Legend: F=Focus in Lesson O=Ongoing Development E=Early Development
| NSE STANDARDS | LESSONS | SBA | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 1 | 2 | |||
| A. Science as Inquiry | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment. | O | O | O | O | O | |||||||||||||||
| Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. | O | O | ||||||||||||||||||
| Use data to construct a reasonable explanation. | O | O | ||||||||||||||||||
| Communicate investigations and explanations. | O | O | F | F | ||||||||||||||||
| Understandings about scientific inquiry | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing the answer with what scientists already know about the world. | F | O | ||||||||||||||||||
| Scientists use different kinds of investigations depending on the questions they're trying to answer. Types of investigations include describing objects, events, and organisms; classifying them; and doing a fair test (experimenting). | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | ||||||||||||
| Simple instruments, such as magnifiers, thermometers, and rulers, provide more information than scientists obtain using only their senses. | O | |||||||||||||||||||
| Scientists develop explanations using observations (evidence) and what they already know about the world (scientific knowledge). Good explanations are based on evidence from investigations. | F | O | ||||||||||||||||||
| Scientists make the results of their investigations public; they describe the investigations in ways that enable others to repeat the investigations. | O | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| Scientists review and ask questions about the results of other scientists' work. | O | O | F | O | ||||||||||||||||
| C. Life Science | ||||||||||||||||||||
| The characteristics of organisms | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients, and light. Organisms can survive only in environments where their needs are met. The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different organisms. | F | O | O | O | O | O | F | O | F | F | F | O | O | O | ||||||
| Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction…. | E | F | F | O | O | O | F | O | O | |||||||||||
| Organisms and their environments | ||||||||||||||||||||
| All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat the plants. | E | F | F | O | O | O | O | |||||||||||||
| An organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's environment, including the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the physical characteristics of the environment. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations. | E | E | E | E | F | O | O | O | F | O | O | F | ||||||||
| All organisms cause changes in the environment where they live. Some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are beneficial. | E | E | E | F | ||||||||||||||||
| Humans depend on their natural and constructed environments. Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental for themselves and other organisms. | E | E | F | |||||||||||||||||
| E. Science and Technology | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Abilities of technological design | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Identify a simple problem. | F | |||||||||||||||||||
| Propose a solution. | F | |||||||||||||||||||
| Evaluate a product or design. | F | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| Communicate a problem, design, and solution. | F | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| Understanding about science and technology | ||||||||||||||||||||
| People have always had questions about their world. Science is one way of answering questions and explaining the natural world. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Scientists and engineers often work in teams with different individuals doing different things that contribute to the results. This understanding focuses primarily on teams working together and secondarily, on the combination of scientist and engineer teams. | F | F | O | O | O | |||||||||||||||
| Tools help scientists make better observations, measurements, and equipment for investigations. They help scientists see, measure, and do things that they could not otherwise see, measure, and do. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| F. Science in Personal and Social Perspectives | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Types of resources | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Resources are things that we get from the living and nonliving environment to meet the needs and wants of a population. | E | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| Some resources are basic materials, such as air, water, and soil; some are produced from basic resources, such as food, fuel, and building materials; and some resources are nonmaterial, such as quiet places, beauty, security, and safety. | E | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| The supply of many resources is limited. If used, resources can be extended through recycling and decreased use. | E | |||||||||||||||||||
| Changes in environments | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Environments are the space, conditions, and factors that affect an individual's and a population's ability to survive and their quality of life. | E | E | E | F | O | |||||||||||||||
| Changes in environments can be natural or influenced by humans. Some changes are good, some are bad, and some are neither good nor bad. Pollution is a change in the environment that can influence the health, survival, or activities of organisms, including humans. | E | E | F | |||||||||||||||||
| Science and technology in local challenges | ||||||||||||||||||||
| People continue inventing new ways of doing things, solving problems, and getting work done. New ideas and inventions often affect other people; sometimes the effects and good and sometimes they are bad. It is helpful to try to determine in advance how ideas and inventions will affect other people. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Science and technology have greatly improved food quality and quantity, transportation, health, sanitation, and communication. These benefits of science and technology are not available to all of the people in the world. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Unifying Concepts and Processes (K-12) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Evidence, models, and explanation | F | |||||||||||||||||||
Legend: F=Focus in Lesson O=Ongoing Development E=Early Development
| AAAS BENCHMARKS | LESSONS | SBA | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1, The Nature of Science | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A. The Scientific World View | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Results of scientific investigations seldom turn out exactly the same. Sometimes this is because of unexpected differences in the things being investigated, sometimes because of unrealized differences in the methods used or in the circumstances in which the investigation is carried out, and sometimes just because of uncertainties in observations. It is not always easy to tell which. | F | |||||||||||||||||||
| B. Scientific Inquiry (Introduction, K-2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific investigations may take many different forms, including observing what things are like or what is happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments. Investigations can focus on physical, biological, and social questions. | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | |||||||||||||
| Results of scientific investigations are seldom exactly the same, but if the differences are large, it is important to try to figure out why. One reason for following directions carefully and for keeping records of one's work is to provide information on | O | O | F | |||||||||||||||||
| Scientists' explanations about what happens in the world comes partly from what they observe, partly from what they think. Sometimes scientists have different explanations for the same set of observations. That usually leads to their making more observations. | O | O | O | F | F | |||||||||||||||
| Scientists do not pay much attention to claims about how something they know about works unless the claims are backed up with evidence that can be confirmed and with a logical argument. | E | |||||||||||||||||||
| C. The Scientific Enterprise (Introduction, K-2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Science is an adventure that people everywhere can take part in, as they have for centuries. | O | O | ||||||||||||||||||
| Clear communication is an essential part of doing science. It enables scientists to inform others about their work, expose their ideas to criticism by other scientists, and stay informed about scientific discoveries around the world. | E | E | F | F | ||||||||||||||||
| Doing science involves many different kinds of work and engages men and women of all ages and backgrounds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 5, The Living Environment | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A. Diversity of Life (Introduction) | F | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| Some animals and plants are alike in the way they look and in the things they do, and others are different from one another. (K-2) | O | O | O | F | F | O | ||||||||||||||
| Plants and animals have features that help them live in different environments. (K-2) | E | E | F | F | F | O | O | O | O | O | O | |||||||||
| A great variety of living things can be sorted into groups in many ways using various features to decide which things belong to which group. | E | F | F | |||||||||||||||||
| Features used for grouping depend on the purpose of the grouping. | E | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| C. Cells | F | O | ||||||||||||||||||
| Most living things need water, food, and air. (K-2) | O | O | O | O | ||||||||||||||||
| D. Interdependence of Life (Introduction) | F | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| Living things are found almost everywhere in the world. There are somewhat different kinds in different places. (K-2) | O | O | F | O | F | F | O | O | O | |||||||||||
| For any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. | E | E | E | F | F | O | O | O | O | O | O | |||||||||
| Insects and various other organisms depend on dead plant and animal material for food. | E | E | E | |||||||||||||||||
| Organisms interact with one another in various ways besides providing food. Many plants depend on animals for carrying pollen to other plants or for dispersing seeds. | E | E | F | O | F | O | O | O | ||||||||||||
| Changes in an organism's habitat are sometimes beneficial to it and sometimes harmful. | E | E | E | E | F | |||||||||||||||
| In all environments--freshwater, marine, forest, desert, grassland, mountain, and others--organisms with similar needs may compete with one another for resources, including food, space, water, air, and shelter. In any particular environment, the growth and survival of organisms depend on the physical conditions. (6-8) | E | E | E | F | O | O | O | O | ||||||||||||
| F. Evolution of Life (Introduction, 3-5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Different plants and animals have external features that help them thrive in different kinds of places. (K-2) | E | F | F | O | F | F | O | O | O | O | O | O | ||||||||
| 6, The Human Organism | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A. Human Identity | ||||||||||||||||||||
| People need water, food, air, waste removal, and a particular range of temperatures in their environment, just as other animals do. (K-2) | F | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| D. Learning | ||||||||||||||||||||
| People use their senses to find out about their surroundings and themselves. Different senses give different information. Sometimes a persons can get information about the same things by moving closer to it or further away from it. (K-2) | F | O | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 7, Human Society | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G. Global Interdependence | ||||||||||||||||||||
| For many things they need, people rely on others who are not part of the family and maybe not even part of their local community. (K-2) | E | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| Many of the things people eat and wear come from other countries, and people in those countries use things from this country…. | F | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8, The Designed World | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A. Agriculture (Introduction) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Places too cold or dry to grow certain crops can obtain food from places with more suitable climates. Much of the food eaten by Americans comes from other parts of the country and other places in the world. | F | |||||||||||||||||||
| 11, Common Themes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| B. Models (Introduction) | F | F | F | |||||||||||||||||
| A model of something is different from the real thing but can be used to learn something about the real thing. (K-2) | E | F | F | |||||||||||||||||
| One way to describe something is to say how it is like something else. (K-2) | F | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| Seeing how a model works after changes are made to it may suggest how the real thing would work if the same were done to it. | E | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| Geometric figures, number sequences, graphs, diagrams, sketches, number lines, maps, and stories can be used to represent objects, events, and processes in the real world, although such representations can never be exact in every detail. | E | F | F | |||||||||||||||||
| Models are often used to think about processes that happen too slowly, too quickly, or on too small a scale to observe directly, or that are too vast to be changed deliberately, or that are potentially dangerous. (6-8) | E | |||||||||||||||||||
| 12, Habits of Mind | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A. Values and Attitudes (Introduction, K-2; Introduction, 3-5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Keep records of their investigations and observations and not change records later. | E | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| Offer reasons for their findings and consider reasons suggested by others. | E | O | F | O | ||||||||||||||||
| D. Communication Skills | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Describe and compare things in terms of number, shape, texture, size, weight, color, and motion. (K-2) | O | O | O | |||||||||||||||||
| Write instructions that others can follow in carrying out a procedure. | F | |||||||||||||||||||
| Make sketches to aid in explaining procedures or ideas. | E | F | O | |||||||||||||||||
| Organize information in simple tables and graphs and identify the relationships they reveal. (6-8) | E | |||||||||||||||||||
| Locate information in reference books, back issues of newspapers and magazines, compact disks, and computer databases. (6-8) | F | |||||||||||||||||||
| E. Critical-Response Skills (Introduction) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Buttress their statements with facts found in books, articles, and databases, and identify the sources used and expect others to do the same. | E | E | F | O | O | O | ||||||||||||||
| Seek better reasons for believing something than "Everybody knows that…" or "I just know" and discount such reasons when given by others. | E | O | O | |||||||||||||||||