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SCIENCE CURRICULUM
ALIGNMENT AND BENCHMARKS

Grade 10 - Grade 11 - Grade 12
Grade 10 Science Curriuclum Alignment and Benchmarks
  10.S1. Earth and Space Sciences
  10.S1.A. Explain how evidence from stars and other celestial objects provide information about the processes that cause changes in the composition and scale of the physical universe.
  10.S1.B. Explain that many processes occur in patterns within the Earth's systems.
  10.S1.C. Explain the 4.5 billion-year-history of Earth and the 4 billion-year-history of life on Earth based on observable scientific evidence in the geologic record.
  10.S1.D. Describe the finite nature of Earth's resources and those human activities that can conserve or deplete Earth's resources.
  10.S1.E. Explain the processes that move and shape Earth's surface.
  10.S1.F. Summarize the historical development of scientific theories and ideas, and describe emerging issues in the study of Earth and space sciences.
  10.S1.1 Summarize the relationship between the climatic zone and the resultant biomes. (This includes explaining the nature of the rainfall and temperature of the mid-latitude climatic zone that supports the deciduous forest.)  
  10.S1.2 Explain climate and weather patterns associated with certain geographic locations and features (e.g., tornado alley, tropical hurricanes and lake effect snow).
  10.S1.3 Explain how geologic time can be estimated by multiple methods (e.g., rock sequences, fossil correlation and radiometric dating).
  10.S1.4 Describe how organisms on Earth contributed to the dramatic change in oxygen content of Earth's early atmosphere.
  10.S1.5 Explain how the acquisition and use of resources, urban growth and waste disposal can accelerate natural change and impact the quality of life.
  10.S1.6 Describe ways that human activity can alter biogeochemical cycles (e.g., carbon and nitrogen cycles) as well as food webs and energy pyramids (e.g., pest control, legume rotation crops vs. chemical fertilizers).
  10.S1.7 Describe advances and issues in Earth and space science that have important long-lasting effects on science and society (e.g., geologic time scales, global warming, depletion of resources and exponential population growth).
  10.S.2 Life Sciences
  10.S2.A. Explain that cells are the basic unit of structure and function of living organisms, that once life originated all cells come from pre-existing cells, and that there are a variety of cell Types.
  10.S2.B Explain the characteristics of life as indicated by cellular processes and describe the process of cell division and development.
  10.S2.C. Explain the genetic mechanisms and molecular basis of inheritance.
  10.S2.D. Explain the flow of energy and the cycling of matter through biological and ecological systems (cellular, organismal and ecological).
  10.S2.E. Explain how evolutionary relationships contribute to an understanding of the unity and diversity of life.
  10.S2.F. Explain the structure and function of ecosystems and relate how ecosystems change over time.
  10.S2.G. Describe how human activities can impact the status of natural systems.
  10.S2.H. Describe a foundation of biological evolution as the change in gene frequency of a population over time. Explain the historical and current scientific developments,   mechanisms and   processes of biological evolution. Describe how scientists continue to investigate and critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory. (The intent of this benchmark does not mandate the teaching or testing of intelligent design.)
  10.S2.I.       Explain how natural selection and other evolutionary mechanisms account for the unity and diversity of past and present life forms.
  10.S2.J. Summarize the historical development of scientific theories and ideas, and describe emerging issues in the study of life sciences.
  10.S2.1.      Explain that living cells S2. are composed of a small number of key chemical elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur)
  10.S2.1.a. are the basic unit of structure and function of all living things
  10.S2.1.b. come from pre-existing cells after life originated, and
  10.S2.1.c. are different from viruses
  10.S2.2.     Compare the structure, function and interrelatedness of cell organelles in eukaryotic cells (e.g., nucleus, chromosome, mitochondria, cell membrane, cell wall, chloroplast, cilia, flagella) and prokaryotic cells.
  10.S2.3.      Explain the characteristics of life as indicated by cellular processes including
  10.S2.3.a.   homeostasis
  10.S2.3.b. energy transfers and transformation
  10.S2.3.c.   transportation of molecules
  10.S2.3.d.  disposal of wastes
  10.S2.3.e. synthesis of new molecules
  10.S2.4.       Summarize the general processes of cell division and differentiation, and explain why specialized cells are useful to organisms and explain that complex multicellular organisms are formed as highly organized arrangements of differentiated cells.
  10.S2.5.      Illustrate the relationship of the structure and function of DNA to protein synthesis and the characteristics of an organism.
  10.S2.6.       Explain that a unit of hereditary information is called a gene, and genes may occur in different forms called Alleles (e.g., gene for pea plant height has two alleles, tall and short).
  10.S2.7.      Describe that spontaneous changes in DNA are mutations, which are a source of genetic variation. When mutations occur in sex cells, they may be passed on to future generations; mutations that occur in body cells may affect the functioning of that cell or the organism in which that cell is found.
  10.S2.8.      Use the concepts of Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics (e.g., segregation, independent assortment, dominant and recessive traits, sex-linked traits and jumping genes) to explain inheritance.
  10.S2.9.     Describe how matter cycles and energy flows through different levels of organization in living systems and between living systems and the physical environment. Explain how some energy is stored and much is dissipated into the environment as thermal energy (e.g., food webs and energy pyramids.)
  10.S2.10.    Describe how cells &and organisms acquire and release energy (photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, cellular respiration and fermentation.
  10.S2.11.     Explain that living organisms use matter and energy to synthesize a variety of organic molecules (e.g., proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids) and to drive life processes (e.g., growth, reacting to the environment, reproduction and movement).
  10.S2.12.     Describe that biological classification represents how organisms are related with species being the most fundamental unit of the classification system.   Relate how biologists arrange organisms into a hierarchy of groups and subgroups based on similarities and differences that reflect their evolutionary relationships.
  10.S2.13.     Explain that the variation of organisms within a species increases the likelihood that at least some members of a species will survive under gradually changing environmental conditions.
  10.S2.14.     Relate diversity and adaptation to structures and their functions in living organisms (e.g., adaptive radiation).
  10.S2.15.    Explain how living things interact with biotic and abiotic components of the environment (e.g., predation, competition, natural disasters and weather).
  10.S2.16.     Relate how distribution and abundance of organisms and populations in ecosystems are limited by the ability of the ecosystem to recycle materials and the availability of matter, space and energy.
  10.S2.17.     Conclude that ecosystems tend to have cyclic fluctuations around a state of approximate equilibrium that can change when climate changes, when one or more new species appear as a result of immigration or when one or more species disappear.
  10.S2.18.     Describe ways that human activities can deliberately or inadvertently alter the equilibrium in ecosystems.   Explain how changes in technology/biotechnology can cause significant changes, either positive or negative, in environmental quality and carrying capacity.
  10.S2.19.    Illustrate how uses of resources at local, state, regional, national, and global levels have affected the quality of life (e.g., energy production and sustainable vs. nonsustainable agriculture).
  10.S2.20.     Recognize that a change in gene frequency (genetic composition) in a population over time is a foundation of biological evolution.
  10.S2.21.     Explain that natural selection provides the following mechanism for evolution; undirected variation in inherited characteristics exist within every species.   These characteristics may give individuals an advantage or disadvantage compared to others in surving and reproducing.   The advantaged offspring are more likely to survive and reproduce. Therefore, the proportion of individuals that have advantageous characteristics will increase.   When an environment changes, the survival value of some inherited characteristics may change.
  10.S2.22.     Describe historical scientific developments that occurred in evolutionary thought (e.g., Lamarck and Darwin, Mendelian Genetics and modern synthesis).
  10.S2.23. Describe how scientists continue to investigate and critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory. (The intent of this indicator does not mandate the teaching or testing of intelligent design.)
  10.S2.24.    Analyze how natural selection and other evolutionary mechanisms (e.g., genetic drift, immigration, emigration, mutation) and their consequences provide a scientific explanation for the diversity and unity of past life forms, as depicted in the fossil record, and present life forms.
  10.S2.25.     Explain that life on Earth is thought to have begun as simple, one celled organisms approximately 4 billion years ago.   During most of the history of Earth only single celled microorganisms existed, but once cells with nuclei developed about a billion years ago, increasingly complex multicellular organisms evolved.
  10.S2.26.    Use historical examples to explain how new ideas are limited by the context in which they are conceived. These ideas are often rejected by the scientific establishment; sometimes spring from unexpected findings; and usually grow slowly through contributions from many different investigators (e.g., biological evolution, germ theory, biotechnology and discovering germs).
  10.S2.27.    Describe advances in life sciences that have important long-lasting effects on science and society (e.g., biological evolution, germ theory, biotechnology and discovering germs).
  10.S2.28.    Analyze and investigate emerging scientific issues (e.g., genetically modified food, stem cell research, genetic research and cloning).
  10.S3. Physical Sciences
  10.S3.A. Describe that matter is made of minute particles called atoms and atoms are comprised of even smaller components. Explain the structure and properties of atoms.
  10.S3.B. Explain how atoms react with each other to form other substances and how molecules react with each other or other atoms to form even different substances.
  10.S3.C. Describe the identifiable physical properties of substances (e.g., color, hardness, conductivity, density, concentration and ductility). Explain how changes in these properties can occur without changing the chemical nature of the substance.
  10.S3.D. Explain the movement of objects by applying Newton's three laws of motion.
  10.S3.E. Demonstrate that energy can be considered to be either kinetic (motion) or potential (stored).
  10.S3.F. Explain how energy may change form or be redistributed but the total quantity of energy is conserved.
  10.S3.G. Demonstrate that waves (e.g., sound, seismic, water and light) have energy and waves can transfer energy when they interact with matter.
  10.S3.H. Trace the historical development of scientific theories and ideas, and describe emerging issues in the study of physical sciences.
  No indicators present for this Grade (only benchmarks)
  10.S4. Science and Technology
  10.S4.A. Explain the ways in which the processes of technological design respond to the needs of society.
  10.S4.B. Explain that science and technology are interdependent; each drives the other.
  10.S4.1. Cite examples of ways that scientific inquiry is driven by the desire to understand the natural world and how technology is driven by the need to meet human needs and solve human problems.
  10.S4.2. Describe examples of scientific advances and emerging technologies and how they may impact society.
  10.S4.3. Explain that when evaluating a design for a device or process, thought should be given to how it will be manufactured, operated, maintained, replaced and disposed of in addition to who will sell, operate and take care of it. Explain how the costs associated with these considerations may introduce additional constraints on the design.
  10.S5. Scientific Inquiry
  10.S5.A. Participate in and apply the processes of scientific investigation to create models and to design, conduct, evaluate and communicate the results of these investigations.
  10.S5.1. Research and apply appropriate safety precautions when designing and conducting scientific investigations (e.g., OSHA, MSDS, eyewash, goggles & ventilation).
  10.S5.2. Present scientific findings using clear language, accurate data, appropriate graphs, tables, maps and available technology.
  10.S5.3. Use mathematical models to predict and analyze natural phenomenS5.
  10.S5.4. Draw conclusions from inquiries based on scientific knowledge and principles, the use of logic and evidence (data) from the investigations.
  10.S5.5. Explain how new scientific data can cause any existing scientific explanation to be supported, revised or rejected.
  10.S6. Scientific Ways of Knowing
  10.S6.A. Explain that scientific knowledge must be based on evidence, be predictive, logical, subject to modification and limited to the natural world.
  10.S6.B. Explain how scientific inquiry is guided by knowledge, observations, ideas and questions.
  10.S6.C. Describe the ethical practices and guidelines in which science operates.
  10.S6.D. Recognize that scientific literacy is part of being a knowledgeable citizen.
  10.S6.1. Discuss science as a dynamic body of knowledge that can lead to the development of entirely new disciplines.
  10.S6.2. Describe that scientists may disagree about explanations of phenomena, about interpretation of data or about the value of rival theories, but they do agree that questioning, response to criticism and open communication are integral to the process of science.
  10.S6.3. Recognize that science is a systematic method of continuing investigation, based on observation, hypothesis testing, measurement, experimentation, and theory building, which leads to more adequate explanations of natural phenomena.
  10.S6.4. Recognize that ethical considerations limit what scientists can do.
  10.S6.5. Recognize that research involving voluntary human subjects should be conducted only with the informed consent of the subjects and follow rigid guidelines and/or laws.
  10.S6.6. Recognize that animal-based research must be conducted according to currently accepted professional standards and laws.
  10.S6.7. Investigate how the knowledge, skills and interests learned in science classes apply to the careers students plan to pursue.
 
Grade 10 - Grade 11 - Grade 12 - Top of Page
 
Grade 11 Science Curriuclum Alignment and Benchmarks
  11.S1. Earth and Space Sciences
  11.S1.A. Explain how technology can be used to gather evidence and increase our understanding of the universe.
  11.S1.B. Describe how Earth is made up of a series of interconnected systems and how a change in one system affects other systems.
  11.S1.C. Explain that humans are an integral part of the Earth's system and the choices humans make today impact natural systems in the future.
  11.S1.D. Summarize the historical development of scientific theories and ideas and describe emerging issues in the study of Earth and space sciences.
  11.S1.2. Analyze how the regular and predictable motions of Earth, sun and moon explain phenomena on Earth (e.g., seasons, tides, eclipses and phases of the moon).
  11.S1.3. Explain heat and energy transfers in and out of the atmosphere and its involvement in weather and climate (radiation, conduction, convection and advection).
  11.S1.4. Explain the impact of oceanic and atmospheric currents on weather and climate.
  11.S1.5. Use appropriate data to analyze and predict upcoming trends in global weather patterns (e.g., el Niño and la   Niña, melting glaciers and icecaps and changes in ocean surface temperatures).
  11.S1.6. Explain how interactions among Earth's lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere have resulted in the ongoing changes of Earth's system.
  11.S1.7. Describe the effects of particulates and gases in the atmosphere including those originating from volcanic activity.
  11.S1.8. Describe the normal adjustments of Earth, which may be hazardous for humans. Recognize that humans live at the interface between the atmosphere driven by solar energy and the upper mantle where convection creates changes in Earth's solid crust. Realize that as societies have grown, become stable and come to   value aspects of the environment, vulnerability to natural processes of change has increased.
  11.S1.9. Explain the effects of biomass and human activity on climate (e.g., climatic change and global warming).
  11.S1.10. Interpret weather maps and their symbols to predict changing weather conditions worldwide (e.g., monsoons, hurricanes, and cyclones).
  11.S1.11. Analyze how materials from human societies (e.g., radioactive waste and air pollution) affect both physical and chemical cycles of Earth.
  11.S1.12. Explain ways in which humans have had a major effect on other species (e.g., the influence of humans on other organisms occurs through land use, which decreases space available to other species and pollution, which changes the chemical composition of air, soil and water).
  11.S1.13. Explain how human behavior affects the basic processes of natural ecosystems and the quality of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
  11.S1.14. Conclude that Earth has finite resources and explain that humans deplete some resources faster than they can be renewed.
  11.S1.15. Use historical examples to show how new ideas are limited by the context in which they are conceived; are often rejected by the social establishment; sometimes spring from unexpected findings; and usually grow slowly through contributions from many different investigators (e.g., global warming, Heliocentric Theory and Theory of Continental Drift).
  11.S1.16. Describe advances in Earth and space science that have important long-lasting effects on science and society (e.g., global warming, Heliocentric Theory and Plate Tectonics Theory).
  11.S2. Life Sciences
  11.S2.A. Explain how processes at the cellular level affect the functions and characteristics of an organism.
  11.S2.B. Explain how humans are connected to and impact natural systems.
  11.S2.C. Explain how the molecular basis of life and the principles of genetics determine inheritance.
  11.S2.D. Relate how biotic and abiotic global changes have occurred in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
  11.S2.E. Explain the interconnectedness of the components of a natural system.
  11.S2.F. Explain how human choices today will affect the quality and quantity of life on earth.
  11.S2.G. Summarize the historical development of scientific theories and ideas within the study of life sciences.
  11.S2.1. Describe how the maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment is required for the continuation of life, and explain how stability is challenged by Changing physical, chemical and environmental conditions as well as the presence of pathogens.
  11.S2.2. Recognize that chemical bonds of food molecules contain energy. Energy is released when the bonds of food molecules are broken and new compounds withlower energy bonds are formed. Some of this energy is released as thermal energy.
  11.S2.3. Relate how birth rates, fertility rates and death rates are affected by various environmental factors.
  11.S2.4. Examine the contributing factors of human population growth that impact natural systems such as levels of education, children in the labor   force, education and employment of women, infant mortality rates, costs of raising children, birth control methods, and cultural norms.
  11.S2.5. Investigate the impact on the structure and stability of ecosystems due to changes in their biotic and abiotic components as a result of human activity.
  11.S2.6. Predict some possible impacts on an ecosystem with the introduction of a non-native species.
  11.S2.7. Show how populations can increase through linear or exponential growth with corresponding effects on resource use and environmental pollution.
  11.S2.8. Recognize that populations can reach or temporarily exceed the carrying capacity of a given environment.   Show that the limitation is not just the    availability of space but the number of organisms in relation to resources and the capacity of earth systems to support life.
  11.S2.9. Give examples of how human activity can accelerate rates of natural change and can have unforeseen consequences.
  11.S2.10. Explain how environmental factors can influence heredity or development of organisms.  
  11.S2.11. Investigate issues of environmental quality at local, regional, national and global levels such as population growth, resource use, population distribution, over consumption, the capacity of technology to solve problems, poverty, the role of economics, politics and different ways humans view the earth.
  11.S2.12. Recognize that ecosystems change when significant climate changes occur or when one or more new species appear as a result of immigation or speciation.
  11.S2.13. Describe how the process of evolution has changed the physical world over geologic time.
  11.S2.14. Describe how geologic time can be estimated by observing rock sequences and using fossils to correlate the sequences at various locations.   Recognize that current methods include using the known decay rates of radioactive isotopes present in rocks to measure the time since the rock was formed.
  11.S3. Physical Sciences
  11.S3.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.
  11.S3.B. Recognize that some atomic nuclei are unstable and will spontaneously break down.
  11.S3.C. Describe how atoms and molecules can gain or lose energy only in discrete amounts.
  11.S3.D. Apply principles of forces and motion to mathematically analyze, describe and predict the net effects on objects or systems.
  11.S3.E. Summarize the historical development of scientific theories and ideas within the study of physical sciences.
  11.S3.1.  Explain that elements with the same number of protons may or may not have the same mass and those with different masses (different numbers of neutrons) are called isotopes. Some of these are radioactive
  11.S3.2. Explain that humans have used unique bonding of carbon atoms to make a variety of molecules (e.g., plastics).
  11.S3.3. Describe real world examples showing that all energy transformations tend toward disorganized states (e.g., fossil fuel combustion, food pyramids and electrical use.)
  11.S3.4. Explain how electric motors and generators work (e.g., relate that electricity and magnetism are two aspects of a single electromagnetic force).   Investigate   that electric charges in motion produce magnetic fields and a changing magnetic field creates an electric field.
  11.S.4. Science and Technology
  11.S4.A. Predict how human choices today will determine the quality and quantity of life on Earth.
  11.S4.1.  Identify that science and technology are essential social enterprises but alone they can only indicate what can happen, not what should happen.   Realize the latter involves human decisions about the use of knowledge.
  11.S4.2. Predict how decisions regarding the implementation of technologies involve the weighing of trade-offs between predicted positive and negative effects on the environment and/or humans.
  11.S4.3. Explore and explain any given technology that may have a different value for different groups of people and at different points in time (e.g., new varieties of farm plants and animals have been engineered by manipulating their genetic instructions to reproduce new characteristics).
  11.S4.4. 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.
  11.S4.5. Investigate that all fuels (e.g., fossil, solar and nuclear) have advantages and disadvantages; therefore society must consider the trade-offs among them (e.g., economic costs and environmental impact).
  11.S4.6. Research sources of energy beyond traditional fuels and the advantages, disadvantages and trade-offs society must consider when using alternative sources (e.g., biomass, solar, hybrid engines, wind and fuel cells).
  11.S5. Scientific Inquiry
  11.S5.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.
  11.S5.1. Formulate testable hypotheses.   Develop & explain the appropriate procedures, controls and variables (dependent & independent) in scientific experimentation.
  11.S5.2. Evaluate assumptions that have been used in reaching scientific conclusions.
  11.S5.3. Design and carry out scientific inquiry (investigation), communicate and critique results through peer review.
  11.S5.4. Explain why the methods of an investigation are based on the questions being asked.
  11.S5.5. Summarize data and construct a reasonable argument based on those data and other known information.
  11.S6. Scientific Ways of Knowing
  11.S6.A. Explain how scientific evidence is used to develop and revise scientific predictions, ideas or theories.
  11.S6.B. Explain how ethical considerations shape scientific endeavors.
  11.S6.C. Explain how societal issues and considerations affect the progress of science and technology.
  11.S6.1. Analyze a set of data to derive a hypothesis and apply that hypothesis to a similar phenomenon (e.g., biome data).
  11.S6.2. Apply scientific inquiry to evaluate results of scientific investigations, observations, theoretical models and the explanations proposed by other scientists.
  11.S6.3. Demonstrate that scientific explanations adhere to established criteria, for example a proposed explanation must be logically consistent, it must abide by the rules of evidence and it must be open to questions and modifications.
  11.S6.4. Explain why scientists can assume that the universe is a vast single system in which the basic rules are the same everywhere.
  11.S6.5. Recognize that bias affects outcomes. People tend to ignore evidence that challenges their beliefs but accept evidence that supports their beliefs.   Scientist attempt to avoid bias in their work.
  11.S6.6. Describe the strongly held traditions of science that serve to keep scientists within the bounds of ethical professional behavior.
  11.S6.7. Explain how theories are judged by how well they fit with other theories, the range of included observations, how well they explain observations and how effective they are in predicting new findings.
  11.S6.8. Explain that the decision to develop a new technology is influenced by societal opinions and demands and by cost benefit considerations.
  11.S6.9. Explain how natural and human-induced hazards present the need for humans to assess potential danger and risk.   Many changes in the environment by humans bring benefits to society as well as cause risks.
  11.S6.10. Describe costs and trade-offs of various hazards - ranging from those with minor risk to a few people, to major catastrophes with major risk to many people. The scale ofevents and the accuracy with which scientists and engineers can (and cannot) predict events are important considerations.
  11.S6.11. Research the role of science and technology in careers that students plan to pursue.
 
 
Grade 12 Science Curriculum Alignment and Benchmarks
  12.S1. Earth and Space Sciences
  12.S1.A. Explain how technology can be used to gather evidence and increase our understanding of the universe.
  12.S1.B. Describe how Earth is made up of a series of interconnected systems and how a change in one system affects other systems.
  12.S1.C. Explain that humans are an integral part of the Earth's system and the choices humans make today impact natural systems in the future.
  12.S1.D. Summarize the historical development of scientific theories and ideas and describe emerging issues in the study of Earth and space sciences.
  12.S1.1. 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.
  12.S1.2. Explain how the large-scale motion of objects in the universe is governed by gravitational forces and detected by observing electromagnetic radiation.
  12.S1.3. 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.
  12.S1.4. 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.
  12.S1.5. Investigate how thermal energy transfers in the world's oceans impact physical features (e.g., ice caps, oceanic and atmospheric currents) and weather patterns.
  12.S1.6. Describe how scientists estimate how much of a given resource is available on Earth.
  12.S2. Life Sciences
  12.S2.A. Explain how processes at the cellular level affect the functions and characteristics of an organism.
  12.S2.B. Explain how humans are connected to and impact natural systems.
  12.S2.C. Explain how the molecular basis of life and the principles of genetics determine inheritance.
  12.S2.D. Relate how biotic and abiotic global changes have occurred in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
  12.S2.E. Explain the interconnectedness of the components of a natural system.
  12.S2.F. Explain how human choices today will affect the quality and quantity of life on earth.
  12.S2.G. Summarize the historical development of scientific theories and ideas within the study of life sciences.
  12.S2.1 Recognize that information stored in DNA provides the instructions for assembling protein molecules used by the cells that determine the characteristics of the organism.
  12.S2.2 Explain why specialized cells/structures are useful to plants and animals (e.g., stoma, phloem, xylem, blood, nerve, muscle, egg and sperm).
  12.S2.3 Explain that the sun is essentially the primary source of energy for lifS2. Plants capture energy by absorbing light and using it to form strong (covalent) chemical bonds between the atoms of carbon-containing (organic) molecules.
  12.S2.4 Explain that carbon-containing molecules can be used to assemble larger molecules with biological activity (including proteins, DNA, sugars and fats).   In addition, the energy stored in bonds between the atoms (chemical energy) can be used as sources of energy for life processes.
  12.S2.5 Examine the inheritance of traits through one or more genes and how a single gene can influence more than one trait.
  12.S2.6 Explain how developmental differentiation is regulated through the expression of different genes.
  12.S2.7 Relate diversity and adaptation to structures and functions of living organisms at various levels of organization.
  12.S2.8 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.)
  12.S2.9 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.
  12.S2.10 Explain additional components of the evolution theory, including genetic drift, immigration, emigration and mutation.
  12.S2.11 Trace the historical development of a biological theory or idea (e.S2., genetics, cytology and germ theory).
  12.S2.12 Describe advances in life sciences that have important, long-lasting effects on science and society (e.g., biotechnology).
  12.S3. Physical Sciences
  12.S3.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.
  12.S3.B Recognize that some atomic nuclei are unstable and will spontaneously break down.
  12.S3.C. Describe how atoms and molecules can gain or lose energy only in discrete amounts.
  12.S3.D. Apply principles of forces and motion to mathematically analyze, describe and predict the net effects on objects or systems.
  12.S3.E. Summarize the historical development of scientific theories and ideas within the study of physical sciences.
  12.S3.1 Explain how atoms join with one another in various combinations in distinct molecules or in repeating crystal patterns.
  12.S3.2 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.
  12.S3.3 Explain how all matter tends toward more disorganized states and describe real world examples (e.g., erosion of rocks and expansion of the universe).
  12.S3.4 Recognize that at low temperatures some materials become superconducting and offer little or no resistance to the flow of electrons.
  12.S3.5 Use and apply the laws of motion to analyze, describe and predict the effects of forces on the motions of objects mathematically.
  12.S3.6 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.
  12.S3.7 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).
  12.S3.8 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).
  12.S3.9 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.
  12.S3.10 Explain the characteristics of isotopes. The nuclei of radioactive isotopes are unstable and spontaneously decay emitting particles and/or wavelike radiation. 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.
  12.S3.11 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.
  12.S3.12 Describe how different atomic energy levels are associated with the electron configurations of atoms and electron configurations (and/or conformations) of molecules.
  12.S3.13 Explain how atoms and molecules can gain or lose energy in particular discrete amounts (quanta or packets); therefore they can only absorb or emit light at the wavelengths corresponding to these amounts.
  12.S3.14 Use historical examples to explain how new ideas are limited by the context in which they are conceived; are often initially rejected by the scientific establishment; sometimes spring from unexpected findings; and usually grow slowly through contributions from many different investigators (e.g., nuclear energy, quantum theory and theory of relativity).
  12.S3.15 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).
  12.S4. Science and Technology
  12.S4.A. Predict how human choices today will determine the quality and quantity of life on Earth.
  12.S4.1 Explain how science often advances with the introduction of new technologies and how solving technological problems often results in new scientific knowledge.
  12.S4.2 Describe how new technologies often extend the current levels of scientific understanding and introduce new areas of research.
  12.S4.3 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.
  12.S4.4 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.
  12.S5. Scientific Inquiry
  12.S5.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.
  12.S5.1 Formulate testable hypotheses. Develop and explain the appropriate procedures, controls and variables (dependent and independent) in scientific experimentation.
  12.S5.2 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).
  12.S5.3 Research and apply appropriate safety precautions when designing and/or conducting scientific investigations (e.g., OSHA, MSDS, eyewash, goggles and ventilation).
  12.S5.4 Create and clarify the method, procedures, controls and variables in complex scientific investigations.
  12.S5.5 Use appropriate summary statistics to analyze and describe datS5.
  12.S6. Scientific Ways of Knowing
  12.S6.A. Explain how scientific evidence is used to develop and revise scientific predictions, ideas or theories.
  12.S6.B. Explain how ethical considerations shape scientific endeavors.
  12.S6.C. Explain how societal issues and considerations affect the progress of science and technology.
  12.S6.1 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.
  12.S6.2 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.
  12.S6.3 Select a scientific model, concept or theory and explain how it has been revised over time based on new knowledge, perceptions or technology.
  12.S6.4 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).
  12.S6.5 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).
  12.S6.6 Explain that scientists may develop and apply ethical tests to evaluate the consequences of their research when appropriate.
  12.S6.7 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.
  12.S6.8 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.
  12.S6.9 Recognize the appropriateness and value of basic questions "What can happen?" "What are the odds?" and "How do scientists and engineers know what will happen?"
  12.S6.10 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).
  12.S6.11 Research how advances in scientific knowledge have impacted society on a local, national or global level.
   
 
     
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