Physical Sciences
1. Elements and their combinations account for all the varied types of
matter in the world.
As a basis for understanding this concept,
students know:
a. during chemical reactions, the atoms
in the reactants rearrange to form
products with different properties.
b. all matter is made of atoms, which
may combine to form molecules.
c. metals have properties in common, such as electrical
and thermal conductivity. Some metals, such as
aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), silver
(Ag), gold (Au), are pure elements while others, such
as steel and brass, are composed of a combination of
elemental metals.
d. each element is made of one kind of atom. These
elements are organized in the Periodic Table by their
chemical properties.
e. scientists have developed instruments that can
create images of atoms and molecules showing that
they are discrete and often occur in well ordered
arrays.
f. differences in chemical and
physical properties of
substances are used to separate
mixtures and identify
compounds.
g. properties of solid, liquid, and
gaseous substances, such as
sugar (C6H12O6), water (H2O)
helium (He), oxygen (O2),
nitrogen (N2),and carbon
dioxide (CO2).
h. living organisms and most
materials are composed of just a
few elements.
i. common properties of salts,
such as sodium chloride (NaCl).
Life Sciences
2. Plants and animals have structures for respiration, digestion, waste
disposal, and transport of materials.
As a basis for understanding this
concept, students know:
a. many multicellular organisms have specialized
structures to support the transport of materials.
b. how blood circulates through the heart chambers,
lungs, and body, and how carbon dioxide (CO2) and
oxygen (O2) are exchanged in the lungs and tissues.
c. the sequential steps of digestion, and the roles of
teeth and mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine,
large intestine, and colon in the function of the
digestive system.
d. the role of the kidney in removing cellular wastes
from blood and converting them into urine, which is
stored in the bladder.
e. how sugar, water, and minerals are
transported in a vascular plant.
f. plants use carbon dioxide (CO2) and energy from
sunlight to build molecules of sugar and release
oxygen.
g. plant and animal cells break down sugar to obtain
energy, forming carbon dioxide (CO2) and water
(respiration).
Earth Sciences
3. Water on Earth moves between the oceans and land through the
processes of evaporation and condensation.
As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
a. most of the Earth's water is present as salt water in
the oceans, which cover most of the Earth's surface.
b. when liquid water evaporates, it turns into water
vapor in the air and can reappear as a liquid when
cooled, or as a solid if cooled below the freezing point
of water.
c. water moves in the air from one place to another in
the form of clouds or fog, which are tiny droplets of
water or ice, and falls to the Earth as rain, hail, sleet, or
snow.
d. the amount of fresh water, located in rivers, lakes,
underground sources, and glaciers, is limited, and its
availability can be extended through recycling and
decreased use.
e. the origin of water used by their local
communities.
4. Energy from the sun heats the Earth unevenly, causing air
movements resulting in changing weather patterns.
As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
a. uneven heating of the Earth causes air movements
(convection currents).
b. the influence of the ocean on weather, and the role
of the water cycle in weather.
c. causes and effects of different types of
severe weather.
d. how to use weather maps and weather forecasts to
predict local weather, and that prediction depends on
many changing variables.
e. the Earth's atmosphere exerts a pressure that
decreases with distance above the Earth's surface, and
is the same in all directions.
5. The solar system consists of planets and other bodies that orbit the
sun in predictable paths.
As a basis for understanding this concept,
students know:
a. the sun, an average star, is the central and largest
body in the solar system and is composed primarily of
hydrogen and helium.
b. the solar system includes the Earth, moon, sun, eight
other planets and their satellites, and smaller objects
such as asteroids and comets.
c. the path of a planet around the sun is due to the
gravitational attraction between the sun and the planet.
Investigation and Experimentation
6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and
conducting careful investigations.
As a basis for understanding this
concept, and to address the content the other three strands, students
should develop their own questions and perform investigations.
Students will:
a. classify objects (e.g., rocks, plant, leaves) based on
appropriate criteria.
b. develop a testable question.
c. plan and conduct a simple investigation based on a
student-developed question, and write instructions
others can follow to carry out the procedure.
d. identify the dependent and controlled
variables in an investigation.
e. identify a single independent variable in a scientific
investigation and explain what will be learned by
collecting data on this variable.
f. select appropriate tools (e.g., thermometers, meter
sticks, balances, and graduated cylinders) and make
quantitative observations.
g. record data using appropriate graphic
representation (including charts, graphs, and labeled
diagrams), and make inferences based on those data.
h. draw conclusions based on scientific evidence and
indicate whether further information is needed to
support a specific conclusion.
i. write a report of an investigation that includes tests
conducted, data collected or evidence examined, and
conclusions drawn.