Grades 9, 10, 11, 12

Biology I

Biology II

Chemistry I

Chemistry II

Conceptual Physics

Earth Science

Ecology

Environmental Science

Geology

Human Anatomy and Physiology

Physical Science

Physical World Concepts

Physics

Scientific Research

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Mathematics

Standard 1 - Cells

Standard 2 - Interdependence

Standard 3 – Flow of Matter and Energy

Standard 4 - Heredity

Standard 5 - Biodiversity and Change

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Mathematics

Standard 1 – Cells

Standard 2 - Interdependence

Standard 3 – Flow of Matter and Energy

Standard 4 - Heredity

Standard 5 - Biodiversity and Change

Standard 6 – Comparative Anatomy and Physiology

Standard 7 – Botany

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Mathematics

Standard 1 – Atomic Structure

Standard 2 - Matter and Energy

Standard 3 – Interactions of Matter

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Mathematics

Standard 1 – Structure of Matter

Standard 2 - States of Matter

Standard 3 – Reactions

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Embedded Mathematics

Standard 1 - Mechanics

Standard 2 - Thermodynamics

Standard 3 – Waves and Optics

Standard 4- Electricity and Magnetism

Standard 5 - Nuclear Science

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Standard 1 – The Universe

Standard 2 - Energy in the Earth System

Standard 3 - Cycles in the Earth System

Standard 4 – Geologic History

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Standard 1 – Individuals

Standard 2 – Populations

Standard 3 – Communities

Standard 4 - Ecosystems

Standard 5 – Biomes

Standard 6 – Humans and Sustainability

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Standard 1 - Earth System

Standard 2 - The Living World

Standard 3 - Human Population

Standard 4 - Water and Land Resources

Standard 5 - Energy Resources and Consumption

Standard 6 - Waste Production and Pollution

Standard 7 - Global Change And Civic Responsibility

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Standard 1 - Maps

Standard 2 - Matter and Minerals

Standard 3 - The Rock Cycle

Standard 4 - Geologic History

Standard 5 - Plate Tectonics

Standard 6 - Landforms

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Standard 1 - Anatomical Orientation

Standard 2 - Protection, Support, Movement

Standard 3 - Integration & Regulation

Standard 4 - Transport

Standard 5 - Absorption & Excretion

Standard 6 - Reproduction, Growth, and Development

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Mathematics

Standard 1 - Matter

Standard 2 - Energy

Standard 3 - Motion

Standard 4 - Forces In Nature

Embedded Inquiry

Embedded Technology & Engineering

Embedded Mathematics

Standard 1 - Mechanics

Standard 2 - Thermodynamics

Standard 3 - Waves and Optics

Standard 4 - Electricity and Magnetism

Standard 5 - Nuclear Science

Inquiry

Technology & Engineering

Mathematics

Standard 1 - Mechanics

Standard 2 - Thermodynamics

Standard 3 - Waves

Standard 4 - Optics

Standard 5 - Electricity and Magnetism

Standard 6 - Nuclear Physics

Technology & Engineering

Standard 1 - Practice Ethics

Standard 2 - Thinking Critically

Standard 3 - Investigate

Standard 4 - Analyze and Evaluate Data

Standard 5 - Communicate Results

Course Level Expectations

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Recognize that science is a progressive endeavor that reevaluates and extends what is already accepted.

Design and conduct scientific investigations to explore new phenomena, verify previous results, test how well a theory predicts, and compare opposing theories.

Use appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate data.

Apply qualitative and quantitative measures to analyze data and draw conclusions that are free of bias.

Compare experimental evidence and conclusions with those drawn by others about the same testable question.

Communicate and defend scientific findings.

Trace the historical development of a scientific principle or theory, such as cell theory, evolution, or DNA structure.

Conduct scientific investigations that include testable questions, verifiable hypotheses, and appropriate variables to explore new phenomena or verify the experimental results of others.

Select appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate quantitative and qualitative data.

Determine if data supports or contradicts a hypothesis or conclusion.

Compare or combine experimental evidence from two or more investigations.

Recognize, analyze, and evaluate alternative explanations for the same set of observations.

Analyze experimental results and identify possible sources of experimental error.

Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.

Select a description or scenario that reevaluates and/or extends a scientific finding.

Analyze the components of a properly designed scientific investigation.

Determine appropriate tools to gather precise and accurate data.

Evaluate the accuracy and precision of data.

Defend a conclusion based on scientific evidence.

Determine why a conclusion is free of bias.

Compare conclusions that offer different, but acceptable explanations for the same set of experimental data.

Explore the impact of technology on social, political, and economic systems.

Differentiate among elements of the engineering design cycle: design constraints, model building, testing, evaluating, modifying, and retesting.

Explain the relationship between the properties of a material and the use of the material in the application of a technology.

Describe the dynamic interplay among science, technology, and engineering within living, earth-space, and physical systems.

Select appropriate tools to conduct a scientific inquiry.

Apply the engineering design process to construct a prototype that meets developmentally appropriate specifications.

Explore how the unintended consequences of new technologies can impact human and non-human communities.

Present research on current bioengineering technologies that advance health and contribute to improvements in our daily lives.

Design a series of multi-view drawings that can be used by other students to construct an adaptive design and test its effectiveness.

Distinguish among tools and procedures best suited to conduct a specified scientific inquiry.

Evaluate a protocol to determine the degree to which an engineering design process was successfully applied.

Evaluate the overall benefit to cost ratio of a new technology.

Use design principles to determine if a new technology will improve the quality of life for an intended audience.

Understand the mathematical principles associated with the science of biology.

Utilize appropriate mathematical equations and processes to understand biological concepts.

Choose and construct appropriate graphical representations for a data set.

Analyze graphs to interpret biological events.

Make decisions about units, scales, and measurement tools that are appropriate for investigations involving measurement.

Select and apply an appropriate method to evaluate the reasonableness of results.

Apply and interpret rates of change from graphical and numerical data.

Apply probabilistic reasoning to solve genetic problems.

Interpret a graph that depicts a biological phenomenon.

Predict the outcome of a cross between parents of known genotype.

Compare the structure and function of cellular organelles in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Distinguish among the structure and function of the four major organic macromolecules found in living things.

Describe how enzymes regulate chemical reactions in the body.

Describe the processes of cell growth and reproduction.

Compare different models to explain the movement of materials into and out of cells.

Investigate cells using a compound microscope.

Construct a model of a prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell.

Design a graphic organizer that compares proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.

Conduct tests to detect the presence of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids.

Design a model that illustrates enzyme function.

Demonstrate the movement of chromosomes during mitosis in plant and animal cells.

Design and conduct an experiment to investigate the effect of various solute concentrations on water movement in cells.

Analyze experimental data to distinguish between active and passive transport.

Identify the cellular organelles associated with major cell processes.

Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Distinguish among proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.

Identify positive tests for carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.

Identify how enzymes control chemical reactions in the body.

Determine the relationship between cell growth and cell reproduction.

Predict the movement of water and other molecules across selectively permeable membranes.

Compare and contrast active and passive transport.

Investigate how the dynamic equilibrium of an ecological community is associated with interactions among its organisms.

Analyze and interpret population data, graphs, or diagrams.

Predict how global climate change, human activity, geologic events, and the introduction of non-native species impact an ecosystem.

Describe the sequence of events associated with biological succession.

Analyze human population distribution graphs to predict the impact on global resources, society, and the economy.

Construct and maintain a model of an ecosystem.

Monitor and evaluate changes in a yeast population.

Investigate an outdoor habitat to identify the abiotic and biotic factors, plant and animal populations, producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Conduct research on how human influences have changed an ecosystem and communicate findings through written or oral presentations.

Describe a sequence of events that illustrates biological succession.

Predict how population changes of organisms at different trophic levels affect an ecosystem.

Interpret the relationship between environmental factors and fluctuations in population size.

Determine how the carrying capacity of an ecosystem is affected by interactions among organisms.

Predict how various types of human activities affect the environment.

Make inferences about how a specific environmental change can affect the amount of biodiversity.

Predict how a specific environmental change may lead to the extinction of a particular species.

Analyze factors responsible for the changes associated with biological succession.

Analyze energy flow through an ecosystem.

Distinguish between aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

Investigate the relationship between the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

Describe the events which occur during the major biogeochemical cycles.

Track energy flow through an ecosystem.

Construct a concept map to differentiate between aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

Conduct experiments to investigate photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

Investigate the process of fermentation.

Construct models of the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, and water cycles.

Interpret a diagram that illustrates energy flow in an ecosystem.

Distinguish between aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

Compare and contrast photosynthesis and cellular respiration in terms of energy transformation.

Predict how changes in a biogeochemical cycle can affect an ecosystem.

Investigate how genetic information is encoded in nucleic acids.

Describe the relationships among genes, chromosomes, proteins, and hereditary traits.

Predict the outcome of monohybrid and dihybrid crosses.

Compare different modes of inheritance: sex linkage, co-dominance, incomplete dominance, multiple alleles, and polygenic traits.

Recognize how meiosis and sexual reproduction contribute to genetic variation in a population.

Describe the connection between mutations and human genetic disorders.

Assess the scientific and ethical ramifications of emerging genetic technologies.

Use models of DNA, RNA, and amino acids to explain replication and protein synthesis.

Complete and interpret genetic problems that illustrate sex linkage, co-dominance, incomplete dominance, multiple alleles, and polygenic inheritance.

Apply data to complete and interpret a genetic pedigree.

Describe how the process of meiosis controls the number of chromosomes in a gamete.

Associate gene mutation with changes in a DNA molecule.

Design an informational brochure to describe a human genetic disorder.

Conduct research to explore the scientific and ethical issues associated with emerging gene technologies.

Identify the structure and function of DNA.

Associate the process of DNA replication with its biological significance.

Recognize the interactions between DNA and RNA during protein synthesis.

Determine the probability of a particular trait in an offspring based on the genotype of the parents and the particular mode of inheritance.

Apply pedigree data to interpret various modes of genetic inheritance.

Describe how meiosis is involved in the production of egg and sperm cells.

Describe how meiosis and sexual reproduction contribute to genetic variation in a population.

Determine the relationship between mutations and human genetic disorders.

Evaluate the scientific and ethical issues associated with gene technologies: genetic engineering, cloning, transgenic organism production, stem cell research, and DNA fingerprinting.

Associate structural, functional, and behavioral adaptations with the ability of organisms to survive under various environmental conditions.

Analyze the relationship between form and function in living things.

Explain how genetic variation in a population and changing environmental conditions are associated with adaptation and the emergence of new species.

Summarize the supporting evidence for the theory of evolution.

Explain how evolution contributes to the amount of biodiversity.

Explore the evolutionary basis of modern classification systems.

Create graphic organizers to demonstrate the relationship between form and function in representative organisms.

Explain how natural selection operates in the development of a new species.

Associate fossil data with biological and geological changes in the environment.

Analyze a variety of models, samples, or diagrams to demonstrate the genetic relatedness of organisms.

Use a dichotomous key to identify an unknown organism.

Compare and contrast the structural, functional, and behavioral adaptations of animals or plants found in different environments.

Recognize the relationship between form and function in living things.

Recognize the relationships among environmental change, genetic variation, natural selection, and the emergence of a new species.

Describe the relationship between the amount of biodiversity and the ability of a population to adapt to a changing environment.

Apply evidence from the fossil record, comparative anatomy, amino acid sequences, and DNA structure that support modern classification systems.

Infer relatedness among different organisms using modern classification systems.

Recognize that science is a progressive endeavor that reevaluates and extends what is already accepted.

Design and conduct scientific investigations to explore new phenomena, verify previous results, test how well a theory predicts, and compare opposing theories.

Use appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate data.

Apply qualitative and quantitative measures to analyze data and draw conclusions that are free of bias.

Compare experimental evidence and conclusions with those drawn by others about the same testable question.

Communicate and defend scientific findings.

Trace the historical development of a scientific principle or theory, such as cell theory, evolution, or DNA structure.

Conduct scientific investigations that include testable questions, verifiable hypotheses, and appropriate variables to explore new phenomena or verify the experimental results of others.

Analyze the components of a properly designed scientific investigation.

Select appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate quantitative and qualitative data.

Determine if data supports or contradicts a hypothesis or conclusion.

Recognize, analyze, and evaluate alternative explanations for the same set of observations.

Evaluate the accuracy and precision of data.

Defend a conclusion based on scientific evidence.

Determine why a conclusion is free of bias.

Analyze experimental results and identify possible sources of experimental error.

Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.

Compare conclusions that offer different, but acceptable explanations for the same set of experimental data.

Explore the impact of technology on social, political, and economic systems.

Differentiate among elements of the engineering design cycle: design constraints, model building, testing, evaluating, modifying, and retesting.

Explain the relationship between the properties of a material and the use of the material in the application of a technology.

Describe the dynamic interplay among science, technology, and engineering within living, earth-space, and physical systems.

Distinguish among tools and procedures best suited to conduct a specified scientific inquiry.

Apply the engineering design process to construct a prototype that meets developmentally appropriate specifications.

Evaluate a protocol to determine the degree to which an engineering design process was successfully applied.

Explore how the unintended consequences of new technologies can impact human and non-human communities.

Evaluate the overall benefit to cost ratio of a new technology.

Present research on current bioengineering technologies that advance health and contribute to improvements in our daily lives.

Design a series of multi-view drawings that can be used by other students to construct an adaptive design and test its effectiveness.

Understand the mathematical principles associated with the science of biology.

Utilize appropriate mathematical equations and processes to understand biological concepts.

Choose, construct, and analyze appropriate graphical representations for a data set.

Analyze graphs to interpret biological events.

Make decisions about units, scales, and measurement tools that are appropriate for problem situations involving measurement.

Select and apply an appropriate method to evaluate the reasonableness of results.

Apply and interpret rates of change from graphical and numerical data.

Apply geometric properties, formulas, and relationships to interpret biological phenomena.

Use length, area, and volume to estimate and explain real-world problems.

Make predictions from a linear data set using a line of best fit.

Interpret a set of data using the appropriate measure of central tendency.

Compare the characteristics of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Describe how fundamental life processes depend on chemical reactions that occur in specialized parts of the cell.

Explain how materials move into and out of cells.

Describe the enzyme-substrate relationship.

Investigate how proteins regulate the internal environment of a cell through communication and transport.

Describe the relationship between viruses and their host cells.

Compare the organization and function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Conduct an experiment or simulation to demonstrate the movement of molecules through diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and active transport.

Describe the composition and function of enzymes.

Analyze the rate of reactions in which variables such as temperature, pH, and substrate and enzyme concentration are manipulated.

Develop a flow chart that tracks a protein molecule from transcription through export from the cell.

Describe the role of the ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus in the production and packaging of proteins.

Describe how carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids function in the cell.

Illustrate the interactions between a virus and a host cell.

Describe how the stability of an ecosystem is maintained.

Investigate the major factors that influence population size and age distribution.

Describe the varying degrees to which individual organisms are able to accommodate changes in the environment.

Distinguish between the accommodation of individual organisms and the adaptation of a population to environmental change.

Analyze the ecological impact of a change in climate, human activity, introduction of non-native species, and changes in population size over time.

Investigate how fluctuations in population size in an ecosystem are determined by the relative rates of birth, death, immigration, and emigration.

Investigate how human changes to the environment have led populations to adapt, migrate, or become extinct.

Contrast accommodations of individual organisms with the adaptation of a species.

Describe the role of biotic and abiotic factors in the cycling of matter in the ecosystem.

Explain how sunlight is captured by plant cells and converted into usable energy.

Describe how mitochondria make stored chemical energy available to cells.

Examine how macromolecules are synthesized from simple precursor molecules.

Analyze the role of ATP in the storage and release of cellular energy.

Describe how water, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen cycle between the biotic and abiotic elements of the environment.

Calculate the amount of energy transfer through an ecosystem.

Design an experiment to separate plant leaf pigments.

Develop a concept map or flow chart to compare the sequence of molecular events during photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

Sequence the steps involved in sugar production during photosynthesis.

Trace the breakdown of sugar molecules during cellular respiration.

Compare the amount of ATP produced during aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

Build models of macromolecules from simple precursors.

Describe how mutation and sexual reproduction contribute to the amount of genetic variation in a population.

Describe the relationship between phenotype and genotype.

Predict the probable outcome of genetic crosses based on Mendel's laws of segregation and independent assortment.

Describe the relationship among genes, the DNA code, production of protein molecules, and the characteristics of an organism.

Explain how the different shapes and properties of proteins are determined by the type, number, and sequence of amino acids.

Explain how the genetic makeup of cells can be engineered.

Illustrate the movement of chromosomes and other cellular organelles involved in meiosis.

Provide a detailed explanation of how meiosis and fertilization result in new genetic combinations.

Compare the expected outcome with the actual results of a cross in an organism such as a fruit fly or fast plant.

Develop a model to illustrate the stages of protein synthesis.

Apply the genetic coding rules to predict the sequence of amino acids from a sequence of codons in RNA.

Recognize how various types of mutations affect gene expression and the sequence of amino acids in the encoded protein.

Distinguish among the characteristics of various structural levels found in protein molecules.

Describe the formation of recombinant DNA molecules.

Recognize that genetic engineering can be applied to develop novel biomedical and agricultural products.

Identify factors that determine the frequency of an allele in the gene pool of a population.

Determine how mutation, gene flow, and migration influence population structure.

Predict how variation within a population affects the survival of a species.

Recognize that natural selection acts on an organism's phenotype rather than its genotype.

Describe how reproductive and geographic isolation affect speciation.

Analyze population changes in terms of the Hardy-Weinberg principle.

Explain how amount of biodiversity is affected by habitat alteration.

Use fossil evidence, DNA structure, amino acid sequences, and other data sources to construct a cladogram that illustrates evolutionary relationships.

Investigate the unity and the diversity among living things.

Describe the events associated with reproduction from gamete production through birth.

Compare organ systems of representative animal phyla that: regulate gas exchange, process and distribute nutrients, remove wastes, transmit chemical and electrical information, and respond to environmental stimuli.

Describe how the activities of major body systems help to maintain homeostasis.

Distinguish between various methods of sexual and asexual reproduction.

Create a model that illustrates stages of embryological development.

Develop a representation of the different germ layers and the tissue type into which they develop.

Describe how the nervous and endocrine systems coordinate various body functions.

Develop a multimedia product for an immune disorder or infectious disease to demonstrate the impact on the individual organism.

Observe, model, manipulate, and/or dissect representative specimens of major animal groups.

Compare and contrast the function of the major organ systems found in representative animal species.

Describe different plant types plants based on their anatomy and physiology.

Investigate the relationship between form and function for the major plant structures.

Examine the anatomical and physiological differences between plants and their growth, reproduction, survival, and co-evolution.

Describe the difference between plants and fungi.

Investigate the impact of plants on humans.

Describe the function of plant cellular organelles.

Employ a dichotomous key to identify plants based on their structural characteristics.

Distinguish between the following: vascular and nonvascular plants, spore and seed, gymnosperms and angiosperms, and monocots and dicots.

Investigate the significance of structural and physiological adaptations of plants.

Compare and contrast spore and seed production.

Design an experiment to investigate the function of plant hormones.

Prepare a presentation about plants that are harmful or beneficial to humans.

Describe co-evolution among various plant and animal species.

Recognize that science is a progressive endeavor that reevaluates and extends what is already accepted.

Design and conduct scientific investigations to explore new phenomena, verify previous results, test how well a theory predicts, and compare opposing theories.

Use appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate data.

Apply qualitative and quantitative measures to analyze data and draw conclusions that are free of bias.

Compare experimental evidence and conclusions with those drawn by others.

Communicate and defend scientific findings.

Trace the historical development of a scientific principle or theory.

Identify an answerable question and formulate a hypothesis to guide a scientific investigation.

Design a simple experiment including appropriate controls.

Perform and understand laboratory procedures directed at testing hypothesis.

Select appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate quantitative and qualitative data.

Correctly read a thermometer, balance, metric ruler, graduated cylinder, pipette, and burette.

Record observations and/or data using correct scientific units and significant figures.

Export data into the appropriate form of data presentation (e.g., equation, table, graph, or diagram).

Translate data into the correct units and dimension using conversion factors and scientific notation.

Analyze information in a table, graph or diagram (e.g., compute the mean of a series of values or determine the slope of a line).

If accepted values are known, calculate the percent error for an experiment.

Determine the accuracy and precision of experimental results.

Analyze experimental results and identify possible sources of bias or experimental error.

Recognize, analyze, and evaluate alternative explanations for the same set of observations.

Design a model based on the correct hypothesis that can be used for further investigation.

Select a description or scenario that reevaluates and/or extends a scientific finding.

Analyze the components of a properly designed scientific investigation.

Determine appropriate tools to gather precise and accurate data.

Evaluate the accuracy and precision of data.

Defend a conclusion based on scientific evidence.

Determine why a conclusion is free of bias.

Compare conclusions that offer different, but acceptable explanations for the same set of experimental data.

Explore the impact of technology on social, political, and economic systems.

Differentiate among elements of the engineering design cycle: design constraints, model building, testing, evaluating, modifying, and retesting.

Explain the relationship between the properties of a material and the use of the material in the application of a technology.

Describe the dynamic interplay among science, technology, and engineering within living, earth-space, and physical systems.

Select appropriate tools to conduct a scientific inquiry.

Apply the engineering design process to construct a prototype that meets developmentally appropriate specifications.

Explore how the unintended consequences of new technologies can impact human and non-human communities.

Present research on current bioengineering technologies that advance health and contribute to improvements in our daily lives.

Design a series of multi-view drawings that can be used by other students to construct an adaptive design and test its effectiveness.

Distinguish among tools and procedures best suited to conduct a specified scientific inquiry.

Evaluate a protocol to determine the degree to which an engineering design process was successfully applied.

Evaluate the overall benefit to cost ratio of a new technology.

Use design principles to determine if a new technology will improve the quality of life for an intended audience.

Understand the mathematical principles associated with the science of chemistry.

Utilize appropriate mathematical equations and processes to solve chemistry problems.

Use a variety of appropriate notations (e.g., exponential, functional, square root).

Select and apply appropriate methods for computing with real numbers and evaluate the reasonableness of the results.

Apply algebraic properties, formulas, and relationships to perform operations on real-world problems (e.g., solve for density, determine the concentration of a solution in a variety of units: ppm, ppb, molarity, molality, and percent composition) calculate heats of reactions and phase changes, and manipulate gas law equations.

Interpret rates of change from graphical and numerical data (e.g., phase diagrams, solubility graphs, colligative properties, nuclear decay or half-life).

Analyze graphs to describe the behavior of functions (e.g., concentration of a solution, phase diagrams, solubility graphs, colligative properties, nuclear decay half-life).

Model real-world phenomena using functions and graphs.

Apply and interpret algebraic properties in symbolic manipulation (e.g., density, concentration of a solution, chemical equations, effect of volume, temperature or pressure on behavior of a gas, percent composition of elements in a compound, molar mass, number of moles, and molar volume, amount of products or reactants given mole, molarity, volume at STP or mass amounts, heat loss or gain using mass, temperature change and specific heat, and half-life of an isotope).

Apply and communicate measurement units, concepts and relationships in algebraic problem-solving situations.

Select appropriate units, scales, and measurement tools for problem situations involving proportional reasoning and dimensional analysis.

Select, construct, and analyze appropriate graphical representations for a data set.

Identify and solve different types of stoichiometry problems (e.g., volume at STP to mass, moles to mass, molarity).

Calculate the amount of product expected in an experiment and determine percent yield.

Convert among the quantities of a substance: mass, number of moles, number of particles, molar volume at STP.

Use real numbers to represent real-world applications (e.g., slope, rate of change, probability, and proportionality).

Perform operations on algebraic expressions and informally justify the selected procedures.

Interpret graphs that depict real-world phenomena.

Apply measurement unit relationships including Avogadro's number, molarity, molality, volume, and mass to balance chemical equations.

Use concepts of mass, length, area, and volume to estimate and solve real-world problems.

Compare and contrast historical models of the atom.

Analyze the organization of the modern periodic table.

Describe an atom in terms of its composition and electron characteristics.

Identify the contributions of major atomic theorists: Bohr, Chadwick, Dalton, Planck, Rutherford, and Thomson.

Compare the Bohr model and the quantum mechanical electron-cloud models of the atom.

Draw Bohr models of the first 18 elements.

Interpret a Bohr model of an electron moving between its ground and excited states in terms of the absorption or emission of energy.

Use the periodic table to identify an element as a metal, nonmetal, or metalloid.

Apply the periodic table to determine the number of protons and electrons in a neutral atom.

Determine the number of protons and neutrons for a particular isotope of an element.

Explain the formation of anions and cations, and predict the charge of an ion formed by the main-group elements.

Sequence selected atoms from the main-group elements based on their atomic or ionic radii.

Sequence selected atoms from the main-group elements based on first ionization energy, electron affinity, or electronegativity.

Determine an atom's Lewis electron-dot structure or number of valence electrons from an element's atomic number or position in the periodic table.

Represent an atom's electron arrangement in terms of orbital notation, electron configuration notation, and electron-dot notation.

Compare s and p orbitals in terms of their shape, and order the s, p, d and f orbitals in terms of energy and number of possible electrons.

Compare and contrast the major models of the atom (e.g., Democritus, Thomson, Rutherford, Bohr, and the quantum mechanical model).

Interpret the periodic table to describe an element's atomic makeup.

Describe the trends found in the periodic table with respect to atomic size, ionization energy, electron affinity, or electronegativity.

Determine the Lewis electron-dot structure or number of valence electrons for an atom of any main-group element from its atomic number or position in the periodic table.

Represent an electron's location in the quantum mechanical model of an atom in terms of the shape of electron clouds (s and p orbitals in particular), relative energies of orbitals, and the number of electrons possible in the s, p, d and f orbitals.

Investigate the characteristic properties of matter.

Explore the interactions between matter and energy.

Apply the kinetic molecular theory to describe solids, liquids, and gases.

Investigate characteristics associated with the gaseous state.

Discuss phase diagrams of one-component systems.

Identify a material as an element, compound or mixture; identify a mixture as homogeneous or heterogeneous; and/or identify a mixture as a solution, colloid or suspension.

Identify the solute and solvent composition of a solid, liquid or gaseous solution.

Express the concentration of a solution in units of ppm, ppb, molarity, molality, and percent composition.

Describe how to prepare solutions of given concentrations expressed in units of ppm, ppb, molarity, molality, and percent composition.

Investigate factors that affect the rate of solution.

Describe how to prepare a specific dilution from a solution of known molarity.

Determine the colligative properties of a solution based on the molality and freezing point or boiling points of the solvent.

Use a solubility graph, composition of a solution and temperature to determine if a solution is saturated, unsaturated or supersaturated.

Classify properties and changes in matter as physical, chemical, or nuclear.

Use calorimetry to: identify unknown substances through specific heat, determine the heat changes in physical and chemical changes, determine the mass of an object, and determine the change in temperature of a material.

Perform calculations on heat of solvation, heat of reaction, and heat of formation, and heat of phase change.

Use particle spacing diagrams to identify solids, liquids, or gases.

Distinguish among solid, liquid, and gaseous states of a substance in terms of the relative kinetic energy of its particles.

Use a phase diagram to correlate changes in temperature and energy with phases of matter.

Graph and interpret the results of experiments that explore relationships among pressure, temperature, and volume of gases.

Solve gas law problems.

Distinguish among elements, compounds, solutions, colloids, and suspensions.

Identify properties of a solution: solute and solvent in a solid, liquid or gaseous solution; procedure to make or determine the concentration of a solution in units of ppm, ppb, molarity, molality, percent composition, factors that affect the rate of solution, and colligative properties.

Classify a solution as saturated, unsaturated, or supersaturated based on its composition and temperature and a solubility graph.

Classify a property of change in matter as physical, chemical, or nuclear.

Compare and contrast heat and temperature changes in chemical and physical processes.

Investigate similarities and differences among solids, liquids and gases in terms of energy and particle spacing.

Predict how changes in volume, temperature, and pressure affect the behavior of a gas.

Investigate chemical bonding.

Analyze chemical and nuclear reactions.

Explore the mathematics of chemical formulas and equations.

Explain the law of conservation of mass/energy.

Determine the type of chemical bond that occurs in a chemical compound.

Differentiate between ionic and covalent bond models.

Identify the chemical formulas of common chemical compounds.

Employ a table of polyvalent cations and polyatomic ions to name and describe the chemical formula of ionic compounds.

Convert percent composition information into the empirical or molecular formula of a compound.

Apply information about the molar mass, number of moles, and molar volume to the number of particles of the substance.

Balance an equation for a chemical reaction.

Classify a chemical reaction as composition, decomposition, single replacement, double replacement, and combustion.

Use activity series or solubility product table information to predict the products of a chemical reaction.

Predict the products of a neutralization reaction involving inorganic acids and bases.

Interpret a chemical equation to determine molar ratios.

Convert between the following quantities of a substance: mass, number of moles, number of particles, and molar volume at STP.

Solve different types of stoichiometry problems (e.g., volume at STP to mass, moles to mass, molarity).

Determine the amount of expected product in an experiment and calculate percent yield.

Calculate the amount of heat lost or gained by a substance based on its mass, change in temperature, and specific heat during physical and chemical processes.

Research applications of thermal changes in nuclear reactions.

Identify a substance as an acid or base according to its formula.

Investigate the acidity/basicity of substances with various indicators.

Write the nuclear equation involving alpha or beta particles based on the mass number of the parent isotope and complete symbols for alpha or beta emissions.

Determine the half-life of an isotope by examining a graph or with an appropriate equation.

Write a balanced nuclear equation to compare nuclear fusion and fission.

Describe the benefits and hazards of nuclear energy.

Analyze ionic and covalent compounds in terms of how they form, names, chemical formulas, percent composition, and molar masses.

Identify the reactants, products, and types of different chemical reactions: composition, decomposition, double replacement, single replacement, combustion.

Predict the products of a chemical reaction.

Balance a chemical equation to determine molar ratios.

Convert among the following quantities of a substance: mass, number of moles, number of particles, molar volume at STP.

Identify and solve stoichiometry problems: volume at STP to mass, moles to mass, and molarity.

Classify substances as acids or bases based on their formulas and how they react with various indicators.

Describe radioactive decay through a balanced nuclear equation and through an analysis of the half-life concept.

Compare and contrast nuclear fission and fusion.

Relate the laws of conservation of mass/energy to thermal changes that occur during physical, chemical or nuclear processes.

Recognize that science is a progressive endeavor that reevaluates and extends what is already accepted.

Design and conduct scientific investigations to explore new phenomena, verify previous results, test how well a theory predicts, and compare opposing theories.

Use appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate data.

Apply qualitative and quantitative measures to analyze data and draw conclusions that are free of bias.

Compare experimental evidence and conclusions with those drawn by others about the same testable question.

Communicate and defend scientific findings.

Trace the historical development of a scientific principle or theory.

Identify an answerable question and formulate a hypothesis to guide a scientific investigation.

Design a simple experiment including appropriate controls.

Perform and understand laboratory procedures directed at testing hypothesis.

Select appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate quantitative and qualitative data.

Correctly read a thermometer, balance, metric ruler, graduated cylinder, pipette, and burette.

Record observations and/or data using correct scientific units and significant figures.

Export data into the appropriate form of data presentation (e.g., equation, table, graph, or diagram).

Translate data into the correct units and dimension using conversion factors and scientific notation.

Analyze information in a table, graph or diagram (e.g., compute the mean of a series of values or determine the slope of a line).

If accepted values are known, calculate the percent error for an experiment.

Determine the accuracy and precision of experimental results.

Analyze experimental results and identify possible sources of bias or experimental error.

Recognize, analyze, and evaluate alternative explanations for the same set of observations.

Design a model based on the correct hypothesis that can be used for further investigation.

Explore the impact of technology on social, political, and economic systems.

Differentiate among elements of the engineering design cycle: design constraints, model building, testing, evaluating, modifying, and retesting.

Explain the relationship between the properties of a material and the use of the material in the application of a technology.

Describe the dynamic interplay among science, technology, and engineering within living, earth-space, and physical systems.

Distinguish among tools and procedures best suited to conduct a specified scientific inquiry.

Apply the engineering design process to construct a prototype that meets developmentally appropriate specifications.

Evaluate a protocol to determine the degree to which an engineering design process was successfully applied.

Explore how the unintended consequences of new technologies can impact human and non-human communities.

Evaluate the overall benefit to cost ratio of a new technology.

Present research on current bioengineering technologies that advance health and contribute to improvements in our daily lives.

Design a series of multi-view drawings that can be used by other students to construct an adaptive design and test its effectiveness.

Understand the mathematical principles associated with the science of chemistry.

Utilize appropriate mathematical equations and processes to solve chemistry problems.

Use a variety of appropriate notations (e.g., exponential, functional, square root).

Select and apply appropriate methods for computing with real numbers and evaluate the reasonableness of the results.

Apply algebraic properties, formulas, and relationships to perform operations on real-world problems such as: solving for density, determining the concentration of a solution in a variety of units (e.g., ppm, ppb, molarity, molality, and percent composition), calculating heats of reactions and phase changes, and manipulating gas law equations.

Interpret rates of change from graphical and numerical data (e.g., phase diagrams, solubility graphs, colligative properties, nuclear decay or half-life).

Analyze graphs to describe the behavior of functions (e.g., concentration of a solution, phase diagrams, solubility graphs, colligative properties, nuclear decay half-life).

Model real-world phenomena using functions and graphs.

Apply and interpret algebraic properties in symbolic manipulation (e.g., density, concentration of a solution, chemical equations, effect of volume, temperature or pressure on behavior of a gas, percent composition of elements in a compound, molar mass, number of moles, and molar volume, amount of products or reactants given mole, molarity, volume at STP or mass amounts, heat loss or gain using mass, temperature change and specific heat, and half-life of an isotope).

Apply and communicate measurement units, concepts and relationships in algebraic problem-solving situations.

Select appropriate units, scales, and measurement tools for problem situations involving proportional reasoning and dimensional analysis.

Choose, construct, and analyze appropriate graphical representations for a data set.

Identify and solve different types of stoichiometry problems (e.g., volume at STP to mass, moles to mass, molarity).

Calculate the amount of product expected in a lab experience and determine percent yield.

Convert among the quantities of a substance: mass, number of moles, number of particles, molar volume at STP.

Explain and illustrate the arrangement of electrons surrounding an atom.

Relate the arrangement of electrons surrounding an atom with observed periodic trends.

Describe the structure, shape, and characteristics of polyatomic ions, ionic and molecular compounds.

Calculate the wavelength, frequency and energy of a photon of electromagnetic radiation.

Determine the energy level transition of an electron for a particular wavelength of electromagnetic radiation.

Correlate emission spectra lines of the hydrogen atom to their respective energy-level transitions.

Describe the arrangement of electrons in an atom using orbital diagrams, electron configuration notation, and Lewis structures.

Explain the periodic trends of the main group elements including atomic and ionic radii, ionization energies, and electron affinities.

Explain the role of electron shielding and effective nuclear charge in determining the atomic and ionic radii, ionization energy, and electron affinities of an atom or ion.

Describe to correlation between the principle quantum number of the valence electrons and the atomic and ionic radii, ionization energy, and electron affinities of an atom or ion.

Use Lewis structures to illustrate the structure, shape, and characteristics of polyatomic ions, ionic and molecular compounds.

Illustrate the shape of molecular compounds using VSEPR theory.

Determine the polarity of a molecular compound by examining its bond dipoles and shape.

Apply Lewis structures and formal charge analysis to determine if a compound or polyatomic ion forms resonance structures.

Explain the formation of hybridized bond orbitals in molecular compounds using VSEPR and valence bond theory.

Illustrate how sigma and pi bonds form between atoms in a molecular compound.

Draw the basic functional groups found in organic molecules.

Draw the structural formulas of simple organic molecules.

Explain the kinetic-molecular theory.

Determine the intermolecular forces that exist between ions and molecules.

Explain how the physical characteristics of matter are governed by kinetic molecular theory and intermolecular forces.

Correlate the kinetic-molecular theory with the motion of particles within a substance.

Explain the effect of heat on temperature in terms of the motion of the particles within the substance.

Explain how the motion of gas molecules affects the pressure.

Explain the effects of temperature changes on the pressure of a gas.

Explain the effects of pressure changes on the volume of a gas.

Solve complex combined and ideal gas law problems to quantitatively explain the behavior of gases.

Determine the rates of effusion of gas molecules using Graham's Law of Effusion.

Describe conditions that cause real gases to deviate from their ideal behavior.

Determine the types of intermolecular interactions that occur in a pure substance or between the components of a mixture.

Compare the strengths of intermolecular forces between ions, molecules, and ion-molecule mixtures.

Correlate the strength of intermolecular force with the viscosity, surface tension and physical state of the substance at a given temperature.

Explain the role of intermolecular forces in determining the vapor pressure, volatility and boiling point of a substance.

Use a phase diagram to identify the triple-point, critical temperature, and pressure of a substance.

Apply a phase diagram to interpret the effects of temperature and pressure on the phase of a substance.

Calculate the effect of solute concentration on vapor pressure using Raoult's Law.

Calculate the freezing point depression and boiling point elevation of a solution based on appropriate constants, quantities of solute and solvent, and type of solute.

Use the freezing or boiling points of the solution, appropriate constants, and the amount solute or solvent to calculate the molar mass of a solute.

Use the reactants of a chemical reaction to predict the products.

Fully analyze the quantitative aspects of a chemical reaction in terms of the amounts of products and reactants.

Analyze the kinetics of a chemical reaction.

Describe parameters of chemical equilibria.

Explain the thermodynamics of a chemical reaction.

Apply an activity series to predict products and write net ionic reactions that identify spectator ions in a single-replacement reaction.

Use a solubility chart to predict products and write net ionic reactions that identify spectator ions in a double-replacement reaction.

Identify the oxidation states of ions in an oxidation-reduction reaction.

Balance an oxidation-reduction reaction performed in neutral, acidic, or basic environments.

Use reduction potentials to determine the anode and cathode reactions in an electrochemical cell, and calculate its standard reduction potential.

Apply reduction potentials to identify oxidizing and reducing agents and determine their relative strengths.

Calculate the number of moles, mass, number of ions, atoms, and molecules, volume, and pressure of reactants and products in a chemical reaction based on appropriate constants and quantitative information about reaction components.

Calculate the amount of remaining reactants and products in which one of the reactants is limiting.

Calculate the rate of a chemical reaction based on elapsed time and amount of remaining reactant or product.

Use the rate law and rate of reaction to calculate and interpret the rate constant of a chemical reaction.

Calculate and interpret the reaction order based on the rate constant and concentration of reactants or products at various times during the reaction.

Draw energy profiles for catalyzed and uncatalyzed chemical reactions in terms of activation energy.

Write an equilibrium expression and calculate the equilibrium constant based on the concentration of reactants and products at equilibrium.

Interpret the magnitude of the equilibrium constant to determine equilibrium concentrations and direction of a chemical reaction that has yet to reach equilibrium.

Apply Le Chatelier's Principle to predict shifts in the direction of a chemical reaction in response to changes in temperature, pressure and concentration of reactants or products.

Calculate the percent ionization and pH of a solution given the identity, concentration, and acid/base dissociation constant of an acid or base.

Prepare a buffer of a specific pH and calculate the change in pH in response to addition of additional acid or base.

Perform a titration of a weak acid or weak base identifying the Ka or Kb and the pH at the equivalence point.

Characterize the strength of acids and bases by exploring their chemical structures.

Calculate the solubility product constant based on the concentration of soluble ions.

Interpret the magnitude of the solubility product constant in terms of the solubility of the substance.

Apply thermodynamic data to calculate the change in enthalpy, entropy, and Gibb's free energy of a chemical reaction.

Interpret the magnitude of the enthalpy and entropy change of a chemical reaction in terms of heat changes and order of the reaction components.

Interpret the magnitude of free energy hange in terms of spontaneity of the chemical reaction.

Relate the magnitude of the free energy change to the equilibrium condition and reduction potential of a chemical reaction.

Recognize that science is a progressive endeavor that reevaluates and extends what is already accepted.

Design and conduct scientific investigations to explore new phenomena, verify previous results, test how well a theory predicts, and compare opposing theories.

Use appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate data.

Apply qualitative and quantitative measures to analyze data and draw conclusions that are free of bias.

Compare experimental evidence and conclusions with those drawn by others about the same testable question.

Communicate and defend scientific findings.

Develop a testable question for a scientific investigation.

Develop an experimental design for testing a hypothesis.

Select appropriate independent, dependent, or controlled variables for an experiment.

Perform an experiment to test a prediction.

Gather, organize, and transform data from an experiment into a table, graph, or diagram.

Analyze data from a table, graph, or diagram.

Analyze and interpret the results of an experiment.

Apply knowledge and data-interpretation skills to support a conclusion.

Determine whether data supports or contradicts a simple hypothesis or conclusion.

Analyze experimental results and identify possible sources of experimental error.

State a conclusion in terms of the relationship between two or more variables.

Compare the results of an experiment with what is already known about the topic under investigation.

Suggest alternative explanations for the same set of observations.

Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.

Explore the impact of technology on social, political, and economic systems.

Differentiate among elements of the engineering design cycle: design constraints, model building, testing, evaluating, modifying, and retesting.

Explain the relationship between the properties of a material and the use of the material in the application of a technology.

Describe the dynamic interplay among science, technology, and engineering within living, earth-space, and physical systems.

Select appropriate tools to conduct a scientific inquiry.

Apply the engineering design process to construct a prototype that meets developmentally appropriate specifications.

Explore how the unintended consequences of new technologies can impact human and non-human communities.

Present research on current engineering technologies that contribute to improvements in our daily lives.

Design a series of multi-view drawings that can be used by other students to construct an adaptive design and test its effectiveness.

Understand the mathematical principles that underlie the science of physics.

Utilize appropriate mathematical equations and processes to solve basic physics problems.

Use a variety of notations appropriately (e.g., exponential, functional, square root).

Select and apply an appropriate method for computing with real numbers, and evaluate the reasonableness of results.

Apply and interpret rates of change from graphical and numerical data.

Analyze graphs to describe the behavior of functions.

Interpret results of algebraic procedures.

Model real-world phenomena using functions and graphs.

Articulate and apply algebraic properties in symbolic manipulation.

Apply and communicate measurement concepts and relationships in algebraic and geometric problem-solving situations.

Make decisions about units, scales, and measurement tools that are appropriate for problem situations involving measurement.

Collect, represent, and describe linear and nonlinear data sets developed from the real world.

Make predictions from a linear data set using a line of best fit.

Interpret a data set using appropriate measures of central tendency.

Choose, construct, and analyze appropriate graphical representations for a data set.

Use real numbers to represent real-world applications (e.g., slope, rate of change, probability, and proportionality).

Apply right triangle relationships including the Pythagorean Theorem and the distance formula.

Use concepts of length, area, and volume to estimate and solve real-world problems.

Demonstrate an understanding of rates and other derived and indirect measurements (e.g., velocity, miles per hour, revolutions per minute, and cost per unit).

Investigate fundamental physical quantities of mass and time.

Analyze and apply Newton's three laws of motion.

Differentiate among work, energy, and power.

Investigate kinematics and dynamics.

Investigate and apply Archimedes's Principle.

Explore Pascal's Principle.

Analyze applications of Bernoulli's Principle.

Investigate, measure, and calculate position, displacement, velocity and acceleration.

Analyze vector diagrams.

Explore characteristics of rectilinear motion and create distance-time graphs and velocity-time graphs.

Investigate the characteristics of centripetal motion and centripetal acceleration.

Evaluate the dynamics of systems in motion and collisions including friction, gravity, impulse and momentum, change in momentum and conservation of momentum.

Investigate projectile motion.

Distinguish between mass and weight using SI units.

Measure and calculate mechanical advantage of mechanical devices.

Relate time to the independent variable of most experiments.

Relate inertia, fore, or action-reaction forces to Newton's three laws of motion and distinguish among the three laws in various scenarios.

Compare, contrast, and apply the characteristic properties of scalar and vector quantities.

Investigate the definitions of force, work, power, kinetic energy and potential energy.

Analyze the characteristics of energy, and conservation of energy including friction, and gravitational potential energy.

Investigate the buoyant force exerted on floating and submerged objects.

Investigate the apparent weight of an object submerged in a fluid.

Explain why objects float or sink in terms of force or density.

Examine the motion of fluids.

Recognize the effects of Bernoulli's principle on fluid motion (e.g., lift, ball trajectories, and wind around/over object).

Explore the relationships among temperature, heat, and internal energy.

Compare Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin temperature scales.

Investigate exchanges in internal energy.

Investigate the relationship between temperature and kinetic energy.

Distinguish among internal energy, temperature, and heat.

Investigate heat changes using calorimetry.

Investigate energy changes associated with heats of fusion and vaporization.

Explore thermal expansion and contraction.

Apply the Second Law of Thermodynamics to the Carnot engine.

Apply the Laws of Thermodynamics to atmospheric and climatic changes.

Recognize that absolute zero is the absence of molecular kinetic energy.

Relate the First Law of Thermodynamics as an application of the Law of Conservation of Energy to heat transfer through conduction, convection, and radiation.

Explore conditions associated with simple harmonic motion.

Investigate Hooke's law.

Understand wave mechanics.

Examine the Doppler Effect.

Explore the characteristics and properties of sound.

Describe the characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Investigate the interaction of light waves.

Explore the optical principles of mirrors and lenses.

Investigate the phenomenon of color.

Investigate simple harmonic motion.

Explore Hooke's Law.

Investigate and analyze wavelength, frequency and amplitude of longitudinal and transverse waves.

Compare mechanical and electromagnetic waves.

Investigate reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference of sound waves.

Demonstrate the Doppler Effect.

Determine the speed of sound experimentally and describe how various materials and temperatures affect wave transmission.

Measure spring constants.

Compare wave characteristics to natural auditory phenomena.

Explore properties of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Examine properties of light waves.

Investigate reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference of light waves.

Investigate the polarization of plane and curved mirrors.

Use ray tracings to solve optics of mirrors and lenses problems.

Solve problems related to Snell's laws.

Investigate optical phenomena (e.g., mirage, optical illusions, and dichromatic lens effect).

Distinguish between coherent and incoherent light.

Examine the properties of lasers.

Explore the additive and subtractive properties associated with color formation.

Distinguish among electric forces, electric charges, and electric fields.

Explore static and current electricity.

Investigate Ohm's law.

Compare and contrast series and parallel circuits.

Analyze components of electrical schematic diagrams.

Investigate magnetic poles, magnetic fields, and electromagnetic induction.

Measure voltage, current, and resistance.

Draw electric field lines, given a scenario of charged particles.

Draw and explain series and parallel circuits.

Identify components of series and parallel circuits and solve problems related to voltage, current, and resistance.

Build series and parallel circuits and describe how they function.

Demonstrate and explain electromagnetic induction.

Sketch the magnetic field lines around a bar magnet.

Create a simple electromagnet.

Investigate the properties and structure of the atom.

Explore the dynamics of the nucleus: radioactivity, nuclear decay, radiocarbon/uranium dating, and half-life.

Compare and contrast nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.

Investigate quantum theory.

Identify the parts of an atom.

Describe the properties and location of subatomic particles.

Explain how particles behave like waves.

Describe three forms of radioactivity in terms of changes in atomic number or mass number.

Investigate the concept of half-life.

Write balanced equations for the three forms of radioactive decay.

Explain carbon-14 or uranium dating methods.

Distinguish between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion in terms of transmutation.

Investigate the history of nuclear science.

Recognize that science is a progressive endeavor that reevaluates and extends what is already accepted.

Design and conduct scientific investigations to explore new phenomena, verify previous results, test how well a theory predicts, and compare opposing theories.

Use appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate data.

Apply qualitative and quantitative measures to analyze data and draw conclusions that are free of bias.

Compare experimental evidence and conclusions with those drawn by others about the same testable question.

Communicate and defend scientific findings.

Trace the historical development of a scientific principle or theory, such as plate tectonics, evolution of the cosmos, and global change.

Conduct scientific investigations that include testable questions, verifiable hypotheses, and appropriate variables to explore new phenomena or verify the experimental results of others.

Select appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate quantitative and qualitative data.

Determine if data supports or contradicts a hypothesis or conclusion.

Compare or combine experimental evidence from two or more investigations.

Recognize, analyze, and evaluate alternative explanations for the same set of observations.

Evaluate the accuracy and precision of data.

Analyze experimental results and identify possible sources of bias or experimental error.

Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.

Explore the impact of technology on social, political, and economic systems.

Differentiate among elements of the engineering design cycle: design constraints, model building, testing, evaluating, modifying, and retesting.

Explain the relationship between the properties of a material and the use of the material in the application of a technology.

Describe the dynamic interplay among science, technology, and engineering within living, earth-space, and physical systems.

Distinguish among tools and procedures best suited to conduct a specified scientific inquiry.

Apply the engineering design process to construct a prototype that meets developmentally appropriate specifications.

Evaluate a protocol to determine the degree to which an engineering design process was successfully applied.

Explore how the unintended consequences of new technologies can impact human and non-human communities.

Evaluate the overall benefit to cost ratio of a new technology.

Present research on current bioengineering technologies that advance health and contribute to improvements in our daily lives.

Design a series of multi-view drawings that can be used by other students to construct an adaptive design and test its effectiveness.

Explore theories for the origin and evolution of the universe.

Examine the components of the solar system.

Explore the sun, earth, and moon relationships and their gravitational effects.

Investigate the history of space exploration.

Identify the components of the universe: black holes, galaxies, nebulae, solar systems, stars, planets, meteors, comets, and asteroids.

Compare explanations for the origin of the universe: Big Bang, nucleosynthesis, galaxy, and star formation.

Construct a solar system model that illustrates ratios and proportions of distance and size of planets.

Explain the evolution of a star through stages of its development.

Classify galaxies according to shape.

Explore the role of astronomical events in the earth's history: asteroid/meteor impacts, solar flares, and comets.

Compare and contrast the earth with other planets in the solar system.

Investigate the seasonal relationships between the length of the day and the inclination and relative positions of the sun and earth.

Describe the position of the sun, earth, and moon during eclipses and different lunar phases.

Predict tidal conditions based upon the position of the earth, moon, and sun.

Describe the relationship between the mass of an object and the its gravitational force.

Construct a historical timeline that depicts man's changing perceptions and understanding of astronomy.

Understand how telescopes and spectroscopy manipulate light to reveal information about the universe.

Investigate the history of space exploration.

Research Tennessee's contribution to earth and space science.

Investigate the principal sources of energy.

Explore pathways of energy transfer.

Evaluate alternative energy sources.

Differentiate among the various forms of energy.

Illustrate three types of energy transfer: radiation, conduction, and convection.

Describe different types of energy resources: fossil fuels, solar, geothermal, nuclear, wind, and hydroelectric.

Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources in terms of resource conservation.

Investigate how the sun provides the major source of earth's surface energy.

Explore three primary sources of internal energy: gravitational energy from the earth's original formation, friction, and radioactive decay.

Diagram and evaluate pathways of energy transfer to demonstrate the law of conservation of energy.

Describe the energy transfer associated with different geologic events: mantle convection, rock cycle, wind, and ocean currents.

Describe the human impact of large scale energy transfer events: hurricanes, photosynthesis, earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis.

Compare and contrast alternative energy sources and their environmental impact.

Compare energy sources and heat transfer over geologic time to current patterns of global change.

Explain the components of the tectonic cycle.

Investigate the rock cycle.

Analyze the hydrologic cycle.

Interpret data related to the atmospheric cycle.

Differentiate among the geochemical cycles.

Evaluate the impact of living organisms on earth system cycles.

Investigate how maps can be used to interpret changes in the earth system.

Relate earth system cycles to past and current patterns of global change.

Use models to explain the theory of plate tectonics.

Apply mantle convection currents to distinguish between divergent and convergent plate boundaries.

Explain and map the relationship between plate tectonics and mountain building, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

Distinguish between minerals and rocks.

Identify minerals according to their physical properties.

Distinguish among sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.

Interpret a diagram of the rock cycle.

Explain a model of the hydrologic cycle.

Distinguish between mechanical and chemical weathering.

Describe the impact of water on the evolution of landforms.

Collect and interpret basic weather data from meteorological instruments: thermometer, rain gauge, and barometer.

Analyze weather map data to make simple predictions.

Explain the oxygen/carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and carbon biogeochemical cycles.

Recognize the connection between geologic processes such as floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, acid rain, global warming and human activities.

Construct a geological cycle for a physiographic region or geologic time period in Tennessee.

Interpret topographic maps.

Relate current global patterns such as sea level change and geographic climate shifts to events that occurred during the earth's distant past.

Interpret the nature of geologic time.

Investigate the evolution of the earth.

Interpret the fossil record for evidence of biological evolution.

Demonstrate the impact of environmental change on the origin and extinction of plant and animal species.

Explain the law of uniformitarianism.

Differentiate between absolute and relative time.

Compare and contrast how relative and absolute dating techniques are used to interpret the advance of geologic history.

Construct a geologic timetable for the evolution of earth and the history of life.

Interpret evidence for plate tectonics such as the fossil record, mountain range formation, rock strata, paleomagnetism, paleoclimates, and configuration of the continents.

Recognize that fossils contained in sedimentary rock provide evidence of past life forms, changes in life forms, and environmental change.

Determine the relative age of fossils in sedimentary rock.

Interpret the sequence of rock strata using superposition, cross-cutting relationships, inclusions, the fossil record, and absolute dating techniques.

Predict how an environmental change might influence the development of new species or cause the extinction of an existing species.

Recognize that science is a progressive endeavor that reevaluates and extends what is already accepted.

Design and conduct scientific investigations to explore new phenomena, verify previous results, test how well a theory predicts, and compare opposing theories.

Use appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate data.

Apply qualitative and quantitative measures to analyze data and draw conclusions that are free of bias.

Compare experimental evidence and conclusions with those drawn by others about the same testable question.

Communicate and defend scientific findings.

Develop a testable question for a scientific investigation.

Develop an experimental design for testing a hypothesis.

Select appropriate independent, dependent, or controlled variables for an experiment.

Perform an experiment to test a prediction.

Gather, organize, and transform data from an experiment.

Analyze and interpret the results of an experiment.

Use knowledge and data-interpretation skills to support a conclusion.

State a conclusion in terms of the relationship between two or more variables.

Compare the results of an experiment with what is already known about the topic under investigation.

Suggest alternative explanations for the same observations.

Analyze experimental results and identify the nature and sources of experimental error.

Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.

Develop a logical argument about cause-and-effect relationships in an experiment.

Explore the impact of technology on social, political, and economic systems.

Differentiate among elements of the engineering design cycle: design constraints, model building, testing, evaluating, modifying, and retesting.

Explain the relationship between the properties of a material and the use of the material in the application of a technology.

Describe the dynamic interplay among science, technology, and engineering within living, earth-space, and physical systems.

Select appropriate tools to conduct a scientific inquiry.

Apply the engineering design process to construct a prototype that meets developmentally appropriate specifications.

Explore how the unintended consequences of new technologies can impact human and non-human communities.

Present research on current bioengineering technologies that advance health and contribute to improvements in our daily lives.

Design a series of multi-view drawings that can be used by other students to construct an adaptive design and test its effectiveness.

Analyze strategies for classifying organisms.

Identify organisms based on how they obtain energy.

Relate specific animal behaviors and plant tropisms to survival.

Investigate various approaches to maintain biodiversity.

Develop a visual aid to illustrate the major characteristics of the six kingdoms.

Use a dichotomous key to identify at least five species found in a local ecosystem.

Distinguish among primary, secondary and tertiary consumers.

Distinguish among herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.

Distinguish between photosynthesis and chemosynthesis and describe organisms that occupy these niches in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

Investigate animal behavior by observing common invertebrates: termites, isopods, mealworms or bess beetles.

Using simple materials create a living display of photo-, hydro- and geo- tropisms.

Investigate techniques and findings of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventories (ATBI) underway in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Tennessee State Parks.

Explore careers in conservation biology and bioinformatics.

Cite examples of populations limited by natural factors, humans or both.

Explain population growth patterns and rates.

Summarize how natural selection influences a population over time.

Define population and describe several examples of populations in different ecosystems.

Identify distribution patterns (random, uniform, clumped with groups random) and populations that exhibit each of these patterns.

Using a population of yeast, duckweed or other suitable species, design and conduct an experiment to evaluate population growth and carrying capacity.

Categorize limiting factors as density dependent or density independent, human influenced or non-human influenced, and biotic or abiotic when given scenarios.

Evaluate populations based on age structure, distribution, and density.

Draw and/or label population growth curves representing exponential growth, logistic growth and carrying capacity.

Illustrate the type of survivorship curves created by r-strategists and K-strategists.

Research case studies (Tasmanian sheep, St. Matthew's Island reindeer, Isle Royale) to illustrate the consequences of logistic and exponential growth.

Compare case studies of evolution such as Galapagos finches, peppered moths, and salamanders in the Smoky Mountains.

Explain ecological niches within various habitats.

Relate species interactions such as competition, predation and symbiosis to coevolution.

Apply the first and second laws of thermodynamics to explain the flow of energy through a food chain or web.

Analyze how biomass is related to trophic levels.

Describe the difference between a fundamental niche and a realized niche.

Create a chart to compare and contrast specialist and generalist species and describe environmental conditions that favor these two approaches.

Distinguish among the following roles and cite Tennessee examples of each: native species, non-native species, invasive species, indicator species, "keystone" species.

Discuss how competition and predation regulate population size.

Summarize the principles of competitive exclusion and resource partitioning.

Distinguish among the three forms of symbiotic relationships.

Describe structural and behavioral adaptations for survival used by predators and prey.

Explain energy pyramids and the "Rule of 10" as they relate to the first and second laws of thermodynamics.

Create a food web characteristic of a Tennessee ecoregion composed of at least four trophic levels.

Describe the flow of energy flow through an ecosystem.

Describe how matter cycles through various biogeochemical cycles.

Evaluate the process of succession.

Summarize the human impact on ecosystems.

Describe how biodiversity relates to stability of an ecosystem.

Trace energy flow from the sun through living organisms.

Illustrate each of the following biogeochemical cycles: water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

Distinguish between primary and secondary biological succession.

Explore a local area and examine the abiotic and biotic factors relating to succession and ecosystem structure.

Summarize how disturbance contributes to succession and ecosystem stability.

Identify how nutrient availability affects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Design an ecosystem in the classroom (terrarium, bottle biology, eco-column, etc.) for making observations, conducting experiments and long-term monitoring.

Create a concept map relating the events that lead to the parachuting of cats on Borneo by the World Health Organization.

Explain how climate influences terrestrial biomes.

Compare and contrast the major terrestrial biomes: deserts, temperate grasslands, temperate forests, tropical grasslands, tropical forests, taiga and tundra.

Examine the major marine and freshwater biomes.

Infer how organisms in different biomes occupy similar niches.

Identify how humans impact biomes.

Illustrate how temperature, precipitation, latitude, and altitude influence terrestrial biomes.

Research and create a visual to summarize the climate, soil, location, plant adaptations, animal adaptations, and human threats to each of the major terrestrial biomes.

Research and create a visual to summarize abiotic factors, location, plant adaptations, animal adaptations, and human threats to marine and freshwater biomes.

Research wetlands in your area and write a persuasive letter to a public official concerning the protection of wetlands.

Compare two or more ecological equivalents and how they are specifically adapted to their particular biome (black/grizzly bears, Asian/African elephants, snowshoe/cottontail/jack rabbit).

Investigate the role of public lands in sustaining biodiversity.

Examine state, national, and international efforts to sustain native species and ecosystems.

Evaluate the impact of personal actions on the environment.

Identify and explain choices you can make to lessen your impact on the environment.

Differentiate the purposes of State and National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and Forests.

Design a vacation brochure, poster, slide show presentation or commercial advertisement that extols the virtues of a given area (e.g., state or national parks/forests) and ecotourism opportunities that may be found there.

Research and paraphrase local, national, and international environmental legislation enacted to sustain biodiversity (e.g., The Lacy Act, Endangered Species Act, National Marine Fisheries Act, TWRA Hunting and Fishing Regulations, CITES).

Develop a timeline that illustrates major local, national and international environmental legislation enacted to sustain biodiversity.

Find out what watershed your school is located in and how wastewater, municipal solid, and hazardous wastes are handled.

Research issues surrounding the adoption of environmentally and socially responsible behaviors (e.g., proper waste disposal, using fuel efficient transportation, planting native species, purchasing locally grown food, reducing/eliminating dependence on 'one use' products).

Create a list of the "Five Biggest Threats to the Global Environment."

Recognize that science is a progressive endeavor that reevaluates and extends what is already accepted.

Design and conduct scientific investigations to explore new phenomena, verify previous results, test how well a theory predicts, and compare opposing theories.

Use appropriate tools and technology to collect precise and accurate data.

Apply qualitative and quantitative measures to analyze data and draw conclusions that are free of bias.

Compare experimental evidence and conclusions with those drawn by others about the same testable question.

Communicate and defend scientific findings.

Develop a testable question for a scientific investigation.

Develop an experimental design for testing a hypothesis.

Select appropriate independent, dependent, or controlled variables for an experiment.

Perform an experiment to test a prediction.

Gather, organize, and transform data from an experiment.

Analyze and interpret the results of an experiment.

Use knowledge and data-interpretation skills to support a conclusion.

State a conclusion in terms of the relationship between two or more variables.

Compare the results of an experiment with what is already known about the topic under investigation.

Suggest alternative explanations for the same observations.

Analyze experimental results and identify possible sources of bias or experimental error.

Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.

Develop a logical argument about cause-and-effect relationships in an experiment.

Explore the impact of technology on social, political, and economic systems.

Differentiate among elements of the engineering design cycle: design constraints, model building, testing, evaluating, modifying, and retesting.

Explain the relationship between the properties of a material and the use of the material in the application of a technology.

Describe the dynamic interplay among science, technology, and engineering within living, earth-space, and physical systems.

Select appropriate tools to conduct a scientific inquiry.

Apply the engineering design process to construct a prototype that meets developmentally appropriate specifications.

Explore how the unintended consequences of new technologies can impact human and non-human communities.

Present research on current bioengineering technologies that advance health and contribute to improvements in our daily lives.

Design a series of multi-view drawings that can be used by other students to construct an adaptive design and test its effectiveness.

Explain how earth's position in the solar system creates global climate patterns.

Use the theory of plate tectonics to explain the occurrence of earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis.

Explain the rock cycle and its association with soil formation.

Relate the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere to the biosphere.

Use a globe to explain the global circulation of the atmosphere integrating the uneven heating of Earth's surface and Earth's rotation.

Sketch and label a diagram of the layers of the atmosphere indicating distance above Earth's surface, temperature changes and other significant characteristics for each layer.

Use a one gallon container of water as a scale model to explain what percentage of water on Earth occurs as oceans, glaciers, freshwater and groundwater.

Compare heat transfer in the atmosphere and the oceans.

Describe how gases in the atmosphere affect climate.

Differentiate between divergent, convergent and transform plate boundaries.

Create a concept map depicting the rock cycle.

Relate erosion (weathering and transportation) to soil formation.

Differentiate between the hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere.

Employ the first and second laws of thermodynamics to explain energy flow within ecosystems.

Discuss the roles of biodiversity and coevolution in ecosystems.

Using temperature, latitude and altitude, infer the types of animal and plant life found in each of earth's major biomes.

Distinguish between primary and secondary biological succession using common plants and animals.

Explain biogeochemical cycling in ecosystems.

Trace energy flow from the sun through living things.

Diagram an energy/food pyramid that illustrates the 'Rule of 10'.

Create a food web characteristic of a Tennessee ecoregion composed of at least four trophic levels. Extract two different, four trophic level food chains.

Describe how species biodiversity relates to ecosystem stability.

Describe plant and animal adaptations found in each of earth's major biomes.

Identify the locations of earth's major biomes using a globe or map.

Develop a visual display to compare and contrast primary and secondary biological succession in one of earth's major biomes or aquatic habitats.

Explain how human activities such as lawn mowing, gardening, farming, logging, planting trees, mining, and urban development advance, halt, or slow succession.

Draw and explain diagrams illustrating each of the following biogeochemical cycles: water, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.

Demonstrate how human population growth over time has been affected by improved food production, healthcare, sanitation and industrial advances.

Research demographics and economic status of different countries to infer ecological and economic consequences of human population growth.

Explain how social and economic factors affect the fertility rate and life expectancy of the human population.

Interpret and create graphs depicting human populations.

Compare and contrast population growth rates and demographics for countries at various stages of economic development.

Analyze age structure diagrams to predict population growth rates.

Describe how the U.S. population experienced demographic transition.

Use the concept of the ecological footprint to predict the ecological consequences of human population growth.

Discuss pros and cons of methods used to manage a country's population growth.

Examine common resource use practices in agriculture, forestry, urban/suburban development, mining, and fishing.

Explore best management practices related to water and soil resources.

Compare and contrast preservation and conservation.

Evaluate the impact of human activities on natural resources.

Differentiate between renewable and nonrenewable resources.

Summarize how environmental problems (e.g., erosion, desertification, acid deposition, simplified ecosystems, and soil salinization) are associated with farming practices and soil conservation practices.

Investigate the impact of the green revolution on world food production and on the environment.

Investigate the pros and cons of producing crops through genetic engineering.

Summarize the ecological services and economic benefits provided by forests.

Summarize the environmental impact of extracting, processing, and using mineral resources.

Conduct a controlled experiment to determine effects of soil salinization on seed germination.

Use an environmentally significant case study (e.g., oil exploration in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge) to explain the difference between preservation and conservation.

Summarize the roles of various public and private organizations (e.g., Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, Department of Interior, Tennessee Wildlife resource Agency, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation) involved in natural resource protection and use.

Research a Tennessee city, such as Chattanooga. Incorporate green design features into a plan for sustainable development in your community.

Research and summarize U.S. environmental laws related to natural resources (e.g., Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, Food Quality Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, Soil Conservation Act, and National Park Service Act).

Compare and contrast various energy resources.

Analyze the past and present use of energy resources.

Predict future trends in energy resource use.

Construct visual displays to illustrate the source, uses, advantages, disadvantages, availability, and cost of energy resources (i.e. coal, petroleum, nuclear, solar, hydro, wind, geothermal, biofuels, Hydrogen, tidal, "OTEC").

Explain the concept of full cost pricing as it relates to electricity production.

Summarize renewable and nonrenewable energy use and consumption through time.

Compare the energy consumption of common appliances/electronic devices.

Describe energy saving alternatives to common appliances and electronic devices and explore energy saving alternatives.

Calculate personal carbon footprint and formulate plans for personal and commercial energy conservation.

Research technological advances in energy resources.

Research technological advances in energy conservation.

Investigate the causes, environmental effects, and methods for controlling/preventing land, air and water pollution.

Apply case studies to relate land, air, and water pollution to human health issues.

Explore methods used for remediation of land, air and water pollution.

Research local and national environmental legislation related to protecting land, air and water resources.

Research local and state methods used for solid waste reduction, recycling and disposal; compare them to methods used in other developed countries.

Differentiate between point and non-point sources of pollution as they apply to air and water.

Conduct a watershed analysis of a local stream. Test for chemical and biological (infectious) pollutants include a survey of macro invertebrates.

Investigate a state or local environmental issue involving pollution of land, air or water.

Explore case studies of human health problems related to pollutants.

Research major U.S. Environmental Legislation such as National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), The Clean Air Act, The Clean Water Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund), Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), The Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA), The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Compare and contrast industrial agricultural practices emphasizing use of petroleum based pesticides and fertilizers with organic methods of food production that utilize integrated pest management and organic composting.

Conduct a survey about waste management/recycling habits and opportunities in your community. Report findings in an article written for a local newspaper, a pod-cast or on a local talk radio show.

Investigate what watershed your school is located in and how wastewater, municipal solid and hazardous wastes are handled.

Explain how consumer choices in Tennessee impact jobs, resources, pollution and waste here and around the world.

Compare and contrast methods used by various governments to protect biodiversity.

Explain how human activity is related to ozone depletion and climate change.

Summarize the scientific explanation for average global temperature increase.

Interview a senior citizen about past use and disposal of resources and compare with common practices today.

Compare and contrast industrial agriculture and sustainable agriculture.

Identify how environmental protection can be carried out on a local level and explain choices that can be made to lessen the impact on the environment.

Choose three endangered species and predict how their removal would affect the ecosystems in which they live.

Research the effectiveness of the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Research major international environmental issues and how they are addressed by international agreements (Kyoto, Montreal, CITES, etc.).

Compare and contrast stratospheric and tropospheric ozone.

Define chlorofluorocarbons and explain how they break down ozone molecules.

Explain the trend in atmospheric CO2 levels indicated by ice core data and CO2 measurements recorded at Mauna Loa since 1958.

Predict the consequences of a warmer earth.

Recognize that science is a progressive endeavor that reevaluates and extends what is already accepted.