly technological world. Reducing risk often results in new technology.
5.
Technological designs have constraints. Some constraints are
unavoidable, for example, properties of materials, or effects of weather and
friction; other constraints limit choices in the design, for example,
environmental protection, human safety, and aesthetics.
6. Technological
solutions have intended benefits and unintended consequences. Some
consequences can be predicted, others cannot.
CONTENT STANDARD F: Science
in Personal and Social Perspectives
As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all
students should develop understanding of:
Personal Health,
including these seven concepts:
1.
Regular exercise is important to the maintenance and improvement of health. The
benefits of physical fitness include maintaining healthy weight, having energy
and strength for routine activities, good muscle tone, bone strength, strong
heart/lung systems, and improved mental health. Personal exercise, especially
developing cardiovascular endurance, is the foundation of physical fitness.
2.
The potential for accidents and the existence of hazards imposes the need
for injury prevention. Safe living involves the development and use of
safety precautions and the recognition of risk in personal decisions. Injury
prevention has personal and social dimensions.
3.
The use of tobacco increases the risk of illness. Students should understand
the influence of short-term social and psychological factors that lead to
tobacco use, and the possible long-term detrimental effects of smoking and
chewing tobacco.
4.
Alcohol and other drugs are often abused substances. Such drugs change
how the body functions and can lead to addiction.
5. Food
provides energy and nutrients for growth and development. Nutrition
requirements vary with body weight, age, sex, activity, and body functioning.
6.
Sex drive is a natural human function that requires understanding. Sex
is also a prominent means of transmitting diseases. The diseases can be
prevented through a variety of precautions.
7.
Natural environments may contain substances (for example, radon and lead)
that are harmful to human beings. Maintaining environmental health involves
establishing or monitoring quality standards related to use of soil, water, and
air.
Populations,
resources, and environments, including these two concepts:
1. When
an area becomes overpopulated, the environment will become degraded due to the
increased use of resources.
2.
Causes of environmental degradation and resource depletion vary from region
to region and from country to country.
Natural hazards,
including these three concepts:
1.
Internal and external processes of the earth system cause natural hazards,
events that change or destroy human and wildlife habitats, damage property, and
harm or kill humans. Natural hazards include earthquakes, landslides,
wildfires, volcanic eruptions, floods, storms, and even possible impacts of
asteroids.
2. Human
activities also can induce hazards through resource acquisition, urban growth,
land-use decisions, and waste disposal. Such activities can accelerate many
natural changes.
3. Natural
hazards can present personal and societal challenges because misidentifying the
change or incorrectly estimating the rate and scale of change may result in either
too little attention and significant human costs or too much cost for unneeded
preventive measures.
Risks
and benefits, including these four concepts:
1.
Risk analysis considers the type of hazard and estimates the number of
people that might be exposed and the number likely to suffer consequences. The
results are used to determine the options for reducing or eliminating risks.
2.
Students should understand the risks associated with natural hazards (fires,
floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions), with
chemical hazards (pollutants in air, water, soil, and food), with biological
hazards (pollen, viruses, bacterial, and parasites), social hazards
(occupational safety and transportation), and with personal hazards (smoking,
dieting, and drinking).
3. Individuals
can use a systematic approach to thinking critically about risks and benefits.
Examples include applying probability estimates to risks and comparing them to
estimated personal and social benefits.
4.
Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of
benefits and risks.
Science
and technology in society
1.
Science influences society through its knowledge and world view. Scientific
knowledge and the procedures used by scientists influence the way many
individuals in society think about themselves, others, and the environment. The
effect of science on society is neither entirely beneficial nor entirely
detrimental.
2.
Societal challenges often inspire questions for scientific research, and
social priorities often influence research priorities through the availability
of funding for research.
3.
Technology influences society through its products and processes. Technology
influences the quality of life and the ways people act and interact.
Technological changes are often accompanied by social, political, and economic
changes that can be beneficial or detrimental to individuals and to society.
Social needs, attitudes, and values influence the direction of technological
development.
4.
Science and technology have advanced through contributions of many different
people, in different cultures, at different times in history. Science and
technology have contributed enormously to economic growth and productivity
among societies and groups within societies.
5.
Scientists and engineers work in many different settings, including colleges
and universities, businesses and industries, specific research institutes, and
government agencies.
6.
Scientists and engineers have ethical codes requiring that human subjects
involved with research be fully informed about risks and benefits associated
with the research before the individuals choose to participate. This ethic
extends to potential risks to communities and property. In short, prior
knowledge and consent are required for research involving human subjects or potential
damage to property.
7.
Science cannot answer all questions and technology cannot solve all human
problems or meet all human needs. Students should understand the difference
between scientific and other questions. They should appreciate what science and
technology can reasonably contribute to society and what they cannot do. For
example, new technologies often will decrease some risks and increase others.
CONTENT STANDARD G: History
and Nature of Science
As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all
students should develop understanding of:
Science as a human
endeavor, including these two concepts:
1.
Women and men of various social and ethnic backgrounds--and with diverse
interests, talents, qualities, and motivations--engage in the activities of
science, engineering, and related fields such as the health professions. Some
scientists work in teams, and some work alone, but all communicate extensively
with others.
2.
Science requires different abilities, depending on such factors as the field
of study and type of inquiry. Science is very much a human endeavor, and the
work of science relies on basic human qualities, such as reasoning, insight,
energy, skill, and creativity--as well as on scientific habits of mind, such as
intellectual honesty, tolerance of ambiguity, skepticism, and openness to new
ideas.
Nature
of science, including these three concepts:
1.
Scientists formulate and test their explanations of nature using
observation, experiments, and theoretical and mathematical models. Although
all scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change and improvement in
principle, for most major ideas in science, there is much experimental and
observational confirmation. Those ideas are not likely to change greatly in the
future. Scientists do and have changed their ideas about nature when they
encounter new experimental evidence that does not match their existing
explanations.
2.
In areas where active research is being pursued and in which there is not a
great deal of experimental or observational evidence and understanding, it is
normal for scientists to differ with one another about the interpretation of
the evidence or theory being considered. Different scientists might publish
conflicting experimental results or might draw different conclusions from the
same data. Ideally, scientists acknowledge such conflict and work towards
finding evidence that will resolve their disagreement.
3.
It is part of scientific inquiry to evaluate the results of scientific
investigations, experiments, observations, theoretical models, and the
explanations proposed by other scientists. Evaluation includes reviewing
the experimental procedures, examining the evidence, identifying faulty
reasoning, pointing out statements that go beyond the evidence, and suggesting
alternative explanations for the same observations. Although scientists may
disagree about explanations of phenomena, about interpretations of data, or
about the value of rival theories, they do agree that questioning, response to
criticism, and open communication are integral to the process of science. As
scientific knowledge evolves, major disagreements are eventually resolved
through such interactions between scientists.
History
of science
1.
Many individuals have contributed to the traditions of science. Studying
some of these individuals provides further understanding of scientific inquiry,
science as a human endeavor, the nature of science, and the relationships
between science and society.
2. In
historical perspective, science has been practiced by different individuals in
different cultures. In looking at the history of many peoples, one finds that
scientists and engineers of high achievement are considered to be among the
most valued contributors to their culture.
3.
Tracing the history of science can show how difficult it was for scientific
innovators to break through the accepted ideas of their time to reach the
conclusions that we currently take for granted.
Click on each item to read details.
Or, scroll down in this page to read the details as text.
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Strand 1: Scientific Thinking and Practice |
Strand 2: Content |
Strand 2: Content |
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Strand 2: |
Strand 3: Science and Society |
STRAND
ONE: Scientific Thinking and Practice
Standard 1. Understand the processes of
scientific investigations and use inquiry and scientific ways of observing,
experimenting, predicting, and validating to think critically.
Benchmark 1. Use scientific methods to develop
questions, design and conduct experiments using appropriate technologies,
analyze and evaluate results, make predictions, and communicate findings.
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Grade |
Performance
Standards |
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5 |
1. Plan and conduct investigations,
including formulating testable questions, making systematic observations,
developing logical conclusions, and communicating findings. 2. Use appropriate technologies
(e.g., calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes) to
perform scientific tests and to collect and display data. 3. Use graphic representations (e.g.,
charts, graphs, tables, labeled diagrams) to present data and produce
explanations for investigations. 4. Describe how credible scientific
investigations use reproducible elements including single variables,
controls, and appropriate sample sizes to produce valid scientific results. 5. Communicate the steps and results
of a scientific investigation. |
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6 |
1. Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop
qualitative and quantitative statements about the relationships between
variables being investigated. 2. Examine the reasonableness of data supporting a proposed scientific explanation. 3. Justify predictions and conclusions based on data. |
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7 |
1. Use a variety of print and web
resources to collect information, inform investigations, and answer a
scientific question or hypothesis. 2. Use models to explain the relationships between variables
being investigated. |
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8 |
1. Evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of data and observations. 2. Use a variety of technologies to gather, analyze and interpret scientific data. 3. Know how to recognize and explain anomalous data. |
Benchmark 2 (Strand 1: Scientific Thinking,
Standard 1). Understand the processes of scientific investigation and how
scientific inquiry results in scientific knowledge.
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Grade |
Performance
Standards |
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5 |
1. Understand that different kinds of
investigations are used to answer different kinds of questions (e.g., observations,
data collection, controlled experiments). 2. Understand
that scientific conclusions are subject to peer and public review. |
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6 |
1. Understand that scientific
knowledge is continually reviewed, critiqued, and revised as new data become
available. 2. Understand that scientific
investigations use common processes that include the collection of relevant
data and observations, accurate measurements, the identification and control
of variables, and logical reasoning to formulate hypotheses and explanations. 3.
Understand that not all investigations result in defensible scientific
explanations. |
|
7 |
1.
Describe how bias can
affect scientific investigation and conclusions. 2. Critique procedures used to investigate
a hypothesis. 3.
Analyze and evaluate scientific explanations. |
|
8 |
1.
Examine alternative
explanations for observations. 2.
Describe ways in
which science differs from other ways of knowing and from other bodies of
knowledge (e.g., experimentation, logical arguments, skepticism). 3. Know
that scientific knowledge is built on questions posed as testable hypotheses,
which are tested until the results are accepted by peers. |
Benchmark 3 (Strand 1: Scientific Thinking,
Standard 1). Use mathematical ideas, tools, and techniques to
understand scientific knowledge.
|
Grade |
Performance
Standards |
|
5 |
1. Use appropriate units to make precise and varied measurements. 2. Use mathematical skills to analyze data. 3. Make predictions based on analyses of data, observations, and explanations. 4.
Understand the attributes to be measured in a scientific investigation and
describe the units, systems, and processes for making
the measurement. |
|
6 |
1. Evaluate the usefulness and relevance of data to an investigation. 2.
Use probabilities, patterns, and relationships to explain data and
observations. |
|
7 |
1. Understand that the number of data (sample size) influences the reliability of a prediction. 2.
Use mathematical expressions to represent data and observations collected in
scientific investigations. 3.
Select and use an appropriate model to examine a phenomenon. |
|
8 |
1. Use mathematical
expressions and techniques to explain data and observations and to
communicate findings (e.g., formulas and equations, significant figures,
graphing, sampling, estimation, mean). 2.
Create models to describe phenomena. |
Standard 1 (Physical Science). Understand the
structure and properties of matter, the characteristics of energy, and the
interactions between matter and energy.
Benchmark 1. Know the forms and properties of matter
and how matter interacts.
|
Grade |
Performance
Standards |
|
5 |
1. Describe properties (e.g., relative volume, ability to flow) of the three states of matter. 2. Describe how matter changes from one phase to another (e.g., condensation, evaporation). 3. Know that matter is made up of particles (atoms) that can combine to form molecules and that these particles are too small to see with the naked eye. 4. Know that the periodic table is a chart of the pure elements that make up all matter. 5. Describe the relative location and motion of the particles (atoms and molecules) in each state of matter. 6.
Explain the relationship between temperature and the motion of particles in
each state of matter. |
|
6 |
1.
Understand that substances have characteristic properties and identify the
properties of various substances (e.g., density, boiling point, solubility,
chemical reactivity). 2.
Use properties to identify substances (e.g., for minerals: the
hardness, streak, color, reactivity to acid, cleavage, fracture). 3.
Know that there are about 100 known elements that combine to produce compounds
in living organisms and nonliving substances. 4.
Know the differences between chemical and physical properties and how these
properties can influence the interactions of matter. |
|
7 |
1. 1.
Explain how matter is transferred from one organism to another and
between organisms and their environment (e.g., consumption, the water cycle,
the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle). 2. 2.
Know that the total amount of matter (mass) remains constant although its
form, location, and properties may change (e.g., matter in the food web). 3. 3.
Identify characteristics of radioactivity, including: ·
decay in time of some elements to others ·
release of energy ·
damage to cells. 4. 4.
Describe how substances react chemically in characteristic ways to
form new substances (compounds) with different properties (e.g., carbon and
oxygen combine to form carbon dioxide in respiration). 5.
Know that chemical reactions are essential to life processes. |
|
8 |
Properties
of Matter 1. Know how to use density,
boiling point, freezing point, conductivity, and color to identify various
substances. 2. Distinguish between
metals and non-metals. 3. Understand the differences
among elements, compounds, and mixtures by: ·
classification of materials as elements, compounds, or mixtures ·
interpretation of chemical formulas ·
separation of mixtures into compounds by methods including
evaporation, filtration, screening, and magnetism. Structure of Matter 4. Identify the protons,
neutrons, and electrons within an atom and describe their locations (i.e., in
the nucleus or in motion outside the nucleus). 5. Explain that elements
are organized in the periodic table according to their properties. 6. Know that compounds are
made of two or more elements, but not all sets of elements can combine to
form compounds. Changes in Matter 7. Know that phase changes
are physical changes that can be reversed (e.g., evaporation, condensation,
melting). 8. Describe various
familiar physical and chemical changes that occur naturally (e.g., snow
melting, photosynthesis, rusting, burning). 9. Identify factors that
influence the rate at which chemical reactions occur (e.g., temperature,
concentration). 10.
Know that chemical reactions can absorb energy (endothermic reactions) or
release energy (exothermic reactions). |
Benchmark 2 (Strand 2, Standard 1: Physical Science).
Explain the physical processes involved in the transfer, change, and
conservation of energy.
|
Grade |
Performance
Standards |
|
5 |
1.
Know that heat is transferred from hotter to cooler materials or regions until
both reach the same temperature. 2.
Know that heat is often produced as a by-product when one form of energy is
converted to another form (e.g., when machines or organisms convert stored
energy into motion). 3.
Know that there are different forms of energy. 4.
Describe how energy can be stored and converted to a different form of energy
(e.g., springs, gravity) and know that machines and living things convert
stored energy to motion and heat. |
|
6 |
1. Identify various types of
energy (e.g., heat, light, mechanical, electrical, chemical, nuclear). 2. Understand that heat
energy can be transferred through conduction, radiation and convection. 3. Know that there are many forms
of energy transfer but that the total amount of energy is conserved (i.e.,
that energy is neither created nor destroyed). 4. Understand that some
energy travels as waves (e.g., seismic, light, sound), including: ·
the sun as source of energy for many processes on Earth ·
different wavelengths of sunlight (e.g., visible, ultraviolet,
infrared) ·
vibrations of matter (e.g., sound, earthquakes) ·
different speeds through different materials |
|
7 |
1.
Know how various forms of energy are transformed through organisms and
ecosystems, including: ·
sunlight and photosynthesis ·
energy transformation in living systems (e.g., cellular processes
changing chemical energy to heat and motion) ·
effect of mankind's use of energy and other activities on living
systems (e.g., global warming, water quality). |
|
8 |
Energy Transformation 1. Know that energy exists
in many forms and that when energy is transformed some energy is usually
converted to heat. 2. Know that kinetic energy is
a measure of the energy of an object in motion and potential energy is a
measure of an object’s position or composition, including: ·
transformation of gravitational potential energy of position into
kinetic energy of motion by a falling object. 3. Distinguish between
renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy. 4. Know that electrical
energy is the flow of electrons through electrical conductors that connect
sources of electrical energy to points of use, including: ·
electrical current paths through parallel and series circuits ·
production of electricity by fossil-fueled and nuclear power plants,
wind generators, geothermal plants, and solar cells ·
use of electricity by appliances and equipment (e.g., calculators, hair
dryers, light bulbs, motors). Waves 5. Understand how light and
radio waves carry energy through vacuum or matter by: ·
straight-line travel unless an object is encountered ·
reflection by a mirror, refraction by a lens, absorption by a dark
object ·
separation of white light into different wavelengths by prisms ·
visibility of objects due to light emission or scattering. 6.
Understand that vibrations of matter (e.g., sound, earthquakes, water waves)
carry wave energy, including:
|
Benchmark 3 (Strand 2, Standard 1: Physical
Science). Describe and explain forces that produce motion in objects.
|
Grade |
Performance
Standards |
|
5 |
1.
Understand how the rate of change of position is the velocity of an object in
motion. 2.
Recognize that acceleration is the change in velocity with time. 3.
Identify forces in nature (e.g., gravity, magnetism, electricity, friction). 4.
Understand that when a force (e.g., gravity, friction) acts on an object, the
object speeds up, slows down, or goes in a different direction. 5.
Identify simple machines and describe how they give advantage to users (e.g.,
levers, pulleys, wheels and axles, inclined planes, screws, wedges). |
|
6 |
1. Know
that every object exerts gravitational force on every other object dependent
on the masses and distance of separation (e.g., motions of celestial objects,
tides). 2.
Know that gravitational force is hard to detect unless one of the objects
(e.g., Earth) has a lot of mass. |
|
7 |
1.
Know that forces cause motion in living systems, including: ·
the principle of a lever and how it gives mechanical advantage to a
muscular/skeletal system to lift objects ·
forces in specific systems in the human body (e.g., how the
heart generates blood pressure, how muscles contract and expand to produce
motion). |
|
8 |
Forces 1. Know that there are fundamental
forces in nature (e.g., gravity, electromagnetic forces, nuclear
forces). 2. Know that a force has
both magnitude and direction. 3. Analyze the separate
forces acting on an object at rest or in motion (e.g., gravity, elastic
forces, friction), including how multiple forces reinforce or cancel one
another to result in a net force that acts on an object. 4. Know that electric charge
produces electrical fields and magnets produce magnetic fields. 5. Know how a moving
magnetic field can produce an electric current (generator) and how an
electric current can produce a magnetic field (electromagnet). 6. Know that Earth has a
magnetic field. Motion 7. Know that an object’s
motion is always described relative to some other object or point (i.e.,
frame of reference). 8. Understand and apply ·
Objects in motion will continue in motion and object at rest will
remain at rest unless acted upon by an unbalanced force (inertia). ·
If a greater force is applied to an object a proportionally greater
acceleration will occur. ·
If an object has more mass the effect of an applied force is
proportionally less. |
Standard 2 (Life
Science). Understand the properties, structures, and processes of living
things and the interdependence of living things and their environments.
Benchmark 1. Explain the diverse structure and functions of
living things and the complex relationships between living things and their
environments.
|
Grade |
Performance
Standards |
|
5 |
1.
Identify the components of habitats and ecosystems (producers, consumers,
decomposers, predators). 2.
Understand how food webs depict relationships between different organisms. 3.
Know that changes in the environment can have different effects on different
organisms (e.g., some organisms move, some survive, some reproduce, some
die). 4.
Describe how human activity impacts the environment. |
|
6 |
1. Understand
how organisms interact with their physical environments to meet their needs
(i.e., food, water, air) and how the water cycle is essential to most living
systems. 2.
Describe how weather and geologic events (e.g., volcanoes, earthquakes) affect
the function of living systems. 3.
Describe how organisms have adapted to various environmental conditions. |
|
7 |
Populations and Ecosystems 1.
Identify the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem and describe the relationships
among these components. 2.
Explain biomes (i.e., aquatic, desert, rainforest, grasslands, tundra) and
describe the 3.
Explain how individuals of species that exist together interact with their
environment to create an ecosystem (e.g., populations, communities, niches,
habitats, food webs). 4.
Explain the conditions and resources needed to sustain life in specific
ecosystems. 5.
Describe how the availability of resources and physical factors limit growth (e.g.,
quantity of light and water, range of temperature, composition of soil) and
how the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles contribute to the availability of
those resources to support living systems. Biodiversity 6.
Understand how diverse species fill all niches in an ecosystem. 7.
Know how to classify organisms: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order,
family, genus, species. |
|
8 |
1. Describe how
matter moves through ecosystems (e.g., water cycle, carbon cycle). 2. Describe how
energy flows through ecosystems (e.g., sunlight, green plants, food for
animals). 3.
Explain how a change in the flow of energy can impact an ecosystem (e.g., the
amount of sunlight available for plant growth, global climate change). |
Benchmark 2 (Strand 2, Standard 2: Life
Science). Understand how traits are passed from one generation to the
next and how species evolve.
|
Grade |
Performance
Standards |
|
5 |
1.
Know that plants and animals have life cycles that include birth, growth and
development, reproduction, and death and that these cycles differ for
different organisms. 2.
Identify characteristics of an organism that are inherited from its parents
(e.g., eye color in humans, flower color in plants) and other characteristics
that are learned or result from interactions with the environment. 3.
Understand that heredity is the process by which traits are passed from one
generation to another. |
|
6 |
1.
Understand that the fossil record provides data for how living organisms have
evolved. 2.
Describe how species have responded to changing environmental conditions over
time (e.g., extinction, adaptation). |
|
7 |
Reproduction 1.
Know that reproduction is a characteristic of all living things and is
essential to the continuation of a species. 2.
Identify the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction. 3.
Know that, in sexual reproduction, an egg and sperm unite to begin the
development of a new individual. 4.
Know that organisms that sexually reproduce fertile offspring are members of
the same species. Heredity
5.
Understand that some characteristics are passed from parent to offspring as
inherited traits and others are acquired from interactions with the
environment. 6.
Know that hereditary information is contained in genes that are located in
chromosomes, including: ·
determination of traits by genes ·
traits determined by one or many genes ·
more than one trait sometimes influenced by a single gene. Biological
Evolution 7. Describe
how typical traits may change from generation to generation due to
environmental influences (e.g., color of skin, shape of eyes, camouflage, shape of beak). 8.
Explain that diversity within a species is developed by gradual changes over
many generations. 9.
Know that organisms can acquire unique characteristics through naturally
occurring genetic variations. 10. Identify
adaptations that favor the survival of organisms in their environments (e.g.,
camouflage, shape of beak). 11. Understand
the process of natural selection. 12. Explain how
species adapt to changes in the environment or become extinct and that
extinction of species is common in the history of living things. 13.
Know that the fossil record documents the appearance, diversification, and
extinction of many life forms. |
|
8 |
1. Understand that living
organisms are made mostly of molecules consisting of a limited number of
elements (e.g., carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen). 2. Identify DNA as the
chemical compound involved in heredity in living organisms. 3.
Describe the widespread role of carbon in the chemistry of living systems. |
Benchmark 3 (Strand 2, Standard 2: Life
Science). Understand the structure of organisms and the function of cells in living
systems.
|
Grade |
Performance
Standards |
|
5 |
1.
Understand that all living organisms are composed of cells from one to many
trillions, and that cells are usually only visible through a microscope. 2. Know
that some organisms are made of a collection of similar cells that cooperate
(e.g., algae) while other organisms are made of cells that are different in
appearance and function (e.g., corn, birds). 3.
Describe the relationships among cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, whole
organisms, and ecosystems. |
|
6 |
1. Explain
how fossil fuels were formed from animal and plant cells. 2.
Describe the differences between substances that were produced by living
organisms (e.g., fossil fuels) and substances that result from nonliving
processes (e.g., igneous rocks). |
|
7 |
Structure
of Organisms 1.
Understand that organisms are composed of cells and identify unicellular and multicellular organisms. 2. Explain
how organs are composed of tissues of different types of cells (e.g., skin,
bone, muscle, heart, intestines). Function
of Cells 3.
Understand that many basic functions of organisms are carried out in cells,
including: ·
growth and division to produce more cells (mitosis) ·
specialized functions of cells (e.g., reproduction, nerve-signal
transmission, digestion, excretion, movement, transport of oxygen). 4. Compare
the structure and processes of plant cells and animal cells. 5.
Describe how some cells respond to stimuli (e.g., light, heat, pressure,
gravity). 6.
Describe how factors (radiation, UV light, drugs) can damage cellular
structure or function. |
|
8 |
1.
Describe how cells use chemical energy obtained from food to conduct cellular
functions (i.e., respiration). 2.
Explain that photosynthesis in green plants captures the energy from the sun
and stores it chemically. 3.
Describe how chemical substances can influence cellular activity (e.g., pH). |
Standard 3 (Earth and Space Science): Understand the
structure of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe, the
interconnections among them, and the processes and interactions of Earth's
systems.
Benchmark 1. Describe how the concepts of energy, matter, and
force can be used to explain the observed behavior of the solar system, the
universe, and their structures.
|
Grade |
Performance
Standards |
|
5 |
1. Know that many objects in the universe are huge and are separated from one another by vast distances (e.g., many stars are larger than the sun but so distant that they look like points of light). 2. Understand that Earth is part of a larger solar system, which is part of an even larger galaxy (Milky Way), which is one of many galaxies. 3.
Know that there have been manned and unmanned journeys to space and to the
moon. |
|
6 |
Universe 1. Describe the objects in the universe, including: · billions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars · different sizes, temperatures, and colors of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Solar
System 2. Locate the solar system in the Milky Way galaxy. 3.
Identify the components of the solar system, and describe their defining
characteristics and motions in space, including: ·
sun as a medium sized star ·
sun's composition (i.e., hydrogen, helium) and energy production ·
nine planets, their moons, asteroids. 4.
Know that the regular and predictable motions of the Earth-moon-sun system
explain phenomena on Earth, including: ·
Earth's motion in relation to a year, a day, the seasons, the phases
of the moon, eclipses, tides, and shadows ·
moon's orbit around Earth once in 28 days in relation to the
phases of the moon. |
|
7 |
1.
Explain why Earth is unique in our solar system in its ability to support
life. 2.
Explain how energy from the sun supports life on Earth. |
|
8 |
1. Understand how energy
from the sun and other stars, in the form of light, travels long distances to
reach Earth. 2. Explain how the
properties of light (e.g., emission, reflection, refraction) emitted from the
sun and stars are used to learn about the universe, including: ·
distances in the solar system and the universe ·
temperatures of different stars. 3. Understand how
gravitational force acts on objects in the solar system and the universe,
including: ·
similar action on masses on Earth and on other objects in the solar
system ·
explanation of the orbits of the planets around the sun. |
Benchmark 2 (Strand 2, Standard 3: Earth and
Space Science). Describe the structure of the Earth and its atmosphere and
explain how energy, matter, and forces shape Earth's systems.
|
Grade |
Performance
Standards |
|
5 |
1.
Understand that water and air relate to Earth’s processes, including: ·
how the water cycle relates to weather ·
how clouds are made of tiny droplets of water, like fog or steam. 2. Know
that air is a substance that surrounds Earth (atmosphere), takes up space,
and moves, and that temperature fluctuations and
other factors produce wind currents. 3. Know
that most of Earth’s surface is covered by water, that most of that water is
salt water in oceans, and that fresh water is found in rivers, lakes,
underground sources, and glaciers. 4.
Recognize that the seasons are caused by Earth’s motion around the sun and
the tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation. |
|
6 |
Structure of Earth 1.
Know that Earth is composed of layers that include a crust, mantle, and core. 2. Know
that Earth’s crust is divided into plates that move very slowly, in response
to movements in the mantle. 3. 3.
Know that sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks contain evidence
of the materials, temperatures, and forces that created them. Weather and Climate 4.
Describe the composition (i.e., nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor) and strata of
Earth’s atmosphere, and differences between the atmosphere of Earth and those
of other planets. 5.
Understand factors that create and influence weather and climate, including: ·
heat, air movement, pressure, humidity, oceans ·
how clouds form by condensation of water vapor ·
how weather patterns are related to atmospheric pressure ·
global patterns of atmospheric movement (e.g., El Niño) ·
factors that can impact Earth's climate (e.g., volcanic
eruptions, impacts of asteroids, glaciers). 6. Understand how to use weather maps and data (e.g., barometric pressure, wind speeds, humidity) to predict weather. Changes
to Earth 7.
Know that landforms are created and change through a combination of
constructive and destructive forces, including: ·
weathering of rock and soil, transportation, deposition of sediment,
and tectonic activity ·
similarities and difference between current and past processes on Earth's
surface (e.g., erosion, plate tectonics, changes in atmospheric composition) ·
impact of volcanoes and faults on 8.
Understand the history of Earth and how information about it comes from
layers of sedimentary rock, including: ·
sediments and fossils as a record of a very slowly changing world ·
evidence of asteroid impact, volcanic and glacial activity. |
|
7 |
1.
Understand how the remains of living things give us information about the
history of Earth, including: ·
layers of sedimentary rock, the fossil record, and radioactive
dating showing that life has been present on Earth for more than 3.5 billion
years. 2.
Understand how living organisms have played many roles in changes of Earth’s
systems through time (e.g., atmospheric composition, creation of soil, impact
on Earth’s surface). 3.
Know that changes to ecosystems sometimes decrease the capacity of the
environment to support some life forms and are difficult and/or costly to
remediate. |
|
8 |
1. Describe the role of pressure (and heat) in the rock cycle. 2. Understand the unique role water plays on Earth, including:
3.
Understand the geologic conditions that have resulted in energy resources
(e.g., oil, coal, natural gas) available in |
Standard 1: Understand how scientific discoveries,
inventions, practices, and knowledge influence, and are influenced by,
individuals and societies.
Benchmark 1. Explain how scientific discoveries and
inventions have changed individuals and societies.
|
Grade |
Performance
Standards |
|
5 |
1. Describe
the contributions of science to understanding local or current issues (e.g.,
watershed and community decisions regarding water use). 2.
Describe how various technologies have affected the lives of individuals
(e.g., transportation, entertainment, health). |
|
6 |
1. Examine the role of scientific knowledge in decisions (e.g., space exploration, what to eat, preventive medicine and medical treatment). 2.
Describe the technologies responsible for revolutionizing information
processing and communications (e.g., computers, cellular phones, Internet). |
|
7 |
1. Analyze the contributions of science to health as they relate to personal decisions about smoking, drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity. 2. Analyze how technologies have been responsible for advances in medicine (e.g., vaccines, antibiotics, microscopes, DNA technologies). 3.
Describe how scientific information can help individuals and communities
respond to health emergencies (e.g., CPR, epidemics, HIV, bio-terrorism). |
|
8 |
1. Analyze
the interrelationship between science and technology (e.g., germ theory,
vaccines). 2. Describe how scientific information can help to explain environmental phenomena (e.g., floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, fire, extreme weather). 3. Describe how technological revolutions have significantly influenced societies (e.g., energy production, warfare, space exploration). 4.
Critically analyze risks and benefits associated with technologies related to
energy production. |