The STANDARDS CORRELATION chart suggests which Kansas Curricular Standards for Science Education you can cover using PASSPORT TO THE UNIVERSE in your classroom. We hope you will discover additional standards you can use. These are the ones our Instructional Materials Development team felt most directly related to the activities contained in PASSPORT TO THE UNIVERSE.
For additional Kansas Curricular Standards for Science Education you can cover see the STANDARDS CORRELATION chart for the following PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE projects:
PASSPORT TO WEATHER AND CLIMATE
End of Second Grade, End of Fourth Grade, End of Eighth Grade, End of Twelfth Grade
As a result of the activities in grades K-2, all students will experience science as full inquiry.
In the elementary grades, students begin to develop the physical and intellectual abilities of
scientific inquiry.
Benchmark 1: All students will be involved in activities that develop skills necessary to conduct
scientific inquiries. These activities involve asking a simple question, completing an investigation,
answering the question, and presenting the results to others. Not every activity will involve all of these
stages nor must any particular sequence of these stages be followed.
The students will:
4 1. Identify characteristics of objects.
Example: State characteristics of leaves, shells, water, and air.
video 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.
video 4 3. Use appropriate materials and tools to collect information.
Example: Use magnifiers, balances, scales, thermometers, measuring cups, and
spoons when engaged in investigations.
video 4.4. Ask and answer questions about objects, organisms, and events in their environment.
Example: Observe and ask questions about a variety of objects and discuss how
they are alike and different.
video 4 5. Describe an observation orally or pictorially.
Example: Draw pictures of plant growth on a daily basis; note color, number of
leaves.
video As a result of the activities for grades K-2, all students will 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.
The students will:
4.1. Explore the way things work.
Example: Observe the inner workings of non-working toys, clocks, telephones,
toasters, music boxes.
video 4 2. Experience science through technology.
Example: Use science software programs, balances, thermometers, hand lenses,
and bug viewers.
video As a result of the activities for grades K-2, all students will have a variety of experiences
that provide understandings for various science-related personal and environmental
challenges.
This standard should be integrated with physical science, life science, and earth and space science
Benchmark 1: All students will demonstrate responsibility for their own health.
Health encompasses safety, personal hygiene, exercise, and nutrition.
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.
video 4.2. 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.
video 4.3. 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.
video As a result of the activities for grades K-2, all students will experience scientific inquiry and
learn about people from history.
This standard should be integrated with physical science, life science, and earth and space science
standards.
Benchmark 1: All students will know they practice science.
The students will:
4 1. Be involved in explorations that make them wonder and know that they are practicing science.
video 4 2. Use technology to learn about people in science.
video As a result of the activities in grades 3-4, all students will experience science as inquiry.
Benchmark 1: All students will develop the skills necessary to do full inquiry. Full inquiry involves
asking a simple question, completing an investigation, answering the question, and sharing the
results with others. Not every activity will involve all of these stages nor must any particular sequences
of these stages be followed.
The students will:
4.1. Ask questions that they can answer by investigating.
Example: Will the size of the opening on a container change the rate of evaporation
of liquids? How much water will a sponge hold?
video 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.
video 4 3. Employ appropriate equipment and tools to gather data.
Example: Use a balance to find the mass of the wet paper towel; use meter sticks to
measure the flight distance of a paper air plane; use the same size
containers to compare evaporation rates of different liquids.
video 4.4. Begin developing the abilities to communicate, critique, analyze their own investigations,
and interpret the work of other students.
Example: Describe investigations with pictures, written language, oral
presentations.
video As a result of the activities in grades 3-4, students will increase their understanding of the
properties of objects and materials that they encounter on a daily basis. Students will
compare, describe, and sort these materials by observable properties.
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.
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.
video 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.
video 4.4. Observe and record how one object reacts with another object.
Example: Mix baking soda and vinegar and record observations.
video Benchmark 2: All students will describe the movement of objects.
Students begin to observe the position and movement of objects when they manipulate objects by
pushing, pulling, throwing, dropping, and rolling them.
The students will:
4.1. Move objects by pushing, pulling, throwing, spinning, dropping, and rolling; describe the
motion. Observe that a force (a push or a pull), is applied to make objects move.
Example: Spin or roll a variety of objects on various surfaces.
video 4.2. Describe locations of objects.
Example: Describe locations as up, down, in front, or behind.
video As a result of the activities for grades 3-4, all students will observe 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 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.
The students will:
4.1. Observe the moon and stars.
Example: Sketch the position of the moon in relation to a tree, rooftop, or building.
video 4.3. Discuss that the sun provides light and heat to maintain the temperature of the earth.
Example: Discuss why it seems cooler when the sun goes behind a cloud.
video As a result of the activities for grades 3-4, all students will have a variety of educational
experiences which involve science and technology. They will begin to understand the
design process, which includes this general sequence: state the problem, the design, and the
solution.
Benchmark 1: All students will work with a technology design.
The students will:
4.1. Identify a simple design problem; design a plan, implement the plan, evaluate the results,
and communicate the results.
Examples: Challenge the students to develop a better bubble-making solution using
detergent, glycerin, and water; try different kinds of tools for making the
biggest bubbles or the longest lasting bubbles.
video Benchmark 2: All students will apply their understanding about science and technology.
Children’s abilities in technological problem-solving can be developed by firsthand experiences in
tackling tasks with a technological purpose. They can study technological products and systems in their
world: zippers, coat hooks, can openers, bridges, paper clips.
The students will:
4 1. Discuss that science is a way of investigating questions about their world.
Examples: Why was a zipper designed? What problem did the zipper solve? How
has the zipper improved our lives? How is velcro like a zipper? What
problem does velcro solve? How has velcro improved our lives?
video 4.2. Invent a product to solve problems.
Examples: Invent a new use for old products: potato masher; strainer; carrot peeler;
or 2 liter pop bottle. Use a juice can, 2 liter pop bottle or one-half gallon
milk jug to invent something useful. Invent something to solve a
problem.
video 4.3. Work together to solve problems.
Examples: Solve a problem by working together, sharing ideas, and testing the
solutions.
video 4.4. 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.
video 4.5. 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.
video 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.
The students will:
4.1. Compare, contrast, and sort human-made versus natural objects.
Example: Compare and contrast silk flowers to real flowers.
video 4 2. Use appropriate tools when observing natural and human-made objects.
Example: Use a magnifier when observing objects.
video 4.3. 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.
video As a result of the activities for grades 3-4, all students will demonstrate personal health and
environmental practices.
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.
The students will:
4.1. Discuss that safety involves freedom from danger, risk, or injury.
Examples: Classroom discussions could include bike safety, water safety, weather
safety, sun protection.
video 4.2. Assume some responsibility for their own health.
Examples: Practice good dental hygiene and cleanliness. Discuss healthy exercise
and sleep habits.
video 4.3. Discuss that various foods contribute to health.
Examples: Read and compare nutrition information found on labels; discuss healthy
foods; make a healthy snack.
video Benchmark 2: All students will demonstrate an awareness of changes in the environment.
The students will:
4 1. Define pollution.
Example: Take a pollution walk, gathering examples of litter and trash.
video 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.
video 4.3. Practice reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Examples: Present the problem that paper is being wasted in the classroom. video 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.
Benchmark 1: All students will develop an awareness that people practice science.
The students will:
4 1. Recognize that students participate in science inquiry by asking questions.
Examples: Design an investigation to determine how plants are affected by various
amounts of light; to determine the "best" paper towel (define best); to
determine which liquid causes substances such as a jawbreaker,
chocolate candy, and Jell-O to dissolve quickest.
video 4.2. 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.
video As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students will 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.
Teachers can facilitate success by providing guidelines or boundaries for studying inquiry. Teachers
assist 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, inferences, and models, guidance to think critically and logically, and to
see the relationships between evidence and explanations.
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.
video 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.
video 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 and
how to measure. Students should display their results in a graph or other
appropriate graphic format.
video 7.4. Think critically to identify the relationship 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?
video 7 5. Apply mathematical reasoning to scientific inquiry.
Examples: Look for patterns from the mean of multiple trials, such as the 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.
video 7 6. Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.
Example: Present a report of your investigation so that others understand it and can
replicate the design.
video Benchmark 2: The students will apply different kinds of investigations to 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.
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?)
Examples: 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.
video 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.
video 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 are 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.
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.
video 10 2. Determine evidence which supports or contradicts a scientific breakthrough.
Example: Examine and analyze a scientific breakthrough [such as a Hubble
discovery] using multiple, scientific sources. Explain how a reasonable
conclusion is supported.
video 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.
video As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students will 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 3: The students will investigate motion and forces.
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.
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.
video 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.
video 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).
video 7 5. Understand that a force (e.g., gravity and friction) is a push or a pull.
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.
video 7 6. Investigate force variables of simple machines.
Example: Investigate the load (force) that can be moved as the number of pulleys
in a system is increased.
video Benchmark 4: The students will understand and demonstrate the transfer of energy.
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.
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.
video 7 2. Sequence the transmission of energy through various real life systems.
Example: Draw a chart of energy flow through a telephone from the caller's voice
to the listener's ear.
video 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.
video 7.4. Understand that heat energy can be transferred from hot to cold by radiation, convection,
and conduction.
Example: Add colored warm water to cool water. Observe convection. Measure
and graph temperature over time.
video As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students will 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 3: The students will identify and classify planets and other solar system components.
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 by becoming amateur sky-watchers.
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.
video 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?
video 10.3. Research smaller components of the solar system such as asteroids and comets.
Example: Identify and classify characteristics of asteroids and comets.
video 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, age
apparent brightness, and distance from earth. video 10.5. 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.
video Benchmark 4: The students will model motions and identify forces that explain earth phenomena.
Misconceptions abound among middle level students about concepts such 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 Universal Gravitation, 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 were not tilted?
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.
video 10 3. Apply principles of force and motion to understand the solar system.
Examples: Use string and ball model to illustrate gravity and movement creating an
orbit around a hand.
video 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?
video As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students will 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?
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. video 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.
video 7.3. Communicate the process of technological design.
Example: Keep a log of designing (and building) a technology, then use the log to
explain the process.
video Benchmark 2: The students will develop understandings of the similarities, differences, and
relationships in science and technology.
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.
The students will:
7 1. Compare the work of scientists with that of applied scientists and technologists.
Example: A scientist studies air pressure. A technologist designs an airplane wing. video 7.2. Evaluate limitations and trade-offs of technological solutions.
Example: Select a technology to evaluate using a graphic organizer. List uses,
limitations, possible consequences.
video 7.3. 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.
video As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students will examine and develop an
understanding of science as a historical human endeavor.
Benchmark 1: The students will develop scientific habits of mind.
Teachers can support the development of scientific habits of mind by providing students with on-going
instruction using inquiry as a framework. 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.
The students will:
4.1. Practice intellectual honesty.
Examples: Analyze news articles to evaluate if the articles apply statistics/data to
bring clarity, or if the articles use data to mislead. video 4.2. Demonstrate skepticism appropriately.
Example: Students will attempt to replicate an investigation to support or refute a
conclusion.
video 4.3. 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.
video 4.4. Base decisions on evidence.
Example: Review results of individual, group, or peer investigations to assess the
accuracy of conclusions based upon data collection and analysis and use
of evidence to reach a conclusion.
video Benchmark 2: The students will research contributions to science throughout history.
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.
The students will:
4.1. Recognize that new knowledge leads to new questions and new discoveries.
Examples: Discuss discoveries that 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.
video 4.2. Replicate historic experiments to understand principles of science.
Example: Rediscover principles of electromagnetism by replicating Oersted’s
compass needle experiment. (Compass needle deflects perpendicular to
current carrying wire.)
video 4.3. 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.
video As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students will 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:
10.1. Develop a rich understanding and curiosity of the natural (material) world through
experience.
Example: Students must have a rich set of experiences to draw on in order to ask
and evaluate research questions.
video 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 a hypothesis
and the design of an experiment. Demonstrate a knowledge base,
appropriate procedures, and conceptual understanding of scientific
investigations.
video 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.
video 10.4. Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications.
Examples: 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.
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.
video 10.5. Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.
Example: 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.
video 10.6. 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).
video 10.7. 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.
video Benchmark 1: The students will understand the relationship between motions and forces.
Indicators: The students will:
10.1. The motion of an object can be described in terms of its displacement (position), velocity,
and acceleration.
video 10.2. Objects change their motion only when a net force is applied.
Examples: When no net force acts, the object either doesn’t move or moves with
constant speed in a straight line. When a net force acts upon an object,
the object will change its motion. The magnitude of the change in motion
is given by the relationship åF=ma, regardless of the type of force.
video 10.3. Whenever a system applies force to an object, that object applies a related force to the
system that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
Example: The change in an object’s motion (acceleration) is in the direction of the
net applied force.
video 10.4. Gravitation is a relatively weak, attractive force that acts upon and between any two
masses.
video 10.5. Electric force is the attraction or repulsion that exists between two charged particles. Its
magnitude is vastly greater than that due to gravity.
video 10.6. Electricity and magnetism are two aspects of a single electromagnetic force.
Example: Moving electrical charges produce magnetic forces, and moving magnets
produce electrical forces.
video Benchmark 2: The students will understand the conservation of mass and energy, and that the
overall disorder of the universe increases with time.
Indicators: The students will:
10.1. The energy of the universe is constant.
Examples: Physicists view matter as equivalent to energy.
Matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, but they can be
interchanged.
video 10.2. Energy may be classified as kinetic, potential, or energy within a field.
Examples: Kinetic energy deals with the motion of objects. Potential energy results
from objects’ relative configuration. Electromagnetic radiation is an
example of energy contained within a field. These energies are
interchangeable : kinetic to potential, potential to kinetic, potential to
field, etc.
video 10.3. Heat is the transfer of energy from objects at higher temperature to objects at lower
temperature.
Examples: 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 an exchange of internal energy between
systems.
video 10.4. The universe tends to become less organized and more disordered with every chemical
and physical change.
video Benchmark 3: The students will understand the basic interactions of matter and energy.
Indicators: The students will:
10.1. Waves can transfer energy when they interact with matter.
video 10.2. Electromagnetic waves result when a charged object is accelerated.
Example: Electromagnetic waves include radio waves, microwaves, infrared
radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, and gamma rays.
video 10.3. Each kind of atom or molecule can gain or lose energy in unique, discrete amounts.
Example s: 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.
video 10.4. Electrons flow easily in conductors (such as metals). Semiconducting materials have
intermediate behavior. At low temperatures, some materials become superconductors
and offer little or no resistance to the flow of electrons.
video As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, students will develop an understanding of
energy in the earth system, geochemical cycles, the formation and organization of the earth
system, and the organization and development of the universe.
Benchmark 1: Students will develop an understanding of the sources of energy that power the
dynamic earth system.
Indicators: The students will:
10 1. Essentially all energy on earth originates with the sun, is generated by radioactive decay
in the earth’s interior, or is left over from the earth’s formation.
video Benchmark 2: Students will develop an understanding of the actions and the interactions of the
earth's subsystems: the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.
10 1. The systems at the earth's surface are powered principally by the sun and contain an
essentially fixed amount of each stable chemical atom or element.
video 10 4. Earth's motions and seasons.
video Benchmark 4. Students will develop an understanding of the organization of the universe, and its
development.
Indicators: The students will:
10 1. Organization of the universe.
Example: The sun is an ordinary star. It appears that many stars have planets
orbiting them. Our galaxy (The Milky Way) contains about 100 billion
stars. Galaxies are a level of organization of the universe. There are at
least 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe. Galaxies are
organized into large superclusters with large voids between them.
video 10 2. Expansion of the universe from a hot dense early state.
Example: By studying the light emitted from distant galaxies, it has been found that
galaxies are moving apart from one another. Cosmological
understanding including the Big Bang Theory is based on this expansion.
video 10 3. Organization and development of stars, solar systems, and planets.
Example: Nebula from which stars and planets form, are mostly hydrogen and
helium. Heavier elements were, and continue to be, made by the nuclear
fusion reactions in stars. The sun is a second generation star, which
along with it’s planets was formed billions of years after the Big Bang.
video 10 4. General methods of the exploration of our solar system and space as well as the
importance of such exploration.
video As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students will develop understandings about
science and technology and abilities of technological design.
Benchmark 1: Students will develop understandings about science and technology.
Indicators: The students will:
10 1. Creativity, imagination, and a broad knowledge base are all required in the work of
science and engineering.
video 10 2. Science and technology are pursued for different purposes.
Examples: Scientific inquiry is driven by the desire to understand the natural world.
Applied science technology is driven by the need to meet human needs
and solve human problems.
video 10 3. Scientists in different disciplines ask different questions, use different methods of
investigation, and accept different types of evidence to support their explanations.
video 10 4. Science advances new technologies. New technologies open new areas for scientific
inquiry.
video 10 5. Technological knowledge is often not made public because of the financial and military
potential of the idea or invention. Scientific knowledge is made public through
presentations at professional meetings and publications in scientific journals.
video As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students will develop an understanding of
personal and community health, population growth, natural resources, environmental
quality, natural and human-induced hazards, and science and technology in local, national,
and global settings.
Benchmark 4: Students will understand the effect of natural and human-influenced hazards.
Indicators: The students will:
10 1. Natural processes of earth may be hazardous for humans.
Examples: Humans live at the interface between two dynamically changing systems,
the atmosphere and the earth’s crust. The vulnerability of societies to
disruption by natural processes has increased. Natural hazards include
volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and severe weather. Examples of slow,
progressive changes are stream channel position, sedimentation,
continual erosion, wasting of soil, and landscapes.
video 10 2. There is a need to assess potential risk and danger from natural and human induced
hazards.
Examples: Human-initiated changes in the environment bring benefits as well as
risks to society.
Various changes have costs and benefits. Environmental ethics have a
role in the decision-making process.
video Benchmark 5: Students will develop an understanding of the relationship between science, technology, and society.
Indicators: The students will:
10 1. Science and technology are essential components of modern society. Science and
technology indicate what can happen, not what should happen. The latter involves
human decisions about the use of knowledge.
video 10 2. Understanding basic concepts and principles of science and technology should precede
active debate about the economics, policies, politics, and ethics of various challenges
related to science and technology.
video 10 3. Progress in science and technology can be affected by social issues and challenges.
video As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students will develop understanding of science as
a human endeavor, the nature of scientific knowledge, and historical perspectives.
Benchmark 1: Students will develop an understanding that science is a human endeavor.
Indicators: The students will:
10 1. Demonstrate an understanding of science as both vocation and avocation.
video 10 2. Explain how science uses peer review, replication of methods, and norms of honesty.
video 10 3. Recognize the universality of basic science concepts and the influence of personal and
cultural beliefs that embed science in society.
video 10 4. Recognize that society helps create the ways of thinking (mindsets) required for scientific
advances, both toward training scientists and educating a populace to utilize benefits of
science (e.g., standards of hygiene, attitudes toward forces of nature, etc.).
video 10 5. Recognize society’s role in supporting topics of research and determining institutions
where research is conducted.
video Benchmark 2: Students will develop an understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge.
Indicators: The students will:
10 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge.
Examples: Scientific knowledge is generally empirically based, logical, skeptical,
and consistent with observable reality.
Scientific knowledge is subject to experimental or observational
confirmation.
Scientific knowledge is built on past understanding and can be refined
and augmented.
video Benchmark 3: Students will understand science from historical perspectives.
Indicators: The students will:
10 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the history of science.
Examples: Modern science has been a successful enterprise that contributes to
dramatic improvements in the human condition.
Science progresses by incremental advances of scientists or teams of
scientists.
Some advances that are fundamental and long-lasting include:
Copernican revolution, Newtonian physics, relativity, geological time
scale, plate tectonics, atomic theory, nuclear physics, biological
evolution, germ theory, industrial revolution, molecular biology,
quantum theory, medical and health technology.
video Updated September 2001By The End Of SECOND GRADE
STANDARD 1: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 5: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 6: SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVES
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 7: HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
By The End Of FOURTH GRADE
STANDARD 1: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 2: PHYSICAL SCIENCE
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 4: EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 5: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
As with the Science as Inquiry Standard, not every activity will involve all stages. Students will
develop the ability to solve simple design problems that are appropriate for their developmental
level.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 6: SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVES
A variety of experiences will be provided to understand various science-related personal and
environmental challenges. This standard should be integrated with physical science, life science, and
earth & space science standards.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
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.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
Students could meet and form a plan to resolve this problem.
hands-on
online
STANDARD 7: HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE
Experiences of investigating and thinking about explanations, not memorization, will provide
fundamental ideas about the history and nature of science. Students will observe and compare, pose
questions, gather data and report findings. Posing questions and reporting findings are human activities
that all students are able to understand. This standard should be integrated with physical science, life
science, and earth and space science standards.
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.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
By The End Of EIGHTH GRADE
STANDARD 1: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
Given appropriate curriculum and adequate instruction, 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. Students are to be provided opportunities to engage in full and partial inquiries in order to
develop the skills of inquiry.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms or events. Investigations can
also involve collecting specimens, experiments, seeking more information, discovering 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
questions suggest different kinds of investigations.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 2: PHYSICAL SCIENCE
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.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
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
sources of energy for life systems, while heat convection currents deep within the earth are 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.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 4: EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
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.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
Sequence the life cycle of a star.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
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. These motions can explain such
phenomena as the day, year, seasons, tides, phases of the moon, and eclipses of the sun and moon. The
force that governs the motions within the solar system, keeps the planets in orbit around the sun, and the
moon in orbit 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.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 5: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Select and research a current technology, then project how it might
change in the next twenty years.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
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.
Complete a Venn diagram to compare the processes of scientists and
technologists.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 7: HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE
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.
Analyze data and recognize that an hypothesis not supported by data
should not be perceived as a right or wrong answer.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
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.
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
By The End Of TWELFTH GRADE
STANDARD 1: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 2B: PHYSICS
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 4: EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 5: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 6: SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVES
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
STANDARD 7: HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online
hands-on
online