Standard 5: Science

STANDARD 5.1    (SCIENTIFIC PROCESSES)    ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP PROBLEM-SOLVING, DECISION-MAKING AND INQUIRY SKILLS, REFLECTED BY FORMULATING USABLE QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES, PLANNING EXPERIMENTS, CONDUCTING SYSTEMATIC OBSERVATIONS, INTERPRETING AND ANALYZING DATA, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, AND COMMUNICATING RESULTS.

Descriptive Statement:  Students best learn science by doing science. Science is not merely a collection of facts and theories but a process, a way of thinking about and investigating the world in which we live. This standard addresses those skills that are used by scientists as they discover and explain the physical universe-skills that are an essential and ongoing part of learning science.

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 8, students will:

 

A.     Habits of Mind

 1.         Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of data, claims, and arguments.

 2.         Communicate experimental findings to others.

 3.         Recognize that the results of scientific investigations are seldom exactly the same and that replication is often necessary.

 4.         Recognize that curiosity, skepticism, open-mindedness, and honesty are attributes of scientists.

 

B.     Inquiry and Problem Solving

 1.         Identify questions and make predictions that can be addressed by conducting investigations.

 2.         Design and conduct investigations incorporating the use of a control.

 3.         Collect, organize, and interpret the data that result from experiments.

 

C.     Safety

 1.         Know when and how to use appropriate safety equipment with all classroom materials.

 2.         Understand and practice safety procedures for conducting science investigations.

 

STANDARD 5.2    (SCIENCE AND SOCIETY)    ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PEOPLE OF VARIOUS CULTURES HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, AND HOW MAJOR DISCOVERIES AND EVENTS HAVE ADVANCED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.

 

Descriptive Statement:  Science is a human endeavor involving successes and failures, trials and tribulations. Students should know that great numbers of people from many cultures have contributed to our understanding of science and that science has a rich and fascinating history. This standard encourages students to learn about the people and events that have shaped or revolutionized important scientific theories and concepts.

 

 Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 8, students will:

 

A.     Cultural Contributions

 1.         Recognize that scientific theories:

·        develop over time,

·        depend on the contributions of many people, and

·        reflect the social and political climate of their time.

 2.         Know that scientists are men and women of many cultures who often work together to solve scientific and technological problems.

 3.         Describe how different people in different cultures have made and continue to make contributions to science and technology. 

 

B.     Historical Perspectives

 1.         Describe the impact of major events and people in the history of science and technology, in conjunction with other world events.

 2.         Describe the development and exponential growth of scientific knowledge and technological innovations

 

STANDARD 5.3    (MATHEMATICAL APPLICATIONS)    ALL STUDENTS WILL INTEGRATE MATHEMATICS AS A TOOL FOR PROBLEM-SOLVING IN SCIENCE, AND AS A MEANS OF EXPRESSING AND/OR MODELING SCIENTIFIC THEORIES.

 

Descriptive Statement:  Science cannot be practiced or learned without appreciation of the role of mathematics in discovering and expressing natural laws. This standard recognizes the need for students to fully integrate mathematics skills with their learning of science.

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 8, students will:

 

A.     Numerical Operations

 1.         Express quantities using appropriate number formats, such as:

·        decimals.

·        percents.

·        scientific notation.

 

B.     Geometry and Measurement

 1.         Perform mathematical computations using labeled quantities and express answers in correctly derived units.

 

C.     Patterns and Algebra

 1.         Express physical relationships in terms of mathematical equations derived from collected data.

 

D.    Data Analysis and Probability

 1.         Represent and describe mathematical relationships among variables using:

·        graphs.

·        tables.

 2.         Analyze experimental data sets using measures of central tendency:

·        mean.

·        mode.

·        median

 3.         Construct and use a graph of experimental data to draw a line of best fit and identify a linear relationship between variables.

 4.         Use computer spreadsheets, graphing and database applications to assist in quantitative analysis of data.

 

 

 

 

STANDARD 5.4     (NATURE AND PROCESS OF TECHNOLOGY)     ALL STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND THE INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOP A CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE AND PROCESS OF TECHNOLOGY.

 

Descriptive Statement: This standard focuses on developing students’ understanding of the interrelationship between science and technology.  It introduces students to and expands their understanding of the nature of technology.  In addition, it introduces and develops students’ abilities with technological design including experiences in predicting, decision making, critical thinking, and problem solving.

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 6, students will:

 

A.     Science and Technology

Reinforce indicators from previous grade level.

 

B.     Nature of Technology

Reinforce indicators from previous grade level.

 

C.     Technological Design

 1.         Select a technological problem and describe the criteria and constraints that are addressed in solving the problem.

 2.         Identify the basic components of a technological system:

·        input.

·        process.

·        output.

·        feedback.

 

 

STANDARD 5.5    (CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE)   ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE STRUCTURE, CHARACTERISTICS, AND BASIC NEEDS OF ORGANISMS AND WILL INVESTIGATE THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE.

 

Descriptive Statement:  The study of science must include the diversity, complexity, and interdependence of life on Earth. Students should know how organisms evolve, reproduce, and adapt to their environments.

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 6, students will:

 

A.     Matter, Energy and Organization in Living Systems

 1.         Explain how systems of the human body are interrelated and regulate the body's internal environment.

 2.         Identify and describe the structure and function of cells and cell parts.

 

B.     Diversity and Biological Evolution

 1.         Describe and give examples of the major categories of organisms and of the characteristics shared by organisms.

  2.         Compare and contrast acquired and inherited characteristics in human and other species..

 

C.     Reproduction and Heredity

 1.         Describe life cycles of humans and other organisms.

 

STANDARD 5.6 (CHEMISTRY) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE STRUCTURE AND BEHAVIOR OF MATTER.

 

Descriptive Statement:  Exploring the nature of matter and energy is essential to an understanding of the physical universe. This standard leads students from their experiences with the states and properties of matter to the development of models of the atom and the underlying principles of chemistry.

 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 6, students will:

 

 A.     Structure and Properties of Matter

 1.         Recognize that about 100 different elements have been identified and most materials on Earth are made of a few of them.

 2.         Show that equal volumes of different substances usually have different masses.

 3.         Describe the properties of mixtures and solutions, including concentration and saturation. 

 4.         Describe characteristic physical properties such as boiling point, melting point, and solubility, and recognize that the property is independent of the amount of sample.

 

B.     Chemical Reactions

 1.        Recognize evidence of a chemical change.

 

 

STANDARD 5.7    (PHYSICS) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF NATURAL LAWS AS THEY APPLY TO MOTION, FORCES, AND ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS.

 

Descriptive Statement:  Basic principles of physics emerge in this standard, where the study of force and motion leads students to the concept of energy. All forms of energy are introduced and investigated, and principles of transformation and laws of conservation are developed.

 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 6, students will:

 

A.     Motion and Forces

 1.         Recognize that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object moving in a straight line at a steady speed will continue to move in a straight line at a steady speed unless a net (unbalanced) force acts on it.

 2.         Recognize that motion can be retarded by forces such as friction and air resistance.

 3.         Recognize that everything on or near the earth is pulled toward the earth's center by gravitational force.

 

B.     Energy Transformations

 1.         Recognize that heat flows through materials or across space from warmer objects to cooler ones.

 2.         Show that vibrations in materials can generate waves that can transfer energy from one place to another.

 3.         Design an electric circuit to investigate the behavior of a system.

 

 

STANDARD 5.8    (EARTH SCIENCE)    ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE STRUCTURE, DYNAMICS, AND GEOPHYSICAL SYSTEMS OF THE EARTH.

 

Descriptive Statement:  The study of science should include a study of the planet Earth and its relationship to the rest of the universe. This standard describes what students should know about the composition of the Earth and the forces that shape it.

 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 6, students will:

 

A.     Earth’s Properties and Materials

        Reinforce indicators from previous grade level

 

B.     Atmosphere and Water

 1.         Describe the composition, circulation, and distribution of the world’s oceans, estuaries, and marine environments.

 2.         Describe and illustrate the water cycle .

 

C.     Processes that Shape the Earth

 1.         Summarize the process involved in the rock cycle and describe the characteristics of the rocks involved.

 

D.    How We Study the Earth

       1.     Utilize various tools such as map projections and topographical maps to interpret features of Earth’s surface.

.

 

STANDARD 5.9     (ASTRONOMY and SPACE SCIENCE)     ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ORIGIN, EVOLUTION, AND STRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSE

 

Descriptive Statement:  The study of science should include a study of the planet Earth and its relationship to the rest of the universe. This standard describes what students should know about astronomy and space science.

 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 6, students will:

 

A.     Earth, Moon, Sun System

 1.         Explain how the motions of the Earth, sun, and moon, define units of time including:

·        days

·        months

·        years

 2.         Recognize that changes in the Earth’s position relative to the sun produces differing amounts of daylight seasonally.

 

B.     Solar System

 1.         Using models, demonstrate an understanding of the scale of the solar system that shows distance and size relationships among the sun and planets.

 2.         Recognize that the sun's gravitational pull holds the planets in their orbits and that the planets’ gravitational pull holds their moons in their orbits.

 

C.     Stars

 1.         Observe and record short-term and long-term changes in the positions of the constellations in the night sky.

 2.         Observe that the planets appear to change their position against the background of stars.

 

D.    Galaxies and Universe

Reinforce indicators from previous grade level.

 

 

STANDARD 5.10 (ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ENVIRONMENT AS A SYSTEM OF INTERDEPENDENT COMPONENTS AFFECTED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY AND NATURAL PHENOMENA.

 

Descriptive Statement:  Creating an awareness of the need to protect, conserve, and preserve natural resources is a goal of science education. This standard calls for students to develop knowledge of environmental issues, including management of natural resources, production and use of energy, waste management, and the interdependence of ecosystems.

 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 6, students will:

 

A.     Natural Systems and Interactions

 1.         Explain how organisms interact with other components of an ecosystem.

 2.         Describe the natural processes that occur over time in places where direct human impact is minimal.

 

B.     Human Interactions and Impact

  1.        Describe the effect of human activities on various ecosystems.

 2.         Evaluate the impact of personal activities on the local environment.