Enduring Understandings - important ideas that
students should carry with them years beyond the instruction received this
year.
Scientific Process
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After a review of available and pertinent information, scientists formulate
a hypothesis.
A scientific investigation uses a repeatable procedure to explore one
independent variable and proper constants or controls.
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Technology in a scientific investigation allows scientists to quantify
observations for analysis.
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Scientists recognize and strive to limit sources of error or uncertainty.
Scientific explanations and concepts change over time to reflect new
evidence.
Scientific results are supported by experimental evidence and explained
using scientific concepts. Scientists share information to collaborate and
extend knowledge.
Scientists collaborate in order to identify alternative explanations and
models for the results observed in an investigation.
A scientific theory is a hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and is
generally accepted by most scientists.
Safety is a primary concern with all laboratory techniques.
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Scientists use evidence gained through scientific processes to explain the
natural world.
Life Science
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Living things must be in balance with each other and with their environment.
Adaptations in living things direct the way a species fits in its
environment.
There is unity and diversity among living things.
A. Living things must strive for balance with each other and their
environment. B. Species change over time by a process known as evolution.
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Energy flows and matter cycles through living systems.
Living organisms build and breakdown molecules. Building usually takes
energy while breaking down releases it.
In living organisms, materials move from high concentration to low
concentration.
Living things strive for balance with each other and their environment.
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Cells have structures that underlie their functions.
Humans are composed of specialized cells, tissues, organs and organ systems
that work together.
Cells come from cells.
In all organisms, the instructions for specifying the characteristics of the
organism are carried in DNA.
A. In all organisms, the instructions for specifying the characteristics of
the organism (genes) are carried in DNA. B. Mutations can be helpful,
harmful or have no affect on cells and organisms. C. Society will determine
the role of biotechnology.
In all organisms, the instructions for specifying the characteristics of the
organism (genes) are carried in DNA.
Genetically diverse populations are more likely to survive changing
environments
Infections can be viral or bacterial in nature and can be transmitted
through environmental factors or from one organism to another.
Non-infectious disease have genetic or environmental origins.
Science and Technology
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The implementation of any technology and the development of any resource has
both benefits and consequences.
Technology uses scientific principles to make things and to make things
better. The two fields reinforce one another.
Science and technology enhance the work we do.
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Recognizing bias and opinion is important when processing scientific
information.
Scientists communicate about and critique each others work.
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By analyzing data, systematic patterns and trends can be discovered.
Many natural processes are cyclic.
A system is composed of discrete parts that are interrelated.
Natural cycles respond to internal and external influences.
Some quantities in nature change continuously by a constant factor and can
be described by exponential functions.
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A valid hypothesis or theory must accommodate new data or the hypothesis or
theory must be changed.
The interdependent fields of science are connected through a particular way
of knowing.
Essential Questions
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most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer
after completing learning activities.
Scientific Process
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Why do scientists generate hypotheses? What makes a science question
testable? Why do scientists investigate one independent variable at a time? Why must a
scientific procedure be repeatable? What kind of measurements are made in a
scientific investigation? What tools can be used to make measurements?
What constitutes scientific evidence? What makes data valid and reliable?
Why is it important to continuously evaluate and revise scientific
explanations and models?
What makes a scientific conclusion valid and reliable? What is the
importance of written communication in a scientific investigation?
Why might there be alternative explanations and models? What is the
importance of identifying alternative explanations and models?
How do theories change over time? How does a scientific hypothesis drive an
investigation?
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What are safe laboratory practices?
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What constitutes scientific evidence? What makes data valid and reliable?
Scientists use models to help explain natural systems and to predict the
behavior of systems under given circumstances.
Life Science
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What interrelationships exist between organisms, populations, communities,
ecosystems and biomes?
What role does adaptation play in an organism's ability to survive in a
particular environment?
How are living things related?
How do population dynamics affect the survival of a species in a new
environment?
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How do organisms capture, store, use and release energy?
How are molecules made and broken down in living things?
How are materials transported within an organism?
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How does matter cycle and energy flow through different levels of
organization in an ecosystem?
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How do cells function and how have structures adapted to perform these
functions?
What is the relationship between the structure and function of cells,
tissues, organs, organ systems and organisms?
What cellular processes are involved in reproduction and growth in an
organism?
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How do the chemical and physical properties of DNA explain how the genetic
information is encoded for genes and replicated?
A. How does DNA provide for both continuity and diversity within a
population?
B. How does the continuing operation of natural selection on new
characteristics and changing environments produce diversity among
populations?
C. Should biotechnology always be used just because we can?
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How are traits passed on?
How does biodiversity effect the survival of a population during
environmental changes?
How are diseases transmitted and what determines whether they are infectious
or non-infectious
Science and Technology
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Which drives which, science or technology?
When will we run out of our natural resources? When is technology a 'good
thing' and when is it a 'bad thing'?
How are science and technology used in the (teenage) workplace?
Processes and Connections
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What constitutes scientific evidence?
Why do scientists share their work?
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Why is it important to recognize patterns and trends in scientific data?
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How do cycles start and stop?
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How are systems kept in balance?
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Can the dynamics of natural cycles be predicted?
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How are models used to increase our understanding of the natural world?
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How are exponential functions useful in biological sciences?
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How do hypotheses and theories change over time?
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Where are the boundaries of various science disciplines? (e.g. Where does
biology end and chemistry begin? Where does chemistry/Molecular genetics end
and genetics/Mendelian begin?)
Standards
Highest
Frequency Standards
 High
Frequency Standards
 Other
Standards & E-skills
Standard
1:
Students apply the process of scientific investigation and
design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations.
Standard 1 Benchmarks: Grades 9-12
1. ask questions and state hypotheses using prior scientific
knowledge to help design and guide development and implementation of a
scientific investigation
2. select and use appropriate technologies to gather, process, and analyze
data and to report information related to an investigation
3. identify major sources of error or uncertainty within an investigation
(for example: particular measuring devices and experimental procedures)
4. recognize and analyze alternative explanations and models
5. construct and revise scientific explanations and models, using evidence,
logic, and experiments that include identifying and controlling variables
6. communicate and evaluate scientific thinking that leads to particular
conclusions
Standard
3:
Life Science: Students know and understand the characteristics and structure
of living things, the processes of life, and how living things interact with
each other and their environment. (Focus: Biology – anatomy, Physiology,
Botany, Zoology, Ecology)
Standard 3 Benchmarks: Grades 9-12
1. the pattern/process of reproduction and development is specific to
different organisms
2. there is a relationship between the processes of photosynthesis and
cellular respiration (for example: in terms of energy and products)
3. there is a purpose of synthesis and breakdown of macromolecules in an
organism (for example: carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids serve as building
blocks of proteins; carbon dioxide and water are the photosynthesis)
4. energy is used in the maintenance, repair, growth, and production of
tissues
5. the human body functions in terms of interacting organ systems composed
of specialized structures that maintain or restore health (for example:
mechanisms involved in homeostasis [balance], such as feedback in the
endocrine system
6. changes in an ecosystem can affect biodiversity and biodiversity
contributes to an ecosystem's dynamic equilibrium
7. there is a cycling of matter (for example: carbon, nitrogen) and the
movement and change of energy through the ecosystem (for example: some
energy dissipates as heat as it is transferred through a food
8. certain properties of water sustain life (for example: polarity,
cohesion, solubility)
9. cellular organelles have specific functions (for example: the
relationship of ribosomes to protein, and the relationship of mitochondria
to energy transformation)
10. cell reproduction/division has various processes and purposes (mitosis,
meiosis, binary fission)
11. DNA has a general structure and function and a role in heredity and
protein synthesis (for example: replication of DNA and the role of RNA in
protein synthesis)
12. genes serve as the vehicle for genetic continuity and the source of
genetic diversity upon which natural selection can act
13. some traits can be inherited while others are due to the interaction of
genes and the environment (for example: skin cancer triggered by over-
exposure to sunlight or contact with chemical carcinogens)
14. organisms are classified into a hierarchy of groups and subgroups based
on similarities which reflect their evolutionary relationships
15. mutation, natural selection, and reproductive isolation can lead to new
species and affect biodiversity
16. an organism’s adaptations (for example, structure, behavior) determine
its niche (role) in the environment
17. variation within a population improves the chances that the species
will survive under new environmental conditions
18. organisms change over time in terms of biological evolution and
genetics
Standard
5:
Students
understand that the nature of science involves a particular way of building
knowledge and making meaning of the natural world.
Standard 5 Benchmarks: Grades 9-12
1. print and visual media can be evaluated for scientific evidence, bias,
or opinion
2. the scientific way of knowing uses a critique and consensus process (for
example: peer review, openness to criticism, logical arguments, skepticism)
3. graphs, equations or other models are used to analyze systems involving
change and constancy (for example: comparing the geologic time scale to
shorter time frame, exponential growth, a mathematical expression for gas
behavior; constructing a closed ecosystem such as an aquarium)
4. there are cause-effect relationships within systems (for example: the
effect of temperature on gas volume, effect of carbon dioxide level on the
greenhouse effect, effects of changing nutrients at the base of a food
pyramid)
5. scientific knowledge changes and accumulates over time; usually the
changes that take place are small modifications of prior knowledge but major
shifts in the scientific view of how the world works do occur
6. interrelationships among science, technology and human activity lead to
further discoveries that impact the world in positive and negative ways7.
there is a difference between a scientific theory and a scientific
hypothesis |
