Earth - Space Science

Benchmark A

Explain how technology can be used to gather evidence and
increase our understanding of the universe.

1	Explain how scientists obtain information about the universe by using technology to detect electromagnetic radiation that is emitted, reflected or absorbed by stars and other objects.
2	Explain how the large-scale motion of objects in the universe is governed by gravitational forces and detected by observing electromagnetic radiation.
3	Explain how information about the universe is inferred by understanding that stars and other objects in space emit, reflect or absorb electromagnetic radiation, which we then detect.
4	Explain how astronomers infer that the whole universe is expanding by understanding how light seen from distant galaxies has longer apparent wavelengths than comparable light sources close to Earth.

Benchmark B

Describe how Earth is made up of a series of interconnected systems
and how a change in one system affects other systems.

5	Investigate how thermal energy transfers in the world’s oceans impact physical features and weather patterns (e.g. ice caps, oceanic and atmospheric currents).
6	Describe how scientists estimate how much of a given resource is available on Earth.

Life Science

Benchmark A

Explain how processes at the cellular level affect the
functions and characteristics of an organism.

1	Recognize that information stored in DNA provides the instructions for assembling protein molecules used by the cells that determine the characteristics of the organism.
2	Explain why specialized cells/structures are useful to plants and animals (e.g. stoma, phloem, xylem, blood, nerve, muscle, egg and sperm).
3	Explain that the sun is essentially the primary source of energy for life. Plants capture energy by absorbing light and using it to form strong (covalent) chemical bonds between the atoms of carbon-containing (organic) molecules.
4	Explain that carbon-containing molecules can be used to assemble larger molecules with biological activity (including proteins, DNA, sugars and fats). Energy stored in bonds between the atoms (chemical energy) can be used as sources of energy for life processes.

Benchmark C

Explain how the molecular basis of life and the principles of genetics determine inheritance.

5	Examine the inheritance of traits through one or more genes and how a single gene can influence more than one trait.
6	Explain how developmental differentiation is regulated through the expression of different genes.

Benchmark D

Relate how biotic and abiotic global changes have occurred in
the past and will continue to do so in the future.

10	Explain additional components of the evolution theory, including genetic drift, immigration, emigration and mutation.

Benchmark E

Explain the interconnectedness of the components of a natural system.

7	Relate diversity and adaptation to structures and functions of living organisms at various levels of organization.
8	Based on the structure and stability of ecosystems and their nonliving components, predict the biotic and abiotic changes in such systems when disturbed (e.g. introduction of non-native species, climatic change, etc.).
9	Explain why and how living systems require a continuous input of energy to maintain their chemical and physical organization. Explain that with death and the cessation of energy input, living systems rapidly disintegrate toward more disorganized states.

Benchmark G

Summarize the historical development of scientific theories
and ideas within the study of life sciences.

11	Trace the historical development of a biological theory or idea (e.g. genetics, cytology and germ theory).
12	Describe advances in life sciences that have important, long-lasting effects on science and society (e.g. biotechnology).

Physical Science

Benchmark A

Explain how variations in the arrangement and motion of atoms and molecules
form the basis of a variety of biological, chemical and physical phenomena.

1	Explain how atoms join with one another in various combinations in distinct molecules or in repeating crystal patterns.
2	Describe how a physical, chemical or ecological system in equilibrium may return to the same state of equilibrium if the disturbances it experiences are small. Large disturbances may cause it to escape that equilibrium and eventually settle into some other state of equilibrium.
4	Recognize that at low temperatures some materials become superconducting and offer little or no resistance to the flow of electrons.

Benchmark B

Recognize that some atomic nuclei are unstable and will spontaneously break down.

10	Explain:
-	The characteristics of isotopes
-	That the nuclei of radioactive isotopes are unstable and spontaneously decay emitting particles and/or wavelike radiation
-	That it cannot be predicted exactly when, if ever, an unstable nucleus will decay, but a large group of identical nuclei decay at a predictable rate
11	Use the predictability of decay rates and the concept of half-life to explain how radioactive substances can be used in estimating the age of materials.

Benchmark C

Describe how atoms and molecules can gain or lose energy only in discrete amounts.

12	Describe how different atomic energy levels are associated with the electron configurations of atoms and electron configurations and/or conformations of molecules.
13	Explain how atoms and molecules can gain or lose energy in particular discrete amounts (quanta or packets) and can only absorb or emit light at the wavelengths corresponding to these amounts.

Benchmark D

Apply principles of forces and motion to mathematically analyze, describe
and predict the net effects on objects or systems.

3	Explain how all matter tends toward more disorganized states and describe real world examples (e.g. erosion of rocks and expansion of the universe).
5	Use and apply the laws of motion to analyze, describe and predict the effects of forces on the motions of objects mathematically.
6	Recognize that the nuclear forces that hold the nucleus of an atom together, at nuclear distances, are stronger than the electric forces that would make it fly apart.
7	Recognize that nuclear forces are much stronger than electromagnetic forces, and electromagnetic forces are vastly stronger than gravitational forces. The strength of the nuclear forces explains why greater amounts of energy are released from nuclear reactions (e.g. from atomic and hydrogen bombs and in the sun and other stars).
8	Describe how the observed wavelength of a wave depends upon the relative motion of the source and the observer (Doppler effect). If either is moving towards the other, the observed wavelength is shorter. If either is moving away, the observed wavelength is longer (e.g. weather radar, bat echoes and police radar).
9	Describe how gravitational forces act between all masses and always create a force of attraction. Recognize that the strength of the force is proportional to the masses and weakens rapidly with increasing distance between them.

Benchmark E

Summarize the historical development of scientific theories and
ideas within the study of physical sciences.

14	Use historical examples to show how new ideas are:
-	Limited by the context in which they are conceived
-	Often initially rejected by the scientific establishment
-	Sometimes spring from unexpected findings
-	Usually grow slowly through contributions from many different investigators (e.g. nuclear energy, quantum theory, theory of relativity)
15	Describe concepts/ideas in physical sciences that have important, long-lasting effects on science and society (e.g. quantum theory, theory of relativity, age of the universe).

Science & Technology

Benchmark A

Predict how human choices today will determine the quality and quantity of life on Earth.

1	Explain how science often advances with the introduction of new technologies and how solving technological problems often results in new scientific knowledge.
2	Describe how new technologies often extend the current levels of scientific understanding and introduce new areas of research.
3	Research how scientific inquiry is driven by the desire to understand the natural world and how technological design is driven by the need to meet human needs and solve human problems.
4	Explain why basic concepts and principles of science and technology should be a part of active debate about the economics, policies, politics and ethics of various science-related and technology-related challenges.

Scientific Inquiry

Benchmark A

Make appropriate choices when designing and participating in scientific
investigations by using cognitive and manipulative skills when
collecting data and formulating conclusions from the data.

1	Formulate testable hypotheses. Develop and explain the appropriate procedures, controls and variables (dependent and independent) in scientific experimentation.
2	Derive simple mathematical relationships that have predictive power from experimental data (e.g. derive an equation from a graph and vice versa, determine whether a linear or exponential relationship exists among the data in a table).
3	Research and apply appropriate safety precautions when designing and/or conducting scientific investigations (e.g. OSHA, MSDS, eyewash, goggles and ventilation).
4	Create and clarify the method, procedures, controls and variables in complex scientific investigations.
5	Use appropriate summary statistics to analyze and describe data.

Scientific Ways of Knowing

Benchmark A

Explain how scientific evidence is used to develop and revise
scientific predictions, ideas or theories.

1	Give examples that show how science is a social endeavor in which scientists share their knowledge with the expectation that it will be challenged continuously by the scientific community and others.
2	Evaluate scientific investigations by reviewing current scientific knowledge and the experimental procedures used, examining the evidence, identifying faulty reasoning, pointing out statements that go beyond the evidence and suggesting alternative explanations for the same observations.
3	Select a scientific model, concept or theory and explain how it has been revised over time based on new knowledge, perceptions or technology.
4	Analyze a set of data to derive a principle and then apply that principle to a similar phenomenon (e.g. predator-prey relationships and properties of semiconductors).
5	Describe how individuals and teams contribute to science and engineering at different levels of complexity (e.g. an individual may conduct basic field studies, hundreds of people may work together on major scientific questions or technical problem).

Benchmark C

Explain how societal issues and considerations affect the progress of science and technology.

6	Explain that scientists may develop and apply ethical tests to evaluate the consequences of their research when appropriate.
7	Describe the current and historical contributions of diverse peoples and cultures to science and technology and the scarcity and inaccessibility of information on some of these contributions.
8	Recognize that individuals and society must decide on proposals involving new research and the introduction of new technologies into society. Decisions involve assessment of alternatives, risks, costs and benefits and consideration of who benefits and who suffers, who pays and gains, and what the risks are and who bears them.
9	Recognize the appropriateness and value of basic questions:
-	What can happen ?
-	What are the odds ?
-	How do scientists and engineers know what will happen ?
10	Recognize that social issues and challenges can affect progress in science and technology (e.g. funding priorities for specific health problems serve as examples of ways that social issues influence science and technology).
11	Research how advances in scientific knowledge have impacted society on a local, national or global level.

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