c correlations · concepts of life science (sc1, sc2, sc3) grade level expectation / strand [3]...

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Bio Balance:curriculum correlations

Correlated to state and national science standards for grades 3 to 6 and to Canadian provincial learning outcomes, PowerKnowledge Life Science provides

comprehensive curricular support.

To see how Bio Balance is correlated to your standards or learning outcomes, please find your state or province below.

States and provinces are listed alphabetically.

Rosen PK Life Science Grades: 3, 4, 5, 6 U.S. States and Canada

"Game: Bio Balance"

Alabama Courses of Study

Science

Grade: 3 - Adopted 2005

STANDARD / CONTENT AREA AL.2. Life Science - Students will:

OBJECTIVE / STRAND 2.7.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the role of plants in a food chain



OBJECTIVE / STRAND 2.5. Describe the interdependence of plants and animals.

OBJECTIVE / STRAND 2.5.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing behaviors and body structures that help animals survive in particular habitats. Examples: behaviors - migration, hibernation, mimicry; body structures - quills, fangs, stingers, webbed feet

OBJECTIVE / STRAND 2.5.c. Additional Minimum Content: Tracing the flow of energy through a food chain. Example: producer, first-level consumer, second-level consumer, and third-level consumer

OBJECTIVE / STRAND 2.6.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the grouping of organisms into populations, communities, and ecosystems



OBJECTIVE / STRAND 2.9. Describe the relationship of populations within a habitat to various communities and ecosystems.

OBJECTIVE / STRAND 2.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the relationship between food chains and food webs


STANDARD / CONTENT AREA AL.1. Earth and Space Science - Students will:



Correlated to state and national science standards for grades 3 to 6 and to Canadian provincial learning outcomes, PowerKids Life Science provides comprehensive curricular support. To see how Bio Balance is correlated to your standards or

learning outcomes, please find your state or province below. States and provinces are listed alphabetically.

OBJECTIVE / STRAND 1.7. Describe Earth's biomes. Examples: aquatic biomes, grasslands, deserts, chaparrals, taigas, tundras

Alaska Content Standards

Science


PERFORMANCE / CONTENT STANDARD AK.A1. Science as Inquiry and Process (SA1, SA2, SA3)

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION / STRAND

[3] SA3.1. The student demonstrates an understanding that interactions with the environment provide an opportunity for understanding scientific concepts by observing local conditions that determine which plants and/or animals survive. (L)

PERFORMANCE / CONTENT STANDARD AK.C1. Concepts of Life Science (SC1, SC2, SC3)


[3] SC3.2. The student demonstrates an understanding that all organisms are linked to each other and their physical environments through the transfer and transformation of matter and energy by organizing a simple food chain of familiar plants and animals. (L)

PERFORMANCE / CONTENT STANDARD AK.SC. Concepts of Life Science: A student should understand and be able to apply the concepts, models, theories, facts, evidence, systems, and processes of life science. A student who meets the content standard should:


SC3. Develop an understanding that all organisms are linked to each other and their physical environments through the transfer and transformation of matter and energy.

PERFORMANCE / CONTENT STANDARD AK.SE. Science and Technology: A student should understand the relationships among science, technology, and society. A student who meets the content standard should:


SE1. Develop an understanding of how scientific knowledge and technology are used in making decisions about issues, innovations, and responses to problems and everyday events.




[4] SA3.1. The student demonstrates an understanding that interactions with the environment provide an opportunity for understanding scientific concepts by identifying the local limiting factors (e.g., weather, human influence, species interactions) that





determine which plants and/or animals survive. (L)



[4] SC3.1. The student demonstrates an understanding that all organisms are linked to each other and their physical environments through the transfer and transformation of matter and energy by identifying examples of living and non-living things and the relationship between them (e.g., living things need water, herbivores need plants).


[4] SC3.2. The student demonstrates an understanding that all organisms are linked to each other and their physical environments through the transfer and transformation of matter and energy by identifying a simple food chain of familiar plans and animals, diagramming how energy flows through it, and describing the effects of removing one link.

PERFORMANCE / CONTENT STANDARD AK.E1. Science and Technology (SE1, SE2, SE3)


[4] SE2.2. The student demonstrates an understanding that solving problems involves different ways of thinking, perspectives, and curiosity by identifying multiple explanations (e.g., oral traditions, folklore, scientific theory) of everyday events (e.g., weather, seasonal changes). (L)














[5] SA3.1. The student demonstrates an understanding that interactions with the environment provide an opportunity for understanding scientific concepts by identifying the limiting factors (e.g., weather, human influence, species interactions) that determine which plants and/or animals survive.



[5] SC3.1. The student demonstrates an understanding that all organisms are linked to each other and their physical environments through the transfer and transformation of matter and energy by diagramming how matter and energy are transferred within and between living and nonliving things.


[5] SC3.2. The student demonstrates an understanding that all organisms are linked to each other and their physical environments through the transfer and transformation of matter and energy by organizing a simple food chain of familiar plants and animals that traces the source of the energy back to sunlight.

PERFORMANCE / CONTENT STANDARD AK.E1. Science and Technology (SE1, SE2, SE3)


[5] SE2.2. The student demonstrates an understanding that solving problems involves different ways of thinking, perspectives, and curiosity by comparing multiple explanations (e.g., oral traditions, folklore, scientific theory) of everyday events (e.g., weather, seasonal changes). (L)














[6] SC1.2. The student demonstrates an understanding of how science explains changes in life forms over time, including genetics, heredity, the process of natural selection and biological evolution by recognizing that species survive by adapting to changes in their environment.


[6] SC3.2. The student demonstrates an understanding that all organisms are linked to each other and their physical environments through the transfer and transformation of matter and energy by organizing a food web using familiar plants and animals.







Alberta Standards

Science


GENERAL OUTCOME / COURSE AB.3-4. Attitudes: Demonstrate positive attitudes for the study of science and for the application of science in responsible ways.

GENERAL OUTCOME / SPECIFIC OUTCOME

3-4.8. Students will show growth in acquiring and applying a sense of responsibility for personal and group actions.


3-4.9. Students will show growth in acquiring and applying respect for living things and environments, and





commitment for their care.

GENERAL OUTCOME / COURSE AB.3-10. Topic E: Animal Life Cycles: Describe the appearances and life cycles of some common animals, and identify their adaptations to different environments.

GENERAL OUTCOME / COURSE AB.3-11. Topic E: Animal Life Cycles: Identify requirements for animal care.


3-11.7. Recognize adaptations of a young animal to its environment, and identify changes in its relationship to its environment as it goes through life; e.g., tadpoles are adapted for life in an aquatic environment; adult frogs show adaptations to both terrestrial and aquatic environments.


3-11.9. Recognize that habitat preservation can help maintain animal populations, and identify ways that student actions can assist habitat preservation.




4-4.8. Students will show growth in acquiring and applying a sense of responsibility for personal and group actions.


4-4.9. Students will show growth in acquiring and applying respect for living things and environments, and commitment for their care.

GENERAL OUTCOME / COURSE AB.4-5. Topic A: Waste and Our World: Recognize that human activity can lead to the production of wastes, and identify alternatives for the responsible use and disposal of materials.


4-5.8. Identify alternative materials and processes that may decrease the amount of waste produced; e.g., reducing wastage of food, using both sides of a sheet of paper.


4-5.9. Identify ways in which materials can be reused or recycled, including examples of things that the student has done.








5-4.10. Students will show growth in acquiring and applying a sense of personal and shared responsibility for actions taken.



GENERAL OUTCOME / COURSE AB.5-10. Topic E: Wetland Ecosystems: Describe the living and nonliving components of a wetland ecosystem and the interactions within and among them.


5-10.1. Recognize and describe one or more examples of wetland ecosystems found in the local area; e.g., pond, slough, marsh, bog, fen.


5-10.2. Understand that a wetland ecosystem involves interactions between living and nonliving things, both in and around the water.


5-10.3. Identify some plants and animals found at a wetland site, both in and around the water; and describe the life cycles of these plants and animals.


5-10.4. Identify and describe adaptations that make certain plants and animals suited for life in a wetland.


5-10.5. Understand and appreciate that all animals and plants, not just the large ones, have an important role in a wetland community.


5-10.6. Identify the roles of different organisms in the food web of a pond: producers - green plants that make their own food, using sunlight; consumers - animals that eat living plants and/or animals; decomposers - organisms, such as molds, fungi, insects and worms, that reuse and recycle materials that were formerly living.


5-10.7. Draw diagrams of food chains and food webs, and interpret such diagrams.


5-10.8. Recognize that some aquatic animals use oxygen from air and others from water, and identify examples and adaptations of each.


5-10.9. Identify human actions that can threaten the abundance or survival of living things in wetland ecosystems; e.g., adding pollutants, changing the flow of water, trapping or hunting pond wildlife.


5-10.10. Identify individual and group actions that can be taken to preserve and enhance wetland habitats.








6-4.10. Students will show growth in acquiring and applying a sense of personal and shared responsibility for actions taken.



GENERAL OUTCOME / COURSE AB.6-10. Topic E: Trees and Forests: Describe characteristics of trees and the interaction of trees with other living things in the local environment.


6-10.9. Identify human actions that enhance or threaten the existence of forests.


6-10.10. Identify an issue regarding forest use, identify different perspectives on that issue, and identify actions that might be taken.

Arizona Academic Standards

Science

Grade: 3 - Adopted 2004 / Updated 2005

STRAND AZ.SC03-S3. Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

CONCEPT / STANDARD SC03-S3C1. Changes in Environments: Describe the interactions between human populations, natural hazards, and the environment.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE / PROFICIENCY LEVEL

SC03-S3C1-02. Describe the beneficial and harmful impacts of natural events and human activities on the environment (e.g., forest fires, flooding, pesticides).

STRAND AZ.SC03-S4. Life Science

CONCEPT / STANDARD SC03-S4C3. Organisms and Environments: Understand the relationships among various organisms and their environment.


SC03-S4C3-02. Examine an ecosystem to identify microscopic and macroscopic organisms.


SC03-S4C3-03. Explain the interrelationships among plants and animals in different environments: producers - plants; consumers - animals; decomposers - fungi, insects, bacteria.






SC03-S4C3-05. Describe how environmental factors (e.g., soil composition, range of temperature, quantity and quality of light or water) in the ecosystem may affect a member organism's ability to grow, reproduce, and thrive.


CONCEPT / STANDARD SC03-S4C4. Diversity, Adaptation, and Behavior: Identify plant and animal adaptations.


SC03-S4C4-01. Identify adaptations of plants and animals that allow them to live in specific environments.


SC03-S4C4-02. Describe ways that species adapt when introduced into new environments.


STRAND AZ.SC04-S1. Inquiry Process

CONCEPT / STANDARD SC04-S1C1. Observations, Questions, and Hypotheses: Observe, ask questions, and make predictions.


SC04-S1C1-03. Formulate predictions in the realm of science based on observed cause and effect relationships.




SC04-S3C1-01. Describe how natural events and human activities have positive and negative impacts on environments (e.g., fire, floods, pollution, dams).


SC04-S3C1-02. Evaluate the consequences of environmental occurrences that happen either rapidly (e.g., fire, flood, tornado) or over a long period of time (e.g., drought, melting ice caps, the greenhouse effect, erosion).


CONCEPT / STANDARD SC04-S4C3. Organisms and Environments: Understand the relationships among various organisms and their environment.


SC04-S4C3-03. Analyze the effect that limited resources (e.g., natural gas, minerals) may have on an environment.


SC04-S4C3-04. Describe ways in which resources can be conserved (e.g., by reducing, reusing, recycling, finding substitutes).






CONCEPT / STANDARD SC04-S4C4. Diversity, Adaptation, and Behavior: Identify plant and animal adaptations.


SC04-S4C4-01. Recognize that successful characteristics of populations are inherited traits that are favorable in a particular environment.


SC04-S4C4-02. Give examples of adaptations that allow plants and animals to survive. (camouflage - horned lizards, coyotes; mimicry - Monarch and Viceroy butterflies; physical - cactus spines; mutualism - species of acacia that harbor ants, which repel other harmful insects).

STRAND AZ.SC04-S6. Earth and Space Science

CONCEPT / STANDARD SC04-S6C3. Changes in the Earth and Sky: Understand characteristics of weather conditions and climate.


SC04-S6C3-03. Differentiate between weather and climate as they relate to the southwestern United States.



CONCEPT / STANDARD SC05-S1C1. Observations, Questions, and Hypotheses: Formulate predictions, questions, or hypotheses based on observations. Locate appropriate resources.


SC05-S1C1-02. Formulate predictions in the realm of science based on observed cause and effect relationships.


CONCEPT / STANDARD SC05-S1C3. Analysis and Conclusions: Analyze and interpret data to explain correlations and results; formulate new questions.


SC05-S1C3-05. Identify possible relationships between variables in simple investigations (e.g., time and distance; incline and mass of object).




SC05-S3C1-01. Explain the impacts of natural hazards on habitats (e.g., global warming, floods, asteroid or large meteor impacts).

Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks





Science


STRAND/CONTENT STANDARD AR.5. Physical Science: Matter: Properties and Changes: Students shall demonstrate and apply knowledge of matter, including properties and changes, using appropriate safety procedures, equipment, and technology.

STANDARD/STUDENT LEARNING EXPECTATION

PS.5.3.1. Physical Properties: Compare and contrast objects based on two or more properties


STRAND/CONTENT STANDARD AR.4. Life Science: Populations and Ecosystems: Students shall demonstrate and apply knowledge of populations and ecosystems using appropriate safety procedures, equipment, and technology.


LS.4.4.1. Recognize environmental adaptations of plants and animals


LS.4.4.2. Illustrate the interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem

STRAND/CONTENT STANDARD AR.8. Earth and Space Science: Earth Systems: Structure and Properties: Students shall demonstrate and apply knowledge of Earth's structure and properties using appropriate safety procedures, equipment, and technology.


ESS.8.4.2. Natural Resources: Analyze the impact of using natural resources




LS.4.5.1. Populations and Ecosystems: Distinguish among and model organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biosphere


LS.4.5.4. Populations and Ecosystems: Evaluate food webs under conditions of stress: overgrazing, overpopulation, natural disaster, introduction of non-native species, human impact/urban development


LS.4.5.14. Populations and Ecosystems: Categorize organisms by the function they serve in ecosystems and food webs: predator/prey, parasitism,





producer/consumer/decomposer, scavenger, herbivore/carnivore/ omnivore


LS.4.5.16. Populations and Ecosystems: Evaluate positive and negative human effects on ecosystems


LS.4.5.18. Populations and Ecosystems: Investigate careers, scientists, and historical breakthroughs related to populations and ecosystems


STRAND/CONTENT STANDARD AR.3. Life Science: Life Cycles, Reproduction, and Heredity: Students shall demonstrate and apply knowledge of life cycles, reproduction, and heredity using appropriate safety procedures, equipment, and technology


LS.3.6.7. Regulation and Behavior: Describe the following structural adaptations for survival in the environment: coloration, mimicry, odor glands, beaks, feet, wings, fur, ears, spines, teeth, thorns, characteristics of seeds



LS.4.6.1. Populations and Ecosystems: Identify environmental conditions that can affect the survival of individual organisms and entire species

Atlantic Canada Curriculum Standards

Science

Grade: 3

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME CAMET.1. Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment (STSE) - Students will develop an understanding of the nature of science and technology, o the relationships between science and technology, and of the social and environmental contexts of science and technology.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.4. Students will undertake personal actions to care for the immediate environment and contribute to responsible group decisions (103)

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME CAMET.4. Attitudes - Students will be encouraged to develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific and technological knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society,





and the environment.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 4.7. Students will be sensitive to the needs of other people, other living things, and the local environment (407)

Grade: 4

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME CAMET.4. Attitudes - Students will be encouraged to develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific and technological knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society, and the environment.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 4.2. Students will realize that the applications of science and technology can have both intended and unintended effects (410)

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 4.11. Students will be sensitive to and develop a sense of responsibility for the welfare of other people, other living things, and the environment (419)

Grade: 5




Grade: 6








British Columbia Standards

Science


CURRICULUM ORGANIZER / COURSE BC.B. Life Science - Habitats and Communities: This is the study of the diversity, continuity, interactions, and balance among organisms and their environments. By using the skills, processes, and attitudes of science, students extend their understanding of the living world and their place within it.

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOME / ORGANIZER

B2. Students will analyse simple food chains


B4. Students will determine how personal choices and actions have environmental consequences


CURRICULUM ORGANIZER / COURSE BC.D. Earth and Space Science - Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources: This is the study of the universe and the structure of the Earth. By using the skills, processes, and attitudes of science, students develop an understanding of the forces, processes, and dynamic life-supporting qualities of the Earth.


D4. Students will describe potential environmental impacts of using BC's living and non-living resources


CURRICULUM ORGANIZER / COURSE BC.B. Life Science - Diversity of Life: This is the study of the diversity, continuity, interactions, and balance among organisms and their environments. By using the skills, processes, and attitudes of science, students extend their understanding of the living world and their place within it.


B2. Students will analyse how different organisms adapt to their environments

California Content Standards

Science


CONTENT STANDARD / DOMAIN CA.3. Life Sciences: Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism's chance for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept:





PERFORMANCE STANDARD / STRAND 3.b. Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.


CONTENT STANDARD / DOMAIN CA.2. Life Sciences: All organisms need energy and matter to live and grow. As a basis for understanding this concept:

PERFORMANCE STANDARD / STRAND 2.a. Students know plants are the primary source of matter and energy entering most food chains.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD / STRAND 2.b. Students know producers and consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers) are related in food chains and food webs and may compete with each other for resources in an ecosystem.

CONTENT STANDARD / DOMAIN CA.3. Life Sciences: Living organisms depend on one another and on their environment for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept:

PERFORMANCE STANDARD / STRAND 3.b. Students know that in any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

CONTENT STANDARD / DOMAIN CA.6. Investigation and Experimentation: Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:

PERFORMANCE STANDARD / STRAND 6.c. Formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships.


CONTENT STANDARD / DOMAIN CA.5. Earth Science: Ecology (Life Science): Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:

PERFORMANCE STANDARD / STRAND 5.c. Students know populations of organisms can be categorized by the functions they serve in an ecosystem.

Colorado K-12 Academic Standards

Science






CONTENT AREA CO.4. Prepared Graduate Competencies in Science: The preschool through twelfth-grade concepts and skills that all students who complete the Colorado education system must master to ensure their success in a postsecondary and workforce setting.

STANDARD 4.5. Explain and illustrate with examples how living systems interact with the biotic and abiotic environment


CONTENT AREA CO.2. Life Science

STANDARD 2.3. There is interaction and interdependence between and among living and nonliving components of ecosystems. Students can:

CONCEPTS AND SKILLS / EVIDENCE OUTCOMES

2.3.a. Use evidence to develop a scientific explanation on how organisms adapt to their habitat


2.3.b. Identify the components that make a habitat type unique


2.3.c. Compare and contrast different habitat types


2.3.d. Create and evaluate models of the flow of nonliving components or resources through an ecosystem


2.3.e. Make a plan to positively impact a local ecosystem












STANDARD 2.1. Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms, populations, and entire species. Students can:


2.1.c. Model equilibrium in an ecosystem, including basic inputs and outputs, to predict how a change to that ecosystem such as climate change might impact the organisms, populations, and species within it such as the removal of a top predator or introduction of a new species


2.1.d. Examine, evaluate, question, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media to investigate how environmental conditions affect the survival of individual organisms


STANDARD 2.2. Organisms interact with each other and their environment in various ways that create a flow of energy and cycling of matter in an ecosystem. Students can:


2.2.a. Develop, communicate, and justify an evidence-based explanation about why there generally are more producers than consumers in an ecosystem



Connecticut Curriculum Frameworks

Science


DOMAIN / CONTENT STANDARD CT.3.2. Heredity and Evolution: Organisms can survive and reproduce only in environments that meet their basic needs. a) Plants and animals have structures and behaviors that help them survive in different environments.

STATE FRAMEWORK 3.2.1. Compare and contrast the external features and behaviors that enable different animals and plants (including those that are extinct) to get food, water and sunlight; find mates; and be protected in





specific land and water habitats.

STATE FRAMEWORK 3.2.3. Give examples of ways animals benefit from camouflage.

STATE FRAMEWORK 3.2.4. Evaluate whether an adaptation gives a plant or animal a survival advantage in a given environment.

STATE FRAMEWORK 3.2.5. Design a model of an organism whose adaptations give it an advantage in a specific environment.


DOMAIN / CONTENT STANDARD CT.4.2. Matter and Energy in Ecosystems: All organisms depend on the living and nonliving features of the environment for survival. a) When the environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations.

STATE FRAMEWORK 4.2.1. Give examples of ways that living and nonliving things are interdependent within an ecosystem.

STATE FRAMEWORK 4.2.2. Draw diagrams showing how the sun's energy enters and is transferred from producers to consumers in a local land or aquatic food chain.

STATE FRAMEWORK 4.2.3. Design and conduct simple investigations to record interactions among producers, consumers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores and decomposers in an ecosystem.

STATE FRAMEWORK 4.2.5. Distinguish between naturally occurring changes in ecosystems and those caused by human activity.

STATE FRAMEWORK 4.2.6. Predict the effect an environmental change, such as drought or forest destruction, might have on the community of living things.


DOMAIN / CONTENT STANDARD CT.6.2. Matter and Energy in Ecosystems: An ecosystem is composed of all the populations that are living in a certain space and the physical factors with which they interact. a) Populations in ecosystems are affected by biotic factors, such as other populations, and abiotic factors, such as soil and water supply. b) Populations in ecosystems can be categorized as producers, consumers and decomposers of organic matter.

STATE FRAMEWORK 6.2.6. Compare and contrast how energy and matter flow in a Connecticut ecosystem, emphasizing the interactions among producers, consumers and decomposers.





STATE FRAMEWORK 6.2.9. Distinguish a food chain from a food web and identify local examples of each.

Delaware Standards and Curricula

Science


STANDARD / STRAND DE.6. Life Processes

STRAND / INDICATOR 6.4. Life Processes and Technology Application

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING Enduring Understanding: The life processes of organisms are affected by their interactions with each other and their environment, and may be altered by human manipulation.

BENCHMARK 6.4.C. The ability of an organism to meet its needs for survival is dependent upon its environment. Manipulation of the environment can positively or negatively affect the well being of various organisms that live there. (Level: Important)

STANDARD / STRAND DE.7. Diversity and Continuity of Living Things

STRAND / INDICATOR 7.1. Reproduction, Heredity and Development

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING Enduring Understanding: Organisms reproduce, develop, have predictable life cycles, and pass on heritable traits to their offspring.

BENCHMARK 7.1.C. All plants and animals go through a life cycle of birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death. This cycle is predictable and describable, but differs from organism to organism. (Level: Essential)

STANDARD / STRAND DE.8. Ecology

STRAND / INDICATOR 8.1. Interactions within the Environment

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING Enduring Understanding: Organisms and their environments are interconnected. Changes in one part of the system will affect other parts of the system.

BENCHMARK 8.1.A. An interconnectedness exists among the living and nonliving parts of an environment. This interconnectedness can be observed by the changes made by plants and animals in their environment. (Level: Important)

BENCHMARK 8.1.B. Plants and animals need enough space and resources to survive. Overcrowding leads to an increased need for resources. (Level: Important)






STRAND / INDICATOR 8.2. Energy Flow and Material Cycles in the Environment

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING Enduring Understandings: Matter needed to sustain life is continually recycled among and between organisms and the environment. Energy from the Sun flows irreversibly through ecosystems and is conserved as organisms use and transform it.

BENCHMARK 8.2.A. All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that have eaten plants. (Level: Important)


STANDARD / STRAND DE.3. Energy and Its Effects

STRAND / INDICATOR 3.4. The Production, Consumption and Application of Energy

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING Enduring Understanding: People utilize a variety of resources to meet the basic and specific needs of life. Some of these resources cannot be replaced. Other resources can be replenished or exist in such vast quantities they are in no danger of becoming depleted. Often the energy stored in resources must be transformed into more useful forms and transported over great distances before it can be helpful to us.

BENCHMARK 3.4.A. The production of most of the energy that we use in our daily lives comes from energy stored in natural resources. The quantity of these resources is limited, so it is important to conserve our natural resources by using them wisely. (Level: Compact)


STRAND / INDICATOR 6.2. Matter and Energy Transformations

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING Enduring Understanding: All organisms transfer matter and convert energy from one form to another. Both matter and energy are necessary to build and maintain structures within the organism.

BENCHMARK 6.2.A. Plants need the Sun's energy to grow and survive. (Level: Essential)

BENCHMARK 6.2.B. Animals need food to provide materials and energy for life which they derive directly or indirectly from plants. (Level: Essential)








BENCHMARK 8.1.B. All living organisms interact with the living and nonliving parts of their surroundings to meet their needs for survival. These interactions lead to a constant exchange of matter. (Level: Essential)

BENCHMARK 8.1.C. Adaptations in organisms enable them to live and reproduce in certain environments. Those organisms that are best suited for a particular environment have adaptations that allow them to compete for available resources and cope with the physical conditions of their immediate surroundings. (Level: Essential)




BENCHMARK 8.2.A. Plants need energy from the Sun, water and nutrients for growth and survival. (Level: Essential)

BENCHMARK 8.2.B. Animals eat plants or other animals that have eaten plants. Animals obtain energy and materials for body repair and growth from food. (Level: Essential)


STRAND / INDICATOR 8.3. Human Impact

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING Enduring Understanding: Humans can alter the living and non-living factors within an ecosystem, thereby creating changes to the overall system.

BENCHMARK 8.3.B. Different technologies are used to access resources to meet human wants and needs. In many cases the environment is affected and resources become limited. Some activities may include burning of fossil fuels, logging, building of highways, shopping centers, and dams, introduction of one species to control another species, spraying of insects, as well as some aspects of farming. (Level: Important)


STANDARD / STRAND DE.3. Energy and Its Effects





STRAND / INDICATOR 3.4. The Production, Consumption and Application of Energy

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING Enduring Understanding: People utilize a variety of resources to meet the basic and specific needs of life. Some of these resources cannot be replaced. Other resources can be replenished or exist in such vast quantities they are in no danger of becoming depleted. Often the energy stored in resources must be transformed into more useful forms and transported over great distances before it can be helpful to us.

BENCHMARK 3.4.A. The production of most of the energy that we use in our daily lives comes from energy stored in natural resources. The quantity of these resources is limited, so it is important to conserve our natural resources by using them wisely. (Level: Compact)




BENCHMARK 6.2.A. Plants need the Sun's energy to grow and survive. (Level: Essential)

BENCHMARK 6.2.B. Animals need food to provide materials and energy for life which they derive directly or indirectly from plants. (Level: Essential)




BENCHMARK 8.1.B. All living organisms interact with the living and nonliving parts of their surroundings to meet their needs for survival. These interactions lead to a constant exchange of matter. (Level: Essential)

BENCHMARK 8.1.C. Adaptations in organisms enable them to live and reproduce in certain environments. Those organisms that are best suited for a particular environment have adaptations that allow them to compete for available resources and cope with the physical conditions of their immediate surroundings. (Level: Essential)








BENCHMARK 8.2.A. Plants need energy from the Sun, water and nutrients for growth and survival. (Level: Essential)

BENCHMARK 8.2.B. Animals eat plants or other animals that have eaten plants. Animals obtain energy and materials for body repair and growth from food. (Level: Essential)




BENCHMARK 8.3.B. Different technologies are used to access resources to meet human wants and needs. In many cases the environment is affected and resources become limited. Some activities may include burning of fossil fuels, logging, building of highways, shopping centers, and dams, introduction of one species to control another species, spraying of insects, as well as some aspects of farming. (Level: Important)





BENCHMARK 6.2.A. All organisms require energy. A general distinction among organisms is that plants use solar energy to make their own food (sugar) and animals acquire energy directly or indirectly from plants. (Level: Essential)








BENCHMARK 8.1.A. All populations living together (biotic factors) and the physical factors with which they interact (abiotic factors) compose an ecosystem. (Level: Essential)

BENCHMARK 8.1.B. Ecosystems do not have precise boundaries. All ecosystems ultimately exchange materials with one another and all influence one another. (Level: Compact

BENCHMARK 8.1.C. The Delaware Estuary is a semi-enclosed tidal body of water with a free connection to the ocean. This richly productive system, including the associated marshes, provides a variety of habitats for diverse species. This system is biologically and economically important. (Level: Compact)




BENCHMARK 8.3.A. Humans can alter the biotic and abiotic factors within an ecosystem thereby creating changes to the overall system. (Level: Essential)

BENCHMARK 8.3.B. The introduction of competing species, removal of natural habitat, alteration of native landscapes due to urban, industrial and agricultural activities, over-harvesting of species, alteration of waterways and removal of natural predators, etc., are actions that have a lasting impact on ecosystems. (Level: Essential)

BENCHMARK 8.3.C. Individuals and policymakers make decisions regarding the use of resources based on estimated personal and societal benefits and risks. Impacts on environmental systems result from these decisions. (Level: Compact)

Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards

Science


BODY OF KNOWLEDGE FL.SC.3.P. Physical Science





BIG IDEA SC.3.P.8. Properties of Matter - A. All objects and substances in the world are made of matter. Matter has two fundamental properties: matter takes up space and matter has mass. B. Objects and substances can be classified by their physical and chemical properties. Mass is the amount of matter (or ''stuff'') in an object. Weight, on the other hand, is the measure of force of attraction (gravitational force) between an object and Earth. The concepts of mass and weight are complicated and potentially confusing to elementary students. Hence, the more familiar term of ''weight'' is recommended for use to stand for both mass and weight in grades K-5. By grades 6-8, students are expected to understand the distinction between mass and weight, and use them appropriately.

BENCHMARK SC.3.P.8.3. Compare materials and objects according to properties such as size, shape, color, texture, and hardness.


BODY OF KNOWLEDGE FL.SC.4.L. Life Science

BIG IDEA SC.4.L.17. Interdependence - A. Plants and animals, including humans, interact with and depend upon each other and their environment to satisfy their basic needs. B. Both human activities and natural events can have major impacts on the environment. C. Energy flows from the sun through producers to consumers.

BENCHMARK SC.4.L.17.2. Explain that animals, including humans, cannot make their own food and that when animals eat plants or other animals, the energy stored in the food source is passed to them.

BENCHMARK SC.4.L.17.3. Trace the flow of energy from the Sun as it is transferred along the food chain through the producers to the consumers.

BENCHMARK SC.4.L.17.4. Recognize ways plants and animals, including humans, can impact the environment.



BIG IDEA SC.5.L.15. Diversity and Evolution of Living Organisms - A. Earth is home to a great diversity of living things, but changes in the environment can affect their survival. B. Individuals of the same kind often differ in their characteristics and sometimes the differences give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing.





BENCHMARK SC.5.L.15.1. Describe how, when the environment changes, differences between individuals allow some plants and animals to survive and reproduce while others die or move to new locations.


BIG IDEA SC.5.L.17. Interdependence - A. Plants and animals, including humans, interact with and depend upon each other and their environment to satisfy their basic needs. B. Both human activities and natural events can have major impacts on the environment. C. Energy flows from the sun through producers to consumers.

BENCHMARK SC.5.L.17.1. Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycles variations, animal behaviors and physical characteristics.

Georgia Standards

Science

Grade: 3 - Adopted 2004 / Revised 2006

STRAND/TOPIC GA.S3. Life Science

STANDARD / DESCRIPTION S3L1. Students will investigate the habitats of different organisms and the dependence of organisms on their habitat.

ELEMENT S3L1.c. Identify features of animals that allow them to live and thrive in different regions of Georgia.


STANDARD / DESCRIPTION S3L2. Students will recognize the effects of pollution and humans on the environment.

ELEMENT S3L2.b. Identify ways to protect the environment (Conservation of resources; Recycling of materials).



STANDARD / DESCRIPTION S4L1. Students will describe the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.

ELEMENT S4L1.a. Identify the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in a community.

ELEMENT S4L1.b. Demonstrate the flow of energy through a food web/food chain beginning with sunlight and including producers, consumers, and decomposers.






STANDARD / DESCRIPTION S4L2. Students will identify factors that affect the survival or extinction of organisms such as adaptation, variation of behaviors (hibernation), and external features (camouflage and protection).

ELEMENT S4L2.a. Identify external features of organisms that allow them to survive or reproduce better than organisms that do not have these features (for example: camouflage, use of hibernation, protection, etc.).

Hawaii Content and Performance Standards

Science


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE HI.SC.3.3. Life and Environmental Sciences: ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: Understand the unity, diversity, and interrelationships of organisms, including their relationship to cycles of matter and energy in the environment

STANDARD / PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / DOMAIN

SC.3.3.1. Interdependence: Describe how plants depend on animals

CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE HI.SC.3.4. Life and Environmental Sciences: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN ORGANISMS: Understand the structures and functions of living organisms and how organisms can be compared scientifically


SC.3.4.1. Cells, Tissues, Organs, and Organ Systems: Compare distinct structures of living things that help them to survive


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE HI.SC.4.3. Life and Environmental Sciences: ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: Understand the unity, diversity, and interrelationships of organisms, including their relationship to cycles of matter and energy in the environment


SC.4.3.1. Cycles of Matter and Energy: Explain how simple food chains and food webs can be traced back to plants


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE HI.SC.5.3. Life and Environmental Sciences: ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: Understand the unity, diversity, and interrelationships of organisms, including their relationship to cycles of matter and energy in the





environment


SC.5.3.1. Cycles of Matter and Energy: Describe the cycle of energy among producers, consumers, and decomposers

Idaho Content Standards

Science


STANDARD / COURSE ID.3. Biology: Students explore the diversity of plants and animals in their environments. Students demonstrate an understanding of food webs.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS / GOAL

3.1. Understand the Theory of Biological Evolution

GLE / BIG IDEA 3.S.3.1.1. The student will be able to describe the adaptations of plants and animals to their environment. (577.01.a)

STANDARD / COURSE ID.3. Biology: Students explore the diversity of plants and animals in their environments. Students demonstrate an understanding of food webs.


3.2. Understand the Relationship between Matter and Energy in Living Systems

GLE / BIG IDEA 3.S.3.2.3. The student will be able to label a food chain that shows how organisms cooperate and compete in an ecosystem. (578.01.b)

GLE / BIG IDEA 3.S.3.2.4. The student will be able to diagram the food web and explain how organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems. (593.01.b)

STANDARD / COURSE ID.5. Personal and Social Perspectives; Technology: Students identify local environmental issues. Students identify the relationship of tools to scientific investigation.


5.1. Understand Common Environmental Quality Issues, Both Natural and Human Induced

GLE / BIG IDEA 3.S.5.1.1. The student will be able to identify local environmental issues. (581.01.a)


STANDARD / COURSE ID.3. Biology: Students analyze how plants and animals adapt to their environments. Students classify vertebrates.






3.1. Understand the Theory of Biological Evolution

GLE / BIG IDEA 4.S.3.1.1. The student will be able to analyze and communicate the adaptations of plants and animals to their environment. (592.01.a)


STANDARD / COURSE ID.5. Personal and Social Perspectives; Technology: Students use the scientific method to identify environmental issues.



GLE / BIG IDEA 5.S.5.1.1. The student will be able to identify issues for environmental studies. (611.01.a)


STANDARD / COURSE ID.5. Personal and Social Perspectives; Technology: Students identify issues for environmental studies and understand the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources.



GLE / BIG IDEA 6.S.5.1.1. The student will be able to identify issues for environmental studies. (626.01.a)

Illinois Learning Standards

Science


STATE GOAL / STRAND IL.12. Concepts and Principles: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences.

STATE GOAL / LEARNING STANDARD 12.B. Know and apply concepts that describe how living things interact with each other and with their environment.

LEARNING STANDARD / PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTOR

12.B.2a. Describe relationships among various organisms in their environments (e.g., predator/prey, parasite/host, food chains and food webs).


12.B.2b. Identify physical features of plants and animals that help them live in different environments (e.g., specialized teeth for eating certain foods, thorns for protection, insulation for cold temperature).





STATE GOAL / STRAND IL.13. Science, Technology, and Society: Understand the relationships among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts.

STATE GOAL / LEARNING STANDARD 13.B. Know and apply concepts that describe the interaction between science, technology and society.


13.B.2f. Analyze how specific personal and societal choices that humans make affect local, regional and global ecosystems (e.g., lawn and garden care, mass transit).































12.B.3b. Compare and assess features of organisms for their adaptive, competitive and survival potential (e.g., appendages, reproductive rates, camouflage, defensive structures).


STATE GOAL / LEARNING STANDARD 13.A. Know and apply the accepted practices of science.


13.A.3b. Analyze historical and contemporary cases in which the work of science has been affected by both valid and biased scientific practices.








13.B.3d. Analyze the interaction of resource acquisition, technological development and ecosystem impact (e.g., diamond, coal or gold mining; deforestation).


13.B.3e. Identify advantages and disadvantages of natural resource conservation and management programs.


13.B.3f. Apply classroom-developed criteria to determine the effects of policies on local science and technology issues (e.g., energy consumption, landfills, water quality).

Indiana Core Standards

Science


STRAND / COURSE IN.5. Life Science

CORE STANDARD / STRAND 5.2. Changes in Living Systems: Give examples of characteristics in plants and animals that could be advantageous for survival and reproduction. Describe the fossil evidence that shows some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on the earth have disappeared but resemble plants and animals alive today. [Standard Indicators: 3.4.3, 3.4.5]



CORE STANDARD / STRAND 5.1. Structures and Functions of Living Systems: Compare and contrast how plants and animals meet their energy needs. Describe how all animals are directly or indirectly dependent upon plants for their food. [Standard Indicators: 3.4.4, 4.4.2, 4.4.3, 4.4.4, 4.4.9 ]



CORE STANDARD / STRAND 5.1. Structures and Functions of Living Systems: Interdependence: Describe specific interactions between organisms and categorize the effects on the organisms as beneficial, harmful, neither or both. Explain how dead plants and animals are broken down by scavengers and decomposers and how this process contributes to the system as a whole. [Standard Indicators: 6.4.8, 6.4.9]

CORE STANDARD / STRAND 5.2. Structures and Functions of Living Systems: Matter and Energy Transformations: Describe how energy from the sun is transformed by plants into sugar and transferred within a food chain from producers to





consumers and decomposers. Trace the one-way path energy takes through producers, consumers and decomposers. Compare and contrast organisms at each level of a food chain with regard to how they obtain and use energy. Describe the criteria by which organisms are classified and how their identifying characteristics are related to their role in the food chain. [Standard Indicators: 6.4.1, 6.4.10, 7.4.5, 7.4.6]

Indiana Academic Standards

Science


STANDARD IN.2: Life Science

PROFICIENCY STATEMENT 4.3.4. Describe a way that a given plant or animal might adapt to changes arising from human or non-human impact on the environment.



PROFICIENCY STATEMENT 5.3.1. Observe and classify common Indiana organisms as producers, consumers, decomposers, predator and prey based on their relationships and interactions with other organisms in their ecosystem.



PROFICIENCY STATEMENT Core Standard: Describe that all organisms, including humans, are part of complex systems found in all biomes (freshwater, marine, forest, desert, grassland, tundra).

PROFICIENCY STATEMENT 6.3.1. Describe specific relationships (predator/prey, consumer/producer or parasite/host) between organisms and determine whether these relationships are competitive or mutually beneficial.

PROFICIENCY STATEMENT 6.3.5. Describe how all animals, including humans, meet their energy needs by consuming other organisms, breaking down their structures, and using the materials to grow and function.

Iowa Core Curriculum

Science






STRAND / COURSE IA.LS. Life Science

ESSENTIAL CONCEPT AND/OR SKILL LS.1. Understand and apply knowledge of organisms and their environments, including:

DETAILED DESCRIPTOR LS.1.1. Structures, characteristics, and adaptations of organisms that allow them to function and survive within their habitats.

DETAILED DESCRIPTOR LS.1.2. How individual organisms are influenced by internal and external factors.


ESSENTIAL CONCEPT AND/OR SKILL LS.2. Understand and apply knowledge of environmental stewardship.







ESSENTIAL CONCEPT AND/OR SKILL LS.2. Understand and apply knowledge of environmental stewardship.







ESSENTIAL CONCEPT AND/OR SKILL LS.2. Understand and apply knowledge of environmental





stewardship.



ESSENTIAL CONCEPT AND/OR SKILL LS.4. Understand and apply knowledge of:

DETAILED DESCRIPTOR LS.4.1. Interdependency of organisms, changes in environmental conditions, and survival of individuals and species.


ESSENTIAL CONCEPT AND/OR SKILL LS.5. Understand and demonstrate knowledge of the social and personal implications of environmental issues.

Iowa Content Standards

Science


CONTENT STANDARD / STRAND IA.2. Students can understand concepts and relationships in life science.

BENCHMARK / ABILITY 2.C. Students can understand environmental interaction and adaptation.

GRADE LEVEL INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL

2.C.1. Identify and explain the roles of environmental interactions and adaptations




















Kansas Curricular Standards

Science


STANDARD KS.6. Science in Personal and Environmental Perspectives: The student will demonstrate personal health and environmental practices.

BENCHMARK 6.2. The student will demonstrate an awareness of changes in the environment.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.2.2. The student develops personal actions to solve pollution problems in and around the neighborhood.


STANDARD KS.6. Science in Personal and Environmental Perspectives: The student will demonstrate personal health and environmental practices.

BENCHMARK 6.2. The student will demonstrate an awareness of changes in the environment.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.2.2. The student develops personal actions to solve pollution problems in and around the neighborhood.


STANDARD KS.3. Life Science: The student will apply process skills to explore and understand structure and function in living systems, reproduction and heredity, regulation and behavior, populations and ecosystems, and diversity and adaptations of organisms.

BENCHMARK 3.3. The student will describe homeostasis, the regulation and balance of internal conditions in response to a changing external environment.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.3.2. The student recognizes that the survival of all organisms requires the ingestion of materials, the intake and release of energy, growth, release of wastes and responses to





environmental change.


BENCHMARK 3.4. The student will identify and relate interactions of populations of organisms within an ecosystem.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.4.3. The student traces the energy flow from the sun (source of radiant energy) to producers (via photosynthesis - chemical energy) to consumers and decomposers in food webs.

STANDARD KS.6. Science in Personal and Environmental Perspectives: The student will apply process skills to explore and develop an understanding of issues of personal health, population, resources and environment, and natural hazards.

BENCHMARK 6.2. The student will understand the impact of human activity on resources and environment.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.2.1. The student investigates the effects of human activities on the environment and analyzes decisions based on the knowledge of benefits and risks.


BENCHMARK 6.3. The student will understand that natural hazards are dynamic examples of earth processes which cause us to evaluate risks.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.3.1. The student recognizes patterns of natural processes and/or human activities that may cause and/or contribute to natural hazards.



BENCHMARK 3.3. The student will describe homeostasis, the regulation and balance of internal conditions in response to a changing external environment.





INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.3.2. The student recognizes that the survival of all organisms requires the ingestion of materials, the intake and release of energy, growth, release of wastes and responses to environmental change.


BENCHMARK 3.4. The student will identify and relate interactions of populations of organisms within an ecosystem.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.4.3. The student traces the energy flow from the sun (source of radiant energy) to producers (via photosynthesis - chemical energy) to consumers and decomposers in food webs.


BENCHMARK 6.2. The student will understand the impact of human activity on resources and environment.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.2.1. The student investigates the effects of human activities on the environment and analyzes decisions based on the knowledge of benefits and risks.


BENCHMARK 6.3. The student will understand that natural hazards are dynamic examples of earth processes which cause us to evaluate risks.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.3.1. The student recognizes patterns of natural processes and/or human activities that may cause and/or contribute to natural hazards.

Kentucky Standards

Science


CATEGORY KY.PS. Program of Studies 2006

GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-P-STM. Big Idea: Structure and Transformation of Matter (Physical Science) - A basic understanding of matter





is essential to the conceptual development of other big ideas in science. In the elementary years of conceptual development, students will be studying properties of matter and physical changes of matter at the macro level through direct observations, forming the foundation for subsequent learning. The use of models (and an understanding of their scales and limitations) is an effective means of learning about the structure of matter. Looking for patterns in properties is also critical to comparing and explaining differences in matter. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.4)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-STM-S-5. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will observe and predict the properties of material objects


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-P-UD. Big Idea: Unity and Diversity (Biological Science) - All matter is comprised of the same basic elements, goes through the same kinds of energy transformations, and uses the same kinds of forces to move. Living organisms are no exception. Elementary students begin to observe the macroscopic features of organisms in order to make comparisons and classifications based upon likenesses and differences. Looking for patterns in the appearance and behavior of an organism leads to the notion that offspring are much like the parents, but not exactly alike. Emphasis at every level should be placed upon the understanding that while every living thing is composed of similar small constituents that combine in predictable ways, it is the subtle variations within these small building blocks that account for both the likenesses and differences in form and function that create the diversity of life. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-UD-U-2. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that plants and animals have features that help them live in different environments.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-UD-S-3. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will investigate adaptations that enable animals and plants to grow, reproduce and survive (e.g., movements, body coverings, method of reproduction)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-UD-S-4. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will analyze structures of plants and animals to make inferences about the types of environments for which they are suited


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-P-BC. Big Idea: Biological Change (Biological Science) - The only thing certain is that everything changes.





Elementary students build a foundational knowledge of change by observing slow and fast changes caused by nature in their own environment, noting changes that humans and other organisms cause in their environment, and observing fossils found in or near their environment. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.6)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-BC-S-4. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will investigate and describe occurrences in the environment that illustrate change (e.g., erosion, earthquakes, weather phenomena, human intrusion)


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-P-ET. Big Idea: Energy Transformations (Unifying Concepts) - Energy transformations are inherent in almost every system in the universe - from tangible examples at the elementary level, such as heat production in simple earth and physical systems to more abstract ideas beginning at middle school, such as those transformations involved in the growth, dying and decay of living systems. The use of models to illustrate the often invisible and abstract notions of energy transfer will aid in conceptualization, especially as students move from the macroscopic level of observation and evidence (primarily elementary school) to the microscopic interactions at the atomic level (middle and high school levels). (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-ET-U-2. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that almost all kinds of food that animals eat can be traced back to plants. Food chains/webs are useful models of these relationships.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-ET-S-3. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will observe, illustrate and explain basic relationships of plants and animals in an ecosystem (e.g., use simple food chains and webs to explain how plants and animals get food/energy to live and grow)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-ET-S-7. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will explore a variety of models (e.g., food chains, webs, circuit diagrams) to infer whether the representation is complete or only part of the actual event/object


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-P-I. Big Idea: Interdependence (Unifying Concepts) - It is not difficult for students to grasp the general notion that species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. But their awareness must be supported by knowledge of the kinds of relationships that exist among organisms, the kinds of physical conditions that organisms must cope





with, the kinds of environments created by the interaction of organisms with one another and their physical surroundings, and the complexity of such systems. Elementary learners need to become acquainted with ecosystems that are easily observable to them by beginning to study the habitats of many types of local organisms. Students begin to investigate the survival needs of different organisms and how the environment affects optimum conditions for survival. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-I-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that the world has many different environments. Distinct environments support the lives of different types of organisms.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-I-S-1. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will identify the characteristics of an ecosystem

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-I-S-2. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will observe, document and explain how organisms depend on their environments

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-P-I-S-3. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will describe and explain how the environment can be affected by the organisms living there

CATEGORY KY.AE. Academic Expectation

GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN AE.2. Students shall develop their abilities to apply core concepts and principles from mathematics, the sciences, the arts, the humanities, social studies, practical living studies, and vocational studies to what they will encounter throughout their lives.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER 2.3. Science: Students identify and analyze systems and the ways their components work together or affect each other.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER 2.5. Science: Students understand that under certain conditions nature tends to remain the same or move toward a balance.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER 2.6. Science: Students understand how living and nonliving things change over time and the factors that influence the changes.

CATEGORY KY.CC. Core Content for Assessment v.4.1

GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-EP-3.4. Unity and Diversity: Elementary students begin to observe the macroscopic features of organisms in order to make comparisons and classifications based upon likenesses and differences. Looking for patterns in the appearance and behavior of an organism leads to the notion that offspring are much like the parents, but not exactly alike.





AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-EP-3.4.3. Biological Science: Students will describe the basic structures and related functions of plants and animals that contribute to growth, reproduction and survival.


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-EP-4.6. Energy Transformations: Energy transformations are inherent in almost every system in the universe - from tangible examples at the elementary level, such as heat production in simple earth and physical systems to more abstract ideas beginning at middle school, such as those transformations involved in the growth, dying and decay of living systems. The use of models to illustrate the often invisible and abstract notions of energy transfer will aid in conceptualization, especially as students move from the macroscopic level of observation and evidence (primarily elementary school) to the microscopic interactions at the atomic level (middle and high school levels).

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-EP-4.6.1. Unifying Concepts: Students will describe basic relationships of plants and animals in an ecosystem (food chains).


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-EP-4.7. Interdependence: Elementary learners need to become acquainted with ecosystems that are easily observable to them by beginning to study the habitats of many types of local organisms. Students begin to investigate the survival needs of different organisms and how the environment affects optimum conditions for survival.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-EP-4.7.1. Unifying Concepts: Students will describe the cause and effect relationships existing between organisms and their environments.



GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-4-UD. Big Idea: Unity and Diversity (Biological Science) - All matter is comprised of the same basic elements, goes through the same kinds of energy transformations, and uses the same kinds of forces to move. Living organisms are no exception. Elementary students begin to observe the macroscopic features of organisms in order to make comparisons and classifications based upon likenesses and differences. Looking for patterns in the appearance and behavior of an organism leads to the notion that offspring are much like the parents, but not exactly alike. Emphasis at every level should be placed upon the understanding that





while every living thing is composed of similar small constituents that combine in predictable ways, it is the subtle variations within these small building blocks that account for both the likenesses and differences in form and function that create the diversity of life. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-UD-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that organisms have different structures that are used for different functions. Observations of the structures of a certain organism can be used to predict how that organism functions or where it might live.


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-4-ET. Big Idea: Energy Transformations (Unifying Concepts) - Energy transformations are inherent in almost every system in the universe - from tangible examples at the elementary level, such as heat production in simple earth and physical systems to more abstract ideas beginning at middle school, such as those transformations involved in the growth, dying and decay of living systems. The use of models to illustrate the often invisible and abstract notions of energy transfer will aid in conceptualization, especially as students move from the macroscopic level of observation and evidence (primarily elementary school) to the microscopic interactions at the atomic level (middle and high school levels). (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-ET-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that ecosystems are defined by the relationships that occur within them. These relationships can be determined through observation of the organisms and their environment.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-ET-S-1. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will observe/construct, analyze patterns and explain basic relationships of plants and animals in an ecosystem (e.g., food webs)


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-4-I. Big Idea: Interdependence (Unifying Concepts) - It is not difficult for students to grasp the general notion that species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. But their awareness must be supported by knowledge of the kinds of relationships that exist among organisms, the kinds of physical conditions that organisms must cope with, the kinds of environments created by the interaction of organisms with one another and their physical surroundings, and the complexity of such systems. Elementary learners need to become





acquainted with ecosystems that are easily observable to them by beginning to study the habitats of many types of local organisms. Students begin to investigate the survival needs of different organisms and how the environment affects optimum conditions for survival. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-I-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that all living things depend on their environment and other organisms within it for their survival. Certain patterns of behavior or physical features may help an organism survive in some environments yet perish in others.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-I-U-2. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that environmental relationships extend beyond food (e.g. shelter, seed transport).

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-I-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that people impact their environment in both beneficial and harmful ways. Some of these impacts can be predicted, while others cannot.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-I-U-4. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that beneficial and harmful are relative terms: any single action can be both beneficial and harmful to different organisms in an ecosystem.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-I-S-1. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will observe, document and explain the cause and effect relationships existing between organisms and their environments

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-I-S-3. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will observe, document and describe human interactions that impact the local environment

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-I-S-4. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will describe and provide examples of how beneficial and harmful are relative terms

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-4-I-S-5. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will evaluate the consequences of changes caused by humans or other organisms, and propose solutions to real life situations/dilemmas











GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-04-3.4. Unity and Diversity: Elementary students begin to observe the macroscopic features of organisms in order to make comparisons and classifications based upon likenesses and differences. Looking for patterns in the appearance and behavior of an organism leads to the notion that offspring are much like the parents, but not exactly alike.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-04-3.4.1. Biological Science: Students will compare the different structures and functions of plants and animals that contribute to the growth, survival and reproduction of the organisms; make inferences about the relationship between structure and function in organisms.


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-04-4.6. Energy Transformations: Energy transformations are inherent in almost every system in the universe - from tangible examples at the elementary level, such as heat production in simple earth and physical systems to more abstract ideas beginning at middle school, such as those transformations involved in the growth, dying and decay of living systems. The use of models to illustrate the often invisible and abstract notions of energy transfer will aid in conceptualization, especially as students move from the macroscopic level of observation and evidence (primarily elementary school) to the microscopic interactions at the atomic level (middle and high school levels).

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-04-4.6.1. Unifying Concepts: Students will analyze patterns and make generalizations about the basic relationships of plants and animals in an ecosystem (food chain).


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-04-4.7. Interdependence: Elementary learners need to become acquainted with ecosystems that are easily observable to them by beginning to study the habitats of many types of local organisms. Students begin to investigate the survival needs of different organisms and how the environment affects optimum conditions for survival.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-04-4.7.1. Unifying Concepts: Students will make predictions and/or inferences based on patterns of evidence related to the





survival and reproductive success of organisms in particular environments.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-04-4.7.2. Unifying Concepts: Students will describe human interactions in the environment where they live; classify the interactions as beneficial or harmful to the environment using data/evidence to support conclusions.



GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-5-BC. Big Idea: Biological Change (Biological Science) - The only thing certain is that everything changes. Elementary students build a foundational knowledge of change by observing slow and fast changes caused by nature in their own environment, noting changes that humans and other organisms cause in their environment, and observing fossils found in or near their environment. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.8)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-5-BC-S-2. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will investigate and describe adaptations of various organisms to their environments through observations as well as print and non-print based resources

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-5-BC-S-3. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will Investigate ways that organisms cope with fluctuations (e.g. temperature, precipitation, change in food sources) in their environments

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-5-BC-S-4. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will propose explanations regarding adaptations of populations to environments citing evidence/data to support conclusions


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-5-I. Big Idea: Interdependence (Unifying Concepts) - It is not difficult for students to grasp the general notion that species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. But their awareness must be supported by knowledge of the kinds of relationships that exist among organisms, the kinds of physical conditions that organisms must cope with, the kinds of environments created by the interaction of organisms with one another and their physical surroundings, and the complexity of such systems. Elementary learners need to become acquainted with ecosystems that are easily observable to them by beginning to study the habitats of many types of local organisms. Students begin to investigate the survival needs of different organisms and how the environment affects optimum conditions for survival. (Academic





Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.6)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-5-I-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that within every ecosystem are populations of organisms that serve specific functions. Changes to any population may affect the other populations in that ecosystem.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-5-I-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that matter and energy flow along multiple paths within a community. Complex models depicting this interdependence make these relationships easier to visualize and comprehend.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-5-I-S-2. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will identify the role/function a population of organisms has in a particular community/ecosystem (e.g., producers, consumers, decomposers)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-5-I-S-4. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will analyze, create and describe visual representations of ecosystems and the interactions occurring within them. Compare and critique pre-existing and student-constructed representations for accuracy, identifying strengths and limitations, insisting on the use of evidence to support decisions







GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-05-4.7. Interdependence: Elementary learners need to become acquainted with ecosystems that are easily observable to them by beginning to study the habitats of many types of local organisms. Students begin to investigate the survival needs of different organisms and how the environment affects optimum conditions for survival.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-05-4.7.1. Unifying Concepts: Students will describe and categorize populations of organisms according to the function they





serve in an ecosystem (e.g., producers, consumers, decomposers); draw conclusions about the effects of changes to populations in an ecosystem.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-05-4.7.2. Unifying Concepts: Students should understand that a population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time. All populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem.



GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-6-UD. Big Idea: Unity and Diversity (Biological Science) - All matter is comprised of the same basic elements, goes through the same kinds of energy transformations, and uses the same kinds of forces to move. Living organisms are no exception. In middle school, students begin to compare, contrast, and classify the microscopic features of organisms - the cells, as well as investigate reproduction as the essential process to the continuation of all species. Expected patterns of genetic traits are predicted. Distinctions are made between learned behaviors and inherited traits. Emphasis at every level should be placed upon the understanding that while every living thing is composed of similar small constituents that combine in predictable ways, it is the subtle variations within these small building blocks that account for both the likenesses and differences in form and function that create the diversity of life. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-6-UD-S-3. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will describe and represent (e.g. construct a chart, diagram, or graphic organizer) relationships between and among levels of organization for structure and function, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms (e.g., bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, animals) and ecosystems


GOAL/UNDERSTANDINGS/SUBDOMAIN SC-6-I. Big Idea: Interdependence (Unifying Concepts) - It is not difficult for students to grasp the general notion that species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. But their awareness must be supported by knowledge of the kinds of relationships that exist among organisms, the kinds of physical conditions that organisms must cope with, the kinds of environments created by the interaction of organisms with one another and their physical surroundings, and the complexity of such systems. In middle school, students should be guided from specific examples of the interdependency of organisms to a more systematic





view of the interactions that take place among organisms and their surroundings. Students growing understanding of systems in general will reinforce the concept of ecosystems. Stability and change in ecosystems can be considered in terms of variables such as population size, number and kinds of species, productivity, and the effect of human intervention. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4)

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-6-I-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will be understand that ecosystems are more than just the organisms they contain: geography, weather, climate and geologic factors also influence the interactions within an ecosystem.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-6-I-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that science can sometimes be used to inform ethical decisions by identifying the likely consequences of an action, but cannot be used to establish if taking that action would be right or wrong.

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-6-I-S-2. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will document and describe consequences of change in one or more abiotic factors on a population within an ecosystem

AE/SKILLS & CONCEPTS/ORGANIZER SC-6-I-S-4. Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts - Students will differentiate the usefulness of scientific research to predict the possible consequences of decisions about environmental issues from its limitations in making ethical/moral decisions about those issues






Louisiana Content Standards

Science






CONTENT STANDARD LA.PS-E. Physical Science: Students will develop an understanding of the characteristics and interrelationships of matter and energy in the physical world.

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-18. Grade Level Expectation: Properties of Objects and Materials: Compare and classify objects on properties determined through experimentation (e.g., ability to conduct electricity, tendency to float or sink in water) (PS-E-A1)

CONTENT STANDARD LA.LS-E. Life Science: The students will become aware of the characteristics and life cycles of organisms and understand their relationships to each other and to their environment.

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-E-C1. Organisms and Their Environments: examining the habitats of plants and animals and determining how basic needs are met within each habitat. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-E-C2. Organisms and Their Environments: describing how the features of some plants and animals enable them to live in specific habitats. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-E-C3. Organisms and Their Environments: observing animals and plants and describing interaction or interdependence. (1, 4)

CONTENT STANDARD LA.SE-E. Science and the Environment: In learning environmental science, students will develop an appreciation of the natural environment, learn the importance of environmental quality, and acquire a sense of stewardship. As consumers and citizens, they will be able to recognize how our personal, professional, and political actions affect the natural world.

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-E-A1. Understanding that an 'ecosystem' is made of living and non-living components. (1, 3, 4)

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-E-A2. Understanding the components of a food chain. (1, 3, 4)

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-E-A4. Understanding that the original sources of all material goods are natural resources and that the conserving and recycling of natural resources is a form of stewardship. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-E-A5. Understanding that most plant and animal species are threatened or endangered today due to habitat loss or change. (1, 2, 4)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-57. Grade Level Expectation: Describe the interrelationships of living (biotic) and nonliving





(abiotic) components within various ecosystems (e.g., terrarium, swamp, backyard) (SE-E-A1)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-58. Grade Level Expectation: Describe how humans have had negative and positive effects on organisms and their environments (SE-E-A3) (SE-E-A5)


CONTENT STANDARD LA.LS-E. Life Science: The students will become aware of the characteristics and life cycles of organisms and understand their relationships to each other and to their environment.

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-E-C1. Organisms and Their Environments: examining the habitats of plants and animals and determining how basic needs are met within each habitat. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-E-C2. Organisms and Their Environments: describing how the features of some plants and animals enable them to live in specific habitats. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-E-C3. Organisms and Their Environments: observing animals and plants and describing interaction or interdependence. (1, 4)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-52. Grade Level Expectation: Organisms and Their Environments: Describe how some plants and animals have adapted to their habitats (LS-E-C2)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-53. Grade Level Expectation: Organisms and Their Environments: Identify the habitat in which selected organisms would most likely live and explain how specific structures help organisms to survive (LS-E-C2)

CONTENT STANDARD LA.SE-E. Science and the Environment: In learning environmental science, students will develop an appreciation of the natural environment, learn the importance of environmental quality, and acquire a sense of stewardship. As consumers and citizens, they will be able to recognize how our personal, professional, and political actions affect the natural world.

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-E-A1. Understanding that an 'ecosystem' is made of living and non-living components. (1, 3, 4)

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-E-A2. Understanding the components of a food chain. (1, 3, 4)

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-E-A4. Understanding that the original sources of all material goods are natural resources and that the conserving and recycling of natural resources is a





form of stewardship. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-E-A5. Understanding that most plant and animal species are threatened or endangered today due to habitat loss or change. (1, 2, 4)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-70. Grade Level Expectation: Design an ecosystem that includes living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components and illustrates interdependence (SE-E-A1)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-71. Grade Level Expectation: Describe and explain food chains/webs and the directional flow of energy in various ecosystems (e.g., construct a model, drawing, diagram, graphic organizer) (SE-E-A2)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-72. Grade Level Expectation: Predict and describe consequences of the removal of one component in a balanced ecosystem (e.g., consumer, herbivores, nonliving component) (SE-E-A2)


CONTENT STANDARD LA.LS-M. Life Science: The students will become aware of the characteristics and life cycles of organisms and understand their relationships to each other and to their environment.

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-M-C2. Populations and Ecosystems: modeling and interpreting food chains and food webs. (1, 2, 3, 4)

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-M-C3. Populations and Ecosystems: investigating major ecosystems and recognizing physical properties and organisms within each. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-M-C4. Populations and Ecosystems: explaining the interaction and interdependence of nonliving and living components within ecosystems. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-M-D1. Adaptations of Organisms: describing the importance of plant and animal adaptation, including local examples. (1, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-23. Grade Level Expectation: Populations and Ecosystems: Construct food chains that could be found in ponds, marshes, oceans, forests, or meadows (LS-M-C2)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-24. Grade Level Expectation: Populations and Ecosystems: Describe the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in a food chain (LS-M-C2)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-25. Grade Level Expectation: Populations and Ecosystems: Compare food chains and food webs





(LS-M-C2)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-26. Grade Level Expectation: Populations and Ecosystems: Identify and describe ecosystems of local importance (LS-M-C3)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-27. Grade Level Expectation: Populations and Ecosystems: Compare common traits of organisms within major ecosystems (LS-M-C3)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-29. Grade Level Expectation: Adaptations of Organisms: Describe adaptations of plants and animals that enable them to thrive in local and other natural environments (LS-M-D1)

CONTENT STANDARD LA.SE-M. Science and the Environment: In learning environmental science, students will develop an appreciation of the natural environment, learn the importance of environmental quality, and acquire a sense of stewardship. As consumers and citizens, they will be able to recognize how our personal, professional, and political actions affect the natural world.

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-M-A1. Demonstrating knowledge that an ecosystem includes living and nonliving factors and that humans are an integral part of ecosystems. (1, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-M-A4. Understanding that human actions can create risks and consequences in the environment. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-M-A5. Tracing the flow of energy through an ecosystem and demonstrating a knowledge of the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in the ecosystem. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-E-50. Grade Level Expectation: Describe the consequences of several types of human activities on local ecosystems (e.g., polluting streams, regulating hunting, introducing nonnative species) (SE-M-A4)


CONTENT STANDARD LA.LS-M. Life Science: The students will become aware of the characteristics and life cycles of organisms and understand their relationships to each other and to their environment.

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-M-C2. Populations and Ecosystems: modeling and interpreting food chains and food webs. (1, 2, 3, 4)





BENCHMARK / GLE LS-M-C3. Populations and Ecosystems: investigating major ecosystems and recognizing physical properties and organisms within each. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-M-C4. Populations and Ecosystems: explaining the interaction and interdependence of nonliving and living components within ecosystems. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE LS-M-D1. Adaptations of Organisms: describing the importance of plant and animal adaptation, including local examples. (1, 3, 4, 5)

CONTENT STANDARD LA.SE-M. Science and the Environment: In learning environmental science, students will develop an appreciation of the natural environment, learn the importance of environmental quality, and acquire a sense of stewardship. As consumers and citizens, they will be able to recognize how our personal, professional, and political actions affect the natural world.

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-M-A1. Demonstrating knowledge that an ecosystem includes living and nonliving factors and that humans are an integral part of ecosystems. (1, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-M-A4. Understanding that human actions can create risks and consequences in the environment. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE SE-M-A5. Tracing the flow of energy through an ecosystem and demonstrating a knowledge of the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in the ecosystem. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

BENCHMARK / GLE GLE-M-45. Grade Level Expectation: Describe methods for sustaining renewable resources (SE-M-A6)

Maine Learning Results

Science


CONTENT STANDARD ME.A. Unifying Themes: Students apply the principles of systems, models, constancy and change, and scale in science and technology.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR A.1. Systems: Students explain interactions between parts that make up whole man-made and natural things.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE A.1.a. Give examples that show how individual parts of organisms, ecosystems, or man-made structures can





influence one another.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE A.1.b. Explain ways that things including organisms, ecosystems, or man-made structures may not work as well (or at all) if a part is missing, broken, worn out, mismatched, or misconnected.

CONTENT STANDARD ME.C. The Scientific and Technological Enterprise: Students understand the history and nature of scientific knowledge and technology, the processes of inquiry and technological design, and the impacts science and technology have on society and the environment.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR C.3. Science, Technology, and Society: Students identify and describe the influences of science and technology on people and the environment.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE C.3.b. Give examples of changes in the environment caused by natural or man-made influences.

CONTENT STANDARD ME.E. The Living Environment: Students understand that cells are the basic unit of life, that all life as we know it has evolved through genetic transfer and natural selection to create a great diversity of organisms, and that these organisms create interdependent webs through which matter and energy flow. Students understand similarities and differences between humans and other organisms and the interconnections of these interdependent webs.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR E.2. Ecosystems: Students describe ways organisms depend upon, interact within, and change the living and non-living environment as well as ways the environment affects organisms.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE E.2.c. Describe some of the ways in which organisms depend on one another, including animals carrying pollen and dispersing seeds.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE E.2.d. Explain how the food of most animals can be traced back to plants and how animals use food for energy and repair.




















PERFORMANCE INDICATOR C.3. Science, Technology, and Society: Students identify and describe the role of science and technology in





addressing personal and societal challenges.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE C.3.b. Identify personal choices that can either positively or negatively impact society including population, ecosystem sustainability, personal health, and environmental quality.


PERFORMANCE INDICATOR E.1. Biodiversity: Students differentiate among organisms based on biological characteristics and identify patterns of similarity.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE E.1.a. Compare physical characteristics that differentiate organisms into groups (including plants that use sunlight to make their own food, animals that consume energy-rich food, and organisms that cannot easily be classified as either).

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE E.1.d. Describe how external and internal structures of animals and plants contribute to the variety of ways organisms are able to find food and reproduce.


PERFORMANCE INDICATOR E.2. Ecosystems: Students examine how the characteristics of the physical, non-living (abiotic) environment, the types and behaviors of living (biotic) organisms, and the flow of matter and energy affect organisms and the ecosystem of which they are part.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE E.2.b. Describe ways in which two types of organisms may interact (including competition, predator/prey, producer/consumer/decomposer, parasitism, and mutualism) and describe the positive and negative consequences of such interactions.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE E.2.e. Explain that the total amount of matter in the environment





stays the same even as its form and location change.

Manitoba Standards

Science


STRAND / COURSE / GENERAL OUTCOME

MB.GLO-B. Foundation B: Science, Technology, Society, and Environment (STSE)

STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME GLO-B5. Identify and demonstrate actions that promote a sustainable environment, society and economy, both locally and globally


MB.3-0. Overall Skills and Attitudes - Specific Learning Outcomes

STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 3-0-1. Initiating

GENERAL OUTCOME / SPECIFIC OUTCOME / SKILL

3-0-1c. Identify practical problems to solve in the local environment. (GLO: C3)


MB.3-1. Growth and Changes in Plants - Specific Learning Outcomes

STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 3-1-13. Describe ways that plants and animals depend on each other. (GLO: D2, E2)

STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 3-1-18. Explain how humans replenish the plants they use and the consequences if plants are not replenished. (GLO: B1, B5, E3)







STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4-0-1. Initiating


4-0-1c. Identify practical problems to solve in the local environment. (GLO: C3)


MB.4-1. Habitats and Communities - Specific Learning Outcomes





STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4-1-04. Identify physical and behavioural adaptations of animals and plants, and infer how these adaptations help them to survive in a specific habitat. (GLO: D1, D2)

STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4-1-05. Investigate alternate explanations of plant or animal adaptations based on traditional knowledge from a variety of cultures. (GLO: A1, A4, C8)

STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4-1-10. Recognize that the food chain is a system in which some of the energy from the Sun is transferred eventually to animals. (GLO: D2, D4, E2)

STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4-1-11. Construct food chains and food webs, and classify organisms according to their roles. (GLO: D2, E2)

STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4-1-12. Use the design process to construct a model of a local or regional habitat and its associated populations of plants and animals. (GLO: C3, D4)

STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4-1-13. Predict, based on their investigations, how the removal of a plant or animal population may affect the rest of the community. (GLO: D2, E2, E3)

STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4-1-15. Describe how their actions can help conserve plant and animal populations and their habitats. (GLO: B5)







STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 5-0-9. Demonstrating Scientific and Technological Attitudes


5-0-9e. Be sensitive to and develop a sense of responsibility for the welfare of other humans, other living things, and the environment. (GLO: B5)


5-0-9f. Frequently and thoughtfully evaluate the potential consequences of their actions. (GLO: B5, C4)











STRAND / SPECIFIC OUTCOME 6-0-9. Demonstrating Scientific and Technological Attitudes


6-0-9e. Be sensitive to and develop a sense of responsibility for the welfare of other humans, other living things, and the environment. (GLO: B5)


6-0-9f. Frequently and thoughtfully evaluate the potential consequences of their actions. (GLO: B5, C4)

Maryland Content Standards

Science


STRAND / TOPIC / STANDARD MD.3.0. Life Science: The students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the dynamic nature of living things, their interactions, and the results from the interactions that occur over time.

TOPIC / INDICATOR 3.D.1. Evolution: Explain that individuals of the same kind differ in their characteristics, and sometimes the differences give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.D.1.a. Describe ways in which organisms in one habitat differ from those in another habitat and consider how these differences help them survive and reproduce.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.D.1.b. Explain that the characteristics of an organism affect its ability to survive and reproduce.


TOPIC / INDICATOR 3.F.1. Ecology: Explain ways that individuals and groups of organisms interact with each other and their environment.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.F.1.a. Identify and describe the interactions of organisms present in a habitat: Competition for space, food, and water; Beneficial interactions: nesting, pollination, seed dispersal, oysters filtering as in the Chesapeake Bay, etc.; Roles within food chains and webs: scavengers, decomposers, producers, consumers.





INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.F.1.b. Explain that changes in an organism's habitat are sometimes beneficial to it and sometimes harmful.

STRAND / TOPIC / STANDARD MD.4.0. Chemistry: Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the composition, structure, and interactions of matter in order to support the predictability of structure and energy transformations.

TOPIC / INDICATOR 4.A.1. Structure of Matter: Provide evidence to support the fact that matter has observable and measurable properties

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 4.A.1.b. Describe and compare the physical properties of samples of matter: Strength; Hardness; Flexibility; Ability to conduct heat; Ability to conduct electricity; Ability to be attracted by magnets.



TOPIC / INDICATOR 3.A.1. Diversity of Life: Explain the idea that in any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some less well, and some cannot survive at all.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.A.1.a. Identify and describe features of some of the plants and animals living in a familiar environment and explain ways that these organisms are well suited to their environment.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.A.1.e. Explain that the survival of individual organisms and entire populations can be affected by sudden (flood, Tsunami) or slow (global warming, air pollution) changes in the environment.


TOPIC / INDICATOR 3.E.1. Flow of Matter and Energy: Recognize that some source of energy is needed for all organisms to grow and survive.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.E.1.a. Identify the sun as the primary source of energy for all living organisms: Plants use sunlight to make food; Plants and animals use food for energy and growth.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.E.1.c. Provide examples that justify the statement 'Most animals' food can be traced back to plants.'

STRAND / TOPIC / STANDARD MD.6.0. Environmental Science: Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the interactions of





environmental factors (living and non-living) and analyze their impact from a local to a global perspective.

TOPIC / INDICATOR 6.B.1. Environmental Issues: Recognize and explain that decisions influencing the use of natural resources may have benefits, drawbacks, unexpected consequences, and tradeoffs.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.B.1.a. Identify and describe personal and community behaviors that waste natural resources and/or cause environmental harm and those behaviors that maintain or improve the environment.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.B.1.b. Identify and describe that individuals and groups assess and manage risk to the environment differently.

STRAND / TOPIC / STANDARD MD.6.0. Environmental Science: Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the interactions of environmental factors (living and non-living) and analyze their impact from a local to a global perspective.

TOPIC / INDICATOR 6.B.2. Environmental Issues: Recognize and describe that consequences may occur when Earth's natural resources are used.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.B.2.a. Explain how human activities may have positive consequences on the natural environment: Recycling centers; Native plantings; Good farming practice.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.B.2.b. Explain how human activities may have a negative consequence on the natural environment: Damage or destruction done to habitats; Air, water, and land pollution.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.B.2.c. Identify and describe that an environmental issue affects individuals and groups differently.



TOPIC / INDICATOR 3.D.1. Evolution: Explain that in any particular environment, the growth and survival of organisms and species depend on the physical conditions.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 3.D.1.e. Describe ways in which changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms and entire species.

STRAND / TOPIC / STANDARD MD.6.0. Environmental Science: Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the interactions of environmental factors (living and non-living) and





analyze their impact from a local to a global perspective.

TOPIC / INDICATOR 6.A.1. Natural Resources and Human Needs: Recognize and compare how different parts of the world have varying amounts and types of natural resources and how the use of those resources impacts environmental quality.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.A.1.c. Identify and describe how the natural change processes may be affected by human activities: Agriculture; Beach Preservation; Mining; Development/construction; Stream/river alteration.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.A.1.d. Identify and describe problems associated with obtaining, using, and distributing natural resources.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.A.1.e. Identify possible solutions to problems associated with obtaining, using, and distributing natural resources.

STRAND / TOPIC / STANDARD MD.6.0. Environmental Science: Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the interactions of environmental factors (living and non-living) and analyze their impact from a local to a global perspective.

TOPIC / INDICATOR 6.B.1. Environmental Issues: Recognize and explain that human-caused changes have consequences for Maryland's environment as well as for other places and future times.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.B.1.a. Identify and describe a range of local issues that have an impact on people in other places.

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 6.B.1.c. Identify and describe that ecosystems can be impacted by human activities: Protection of the Chesapeake Bay watershed; Resource acquisition and use; Land use decisions (agriculture, mining, and development); Recycling; Use and disposal of toxic substances.

Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks

Science


FOCUS / COURSE MA.2. LIFE SCIENCE

STRAND 2.6. Adaptations of Living Things: Give examples of how inherited characteristics may change over time as adaptations to changes in the environment that enable organisms to survive, e.g., shape of beak or feet, placement of eyes on head, length of neck, shape of teeth, color.





STRAND 2.10. Adaptations of Living Things: Give examples of how organisms can cause changes in their environment to ensure survival. Explain how some of these changes may affect the ecosystem.

STRAND 2.11. Energy and Living Things: Describe how energy derived from the sun is used by plants to produce sugars (photosynthesis) and is transferred within a food chain from producers (plants) to consumers to decomposers.

FOCUS / COURSE MA.3. PHYSICAL SCIENCES

STRAND 3.1. Properties of Objects and Materials: Differentiate between properties of objects (e.g., size, shape, weight) and properties of materials (e.g., color, texture, hardness).




STRAND 2.9. Adaptations of Living Things: Recognize plant behaviors, such as the way seedlings' stems grow toward light and their roots grow downward in response to gravity. Recognize that many plants and animals can survive harsh environments because of seasonal behaviors, e.g., in winter, some trees shed leaves, some animals hibernate, and other animals migrate.




STRAND 3.1. Properties of Objects and Materials: Differentiate between properties of objects (e.g., size, shape, weight) and properties of materials (e.g., color,





texture, hardness).




STRAND 2.8. Adaptations of Living Things: Describe how organisms meet some of their needs in an environment by using behaviors (patterns of activities) in response to information (stimuli) received from the environment. Recognize that some animal behaviors are instinctive (e.g., turtles burying their eggs), and others are learned (e.g., humans building fires for warmth, chimpanzees learning how to use tools).

STRAND 2.9. Adaptations of Living Things: Recognize plant behaviors, such as the way seedlings' stems grow toward light and their roots grow downward in response to gravity. Recognize that many plants and animals can survive harsh environments because of seasonal behaviors, e.g., in winter, some trees shed leaves, some animals hibernate, and other animals migrate.




STRAND 3.1. Properties of Objects and Materials: Differentiate between properties of objects (e.g., size, shape, weight) and properties of materials (e.g., color, texture, hardness).







STRAND 2.12. Evolution and Biodiversity: Relate the extinction of species to a mismatch of adaptation and the environment.

STRAND 2.16. Energy and Living Things: Recognize that producers (plants that contain chlorophyll) use the energy from sunlight to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water through a process called photosynthesis. This food can be used immediately, stored for later use, or used by other organisms.

STRAND 2.17. Changes in Ecosystems Over Time: Identify ways in which ecosystems have changed throughout geologic time in response to physical conditions, interactions among organisms, and the actions of humans. Describe how changes may be catastrophes such as volcanic eruptions or ice storms.

Michigan Curriculum Standards

Science


STRAND / STANDARD CATEGORY MI.S. Science Processes

STANDARD S.RS. Reflection and Social Implications: Develop an understanding that claims and evidence for their scientific merit should be analyzed. Understand how scientists decide what constitutes scientific knowledge. Develop an understanding of the importance of reflection on scientific knowledge and its application to new situations to better understand the role of science in society and technology.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION S.RS.E.1. Reflecting on knowledge is the application of scientific knowledge to new and different situations. Reflecting on knowledge requires careful analysis of evidence that guides decision-making and the application of science throughout history and within society.

EXPECTATION S.RS.03.18. Describe the effect humans and other organisms have on the balance of the natural world.

STRAND / STANDARD CATEGORY MI.L. Life Science

STANDARD L.EV. Evolution: Develop an understanding that plants and animals have observable parts and characteristics that help them survive and flourish in their environments. Understand that fossils provide evidence that life forms have changed over time and were influenced by changes in environmental conditions. Understand that life forms either change (evolve) over time or risk extinction due to environmental changes and describe how scientists





identify the relatedness of various organisms based on similarities in anatomical features.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION L.EV.E.1. Environmental Adaptation- Different kinds of organisms have characteristics that help them to live in different environments.

EXPECTATION L.EV.03.12. Relate characteristics and functions of observable body parts to the ability of animals to live in their environment (for example: sharp teeth, claws, color, body covers).

STRAND / STANDARD CATEGORY MI.E. Earth Science

STANDARD E.ES. Earth Systems: Develop an understanding of the warming of the Earth by the sun as the major source of energy for phenomenon on Earth and how the sun's warming relates to weather, climate, seasons, and the water cycle. Understand how human interaction and use of natural resources affects the environment.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION E.ES.E.4. Natural Resources- The supply of many natural resources is limited. Humans have devised methods for extending their use of natural resources through recycling, reuse, and renewal.

EXPECTATION E.ES.03.43. Describe ways humans are protecting, extending, and restoring resources (recycle, reuse, reduce, renewal).

STRAND / STANDARD CATEGORY MI.E. Earth Science

STANDARD E.ES. Earth Systems: Develop an understanding of the warming of the Earth by the sun as the major source of energy for phenomenon on Earth and how the sun's warming relates to weather, climate, seasons, and the water cycle. Understand how human interaction and use of natural resources affects the environment.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION E.ES.E.5. Human Impact- Humans depend on their natural and constructed environment. Humans change environments in ways that are helpful or harmful for themselves and other organisms.

EXPECTATION E.ES.03.52. Describe helpful or harmful effects of humans on the environment (garbage, habitat destruction, land management, renewable and non-renewable resources).








GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION S.RS.E.1. Reflecting on knowledge is the application of scientific knowledge to new and different situations. Reflecting on knowledge requires careful analysis of evidence that guides decision-making and the application of science throughout history and within society.



STANDARD L.EC. Ecosystems: Develop an understanding of the interdependence of the variety of populations, communities and ecosystems, including those in the Great Lakes region. Develop an understanding of different types of interdependence and that biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors affect the balance of an ecosystem. Understand that all organisms cause changes, some detrimental and others beneficial, in the environment where they live.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION L.EC.E.1. Interactions- Organisms interact in various ways including providing food and shelter to one another. Some interactions are helpful: others are harmful to the organism and other organisms.

EXPECTATION L.EC.04.11. Identify organisms as part of a food chain or food web.




GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION S.RS.M.1. Reflecting on knowledge is the application of scientific knowledge to new and different situations. Reflecting on





knowledge requires careful analysis of evidence that guides decision-making and the application of science throughout history and within society.

EXPECTATION S.RS.05.17. Describe the effect humans and other organisms have on the balance in the natural world.


STANDARD L.EV. Evolution: Develop an understanding that plants and animals have observable parts and characteristics that help them survive and flourish in their environments. Understand that fossils provide evidence that life forms have changed over time and were influenced by changes in environmental conditions. Understand that life forms either change (evolve) over time or risk extinction due to environmental changes and describe how scientists identify the relatedness of various organisms based on similarities in anatomical features.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION L.EV.M.1. Species Adaptation and Survival- Species with certain traits are more likely than others to survive and have offspring in particular environments. When an environment changes, the advantage or disadvantage of the species' characteristics can change. Extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the characteristics of a species are insufficient to allow survival.

EXPECTATION L.EV.05.11. Explain how behavioral characteristics (adaptation, instinct, learning, habit) of animals help them to survive in their environment.

EXPECTATION L.EV.05.12. Describe the physical characteristics (traits) of organisms that help them survive in their environment.




GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION S.RS.M.1. Reflecting on knowledge is the application of scientific knowledge to new and different situations. Reflecting on knowledge requires careful analysis of evidence that guides decision-making and the application of science throughout history and within society.







STANDARD L.OL. Organization of Living Things: Develop an understanding that plants and animals (including humans) have basic requirements for maintaining life which include the need for air, water and a source of energy. Understand that all life forms can be classified as producers, consumers, or decomposers as they are all part of a global food chain where food/energy is supplied by plants which need light to produce food/energy. Develop an understanding that plants and animals can be classified by observable traits and physical characteristics. Understand that all living organisms are composed of cells and they exhibit cell growth and division. Understand that all plants and animals have a definite life cycle, body parts, and systems to perform specific life functions.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION L.OL.M.5. Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers- All animals, including humans, are consumers that meet their energy by eating other organisms or their products. Consumers break down the structures of the organisms they eat to make the materials they need to grow and function. Decomposers, including bacteria and fungi, use dead organisms or their products to meet their energy needs.

EXPECTATION L.OL.06.51. Classify organisms (producers, consumers, and decomposers) based on their source of energy for growth and development.

EXPECTATION L.OL.06.52. Distinguish between the ways in which consumers and decomposers obtain energy.


STANDARD L.EC. Ecosystems: Develop an understanding of the interdependence of the variety of populations, communities and ecosystems, including those in the Great Lakes region. Develop an understanding of different types of interdependence and that biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors affect the balance of an ecosystem. Understand that all organisms cause changes, some detrimental and others beneficial, in the environment where they live.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION L.EC.M.4. Environmental Impact of Organisms- All organisms (including humans) cause change in the environment where they live. Some of the changes are harmful to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are helpful.





EXPECTATION L.EC.06.41. Describe how human beings are part of the ecosystem of the Earth and that human activity can purposefully, or accidentally, alter the balance in ecosystems.

EXPECTATION L.EC.06.42. Predict possible consequences of overpopulation of organisms, including humans, (for example: species extinction, resource depletion, climate change, pollution).

Minnesota Academic Standards

Science


CONTENT STANDARD / DOMAIN MN.5.4. Life Science

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / DOMAIN COMPONENT

5.4.1. Structure and Function in Living Systems

INDICATORS OF PROGRESS / STRAND 5.4.1.1. The student will understand that living things are diverse with many different characteristics that enable them to grow, reproduce and survive.

INDICATORS OF PROGRESS 5.4.1.1.1. Describe how plant and animal structures and their functions provide an advantage for survival in a given natural system.



5.4.2. Interdependence in Living Systems

INDICATORS OF PROGRESS / STRAND 5.4.2.1. The student will understand that natural systems have many parts that interact to maintain the living system.

INDICATORS OF PROGRESS 5.4.2.1.1. Describe a natural system in Minnesota, such as a wetland, prairie or garden, in terms of the relationships among its living and nonliving parts, as well as inputs and outputs.



5.4.4. Human Interactions with Living Systems

INDICATORS OF PROGRESS / STRAND 5.4.4.1. The student will understand that humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or harmful to themselves and other organisms.

INDICATORS OF PROGRESS 5.4.4.1.1. Give examples of beneficial and harmful human interaction with natural systems.





Mississippi K-12 Curriculum Framework

Science


COMPETENCY MS.3. Life Science: Describe the characteristics, structures, life cycles, and environments of organisms.

OBJECTIVE 3.a. Research and explain diverse life forms (including vertebrates and invertebrates) that live in different environments and the structures that serve different functions in their survival (e.g., methods of movement, defense, camouflage). (DOK 2)

OBJECTIVE 3.c. Investigate the relationships between the basic needs of different organisms and discern how adaptations enable an organism to survive in a particular environment. (DOK 2)

OBJECTIVE 3.e. Recall that organisms can survive only when in environments (deserts, tundras, forests, grasslands, taigas, wetlands) in which their needs are met and interpret the interdependency of plants and animals within a food chain, including producer, consumer, decomposer, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, predator, and prey. (DOK 2)


COMPETENCY MS.4. Earth and Space Science: Develop an understanding of the properties of Earth materials, objects in the sky, and changes in Earth and sky.

OBJECTIVE 4.d. Describe how human activities have decreased the capacity of the environment to support some life forms. (DOK 2)

NUMBERED ITEMS 4.d.1. Reducing the amount of forest cover

NUMBERED ITEMS 4.d.3. Farming intensively


COMPETENCY MS.3. Life Science: Predict characteristics, structures, life cycles, environments, evolution, and diversity of organisms.

OBJECTIVE 3.a. Compare and contrast the diversity of organisms due to adaptations to show how organisms have evolved as a result of environmental changes. (DOK 2)





NUMBERED ITEMS 3.a.2. Adaptations that increase an organism's chances to survive and reproduce in a particular habitat (e.g., cacti needles/leaves, fur/scales)

COMPETENCY MS.3. Life Science: Predict characteristics, structures, life cycles, environments, evolution, and diversity of organisms.

OBJECTIVE 3.e. Give examples of how consumers and producers (carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, and decomposers) are related in food chains and food webs. (DOK 1)


COMPETENCY MS.3. Life Science: Explain the organization of living things, the flow of matter and energy through ecosystems, the diversity and interactions among populations, and the natural and human-made pressures that impact the environment.

OBJECTIVE 3.e. Construct a diagram of the path of solar energy through food webs that include humans and explain how the organisms relate to each other. (DOK 2)

NUMBERED ITEMS 3.e.1. Autotrophs and heterotrophs, producers, consumers and decomposers

Missouri Grade Level Expectations

Science


STRAND: BIG IDEA / STANDARD MO.4. Changes in Ecosystems and Interactions of Organisms with Their Environments

CONCEPT: GLE / BENCHMARK 4.2. Matter and Energy flow through an ecosystem

GLE / COMPONENT 4.2.A. As energy flows through the ecosystem, all organisms capture a portion of that energy and transform it to a form they can use

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.2.A.b. Scope and Sequence - Food Chains: Classify populations of organisms as producers or consumers by the role they serve in the ecosystem

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.2.A.c. Scope and Sequence - Food Chains: Sequence the flow of energy through a food chain beginning with the Sun

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.2.A.d. Scope and Sequence - Food Chains: Predict the possible effects of removing an organism from a food chain







CONCEPT: GLE / BENCHMARK 4.1. Organisms are interdependent with one another with their environment

GLE / COMPONENT 4.1.A. All populations living together within a community interact with one another and with their environment in order to survive and maintain a balanced ecosystem

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.1.A.a. Scope and Sequence - Interactions among Organisms and their Environment: Identify the ways a specific organism may interact with other organisms or with the environment (e.g., pollination, shelter, seed dispersal, camouflage, migration, hibernation, defensive mechanism)

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.1.A.b. Scope and Sequence - Interactions among Organisms and their Environment: Identify and describe different environments (i.e. pond, forest, prairie) support the life of different types of plants and animals



GLE / COMPONENT 4.1.D. The diversity of species within an ecosystem is affected by changes in the environment, which can be caused by other organisms or outside processes

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.1.D.a. Scope and Sequence - Interactions among Organisms and their Environment: Identify examples in Missouri where human activity has had a beneficial or harmful effect on other organisms (e.g., feeding birds, littering vs. picking up trash, hunting/conservation of species, paving/restoring green space)




INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.2.A.a. Classify populations of organisms as producers and consumers by the role they serve in the ecosystem





INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.2.A.b. Differentiate between the types of consumers (herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, detrivore/decomposer)


CONCEPT: GLE / BENCHMARK 4.3. Genetic variation sorted by the natural selection process explains evidence of biological evolution

GLE / COMPONENT 4.3.C. Natural selection is the process of sorting individuals based on their ability to survive and reproduce within their ecosystem

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.3.C.a. Scope and Sequence - Interactions among Organisms and their Environment: Identify specialized structures and describe how they help plants survive in their environment (e.g., root, cactus needles, thorns, winged seed, waxy leaves)

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.3.C.b. Scope and Sequence - Interactions among Organisms and their Environment: Identify specialized structures and senses and describe how they help animals survive in their environment (e.g., antennae, body covering, teeth, beaks, whiskers, appendages)

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.3.C.d. Scope and Sequence - Interactions among Organisms and their Environment: Predict which plant or animal will be able to survive in a specific environment based on its special structures or behaviors.

STRAND: BIG IDEA / STANDARD MO.5. Processes and Interactions of the Earth's Systems (Geosphere, Atmosphere, and Hydrosphere)

CONCEPT: GLE / BENCHMARK 5.3. Human activity is dependent upon and affects Earth's resources and systems

GLE / COMPONENT 5.3.A. Earth's materials are limited natural resource's affected by human activity

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 5.3.A.b. Scope and Sequence - Changes in the Earth's Surface: Propose ways to solve simple environmental problems (e.g., recycling, composting, ways to decrease soil erosion) that result from human activity


STRAND: BIG IDEA / STANDARD MO.3. Characteristics and Interactions of Living Organisms

CONCEPT: GLE / BENCHMARK 3.1. There is a fundamental unity underlying the diversity of all living organisms





GLE / COMPONENT 3.1.E. Biological classifications are based on how organisms are related

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 3.1.E.b. Scope and Sequence - Classification of Plants and Animals: Distinguish between plants (which use sunlight to make their own food) and animals (which must consume energy-rich food)


STRAND: BIG IDEA / STANDARD MO.3. Characteristics and Interactions of Living Organisms

CONCEPT: GLE / BENCHMARK 3.1. There is a fundamental unity underlying the diversity of all living organisms

GLE / COMPONENT 3.1.A. Organisms have basic needs for survival

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 3.1.A.a. Scope and Sequence - Characteristics of Living Organisms: Describe the common life processes necessary to the survival of organisms (i.e., growth, reproduction, life span, response to stimuli, energy use, exchange of gases, use of water, elimination of waste)



GLE / COMPONENT 4.1.D. The diversity of species within an ecosystem is affected by changes in the environment, which can be caused by other organisms or outside processes

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.1.D.a. Scope and Sequence - Ecosystems and Populations: Describe beneficial and harmful activities of organisms, including humans (e.g., deforestation, overpopulation, water and air pollution, global warming, restoration of natural environments, river bank/coastal stabilization, recycling, channelization, reintroduction of species, depletion of resources), and explain how these activities affect organisms within an ecosystem

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.1.D.b. Scope and Sequence - Ecosystems and Populations: Predict the impact (beneficial or harmful) of a natural environmental change (e.g., forest fire, flood, volcanic eruption, avalanche) on the organisms in an ecosystem

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.1.D.c. Scope and Sequence - Ecosystems and Populations: Describe possible solutions to potentially harmful environmental changes within an ecosystem








INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.2.A.a. Scope and Sequence - Ecosystems and Populations: Diagram and describe the transfer of energy in an aquatic food web and a land food web with reference to producers, consumers, decomposers, scavengers, and predator/prey relationships

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.2.A.b. Scope and Sequence - Ecosystems and Populations: Classify populations of unicellular and multicellular organisms as producers, consumers, and decomposers by the role they serve in the ecosystem


CONCEPT: GLE / BENCHMARK 4.3. Genetic variation sorted by the natural selection process explains evidence of biological evolution

GLE / COMPONENT 4.3.C. Natural selection is the process of sorting individuals based on their ability to survive and reproduce within their ecosystem

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 4.3.C.a. Scope and Sequence - Ecosystems and Populations: Relate examples of adaptations (specialized structures or behaviors) within a species to its ability to survive in a specific environment (e.g., hollow bones/flight, hollow hair/insulation, dense root structure/compact soil, seeds/food, protection for plant embryo vs. spores, fins/movement in water)

STRAND: BIG IDEA / STANDARD MO.8. Impact of Science, Technology and Human Activity

CONCEPT: GLE / BENCHMARK 8.3. Science and technology affect, and are affected by, society

GLE / COMPONENT 8.3.B. Social, political, economic, ethical and environmental factors strongly influence, and are influenced by, the direction of progress of science and technology

INDICATOR / PROFICIENCY 8.3.B.b. Scope and Sequence - All Units: Identify and evaluate the physical, social, economic, and/or environmental problems that may be overcome using science and technology (e.g., the need for alternative fuels, human travel in space, AIDS)





Montana Content Standards

Science


CONTENT STANDARD / DOMAIN MT.S3. Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate knowledge of characteristics, structures and function of living things, the process and diversity of life, and how living organisms interact with each other and their environment.

BENCHMARK / STANDARD S3.2. Describe and use models that trace the life cycles of different plants and animals and discuss how they are differ from species to species

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION / BENCHMARK

S3.2.gr3.B. Identify that solar energy is the primary source of energy for plants.


S3.2.gr3.C. Describe how and why energy sources are needed to sustain life.

CONTENT STANDARD / DOMAIN MT.S5. Students, through the inquiry process, understand how scientific knowledge and technological developments impact communities, cultures and societies.

BENCHMARK / STANDARD S5.4. Use scientific knowledge to make inferences and propose solutions for simple environmental problems


S5.4.gr3.A. List and discuss environmental problems and concerns.


S5.4.gr3.B. Propose solutions for environmental problems using scientific knowledge



BENCHMARK / STANDARD S3.2. Identify, measure, and describe basic requirements of energy and nutritional needs for an organism


S3.2.gr4.A. Define producer, consumer, decomposer, food chain, food web.


S3.2.gr4.B. Explain the difference between a food chain and a food web.






S3.2.gr4.C. Illustrate and describe the relationships in food chains and food webs


BENCHMARK / STANDARD S3.4. Explain cause and effect relationships between nonliving and living components with ecosystems; and explain individual response to the changes in the environment including identifying differences between inherited, instinctual, and learned behaviors


S3.4.gr4.A. Define adaptation.


BENCHMARK / STANDARD S5.1. Describe and discuss examples of how people use science and technology


S5.1.gr4.D. Discuss how science and technology have impacted our environment.


BENCHMARK / STANDARD S5.3. Simulate scientific collaboration by sharing and communicating ideas to identify and describe problems


S5.3.gr4.A. Identify a local current event or problem involving science


S5.3.gr4.B. Research and summarize the scientific issues relevant to that local current event or problem


S5.3.gr4.C. Present and discuss the research on the scientific issues relevant to that local current event or problem


BENCHMARK / STANDARD S5.4. Use scientific knowledge to make inferences and





propose solutions for simple environmental problems


S5.4.gr4.A. List and discuss environmental problems and concerns.


S5.4.gr4.B. Research and summarize the scientific issues relevant to environmental problems


S5.4.gr4.C. Propose and discuss solutions for environmental problems using scientific knowledge



BENCHMARK / STANDARD S3.4. Investigate and explain the interdependent nature of populations and communities in the environment and describe how species in these populations adapt by evolving


S3.4.gr5.C. Identify the key characteristics of an ecosystem


S3.4.gr5.D. Describe the interdependence between the parts of an ecosystem


BENCHMARK / STANDARD S5.2. Apply scientific knowledge and process skills to understand issues and everyday events


S5.2.gr5.A. Identify a local current event or problem involving science


S5.2.gr5.B. Research and summarize the scientific issues relevant to that local current event or problem


BENCHMARK / STANDARD S5.4. Use scientific knowledge to investigate problems and their proposed solutions and evaluate those solutions while considering environmental impacts






S5.4.gr5.A. Identify a local issue with an environmental impact


S5.4.gr5.B. List possible environmental impacts


S5.4.gr5.C. Research and discuss proposed solutions


CONTENT STANDARD / DOMAIN MT.S2. Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate knowledge of properties, forms, changes and interactions of physical and chemical systems.

BENCHMARK / STANDARD S2.2. Examine, describe, compare and classify objects and substances based on common physical properties and simple chemical properties


S2.2.gr6-8.B. Compare objects and substances based on their physical properties and simple chemical properties


BENCHMARK / STANDARD S3.2. Explain how organisms and systems of organisms obtain and use energy resources to maintain stable conditions (e.g., food webs, photosynthesis, respiration)


S3.2.gr6-8.E. Classify organisms in food webs based upon characteristics (e.g., physical and behavior)


BENCHMARK / STANDARD S3.4. Investigate and explain the interdependent nature of populations and communities in the environment and describe how species in these populations adapt by evolving


S3.4.gr6-8.E. Explain and provide examples of adaptations






BENCHMARK / STANDARD S5.2. Apply scientific knowledge and process skills to understand issues and everyday events


S5.2.gr6-8.A. Identify a local current event or problem involving science


S5.2.gr6-8.B. Research and summarize the scientific issues relevant to that local current event or problem


S5.2.gr6-8.C. Present and discuss the research on the scientific issues relevant to that local current event or problem


BENCHMARK / STANDARD S5.3. Simulate collaborative problem solving and give examples of how scientific knowledge and technology are shared with other scientists and the public


S5.3.gr6-8.C. Identify, working in collaboration, a current event or problem involving science


S5.3.gr6-8.D. Research and summarize, working in collaboration, the scientific issues relevant to that current event or problem


S5.3.gr6-8.E. Present and discuss, working in collaboration, the scientific issues relevant to that current event or problem


BENCHMARK / STANDARD S5.4. Use scientific knowledge to investigate problems and their proposed solutions and evaluate those solutions while considering environmental impacts


S5.4.gr6-8.A. Identify and research a local issue with an environmental impact


S5.4.gr6-8.B. Explain possible environmental impacts


S5.4.gr6-8.C. Propose solutions

Nebraska Academic Standards

Science






CONTENT STANDARD NE.SC 3: LIFE SCIENCE: Students will integrate and communicate the information, concepts, principles, processes, theories, and models of the Life Sciences to make connections with the natural and engineered world.

STRAND 3.3. Flow of Matter and Energy in Ecosystems

INDICATOR 5.3.3. Students will describe relationships within an ecosystem.

STRAND Flow of Energy

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 5.3.3.a. Diagram and explain a simple food chain beginning with the Sun

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 5.3.3.b. Identify the role of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem




STRAND Impact on Ecosystems

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 5.3.3.d. Recognize all organisms cause changes, some beneficial and some detrimental, in the environment where they live


STRAND 3.4. Biodiversity

INDICATOR 5.3.4. Students will describe changes in organisms over time.

STRAND Biological Adaptations

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 5.3.4.a. Describe adaptations made by plants or animals to survive environmental changes























CONTENT STANDARD NE.SC 3: LIFE SCIENCE: Students will integrate and communicate the information, concepts, principles, processes, theories, and models of the Life Sciences





to make connections with the natural and engineered world.























INDICATOR 8.3.3. Students will describe populations and ecosystems.


GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 8.3.3.b. Compare the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem



INDICATOR 8.3.3. Students will describe populations and ecosystems.


GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 8.3.3.g. Identify positive and negative effects of natural and human activity on an ecosystem



INDICATOR 8.3.4. Students will identify characteristics of organisms that help them survive.


GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 8.3.4.a. Describe how an inherited characteristic enables an organism to improve its survival rate

Nevada Content Standards

Science


CONTENT STANDARD NV.L.5.C. Organisms and Their Environment (Life Science Unifying Concept C): Students understand that there is a variety of ecosystems on Earth and organisms interact within their ecosystems.

STRAND / INDICATOR L.5.C.2. Cycles: Students know organisms interact with each other and with the non-living parts of their





ecosystem. E/S

STRAND / INDICATOR L.5.C.4. Ecosystems: Students know all organisms, including humans, can cause changes in their environments. E/S

STRAND / INDICATOR L.5.C.5. Ecosystems: Students know plants and animals have adaptations allowing them to survive in specific ecosystems. E/S



STRAND / INDICATOR L.5.C.2. Cycles: Students know organisms interact with each other and with the non-living parts of their ecosystem. E/S





STRAND / INDICATOR L.5.C.2. Cycles: Students know organisms interact with each other and with the non-living parts of their ecosystem. E/S




CONTENT STANDARD NV.N.8.A. Scientific Inquiry (Nature of Science Unifying Concept A): Students understand that scientific knowledge requires critical consideration of verifiable evidence obtained from inquiry and





appropriate investigations.

STRAND / INDICATOR N.8.A.2. Record-keeping: Students know how to critically evaluate information to distinguish between fact and opinion. E/S

New Brunswick (Atlantic CA Curriculum) Standards

Science

Grade: 3

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NB.1. Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment (STSE) - Students will develop an understanding of the nature of science and technology, o the relationships between science and technology, and of the social and environmental contexts of science and technology.


GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NB.4. Attitudes - Students will be encouraged to develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific and technological knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society, and the environment.


Grade: 4




Grade: 5

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NB.4. Attitudes - Students will be encouraged to develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific and technological knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society,





and the environment.



Grade: 6




New Brunswick Standards

Science

Grade: 3

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NB.1. Unit 1: Life Science: Plant Growth and Changes: Students will have explored the needs and characteristics of plants in grade 1. This unit on plant growth will complement and reinforce outcomes in the soils unit.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.11. Students will describe ways in which plants are important to living things and the environment.

Grade: 4

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NB.1. Unit 1: Life Science: Habitats: The focuses in this unit are inquiry and decision-making. While exploring and investigating plants and animals that live in local habitats, students should realize the impact they can have on the environment.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.2. Students will identify questions to investigate about the types of plants and/or animals at a local habitat, and the conditions under which they live.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.3. Students will identify various methods for finding answers to questions related to the local habitat,





and select one approach that is appropriate.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.5. Students will identify their own and their families' impact on habitats, and describe how personal actions help conserve habitats.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.6. Students will compile and display the data collected during the habitat study using tallies, tables, and/or bar graphs.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.8. Students will construct and/or maintain a model of a natural habitat, and use it to make observations and collect information about organisms in the habitat.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.9. Students will suggest improvements to the model of the natural habitat to make it more realistic and habitable for organisms.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.10. Students will compare the external features and behavioural patterns of various animals and relate these features to their ability to meet their basic needs in their natural habitats.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.11. Students will carry out procedures to ensure a fair test that explores how appearance affects visibility.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.12. Students will predict the structural and/or behavioural adaptations needed for an animal to live in a particular habitat, either real or imagined.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.15. Students will describe current investigations of local or regional habitat issues.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.16. Students will classify organisms according to their role in a food chain and draw a diagram to illustrate the food chain.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.17. Students will predict how the removal of a plant or animal population affects the rest of the community.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.18. Students will relate habitat loss to the endangerment or extinction of plants and animals.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.19. Students will identify examples of positive and negative effects of technological developments on natural habitats.

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NB.4. Unit 4: Earth and Space Science: Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion: The unit provides many opportunities for students to practice inquiry skills. From observing, recording descriptions, and classifying rocks and minerals in their local habitat, to





exploring the make-up of soil and the fossils found in it, students can hone their inquiry skills.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 4.15. Students will describe natural phenomena that cause sudden and significant changes to the landscape.

Grade: 6

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NB.1. Unit 1: Life Science: Diversity of Life: This unit introduces students to the variety of life forms available for observation. Students should have the opportunity to learn about an increasing variety of living organisms, both familiar and exotic, and become more precise in identifying similarities and differences among them.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 1.16. Students will compare the adaptations of closely related animals living in different parts of the world and discuss reasons for any differences.

New Hampshire Curriculum Frameworks

Science


STRAND / STANDARD NH.SPS3. Science Process Skills: Personal, Social, and Technological Perspectives

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:4:2.1. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and demonstrate a basic conservation action such as recycling or a schoolyard habitat project.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:4:2.3. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and develop questions that help them learn about the environment; and design and conduct simple investigations.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:4:2.4. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and locate and collect information about the environment and environmental and natural resources topics.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:4:2.6. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and organize information to search for relationships and patterns concerning the environment and environmental topics.





STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:4:2.7. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and identify and investigate issues in their local environments and communities.

STRAND / STANDARD NH.SPS4. Science Process Skills: Science Skills for Information, Communication and Media Literacy

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS4:4:3.1. Critical Thinking and Systems Thinking: Students will apply skills from previous grades and apply a variety of age-appropriate strategies to address real-life issues (e.g., identify factors that affect plants in a particular habitat).

STRAND / STANDARD NH.ESS4. Earth Space Science: The growth of scientific knowledge in Earth Space Science has been advanced through the development of technology and is used (alone or in combination with other sciences) to identify, understand and solve local and global issues.

STANDARD / GLE S:ESS4:4:3.2. Local and Global Environmental Issues: Students will provide examples of technology that have changed the environment and explain whether the effect had a positive or negative impact.

STRAND / STANDARD NH.LS2. Life Science: Energy flows and matter recycles through an ecosystem.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:4:1.1. Environment: Students will describe how the nature of an organism's environment, such as the availability of a food source, the quantity and variety of other species present, and the physical characteristics of the environment affect the organism's patterns of behavior.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:4:1.2. Environment: Students will describe the interaction of living organisms with nonliving things.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:4:3.1. Recycling of Materials: Students will recognize that plants and animals interact with one another in various ways besides providing food, such as seed dispersal or pollination.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:4:3.2. Recycling of Materials: Students will describe ways plants and animals depend on each other (e.g., shelter, nesting, food).

STRAND / STANDARD NH.LS3. Life Science: Groups of organisms show evidence of change over time (e.g. evolution, natural selection, structures, behaviors, and biochemistry).

STANDARD / GLE S:LS3:4:1.2. Change: Students will provide examples of how an organism's inherited characteristics can adapt and





change over time in response to changes in the environment.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS3:4:3.1. Natural Selection: Students will recognize that individuals of the same species differ in their characteristics; and explain that sometimes these differences give individuals an advantage in survival and reproduction.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS3:4:3.2. Natural Selection: Students will recognize that for any particular environment, some kinds of animals and plants survive well, some less well, and some cannot survive at all.



STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:4:2.1. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and demonstrate a basic conservation action such as recycling or a schoolyard habitat project.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:4:2.3. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and develop questions that help them learn about the environment; and design and conduct simple investigations.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:4:2.4. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and locate and collect information about the environment and environmental and natural resources topics.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:4:2.6. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and organize information to search for relationships and patterns concerning the environment and environmental topics.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:4:2.7. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and identify and investigate issues in their local environments and communities.


STANDARD / GLE S:SPS4:4:3.1. Critical Thinking and Systems Thinking: Students will apply skills from previous grades and apply a variety of age-appropriate strategies to address





real-life issues (e.g., identify factors that affect plants in a particular habitat).


STANDARD / GLE S:ESS4:4:3.2. Local and Global Environmental Issues: Students will provide examples of technology that have changed the environment and explain whether the effect had a positive or negative impact.


STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:4:1.1. Environment: Students will describe how the nature of an organism's environment, such as the availability of a food source, the quantity and variety of other species present, and the physical characteristics of the environment affect the organism's patterns of behavior.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:4:1.2. Environment: Students will describe the interaction of living organisms with nonliving things.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:4:3.1. Recycling of Materials: Students will recognize that plants and animals interact with one another in various ways besides providing food, such as seed dispersal or pollination.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:4:3.2. Recycling of Materials: Students will describe ways plants and animals depend on each other (e.g., shelter, nesting, food).


STANDARD / GLE S:LS3:4:1.2. Change: Students will provide examples of how an organism's inherited characteristics can adapt and change over time in response to changes in the environment.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS3:4:3.1. Natural Selection: Students will recognize that individuals of the same species differ in their characteristics; and explain that sometimes these differences give individuals an advantage in survival and reproduction.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS3:4:3.2. Natural Selection: Students will recognize that for any particular environment, some kinds of animals and plants survive well, some less well, and some





cannot survive at all.


STRAND / STANDARD NH.SPS1. Science Process Skills: Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking Skills

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS1:6:1.3. Making Observations and Asking Questions: Students will apply skills from previous grades and identify and investigate similarities and differences among observations and sets of observations.

STRAND / STANDARD NH.SPS2. Science Process Skills: Unifying Concepts of Science

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS2:6:2.2. Systems and Energy: Students will apply skills from previous grades and discover that collections of pieces (e.g., powders, marbles, sugar cubes or wooden blocks) may have properties that the individual pieces do not.


STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:6:2.1. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and develop, focus and explain questions about the environment and do environmental investigations.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:6:2.2. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and design environmental investigations to answer particular questions.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:6:2.3. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and explore evidence that human-caused changes have consequences for the immediate environment as well as for other places and future times.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:6:2.4. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and explore how humans shape and control the environment while creating knowledge and developing new technologies.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:6:2.5. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and investigate environmental and resource management issues at scales that range from local to national to global.






STANDARD / GLE S:SPS4:6:9.2. Social Responsibility: Students will apply skills from previous grades and participate in simulation or role-playing activities in which students grapple with the ethics of complex issues.


STANDARD / GLE S:ESS4:6:3.3. Career Technical Education Connections: Students will provide examples of how to reduce waste through conservation, recycling, and reuse.


STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:6:2.1. Flow of Energy: Students will describe how energy is transferred in an ecosystem through food webs; and explain the roles and relationships between producers, consumers and decomposers.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:6:2.2. Flow of Energy: Students will recognize that one of the most general distinctions among organisms is between plants, which use sunlight to make their own food, and animals, which consume energy-rich foods.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:6:3.1. Recycling of Materials: Students will define a population as all individuals of a species that exist together at a given place and time; and explain that all populations living together in a community, along with the physical factors with which they interact, compose an ecosystem.


STANDARD / GLE S:LS3:6:1.1. Change: Students will provide examples of how all organisms, including humans, impact their environment; and explain how some changes can be detrimental to other organisms.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS3:6:1.2. Change: Students will explain how changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms and the entire species.






STRAND / STANDARD NH.SPS1. Science Process Skills: Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking Skills

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS1:6:1.3. Making Observations and Asking Questions: Students will apply skills from previous grades and identify and investigate similarities and differences among observations and sets of observations.

STRAND / STANDARD NH.SPS2. Science Process Skills: Unifying Concepts of Science

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS2:6:2.2. Systems and Energy: Students will apply skills from previous grades and discover that collections of pieces (e.g., powders, marbles, sugar cubes or wooden blocks) may have properties that the individual pieces do not.


STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:6:2.1. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and develop, focus and explain questions about the environment and do environmental investigations.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:6:2.2. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and design environmental investigations to answer particular questions.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:6:2.3. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and explore evidence that human-caused changes have consequences for the immediate environment as well as for other places and future times.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:6:2.4. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and explore how humans shape and control the environment while creating knowledge and developing new technologies.

STANDARD / GLE S:SPS3:6:2.5. Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation: Students will apply skills from previous grades and investigate environmental and resource management issues at scales that range from local to national to global.


STANDARD / GLE S:SPS4:6:9.2. Social Responsibility: Students will apply skills from previous grades and participate in simulation or





role-playing activities in which students grapple with the ethics of complex issues.


STANDARD / GLE S:ESS4:6:3.3. Career Technical Education Connections: Students will provide examples of how to reduce waste through conservation, recycling, and reuse.


STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:6:2.1. Flow of Energy: Students will describe how energy is transferred in an ecosystem through food webs; and explain the roles and relationships between producers, consumers and decomposers.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:6:2.2. Flow of Energy: Students will recognize that one of the most general distinctions among organisms is between plants, which use sunlight to make their own food, and animals, which consume energy-rich foods.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS2:6:3.1. Recycling of Materials: Students will define a population as all individuals of a species that exist together at a given place and time; and explain that all populations living together in a community, along with the physical factors with which they interact, compose an ecosystem.


STANDARD / GLE S:LS3:6:1.1. Change: Students will provide examples of how all organisms, including humans, impact their environment; and explain how some changes can be detrimental to other organisms.

STANDARD / GLE S:LS3:6:1.2. Change: Students will explain how changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms and the entire species.

New Jersey Academic Standards

Science






CONTENT AREA / STANDARD NJ.5. Science (By the end of grade 4)

STRAND / STANDARD 5.1.4. Science Practices: Science is both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to be proficient in science.

STRAND / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 5.1.4.D. Participate Productively in Science: The growth of scientific knowledge involves critique and communication, which are social practices that are governed by a core set of values and norms.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.1.4.D.4. Handle and treat organisms humanely, responsibly, and ethically.


STRAND / STANDARD 5.3.4. Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.

STRAND / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 5.3.4.C. Interdependence: All animals and most plants depend on both other organisms and their environment to meet their basic needs.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.3.4.C.2. Explain the consequences of rapid ecosystem change (e.g., flooding, wind storms, snowfall, volcanic eruptions), and compare them to consequences of gradual ecosystem change (e.g., gradual increase or decrease in daily temperatures, change in yearly rainfall).



STRAND / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 5.3.4.E. Evolution and Diversity: Sometimes, differences between organisms of the same kind provide advantages for surviving and reproducing in different environments. These selective differences may lead to dramatic changes in characteristics of organisms in a population over extremely





long periods of time.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.3.4.E.1. Model an adaptation to a species that would increase its chances of survival, should the environment become wetter, dryer, warmer, or colder over time.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.3.4.E.2. Evaluate similar populations in an ecosystem with regard to their ability to thrive and grow.



STRAND / STANDARD 5.1.4. Science Practices: Science is both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to be proficient in science.

STRAND / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 5.1.4.D. Participate Productively in Science: The growth of scientific knowledge involves critique and communication, which are social practices that are governed by a core set of values and norms.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.1.4.D.4. Handle and treat organisms humanely, responsibly, and ethically.




CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.3.4.C.2. Explain the consequences of rapid ecosystem change (e.g., flooding, wind storms, snowfall, volcanic eruptions), and compare them to consequences of gradual ecosystem change (e.g., gradual increase or decrease in daily temperatures, change in yearly rainfall).


STRAND / STANDARD 5.3.4. Life Science: Life science principles are powerful





conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.

STRAND / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 5.3.4.E. Evolution and Diversity: Sometimes, differences between organisms of the same kind provide advantages for surviving and reproducing in different environments. These selective differences may lead to dramatic changes in characteristics of organisms in a population over extremely long periods of time.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.3.4.E.1. Model an adaptation to a species that would increase its chances of survival, should the environment become wetter, dryer, warmer, or colder over time.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.3.4.E.2. Evaluate similar populations in an ecosystem with regard to their ability to thrive and grow.




STRAND / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 5.3.6.B. Matter and Energy Transformations: Food is required for energy and building cellular materials. Organisms in an ecosystem have different ways of obtaining food, and some organisms obtain their food directly from other organisms.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.3.6.B.2. Illustrate the flow of energy (food) through a community.








CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.3.6.C.1. Explain the impact of meeting human needs and wants on local and global environments.


STRAND / STANDARD 5.4.6. Earth Systems Science: Earth operates as a set of complex, dynamic, and interconnected systems, and is a part of the all-encompassing system of the universe.

STRAND / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 5.4.6.G. Biogeochemical Cycles: The biogeochemical cycles in the Earth systems include the flow of microscopic and macroscopic resources from one reservoir in the hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, or biosphere to another, are driven by Earth's internal and external sources of energy, and are impacted by human activity.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.4.6.G.2. Create a model of ecosystems in two different locations, and compare and contrast the living and nonliving components.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.4.6.G.3. Describe ways that humans can improve the health of ecosystems around the world.




STRAND / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 5.3.6.B. Matter and Energy Transformations: Food is required for energy and building cellular materials. Organisms in an ecosystem have different ways of obtaining food, and some organisms obtain their food directly from other organisms.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.3.6.B.2. Illustrate the flow of energy (food) through a community.


STRAND / STANDARD 5.3.6. Life Science: Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical





world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.


CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.3.6.C.1. Explain the impact of meeting human needs and wants on local and global environments.


STRAND / STANDARD 5.4.6. Earth Systems Science: Earth operates as a set of complex, dynamic, and interconnected systems, and is a part of the all-encompassing system of the universe.

STRAND / PROFICIENCY LEVEL 5.4.6.G. Biogeochemical Cycles: The biogeochemical cycles in the Earth systems include the flow of microscopic and macroscopic resources from one reservoir in the hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, or biosphere to another, are driven by Earth's internal and external sources of energy, and are impacted by human activity.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.4.6.G.2. Create a model of ecosystems in two different locations, and compare and contrast the living and nonliving components.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATOR 5.4.6.G.3. Describe ways that humans can improve the health of ecosystems around the world.

New Mexico Content Standards

Science


STRAND / CONTENT STANDARD NM.I. Scientific Thinking and Practice: Understand the processes of scientific investigations and use inquiry and scientific ways of observing, experimenting, predicting, and validating to think critically.

BENCHMARK / STANDARD I-A. Use scientific methods to observe, collect, record, analyze, predict, interpret, and determine reasonableness of data.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD / BENCHMARK / PROFICIENCY

I-A.3a. Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and measurements.






BENCHMARK / STANDARD I-C. Use mathematical skills and vocabulary to analyze data, understand patterns and relationships, and communicate findings.


I-C.1a. Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and measurements.

STRAND / CONTENT STANDARD NM.II. Content of Science: Life Science: Understand the properties, structures, and processes of living things and the interdependence of living things and their environments.

BENCHMARK / STANDARD II-A. Know that living things have diverse forms, structures, functions, and habitats.


II-A.1a. Know that an adaptation in physical structure or behavior can improve an organism's chance for survival (e.g., horned toads, chameleons, cacti, mushrooms).



BENCHMARK / STANDARD I-C. Use mathematical skills and vocabulary to analyze data, understand patterns and relationships, and communicate findings.


I-C.2a. Use mathematical equations to formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships.


BENCHMARK / STANDARD II-A. Know that living things have diverse forms, structures, functions, and habitats.


II-A.4a. Describe the components of and relationships among organisms in a food chain (e.g., plants are the primary source of energy for living systems).


BENCHMARK / STANDARD II-B. Know that living things have similarities and differences and that living things change over time.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD / II-B.1a. Know that in any particular environment some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive less well,





BENCHMARK / PROFICIENCY and others cannot survive at all.


II-B.2a. Know that a change in physical structure or behavior can improve an organism's chance of survival (e.g., a chameleon changes color, a turtle pulls its head into its shell, a plant grows toward the light).


II-B.3a. Describe how some living organisms have developed characteristics from generation to generation to improve chances of survival (e.g., spines on cacti, long beaks on hummingbirds, good eyesight on hawks).

STRAND / CONTENT STANDARD NM.III. Science and Society: Understand how scientific discoveries, inventions, practices, and knowledge influence, and are influenced by, individuals and societies.

BENCHMARK / STANDARD III-A. Describe how science influences decisions made by individuals and societies.


III-A.1a. Know that science has identified substances called pollutants that get into the environment and can be harmful to living things.



BENCHMARK / STANDARD II-A. Explain the diverse structures and functions of living things and the complex relationships between living things and their environments.


II-A.1a. Identify the components of habitats and ecosystems (producers, consumers, decomposers, predators).


II-A.2a. Understand how food webs depict relationships between different organisms.


II-A.3a. Know that changes in the environment can have different effects on different organisms (e.g., some organisms move, some survive, some reproduce, some die).


II-A.4a. Describe how human activity impacts the environment.


BENCHMARK / STANDARD II-C. Understand the structure of organisms and the function of cells in living systems.






II-C.3a. Describe the relationships among cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, whole organisms, and ecosystems.

STRAND / CONTENT STANDARD NM.III. Science and Society: Understand how scientific discoveries, inventions, practices, and knowledge influence, and are influenced by, individuals and societies.

BENCHMARK / STANDARD III-A. Explain how scientific discoveries and inventions have changed individuals and societies.


III-A.1a. Describe the contributions of science to understanding local or current issues (e.g., watershed and community decisions regarding water use).



BENCHMARK / STANDARD II-A. Explain the diverse structures and functions of living things and the complex relationships between living things and their environments.


II-A.1a. Understand how organisms interact with their physical environments to meet their needs (i.e., food, water, air) and how the water cycle is essential to most living systems.


II-A.2a. Describe how weather and geologic events (e.g., volcanoes, earthquakes) affect the function of living systems.


II-A.3a. Describe how organisms have adapted to various environmental conditions.


BENCHMARK / STANDARD II-B. Understand how traits are passed from one generation to the next and how species evolve.


II-B.2a. Describe how species have responded to changing environmental conditions over time (e.g., extinction, adaptation).

New York Core Curriculum

Science






STRAND / STANDARD NY.L4. The Living Environment: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

KEY IDEA / STANDARD L4.3: Individual organisms and species change over time.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.3.1. Describe how the structures of plants and animals complement the environment of the plant or animal.


KEY IDEA / STANDARD L4.5: Organisms maintain a dynamic equilibrium that sustains life.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.5.2. Describe some survival behaviors of common living specimens.


KEY IDEA / STANDARD L4.6: Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.6.1. Describe how plants and animals, including humans, depend upon each other and the nonliving environment.


KEY IDEA / STANDARD L4.7: Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environments.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.7.1. Identify ways in which humans have changed their environment and the effects of those changes.

STRAND / STANDARD NY.6. Interconnectedness: Common Themes: Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.

KEY IDEA / STANDARD 6.1: Through systems thinking, people can recognize the commonalities that exist among all systems and how





parts of a system interrelate and combine to perform specific functions.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 6.1.1. Observe and describe interactions among components of simple systems

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 6.1.2. Identify common things that can be considered to be systems (e.g., a plant, a transportation system, human beings)

STRAND / STANDARD NY.7. Interdisciplinary Problem Solving: Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.

KEY IDEA / STANDARD 7.1: The knowledge and skills of mathematics, science, and technology are used together to make informed decisions and solve problems, especially those relating to issues of science/technology/society, consumer decision making, design, and inquiry into phenomena.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 7.1.1. Analyze science/technology/society problems and issues that affect their home, school, or community, and carry out a remedial course of action



KEY IDEA / STANDARD L4.3: Individual organisms and species change over time.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.3.1. Describe how the structures of plants and animals complement the environment of the plant or animal.


KEY IDEA / STANDARD L4.5: Organisms maintain a dynamic equilibrium that sustains life.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.5.2. Describe some survival behaviors of common living specimens.

STRAND / STANDARD NY.L4. The Living Environment: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical





development of ideas in science.


PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.6.1. Describe how plants and animals, including humans, depend upon each other and the nonliving environment.


KEY IDEA / STANDARD L4.7: Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environments.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.7.1. Identify ways in which humans have changed their environment and the effects of those changes.


KEY IDEA / STANDARD 6.1: Through systems thinking, people can recognize the commonalities that exist among all systems and how parts of a system interrelate and combine to perform specific functions.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 6.1.1. Observe and describe interactions among components of simple systems

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 6.1.2. Identify common things that can be considered to be systems (e.g., a plant, a transportation system, human beings)

STRAND / STANDARD NY.7. Interdisciplinary Problem Solving: Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.


PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 7.1.1. Analyze science/technology/society problems and issues that affect their home, school, or community, and carry out a remedial course of action






STRAND / STANDARD NY.1. Analysis, Inquiry, and Design: Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

KEY IDEA / STANDARD S2: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY: Beyond the use of reasoning and consensus, scientific inquiry involves the testing of proposed explanations involving the use of conventional techniques and procedures and usually requiring considerable ingenuity.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA S2.2. Develop, present, and defend formal research proposals for testing their own explanations of common phenomena, including ways of obtaining needed observations and ways of conducting simple controlled experiments.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR S2.2b. Design scientific investigations (e.g., observing, describing, and comparing; collecting samples; seeking more information, conducting a controlled experiment; discovering new objects or phenomena; making models)

STRAND / STANDARD NY.2. Information Systems: Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information, using appropriate technologies.

KEY IDEA / STANDARD 2.3. Information technology can have positive and negative impacts on society, depending upon how it is used.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 2.3.3. Explain the impact of the use and abuse of electronically generated information on individuals and families.



PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.6.1. Describe the flow of energy and matter through food chains and food webs.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.6.2. Provide evidence that green plants make food and explain the significance of this process to other organisms.






KEY IDEA / STANDARD L4.7: Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environment.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.7.1. Describe how living things, including humans, depend upon the living and nonliving environment for their survival.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.7.2. Describe the effects of environmental changes on humans and other populations.



PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 6.1.2. Describe the differences and similarities among engineering systems, natural systems, and social systems.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 6.1.3. Describe the differences between open- and closed-loop systems.


KEY IDEA / STANDARD 6.4: Equilibrium is a state of stability due either to a lack of change (static equilibrium) or a balance between opposing forces (dynamic equilibrium).

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 6.4.1. Describe how feedback mechanisms are used in both designed and natural systems to keep changes within desired limits.

STRAND / STANDARD NY.7. Interdisciplinary Problem Solving: Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.


PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 7.1.1. Analyze science/technology/society problems and issues at the local level and plan and carry out a remedial course of action.






STRAND / STANDARD NY.1. Analysis, Inquiry, and Design: Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

KEY IDEA / STANDARD S2: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY: Beyond the use of reasoning and consensus, scientific inquiry involves the testing of proposed explanations involving the use of conventional techniques and procedures and usually requiring considerable ingenuity.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA S2.2. Develop, present, and defend formal research proposals for testing their own explanations of common phenomena, including ways of obtaining needed observations and ways of conducting simple controlled experiments.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR S2.2b. Design scientific investigations (e.g., observing, describing, and comparing; collecting samples; seeking more information, conducting a controlled experiment; discovering new objects or phenomena; making models)

STRAND / STANDARD NY.2. Information Systems: Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information, using appropriate technologies.

KEY IDEA / STANDARD 2.3. Information technology can have positive and negative impacts on society, depending upon how it is used.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 2.3.3. Explain the impact of the use and abuse of electronically generated information on individuals and families.



PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.6.1. Describe the flow of energy and matter through food chains and food webs.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.6.2. Provide evidence that green plants make food and explain the significance of this process to other organisms.






KEY IDEA / STANDARD L4.7: Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environment.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.7.1. Describe how living things, including humans, depend upon the living and nonliving environment for their survival.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 4.7.2. Describe the effects of environmental changes on humans and other populations.



PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 6.1.2. Describe the differences and similarities among engineering systems, natural systems, and social systems.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 6.1.3. Describe the differences between open- and closed-loop systems.


KEY IDEA / STANDARD 6.4: Equilibrium is a state of stability due either to a lack of change (static equilibrium) or a balance between opposing forces (dynamic equilibrium).

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 6.4.1. Describe how feedback mechanisms are used in both designed and natural systems to keep changes within desired limits.

STRAND / STANDARD NY.7. Interdisciplinary Problem Solving: Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.


PERFORMANCE INDICATOR / KEY IDEA 7.1.1. Analyze science/technology/society problems and issues at the local level and plan and carry out a remedial course of action.





Newfoundland and Labrador (Atlantic CA Curriculum) Standards

Science

Grade: 3

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NL.1. Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment (STSE) - Students will develop an understanding of the nature of science and technology, o the relationships between science and technology, and of the social and environmental contexts of science and technology.


GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NL.4. Attitudes - Students will be encouraged to develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific and technological knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society, and the environment.


Grade: 4




Grade: 5








Grade: 6




North Carolina 2012-2013 Essential Standards

Science


CONTENT AREA / STRAND NC.4.L. Life Science

STRAND / ESSENTIAL STANDARD Ecosystems

ESSENTIAL STANDARD / CLARIFYING OBJECTIVE

4.L.1. Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats.

CLARIFYING OBJECTIVE 4.L.1.1. Give examples of changes in an organism's environment that are beneficial to it and some that are harmful.





5.L.2. Understand the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem.

CLARIFYING OBJECTIVE 5.L.2.1. Compare the characteristics of several common ecosystems, including estuaries and salt marshes, oceans, lakes and ponds, forests, and grasslands).

CLARIFYING OBJECTIVE 5.L.2.2. Classify the organisms within an ecosystem according to the function they serve: producers, consumers, or decomposers (biotic factors).





CLARIFYING OBJECTIVE 5.L.2.3. Infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of plants and animals to their ecosystem.





6.L.2. Understand the flow of energy through ecosystems and the responses of populations to the biotic and abiotic factors in their environment.

CLARIFYING OBJECTIVE 6.L.2.1. Summarize how energy derived from the sun is used by plants to produce sugars (photosynthesis) and is transferred within food chains and food webs (terrestrial and aquatic) from producers to consumers to decomposers.

CLARIFYING OBJECTIVE 6.L.2.3. Summarize how the abiotic factors (such as temperature, water, sunlight, and soil quality) of biomes (freshwater, marine, forest, grasslands, desert, Tundra) affect the ability of organisms to grow, survive and/or create their own food through photosynthesis.

North Carolina Standard Course of Study

Science


COURSE / COMPETENCY GOAL NC.1. The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of animal behavior and adaptation.

COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 1.03. Observe and discuss how behaviors and body structures help animals survive in a particular habitat.

COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 1.04. Explain and discuss how humans and other animals can adapt their behavior to live in changing habitats.


COURSE / COMPETENCY GOAL NC.1. The learner will conduct investigations to build an understanding of the interdependence of plants and animals.

COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 1.01. Describe and compare several common ecosystems (communities of organisms and their interaction with the environment).






COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 1.02. Identify and analyze the functions of organisms within the population of the ecosystem:

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 1.02.a. Producers

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 1.02.b. Consumers

COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 1.03. Explain why an ecosystem can support a variety of organisms.

COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 1.05. Determine the interaction of organisms within an ecosystem.


COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 1.06. Explain and evaluate some ways that humans affect ecosystems:

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 1.06.a. Habitat reduction due to development

COURSE / COMPETENCY GOAL NC.2. The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of landforms.

COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 2.07. Discuss and analyze how humans influence erosion and deposition in local communities, including school grounds, as a result of:

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 2.07.a. Clearing land

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 2.07.b. Planting vegetation


COURSE / COMPETENCY GOAL NC.3. The learner will build an understanding of the geological cycles, forces, processes, and agents which shape the lithosphere.

COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 3.06. Evaluate ways in which human activities have affected Earth's pedosphere and the measures taken to control the impact:

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 3.06.a. Vegetative cover

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 3.06.c. Land use

COURSE / COMPETENCY GOAL NC.4. The learner will investigate the cycling of matter.





COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 4.04. Evaluate the significance of photosynthesis to other organisms:

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 4.04.c. Green plants are the producers of food that is used directly or indirectly by consumers

COURSE / COMPETENCY GOAL NC.5. The learner will build understanding of the Solar System.

COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 5.04. Describe space explorations and the understandings gained from them including:

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 5.04.g. Future goals

COURSE / COMPETENCY GOAL NC.7. The learner will conduct investigations and use technologies and information systems to build an understanding of population dynamics.

COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 7.04. Evaluate data related to human population growth, along with problems and solutions:

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 7.04.b. Food supplies

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 7.04.c. Resource availability

COURSE / COMPETENCY GOAL NC.7. The learner will conduct investigations and use technologies and information systems to build an understanding of population dynamics.

COMPETENCY GOAL / OBJECTIVE 7.06. Investigate processes which, operating over long periods of time, have resulted in the diversity of plant and animal life present today:

OBJECTIVE / EXPECTATION 7.06.b. Adaptation

North Dakota Content Standards

Science


CONTENT STANDARD ND.4. Life Science: Students understand the basic concepts and principles of life science.

BENCHMARK 4.4.2. Structure and Function: Identify adaptations that help plants and animals survive and grow in their environment

CONTENT STANDARD ND.7. Science and Other Areas: Students understand relations between science and personal, social, and environmental issues.

BENCHMARK 4.7.1. Science and Environmental Issues: Identify consequences of natural and human-induced





environmental changes (e.g., erosion, tsunami, deforestation)


CONTENT STANDARD ND.1. Unifying Concepts: Students understand the unifying concepts and processes of science.

BENCHMARK 5.1.2. Constancy and Change: Explain how changes alter the balance within a system (e.g., the effects of limited resources on populations, global climate change, flood, drought)


CONTENT STANDARD ND.1. Unifying Concepts: Students understand the unifying concepts and processes of science.

BENCHMARK 6.1.2. Systems: Identify systems that are composed of subsystems (e.g., solar system, cell, ecosystems)

BENCHMARK 6.1.3. Constancy and Change: Explain the connection between cause and effect in a system

CONTENT STANDARD ND.7. Science and Other Areas: Students understand relations between science and personal, social, and environmental issues.

BENCHMARK 6.7.2. Science and Environmental Issues: Explain how recycling and conservation affect populations, resources, and the environment

Nova Scotia (Atlantic CA Curriculum) Standards

Science

Grade: 3

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NS.1. Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment (STSE) - Students will develop an understanding of the nature of science and technology, o the relationships between science and technology, and of the social and environmental contexts of science and technology.


GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NS.4. Attitudes - Students will be encouraged to develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific and technological knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society, and the environment.






Grade: 4




Grade: 5




Grade: 6




Nova Scotia Standards





Science

Grade: 4

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NS.1. Life Science: Habitats: Behavioural and Structural Features of Animals That Enable Them to Survive in Their Habitat.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 204-3. Students will predict the structural and/or behavioural adaptations needed for an animal to live in a particular habitat, real or imagined.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 205-1. Students will carry out procedures and ensure a fair test to explore how appearance affects visibility.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 302-2. Students will compare the external features and behavioural patterns of various animals and relate these features to their ability to meet their basic needs in their natural habitats.

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NS.3. Life Science: Habitats: Food Chains.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 301-1. Students will predict how the removal of a plant or animal population affects the rest of the community.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 301-2. Students will relate habitat loss to the endangerment or extinction of plants and animals.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 302-3. Students will classify organisms according to their role in a food chain and draw a diagram to illustrate the food chain.

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NS.4. Life Science: Habitats: Habitats and Populations.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 108-6. Students will identify their own and their families' impact on habitats, and describe how personal actions help conserve habitats.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 204-1. Students will identify questions to investigate about the types of plants and/or animals at a local habitat, and the conditions under which they live.

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NS.5. Life Science: Habitats: Structural Features of Plants That Enable Them to Survive in Their Habitat.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 105-1. Students will describe current investigations into local or regional habitat issues.

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NS.12. Life Science: Light: Sources of Light.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 108-6. Students will identify ways of conserving energy through conservative use of home lighting.





Grade: 6

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NS.5. Life Science: Diversity of Life: Adaptions and Natural Selection.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 105-1. Students will describe reasons why various animals are endangered, and describe efforts to study their populations size and ensure their continued existence.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 204-1. Students will propose questions about the relationship between the structure al features of organisms and their environment, and use a variety of sources to gather information about this relationship.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 310-15. Students will compare the adaptations of closely related animals living in different parts of the world, and discuss reasons for any differences.

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME NS.10. Physical Science: Electricity: Electrical Energy Consumption and Conservation.

CURRICULUM OUTCOME 108-5. Students will identify and explain different factors that could lead to a decrease in electrical energy consumption in the home and at school and how will this help protect the environment.

Ohio 2012-2013 Standards

Science


THEME / COURSE OH.3. Interconnections within Systems: This theme focuses on helping students recognize the components of various systems and then investigate dynamic and sustainable relationships within systems using scientific inquiry.

STRAND 3.ESS. Earth and Space Science (ESS)

TOPIC Topic: Earth's Resources: This topic focuses on Earth's resources. While resources can be living and nonliving, within this strand, the emphasis is on Earth's nonliving resources, such as water, air, rock, soil and the energy resources they represent.

CONTENT STATEMENT 3.ESS.3. Some of Earth's resources are limited.

EXPECTATION 3.ESS.3.1. Some of Earth's resources become limited due to overuse and/or contamination. Reducing resource use, decreasing waste and/or pollution, recycling and reusing can help conserve these resources.






STRAND 3.LS. Life Science (LS)

TOPIC Topic: Behavior, Growth and Changes: This topic explores life cycles of organisms and the relationship between the natural environment and an organism's (physical and behavioral) traits, which affect its ability to survive and reproduce.

CONTENT STATEMENT 3.LS.2. Individuals of the same kind differ in their traits and sometimes the differences give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing.

EXPECTATION 3.LS.2.1. Plants and animals have physical features that are associated with the environments where they live.

EXPECTATION 3.LS.2.2. Plants and animals have certain physical or behavioral characteristics that improve their chances of surviving in particular environments.




TOPIC Topic: Earth's Living History: This topic focuses on using fossil evidence and living organisms to observe that suitable habitats depend upon a combination of biotic and abiotic factors.

CONTENT STATEMENT 4.LS.1. Changes in an organism's environment are sometimes beneficial to its survival and sometimes harmful.

EXPECTATION 4.LS.1.1. Ecosystems can change gradually or dramatically. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce and others die or move to new locations. An animal's patterns of behavior are related to the environment. This includes the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the physical attributes of the environment.








TOPIC Topic: Interactions within Ecosystems: This topic focuses on foundational knowledge of the structures and functions of ecosystems.

CONTENT STATEMENT 5.LS.1. Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.

EXPECTATION 5.LS.1.1. Populations of organisms can be categorized by how they acquire energy.



TOPIC Topic: Interactions within Ecosystems: This topic focuses on foundational knowledge of the structures and functions of ecosystems.

CONTENT STATEMENT 5.LS.2. All of the processes that take place within organisms require energy.

EXPECTATION 5.LS.2.3. In most ecosystems, energy derived from the sun is transferred and transformed into energy that organisms use by the process of photosynthesis in plants and other photosynthetic organisms.

Ohio Academic Content Standards

Science


DOMAIN / ACADEMIC CONTENT STANDARD

OH.1. Earth and Space Sciences: Students demonstrate an understanding about how Earth systems and processes interact in the geosphere resulting in the habitability of Earth. This includes demonstrating an understanding of the composition of the universe, the solar system and Earth. In addition, it includes understanding the properties and the interconnected nature of Earth's systems, processes that shape Earth and Earth's history. Students also demonstrate an understanding of how the concepts and principles of energy, matter, motion and forces





explain Earth systems, the solar system and the universe. Finally, they grasp an understanding of the historical perspectives, scientific approaches and emerging scientific issues associated with Earth and space sciences.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 1.C. Describe Earth's resources including rocks, soil, water, air, animals and plants and the ways in which they can be conserved.


OH.2. Life Sciences: Students demonstrate an understanding of how living systems function and how they interact with the physical environment. This includes an understanding of the cycling of matter and flow of energy in living systems. An understanding of the characteristics, structure and function of cells, organisms and living systems will be developed. Students will also develop a deeper understanding of the principles of heredity, biological evolution, and the diversity and interdependence of life. Students demonstrate an understanding of different historical perspectives, scientific approaches and emerging scientific issues associated with the life sciences.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 2.B. Analyze plant and animal structures and functions needed for survival and describe the flow of energy through a system that all organisms use to survive.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 2.2. Grade Level Indicator: Diversity and Interdependence of Life: Relate animal structures to their specific survival functions (e.g., obtaining food, escaping or hiding from enemies).



OH.1. Earth and Space Sciences: Students demonstrate an understanding about how Earth systems and processes interact in the geosphere resulting in the habitability of Earth. This includes demonstrating an understanding of the composition of the universe, the solar system and Earth. In addition, it includes understanding the properties and the interconnected nature of Earth's systems, processes that shape Earth and Earth's history. Students also demonstrate an understanding of how the concepts and principles of energy, matter, motion and forces explain Earth systems, the solar system and the universe. Finally, they grasp an understanding of the historical perspectives, scientific approaches and emerging scientific issues associated with Earth and space sciences.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 1.C. Describe Earth's resources including rocks, soil, water, air, animals and plants and the ways in





which they can be conserved.




STANDARD / BENCHMARK 2.5. Grade Level Indicator: Diversity and Interdependence of Life: Describe how organisms interact with one another in various ways (e.g., many plants depend on animals for carrying pollen or dispersing seeds).



OH.1. Earth and Space Sciences: Students demonstrate an understanding about how Earth systems and processes interact in the geosphere resulting in the habitability of Earth. This includes demonstrating an understanding of the composition of the universe, the solar system and Earth. In addition, it includes understanding the properties and the interconnected nature of Earth's systems, processes that shape Earth and Earth's history. Students also demonstrate an understanding of how the concepts and principles of energy, matter, motion and forces explain Earth systems, the solar system and the universe. Finally, they grasp an understanding of the historical perspectives, scientific approaches and emerging scientific issues associated with Earth and space sciences.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 1.C. Describe Earth's resources including rocks, soil, water, air, animals and plants and the ways in which they can be conserved.


OH.2. Life Sciences: Students demonstrate an understanding of how living systems function and how they interact with the physical environment. This includes an understanding of the cycling of matter and flow of energy in living systems. An





understanding of the characteristics, structure and function of cells, organisms and living systems will be developed. Students will also develop a deeper understanding of the principles of heredity, biological evolution, and the diversity and interdependence of life. Students demonstrate an understanding of different historical perspectives, scientific approaches and emerging scientific issues associated with the life sciences.


STANDARD / BENCHMARK 2.1. Grade Level Indicator: Diversity and Interdependence of Life: Describe the role of producers in the transfer of energy entering ecosystems as sunlight to chemical energy through photosynthesis.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 2.2. Grade Level Indicator: Diversity and Interdependence of Life: Explain how almost all kinds of animals' food can be traced back to plants.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 2.3. Grade Level Indicator: Diversity and Interdependence of Life: Trace the organization of simple food chains and food webs (e.g., producers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores and decomposers).

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 2.4. Grade Level Indicator: Diversity and Interdependence of Life: Summarize that organisms can survive only in ecosystems in which their needs can be met (e.g., food, water, shelter, air, carrying capacity and waste disposal). The world has different ecosystems and distinct ecosystems support the lives of different types of organisms.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 2.5. Grade Level Indicator: Diversity and Interdependence of Life: Support how an organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's ecosystem, including the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the changing physical characteristics of the ecosystem.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 2.6. Grade Level Indicator: Diversity and Interdependence of Life: Analyze how all organisms, including humans, cause changes in their ecosystems and how these changes can be beneficial, neutral or detrimental (e.g., beaver ponds, earthworm burrows, grasshoppers eating plants, people planting and cutting trees and people introducing a new species).






OH.4. Science and Technology: Students recognize that science and technology are interconnected and that using technology involves assessment of the benefits, risks and costs. Students should build scientific and technological knowledge, as well as the skill required to design and construct devices. In addition, they should develop the processes to solve problems and understand that problems may be solved in several ways.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 4.1. Grade Level Indicator: Understanding Technology: Investigate positive and negative impacts of human activity and technology on the environment.




STANDARD / BENCHMARK 2.8. Grade Level Indicator: Diversity and Interdependence of Life: Describe how organisms may interact with one another.


OH.6. Scientific Ways of Knowing: Students realize that the current body of scientific knowledge must be based on evidence, be predictive, logical, subject to modification and limited to the natural world. This includes demonstrating an understanding that scientific knowledge grows and advances as new evidence is discovered to support or modify existing theories, as well as to encourage the development of new theories. Students are able to reflect on ethical scientific practices and demonstrate an understanding of how the current body of scientific knowledge reflects the historical and cultural contributions of women and men who provide us with a more reliable and comprehensive understanding of the natural world.

STANDARD / BENCHMARK 6.B. Explain the importance of reproducibility and reduction of bias in scientific methods.

Oklahoma Priority Academic Student Skills





Science


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE OK.1. Science Processes and Inquiry: Observe and Measure: Observing is the first action taken by the learner to acquire new information about an object, organism, or event. Opportunities for observation are developed through the use of a variety of scientific tools. Measurement allows observations to be quantified. The student will accomplish these objectives to meet this standard.

STRAND / STANDARD 1.2. Compare and contrast similar and/or different characteristics in a given set of simple objects, familiar organisms, and/or observable events.

CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE OK.2. Life Science: Characteristics and Basic Needs of Organisms and Environments: All living things have structures that enable them to function in unique and specific ways to obtain food, reproduce, and survive. The student will engage in investigations that integrate the standards and lead to the discovery of the following objectives:

STRAND / STANDARD 2.1. Plants and animals have features (i.e., breathing structures, limbs, skin covering, seed dispersal, roots, stems, and leaves) that help them live in environments such as air, water, or land.

STRAND / STANDARD 2.3. All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat the plants.


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE OK.1. Science Processes and Inquiry: Observe and Measure: Observing is the first action taken by the learner to acquire new information about an object, organism, or event. Opportunities for observation are developed through the use of a variety of scientific tools. Measurement allows observations to be quantified. The student will accomplish these objectives to meet this standard.

STRAND / STANDARD 1.2. Compare and/or contrast similar and/or different characteristics (e.g., color, shape, size, texture, sound, position, change, etc.) in a given set of objects organisms or events.


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE OK.1. Science Processes and Inquiry: Observe and Measure: Observing is the first action taken by the learner to acquire new information about an object,





organism, or event. Opportunities for observation are developed through the use of a variety of scientific tools. Measurement allows observations to be quantified. The student will accomplish these objectives to meet this standard.

STRAND / STANDARD 1.2. Compare and/or contrast similar and/or different characteristics (e.g., color, shape, size, texture, sound, position, change, etc.) in a given set of objects, organisms, or events.

CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE OK.2. Life Science: Organisms and Environments: Organisms within a community are dependent on one another and the environment. The student will engage in investigations that integrate the standards and lead to the discovery of the following objectives:

STRAND / STANDARD 2.1. Organisms in a community, interacting populations in a common location, depend on each other for food, shelter, and reproduction.

STRAND / STANDARD 2.2. Changes in environmental conditions due to human interactions or natural phenomena can affect the survival of individual organisms and/or entire species.


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE OK.4. Life Science: Populations and Ecosystems: Populations consist of individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time. All populations living together and the physical factor with which they interact compose an ecosystem. The student will engage in investigations that integrate the standards and lead to the discovery of the following objectives:

STRAND / STANDARD 4.1. Organisms within an ecosystem are dependent on one another and on nonliving components of the environment. Some source of energy is needed for all organisms to stay alive and grow. Energy transfer can be followed in food chains and webs.

STRAND / STANDARD 4.2. In all environments, organisms with similar needs may compete with one another for resources, including food, space, water, air, and shelter. Other relationships may be beneficial.

CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE OK.5. Earth/Space Science: Structures of the Earth and the Solar System: The earth is mostly rock, three-fourths of its surface is covered by a relatively thin layer of water, and the entire planet is surrounded by a relatively thin blanket of air, and is able to support life. The student will engage in





investigations that integrate the standards and lead to the discovery of the following objectives:

STRAND / STANDARD 5.3. The sun provides the light and heat necessary to maintain life on Earth and is the ultimate source of energy (i.e., producers receive their energy from the sun).

Ontario Standards

Science


STRAND / COURSE ON.A. Understanding Live Systems: Growth and Changes in Plants

STRAND / OVERALL EXPECTATION A.OE. Overall Expectations: By the end of Grade 3, students will:

STAGE / SKILLS A.1. Assess ways in which plants have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats;


STRAND / OVERALL EXPECTATION A.SE. Specific Expectations

STAGE / SKILLS A.1. Relating Science and Technology to Society and the Environment: By the end of Grade 3, students will:

SUB-ORGANIZER / SPECIFIC EXPECTATION

A.1.1. Assess ways in which plants are important to humans and other living things, taking different points of view into consideration (e.g., the point of view of home builders, gardeners, nursery owners, vegetarians), and suggest ways in which humans can protect plants


A.1.2. Assess the impact of different human activities on plants, and list personal actions they can engage in to minimize harmful effects and enhance good effects



STAGE / SKILLS A.3. Understanding Basic Concepts: By the end of Grade 3, students will:


A.3.4. Describe how most plants get energy to live directly from the sun (e.g., plants turn the energy from the sun into food for themselves) and how plants help





other living things to get energy from the sun (e.g., Other living things, which cannot ''eat'' sunshine, eat the plants to get the energy. They also get energy when they eat the animals that eat the plants.)


A.3.6. Describe ways in which plants and animals depend on each other (e.g., plants provide food for energy; animals help disperse pollen and seeds, and provide manure that fertilizes the soil in which plants grow; plants need the carbon dioxide that animals breathe out, and animals need the oxygen that plants release into the air)


A.3.8. Identify examples of environmental conditions that may threaten plant and animal survival (e.g., extreme heat and cold; floods and/or droughts; changes in habitat because of human activities such as construction, use of gas-powered personal watercraft on lakes)


STRAND / COURSE ON.A. Understanding Life Systems: Habitats and Communities


STAGE / SKILLS A.1. Analyse the effects of human activities on habitats and communities;

STAGE / SKILLS A.2. Investigate the interdependence of plants and animals within specific habitats and communities;

STAGE / SKILLS A.3. Demonstrate an understanding of habitats and communities and the relationships among the plants and animals that live in them.





A.1.1. Analyse the positive and negative impacts of human interactions with natural habitats and communities (e.g., human dependence on natural materials), taking different perspectives into account (e.g., the perspectives of a housing developer, a family in need of housing, an ecologist), and evaluate ways of minimizing the negative impacts

SUB-ORGANIZER / SPECIFIC A.1.2. Identify reasons for the depletion or extinction of a plant or animal species (e.g., hunting, disease,





EXPECTATION invasive species, changes in or destruction of its habitat), evaluate the impacts on the rest of the natural community, and propose possible actions for preventing such depletions or extinctions from happening



STAGE / SKILLS A.2. Developing Investigation and Communication Skills: By the end of Grade 4, students will:


A.2.2. Build food chains consisting of different plants and animals, including humans


A.2.5. Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including habitat, population, community, adaptation, and food chain, in oral and written communication





A.3.2. Demonstrate an understanding of food chains as systems in which energy from the sun is transferred to producers (plants) and then to consumers (animals)


A.3.3. Identify factors (e.g., availability of water or food, amount of light, type of weather) that affect the ability of plants and animals to survive in a specific habitat


A.3.5. Classify organisms, including humans, according to their role in a food chain (e.g., producer, consumer, decomposer)


A.3.7. Describe structural adaptations that allow plants and animals to survive in specific habitats (e.g., the thick stem of a cactus stores water for the plant; a duck's webbed feet allow it to move quickly and efficiently in water)


STRAND / COURSE ON.C. Understanding Matter and Energy: Properties of and Changes in Matter





STRAND / OVERALL EXPECTATION C.SE. Specific Expectations

STAGE / SKILLS C.1. Relating Science and Technology to Society and the Environment: By the end of Grade 5, students will:


C.1.1. Evaluate the environmental impacts of processes that change one product into another product through physical or chemical changes

STRAND / COURSE ON.D. Understanding Earth and Space Systems: Conservation of Energy and Resources

STRAND / OVERALL EXPECTATION D.SE. Specific Expectations

STAGE / SKILLS D.2. Developing Investigation and Communication Skills: By the end of Grade 5, students will:


D.2.2. Use scientific inquiry/research skills to investigate issues related to energy and resource conservation (e.g., interview an Aboriginal person about his or her traditional teachings on conservation)


STRAND / COURSE ON.A. Understanding Life Systems: Biodiversity


STAGE / SKILLS A.1. Assess human impacts on biodiversity, and identify ways of preserving biodiversity;

STAGE / SKILLS A.3. Demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity, its contributions to the stability of natural systems, and its benefits to humans.





A.1.1. Analyse a local issue related to biodiversity (e.g., the effects of human activities on urban biodiversity, flooding of traditional Aboriginal hunting and gathering areas as a result of dam construction), taking different points of view into consideration (e.g., the points of view of members of the local community, business owners, people concerned about the environment, mine owners, local First Nations, Metis, Inuit), propose action that can be taken to preserve biodiversity, and act on the proposal







STAGE / SKILLS A.2. Developing Investigation and Communication Skills: By the end of Grade 6, students will:


A.2.2. Investigate the organisms found in a specific habitat and classify them according to a classification system


A.2.4. Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including classification, biodiversity, natural community, interrelationships, vertebrate, invertebrate, stability, characteristics, and organism, in oral and written communication





A.3.2. Demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity as the variety of life on earth, including variety within each species of plant and animal, among species of plants and animals in communities, and among communities and the physical landscapes that support them


A.3.3. Describe ways in which biodiversity within species is important for maintaining the resilience of those species (e.g., because of genetic differences, not all squirrels are affected equally by infectious diseases such as mange; some species of bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics because resistant individuals have survived and reproduced)


A.3.4. Describe ways in which biodiversity within and among communities is important for maintaining the resilience of these communities (e.g., having a variety of species of wheat allows for some part of the crop to survive adverse conditions)


A.3.5. Describe interrelationships within species (e.g., wolves travel in packs to defend their territory, raise their cubs, and hunt large prey), between species (e.g., the brightly-coloured anemone fish protects its eggs by laying them among the poisonous tentacles of the sea anemone, and in return the fish's bright colours attract prey for the anemone to eat; birds and bees take sustenance from plants and carry pollen between plants), and between species and their environment (e.g., algae





and water lilies compete for sunlight in a pond), and explain how these interrelationships sustain biodiversity

Oregon Content Standards

Science


STANDARD / CONTENT AREA OR.4.2 Interaction and Change: Living and non-living things undergo changes that involve force and energy.

CONTENT STANDARD / PROFICIENCY 4.2L.1 Describe the interactions of organisms and the environment where they live. (Life Science)


STANDARD / CONTENT AREA OR.5.2 Interaction and Change: Force, energy, matter, and organisms interact within living and non-living systems.

CONTENT STANDARD / PROFICIENCY 5.2L.1 Explain the interdependence of plants, animals, and environment, and how adaptation influences survival. (Life Science)


STANDARD / CONTENT AREA OR.6.2 Interaction and Change: The related parts within a system interact and change.

CONTENT STANDARD / PROFICIENCY 6.2L.2 Explain how individual organisms and populations in an ecosystem interact and how changes in populations are related to resources. (Life Science)

Pennsylvania Academic Standards

Science


SUBJECT / STANDARD AREA PA.3. Science and Technology and Engineering Education

STANDARD AREA / STATEMENT 3.1. Biological Sciences

STANDARD 3.1.C. Evolution

DESCRIPTOR / STANDARD 3.1.3.C2. Describe animal characteristics that are necessary for survival.

SUBJECT / STANDARD AREA PA.4. Environment and Ecology

STANDARD AREA / STATEMENT 4.2. Watersheds and Wetlands





STANDARD 4.2.3.A. Define the term watershed.

DESCRIPTOR / STANDARD 4.2.3.A.1. Identify the watersheds in which you reside.



STANDARD 4.2.3.B. Identify plants and animals found in a wetland.

STANDARD 4.2.3.C. Identify plants and animals that live in lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands.




STANDARD 3.1.C. Evolution

DESCRIPTOR / STANDARD 3.1.4.C1a. Identify different characteristics of plants and animals that help some populations survive and reproduce in greater numbers.

DESCRIPTOR / STANDARD 3.1.4.C2. Describe plant and animal adaptations that are important to survival.


STANDARD AREA / STATEMENT 4.1. Ecology

STANDARD 4.1.4.A. Explain how living things are dependent upon other living and nonliving things for survival.

DESCRIPTOR / STANDARD 4.1.4.A.2. Identify similarities and differences between living organisms, ranging from single-celled to multicellular organisms through the use of microscopes, video, and other media.



STANDARD 4.1.4.D. Explain how specific adaptations can help organisms survive in their environment.



STANDARD 4.2.4.B. Describe the characteristics of different types of wetlands.






STANDARD AREA / STATEMENT 4.5. Humans and the Environment

STANDARD 4.5.4.A. Identify how people use natural resources in sustainable and non-sustainable ways.

STANDARD 4.5.4.C. Describe how human activities affect the environment.


STANDARD AREA / STATEMENT 4.5. Humans and the Environment

STANDARD 4.5.4.D. Describe a waste stream.

DESCRIPTOR / STANDARD 4.5.4.D.3. Describe how everyday activities may affect the environment.




STANDARD 4.1.5.A. Describe the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers within a local ecosystem.



STANDARD 4.2.5.B. Identify important wetlands in the United States


STANDARD AREA / STATEMENT 4.4. Agriculture and Society

STANDARD 4.4.5.A. Explain why animal production is dependent upon plant production.




STANDARD 3.1.A. Organisms and Cells

DESCRIPTOR / STANDARD 3.1.6.A2. Describe how energy derived from the sun is used by plants to produce sugars (photosynthesis) and is transferred within a food chain from producers (plants) to consumers to decomposers.







STANDARD 4.2.6.A. Identify the five major watersheds of Pennsylvania.

STANDARD 4.2.6.B. Describe the characteristics of soils found in a wetland.

Prince Edward Island (Atlantic CA Curriculum) Standards

Science

Grade: 3

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME PE.1. Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment (STSE) - Students will develop an understanding of the nature of science and technology, o the relationships between science and technology, and of the social and environmental contexts of science and technology.


GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME PE.4. Attitudes - Students will be encouraged to develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific and technological knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society, and the environment.


Grade: 4




Grade: 5








Grade: 6




Rhode Island Standards and State Frameworks

Science


DOMAIN / STATEMENT OF ENDURING KNOWLEDGE

RI.LS1. Life Science: All living organisms have identifiable structures and characteristics that allow for survival (organisms, populations, & species).

ASSESSMENT TARGET LS1 (K-4) FAF-4.

Identify and explain how the physical structures of an organism (plants or animals) allow it to survive in its habitat/environment (e.g., roots for water; nose to smell fire).

PERFORMANCE STANDARD LS1 (3-4)-4. Students demonstrate understanding of structure and function-survival requirements by...

GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 4a. Identifying and explaining how the physical structure/characteristic of an organism allows it to survive and defend itself (e.g. of a characteristic-the coloring of a fiddler crab allows it to camouflage itself in the sand and grasses of its environment so that it will be protected from





predators).

GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 4b. Analyzing the structures needed for survival of populations of plants and animals in a particular habitat/environment (e.g. populations of desert plants and animals require structures that enable them to obtain/conserve/ retain water).


RI.LS2. Life Science: Matter cycles and energy flows through an ecosystem.

ASSESSMENT TARGET LS2 (K-4) SAE-6.

Describe ways plants and animals depend on each other (e.g., shelter, nesting, food).

PERFORMANCE STANDARD LS2 (3-4)-6. Students demonstrate an understanding of food webs in an ecosystem by...

GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 6c. Explaining the way that plants and animals in that habitat depend on each other.


RI.LS3. Life Science: Groups of organisms show evidence of change over time (structures, behaviors, and biochemistry).


Using information (data or scenario), explain how changes in the environment can cause organisms to respond (e.g., survive there and reproduce, move away, die).

PERFORMANCE STANDARD LS3 (3-4)-7. Students demonstrate an understanding of equilibrium in an ecosystem by...

GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 7b. Explaining how the balance of the ecosystem can be disturbed (e.g., how does overpopulation of a species affect the rest of the ecosystem).




ASSESSMENT TARGET LS1 (K-4) FAF-4.

Identify and explain how the physical structures of an organism (plants or animals) allow it to survive in its habitat/environment (e.g., roots for water; nose to smell fire).


GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 4a. Identifying and explaining how the physical structure/characteristic of an organism allows it to survive and defend itself (e.g. of a characteristic-the coloring of a fiddler crab allows it to camouflage itself in the sand and grasses of its





environment so that it will be protected from predators).

GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 4b. Analyzing the structures needed for survival of populations of plants and animals in a particular habitat/environment (e.g. populations of desert plants and animals require structures that enable them to obtain/conserve/ retain water).




Describe ways plants and animals depend on each other (e.g., shelter, nesting, food).

PERFORMANCE STANDARD LS2 (3-4)-6. Students demonstrate an understanding of food webs in an ecosystem by...

GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 6c. Explaining the way that plants and animals in that habitat depend on each other.


RI.LS3. Life Science: Groups of organisms show evidence of change over time (structures, behaviors, and biochemistry).


Using information (data or scenario), explain how changes in the environment can cause organisms to respond (e.g., survive there and reproduce, move away, die).


GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 7b. Explaining how the balance of the ecosystem can be disturbed (e.g., how does overpopulation of a species affect the rest of the ecosystem).




ASSESSMENT TARGET LS1 (5-8) SAE+FAF-2.

Describe or compare how different organisms have mechanisms that work in a coordinated way to obtain energy, grow, move, respond, provide defense, enable reproduction, or maintain internal balance (e.g., cells, tissues, organs and systems).


GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 2a. Describing structures or behaviors that help organisms survive in their environment (e.g., defense, obtaining nutrients, reproduction, and





eliminating waste).



ASSESSMENT TARGET LS2 (5-8) INQ+SAE-5.

Using data and observations, predict outcomes when abiotic/biotic factors are changed in an ecosystem.


GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 5a. Identifying and defining an ecosystem and the variety of relationships within it (e.g., predator/prey, consumer/ producer/decomposer, host/parasite, catastrophic events).



ASSESSMENT TARGET LS2 (5-8) SAE-7.

Given an ecosystem, trace how matter cycles among and between organisms and the physical environment (includes water, oxygen, food web, decomposition, recycling but not carbon cycle or nitrogen cycle).

PERFORMANCE STANDARD LS2 (5-6)-7. Students demonstrate an understanding of recycling in an ecosystem by...

GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 7b. Completing a basic food web for a given ecosystem.


RI.PS1. Physical Science: All living and nonliving things are composed of matter having characteristic properties that distinguish one substance from another (independent of size or amount of substance).

ASSESSMENT TARGET PS1 (5-8) INQ+POC-2.

Given data about characteristic properties of matter (e.g., melting and boiling points, density, solubility) identify, compare, or classify different substances.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD PS1 (5-6)-2. Students demonstrate an understanding of characteristic properties of matter by...

GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 2a. Recognizing that different substances have properties, which allow them to be identified regardless of the size of the sample.








ASSESSMENT TARGET LS1 (5-8) SAE+FAF-2.

Describe or compare how different organisms have mechanisms that work in a coordinated way to obtain energy, grow, move, respond, provide defense, enable reproduction, or maintain internal balance (e.g., cells, tissues, organs and systems).


GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 2a. Describing structures or behaviors that help organisms survive in their environment (e.g., defense, obtaining nutrients, reproduction, and eliminating waste).



ASSESSMENT TARGET LS2 (5-8) INQ+SAE-5.

Using data and observations, predict outcomes when abiotic/biotic factors are changed in an ecosystem.


GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 5a. Identifying and defining an ecosystem and the variety of relationships within it (e.g., predator/prey, consumer/ producer/decomposer, host/parasite, catastrophic events).



ASSESSMENT TARGET LS2 (5-8) SAE-7.

Given an ecosystem, trace how matter cycles among and between organisms and the physical environment (includes water, oxygen, food web, decomposition, recycling but not carbon cycle or nitrogen cycle).

PERFORMANCE STANDARD LS2 (5-6)-7. Students demonstrate an understanding of recycling in an ecosystem by...

GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 7b. Completing a basic food web for a given ecosystem.


RI.PS1. Physical Science: All living and nonliving things are composed of matter having characteristic properties that distinguish one substance from another (independent of size or amount of substance).

ASSESSMENT TARGET PS1 (5-8) INQ+POC-2.

Given data about characteristic properties of matter (e.g., melting and boiling points, density, solubility) identify, compare, or classify different substances.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD PS1 (5-6)-2. Students demonstrate an understanding of characteristic





properties of matter by...

GRADE SPAN EXPECTATION 2a. Recognizing that different substances have properties, which allow them to be identified regardless of the size of the sample.

Saskatchewan Standards

Science


GENERAL CURRICULUM OUTCOME / STRAND

SK.1. Core Unit: Animals: In this unit, the students consider food chains and webs, both those involving humans and those which exist in natural ecosystems.

FOUNDATIONAL OBJECTIVE / OUTCOME

1.1. Explain some food chains and food webs.



SK.9. Optional Unit: Senses: This unit covers the senses and how they function. Students learn what happens when the senses become damaged. They recognize that damage to the senses may be permanent, requiring special ways to overcome the impairment.


9.3. Develop compassion and understanding for others.


SK.10. Optional Unit: Vertebrates and Invertebrates: In this unit students study the characteristics of a wide variety of animals within the animal kingdom. A major classification division of vertebrates and invertebrates is examined.


10.2. Investigate how animals depend on each other.



SK.4. Core Unit: Resources: This unit introduces the student to the impact that humans have had on the natural resources and on the state of the environment in Saskatchewan.


4.2. Describe human impact on the environment.


SK.5. Optional Unit: Communities and Ecosystems: This unit introduces the terminology used to describe ecosystems. An analysis of the community in which the students live gives them a chance to use those





terms to describe events, organisms, and objects with which they are already acquainted.


5.1. Understand the concept of the ecosystem.


5.2. Investigate and describe the ecosystem of the local community.



SK.DL. Life Science: Diversity of Living Things (DL)


DL6.1. Recognize, describe, and appreciate the diversity of living things in local and other ecosystems, and explore related careers. [CP, SI]


DL6.4. Examine and describe structures and behaviours that help: individual living organisms survive in their environments in the short term; species of living organisms adapt to their environments in the long term. [CP, DM, SI]

South Carolina Academic Standards

Science


STANDARD / COURSE SC.3-2. Habitats and Adaptations: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the structures, characteristics, and adaptations of organisms that allow them to function and survive within their habitats. (Life Science)

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS / ESSENTIAL QUESTION

3-2.1. Illustrate the life cycles of seed plants and various animals and summarize how they grow and are adapted to conditions within their habitats.


3-2.2. Explain how physical and behavioral adaptations allow organisms to survive (including hibernation, defense, locomotion, movement, food obtainment, and camouflage for animals and seed dispersal, color, and response to light for plants).


3-2.5. Summarize the organization of simple food chains (including the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers).


STANDARD / COURSE SC.4-2. Organisms and Their Environments: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics and patterns of behavior that allow organisms to





survive in their own distinct environments. (Life Science)


4-2.2. Explain how the characteristics of distinct environments (including swamps, rivers and streams, tropical rain forests, deserts, and the polar regions) influence the variety of organisms in each.


STANDARD / COURSE SC.5-2. Ecosystems: Terrestrial and Aquatic: The student will demonstrate an understanding of relationships among biotic and abiotic factors within terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. (Life Science)


5-2.2. Summarize the composition of an ecosystem, considering both biotic factors (including populations to the level of microorganisms and communities) and abiotic factors.


5-2.3. Compare the characteristics of different ecosystems (including estuaries/salt marshes, oceans, lakes and ponds, forests, and grasslands).


5-2.4. Identify the roles of organisms as they interact and depend on one another through food chains and food webs in an ecosystem, considering producers and consumers (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores), decomposers (microorganisms, termites, worms, and fungi), predators and prey, and parasites and hosts.

South Dakota Content Standards

Science


GOAL/STRAND SD.3.L. Life Science: Students will describe structures and attributes of living things, processes of life, and interaction with each other and the environment.

INDICATOR/BENCHMARK 3.L.3. Analyze how organisms are linked to one another and the environment.

STANDARD 3.L.3.1. Students are able to describe how species depend on one another and on the environment for survival.

STANDARD 3.L.3.3. Students are able to describe ways humans impact air, water, and habitat quality.

GOAL/STRAND SD.3.S. Science, Technology, Environment, and Society: Students will identify and evaluate the relationships and ethical implications of science upon technology,





environment, and society.

INDICATOR/BENCHMARK 3.S.2. Analyze the relationships/interactions among science, technology, environment, and society.

STANDARD 3.S.2.1. Investigate how natural events and human influences can affect the survival of species.

STANDARD 3.S.2.2. Describe solutions to environmental problems.



INDICATOR/BENCHMARK 4.L.2. Analyze various patterns and products of natural and induced biological change.

STANDARD 4.L.2.1. Students are able to identify behavioral and structural adaptations that allow a plant or animal to survive in a particular environment.



STANDARD 4.L.3.1. Students are able to describe the flow of energy through food chains and webs.

GOAL/STRAND SD.4.S. Science, Technology, Environment, and Society: Students will identify and evaluate the relationships and ethical implications of science upon technology, environment, and society.


STANDARD 4.S.2.1. Identify South Dakota environmental concerns and describe possible solutions.




STANDARD 5.L.3.1. Students are able to describe how natural events and/or





human influences may help or harm ecosystems.

STANDARD 5.L.3.3. Students are able to describe how interrelationships enable some organisms to survive.



STANDARD 5.S.2.1. Students are able to explain the interrelationship of populations, resources, and environments.

STANDARD 5.S.2.2. Describe conservation practices.




STANDARD 6.L.3.2. Students describe the relationship between characteristics of biomes and the organisms that live there.

STANDARD 6.L.3.3. Students describe how organisms adapt to biotic and abiotic factors in a biome.



STANDARD 6.S.2.1. Students are able, given a scenario, to identify the problem(s) of human activity on the local, regional, or global environment.

Tennessee Curriculum Standards

Science

Grade: 3 - Adopted 2007 (Revised 2009)

STRAND / STANDARD / COURSE TN.T/E. Technology and Engineering

CONCEPTUAL STRAND / GUIDING QUESTION

CS.T/E. Society benefits when engineers apply scientific discoveries to design materials and processes that





develop into enabling technologies.

GUIDING QUESTION / LEARNING EXPECTATION

GQ.T/E. How do science concepts, engineering skills, and applications of technology improve the quality of life?

LEARNING EXPECTATION 0307.T/E. Checks for Understanding

INDICATOR 0307.T/E.2. Design a tool or a process that addresses an identified problem caused by human activity.

STRAND / STANDARD / COURSE TN.2. Life Science: Interdependence


CS.2. All life is interdependent and interacts with the environment.


GQ.2. How do living things interact with one another and with the non-living elements of their environment?

LEARNING EXPECTATION 0307.2. Checks for Understanding

INDICATOR 0307.2.2. Label a drawing of an environment to illustrate interrelationships among plants and animals.

INDICATOR 0307.2.3. Construct a diagram to demonstrate how plants, animals, and the environment interact to provide basic life requirements

STRAND / STANDARD / COURSE TN.3. Life Science: Flow of Matter and Energy


CS.3. Matter and energy flow through the biosphere.


GQ.3. What scientific information explains how matter and energy flow through the biosphere?


INDICATOR 0307.3.1. Label a diagram to illustrate the food relationships that exist between plant and animals.

INDICATOR 0307.3.2. Create a chart to show how plants and animals satisfy their energy requirements.

INDICATOR 0307.3.4. Use a piece of text to obtain basic information about how plants and animals obtain food.










LEARNING EXPECTATION SPI.0307.3. State Performance Indicators

INDICATOR SPI.0307.3.2. Recognize that animals obtain their food by eating plants and other animals.

STRAND / STANDARD / COURSE TN.5. Life Science: Biodiversity and Change


CS.5. A rich variety of complex organisms have developed in response to a continually changing environment.


GQ.5. How does natural selection explain how organisms have changed over time?

LEARNING EXPECTATION GLE.0307.5. Grade Level Expectations

INDICATOR GLE.0307.5.1. Explore the relationship between an organism's characteristics and its ability to survive in a particular environment.







INDICATOR 0307.5.1. Create representations of animals that have characteristics necessary to survive in a particular environment.

INDICATOR 0307.5.2. Investigate the connection between an organism's characteristics and its ability to survive in a specific environment.

INDICATOR 0307.5.5. Construct a diorama that shows plants and animals in an appropriate environment.







INDICATOR SPI.0307.5.1. Investigate an organism's characteristics and evaluate how these features enable it to survive in a particular environment.





STRAND / STANDARD / COURSE TN.9. Physical Science: Matter


CS.9. The composition and structure of matter is known, and it behaves according to principles that are generally understood.


GQ.9. How does the structure of matter influence its physical and chemical behavior?


INDICATOR 0307.9.1. Use physical properties to compare and contrast substances.




CS.T/E. Society benefits when engineers apply scientific discoveries to design materials and processes that develop into enabling technologies.











INDICATOR GLE.0407.2.1. Analyze the effects of changes in the environment on the stability of an ecosystem.











INDICATOR 0407.2.2. Design a simple experiment to illustrate the effects of competition, predation, and interdependency among living things.







INDICATOR GLE.0407.3.2. Investigate different ways that organisms meet their energy needs.







INDICATOR 0407.3.1. Create a food web that illustrates the energy relationships between plants and animals and the key issues or assumptions found in the model.

INDICATOR 0407.3.3. Identify how a variety of organisms meet their energy needs.

STRAND / STANDARD / COURSE TN.4. Life Science: Heredity


CS.4. Plants and animals reproduce and transmit hereditary information between generations.


GQ.4. What are the principal mechanisms by which living things reproduce and transmit information between parents and offspring?


INDICATOR 0407.4.1. Design a simple demonstration that illustrates the relationship between reproduction and survival of a species.

STRAND / STANDARD / COURSE TN.4. Life Science: Heredity


CS.4. Plants and animals reproduce and transmit hereditary information between generations.






GQ.4. What are the principal mechanisms by which living things reproduce and transmit information between parents and offspring?


INDICATOR SPI.0407.4.1. Draw conclusions about the relationship between reproduction and the survival of a species.







INDICATOR GLE.0407.5.1. Analyze physical and behavioral adaptations that enable organisms to survive in their environment.







INDICATOR SPI.0407.5.1. Determine how a physical or behavioral adaptation can enhance the chances of survival.




CS.T/E. Society benefits when engineers apply scientific discoveries to design materials and processes that develop into enabling technologies.















INDICATOR GLE.0507.2.1. Investigate different nutritional relationships among organisms in an ecosystem.

INDICATOR GLE.0507.2.3. Establish the connections between human activities and natural disasters and their impact on the environment.







INDICATOR 0507.2.1. Evaluate producer/consumer, predator/prey, and parasite/host relationships.

INDICATOR 0507.2.2. Classify interspecific relationships within an ecosystem as mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism.

INDICATOR 0507.2.3. Create a simple model illustrating the interspecific relationships within an ecosystem.

INDICATOR 0507.2.4. Analyze basic information from a body of text to identify key issues or assumptions about the relationships among organisms in an ecosystem.

INDICATOR 0507.2.5. Create a poster to illustrate how human activities and natural disasters affect the environment.







INDICATOR SPI.0507.2.1. Describe the different types of nutritional





relationships that exist among organisms.

INDICATOR SPI.0507.2.3. Use information about the impact of human actions or natural disasters on the environment to support a simple hypothesis, make a prediction, or draw a conclusion.







INDICATOR 0507.3.2. Design a graphic organizer that illustrates the difference between plants and animals in the movement of food energy through an ecosystem.







INDICATOR SPI.0507.3.2. Compare how plants and animals obtain energy.







INDICATOR 0507.5.2. Design a model to illustrate how an animal's physical characteristics enable it to survive in a particular environment.




GUIDING QUESTION / LEARNING GQ.5. How does natural selection explain how organisms have





EXPECTATION changed over time?


INDICATOR SPI.0507.5.1. Identify physical and behavioral adaptations that enable animals such as, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, and mammals to survive in a particular environment.








INDICATOR GLE.0607.2.1. Examine the roles of consumers, producers, and decomposers in a biological community.

INDICATOR GLE.0607.2.2. Describe how matter and energy are transferred through an ecosystem.

INDICATOR GLE.0607.2.4. Analyze the environments and the interdependence among organisms found in the world's major biomes.







INDICATOR 0607.2.1. Compare and contrast the different methods used by organisms to obtain nutrition in a biological community.

INDICATOR 0607.2.4. Create poster presentations to illustrate differences among the world's major biomes.




GUIDING QUESTION / LEARNING GQ.2. How do living things interact with one another and with





EXPECTATION the non-living elements of their environment?


INDICATOR SPI.0607.2.1. Classify organisms as producers, consumers, scavengers, or decomposers according to their role in a food chain or food web.

INDICATOR SPI.0607.2.2. Interpret how materials and energy are transferred through an ecosystem.

INDICATOR SPI.0607.2.4. Identify the environmental conditions and interdependencies among organisms found in the major biomes.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

Science


TEKS TX.112.14. Science, Grade 3.

STUDENT EXPECTATION (3.1) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student conducts classroom and outdoor investigations following school and home safety procedures and environmentally appropriate practices. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 3.1 (B) Make informed choices in the use and conservation of natural resources by recycling or reusing materials such as paper, aluminum cans, and plastics.


STUDENT EXPECTATION (3.9) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms have characteristics that help them survive and can describe patterns, cycles, systems, and relationships within the environments. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 3.9 (A) Observe and describe the physical characteristics of environments and how they support populations and communities within an ecosystem.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 3.9 (B) Identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain and predict how changes in a food chain affect the ecosystem such as removal of frogs from a pond or bees from a field.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 3.9 (C) Describe environmental changes such as floods and droughts where some organisms thrive and others perish or move to new locations.







STUDENT EXPECTATION (4.1) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student conducts classroom and outdoor investigations, following home and school safety procedures and environmentally appropriate and ethical practices. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 4.1 (B) Make informed choices in the use and conservation of natural resources and reusing and recycling of materials such as paper, aluminum, glass, cans, and plastic.


STUDENT EXPECTATION (4.9) Organisms and environments. The student knows and understands that living organisms within an ecosystem interact with one another and with their environment. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 4.9 (A) Investigate that most producers need sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make their own food, while consumers are dependent on other organisms for food.


STUDENT EXPECTATION (4.10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that help them survive within their environment. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 4.10 (A) Explore how adaptations enable organisms to survive in their environment such as comparing birds' beaks and leaves on plants.



STUDENT EXPECTATION (5.1) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student conducts classroom and outdoor investigations following home and school safety procedures and environmentally appropriate and ethical practices. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 5.1 (B) Make informed choices in the conservation, disposal, and recycling of materials.


STUDENT EXPECTATION (5.9) Organisms and environments. The student knows that there are relationships, systems, and cycles within environments. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 5.9 (A) Observe the way organisms live and survive in their ecosystem by interacting with the living and non-living





elements.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 5.9 (B) Describe how the flow of energy derived from the Sun, used by producers to create their own food, is transferred through a food chain and food web to consumers and decomposers.


STUDENT EXPECTATION (5.10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 5.10 (A) Compare the structures and functions of different species that help them live and survive such as hooves on prairie animals or webbed feet in aquatic animals.



STUDENT EXPECTATION (6.1) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, conducts laboratory and field investigations following safety procedures and environmentally appropriate and ethical practices. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 6.1 (B) Practice appropriate use and conservation of resources, including disposal, reuse, or recycling of materials.


STUDENT EXPECTATION (6.7) Matter and energy. The student knows that some of Earth's energy resources are available on a nearly perpetual basis, while others can be renewed over a relatively short period of time. Some energy resources, once depleted, are essentially nonrenewable. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 6.7 (B) Design a logical plan to manage energy resources in the home, school, or community.


STUDENT EXPECTATION (6.12) Organisms and environments. The student knows all organisms are classified into Domains and Kingdoms. Organisms within these taxonomic groups share similar characteristics which allow them to interact with the living and nonliving parts of their ecosystem. The student is expected to:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION 6.12 (F) Diagram the levels of organization within an ecosystem, including organism, population, community, and ecosystem.





U.S. National Standards

Science


STRAND / ORGANIZATION N.NSES. National Science Education Standards (NSES)

STANDARD / BENCHMARK NSES.K-12. Unifying Concepts and Processes: As a result of activities in grades K-12, all students should develop understanding and abilities aligned with the following concepts and processes:

BENCHMARK / GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION

K-12.4. Evolution and equilibrium


STANDARD / BENCHMARK NSES.C. Life Science: As a result of the activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of


C.1. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANISMS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.1.1. Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients, and light. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met. The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different types of organisms.




C.3. ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.3.1. All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat the plants.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.3.4. Humans depend on their natural and constructed environments. Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental for themselves and other organisms.


STANDARD / BENCHMARK NSES.F. Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: As a result of the activities in grades K-4, all students





should develop an understanding of


F.4. CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENTS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.4.1. Environments are the space, conditions, and factors that affect an individual's and a population's ability to survive and their quality of life.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.4.2. Changes in environments can be natural or influenced by humans. Some changes are good, some are bad, and some are neither good nor bad. Pollution is a change in the environment that can influence the health, survival, or activities of organisms, including humans.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.4.3. Some environmental changes occur slowly, and others occur rapidly. Students should understand the different consequences of changing environments in small increments over long periods as compared with changing environments in large increments over short periods.









C.1. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANISMS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.1.1. Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients, and light. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met. The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different types of organisms.








C.3. ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.3.1. All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat the plants.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.3.4. Humans depend on their natural and constructed environments. Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental for themselves and other organisms.


STANDARD / BENCHMARK NSES.F. Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: As a result of the activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of


F.4. CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENTS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.4.1. Environments are the space, conditions, and factors that affect an individual's and a population's ability to survive and their quality of life.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.4.2. Changes in environments can be natural or influenced by humans. Some changes are good, some are bad, and some are neither good nor bad. Pollution is a change in the environment that can influence the health, survival, or activities of organisms, including humans.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.4.3. Some environmental changes occur slowly, and others occur rapidly. Students should understand the different consequences of changing environments in small increments over long periods as compared with changing environments in large increments over short periods.











STANDARD / BENCHMARK NSES.C. Life Science: As a result of the activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop an understanding of


C.1. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN LIVING SYSTEMS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.1.1. Living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary nature of structure and function. Important levels of organization for structure and function include cells, organs, tissues, organ systems, whole organisms, and ecosystems.




C.3. REGULATION AND BEHAVIOR

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.3.1. All organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing external environment.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.3.4. An organism's behavior evolves through adaptation to its environment. How a species moves, obtains food, reproduces, and responds to danger are based in the species' evolutionary history.




C.4. POPULATIONS AND ECOSYSTEMS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.4.1. A population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time. All populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.4.2. Populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an ecosystem. Plants and some microorganisms are producers--they make their own food. All animals, including humans, are consumers, which obtain food by eating other organisms. Decomposers, primarily bacteria and fungi, are consumers that use waste materials and dead organisms for food. Food webs identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and





decomposers in an ecosystem.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.4.3. For ecosystems, the major source of energy is sunlight. Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis. That energy then passes from organism to organism in food webs.


STANDARD / BENCHMARK NSES.F. Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: As a result of the activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop an understanding of


F.2. POPULATIONS, RESOURCES, AND ENVIRONMENTS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.2.1. When an area becomes overpopulated, the environment will become degraded due to the increased use of resources.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.2.2. Causes of environmental degradation and resource depletion vary from region to region and from country to country.




F.3. NATURAL HAZARDS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.3.1. Internal and external processes of the earth system cause natural hazards, events that change or destroy human and wildlife habitats, damage property, and harm or kill humans. Natural hazards include earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, floods, storms, and even possible impacts of asteroids.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.3.2. Human activities also can induce hazards through resource acquisition, urban growth, land-use decisions, and waste disposal. Such activities can accelerate many natural changes.








F.4. RISKS AND BENEFITS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.4.2. Students should understand the risks associated with natural hazards (fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions), with chemical hazards (pollutants in air, water, soil, and food), with biological hazards (pollen, viruses, bacterial, and parasites), social hazards (occupational safety and transportation), and with personal hazards (smoking, dieting, and drinking).

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.4.4. Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.




F.5. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.5.6. Scientists and engineers have ethical codes requiring that human subjects involved with research be fully informed about risks and benefits associated with the research before the individuals choose to participate. This ethic extends to potential risks to communities and property. In short, prior knowledge and consent are required for research involving human subjects or potential damage to property.









C.1. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN LIVING SYSTEMS





GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.1.1. Living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary nature of structure and function. Important levels of organization for structure and function include cells, organs, tissues, organ systems, whole organisms, and ecosystems.




C.3. REGULATION AND BEHAVIOR

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.3.1. All organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing external environment.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.3.4. An organism's behavior evolves through adaptation to its environment. How a species moves, obtains food, reproduces, and responds to danger are based in the species' evolutionary history.




C.4. POPULATIONS AND ECOSYSTEMS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.4.1. A population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time. All populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.4.2. Populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an ecosystem. Plants and some microorganisms are producers--they make their own food. All animals, including humans, are consumers, which obtain food by eating other organisms. Decomposers, primarily bacteria and fungi, are consumers that use waste materials and dead organisms for food. Food webs identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION C.4.3. For ecosystems, the major source of energy is sunlight. Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis. That energy then passes from organism to organism in food webs.








F.2. POPULATIONS, RESOURCES, AND ENVIRONMENTS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.2.1. When an area becomes overpopulated, the environment will become degraded due to the increased use of resources.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.2.2. Causes of environmental degradation and resource depletion vary from region to region and from country to country.




F.3. NATURAL HAZARDS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.3.1. Internal and external processes of the earth system cause natural hazards, events that change or destroy human and wildlife habitats, damage property, and harm or kill humans. Natural hazards include earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, floods, storms, and even possible impacts of asteroids.

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.3.2. Human activities also can induce hazards through resource acquisition, urban growth, land-use decisions, and waste disposal. Such activities can accelerate many natural changes.




F.4. RISKS AND BENEFITS

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.4.2. Students should understand the risks associated with natural hazards (fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions), with chemical hazards (pollutants in air, water, soil, and food), with biological hazards (pollen, viruses, bacterial, and parasites), social hazards





(occupational safety and transportation), and with personal hazards (smoking, dieting, and drinking).

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.4.4. Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.




F.5. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION F.5.6. Scientists and engineers have ethical codes requiring that human subjects involved with research be fully informed about risks and benefits associated with the research before the individuals choose to participate. This ethic extends to potential risks to communities and property. In short, prior knowledge and consent are required for research involving human subjects or potential damage to property.

Utah State Core Curriculum

Science


STANDARD UT.1. Intended Learning Outcome: Use Science Process and Thinking Skills.

OBJECTIVE 1.d. Compare things and events.

STANDARD UT.II. Students will understand that organisms depend on living and nonliving things within their environment.

OBJECTIVE II.2. Describe the interactions between living and nonliving things in a small environment.

INDICATOR II.2.d. Compare a small-scale environment to a larger environment (e.g., aquarium to a pond, terrarium to a forest).



OBJECTIVE 1.d. Compare things and events.

STANDARD UT.V. Students will understand the physical characteristics of Utah's wetlands, forests, and





deserts and identify common organisms for each environment.

OBJECTIVE V.1. Describe the physical characteristics of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts.

INDICATOR V.1.a. Compare the physical characteristics (e.g., precipitation, temperature, and surface terrain) of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts.

INDICATOR V.1.b. Describe Utah's wetlands (e.g., river, lake, stream, and marsh areas where water is a major feature of the environment) forests (e.g., oak, pine, aspen, juniper areas where trees are a major feature of the environment), and deserts (e.g., areas where the lack of water provided an environment where plants needing little water are a major feature of the environment).

INDICATOR V.1.c. Locate examples of areas that have characteristics of wetlands, forests, or deserts in Utah.

INDICATOR V.1.d. Based upon information gathered, classify areas of Utah that are generally identified as wetlands, forests, or deserts.

INDICATOR V.1.e. Create models of wetlands, forests, and deserts.

STANDARD UT.V. Students will understand the physical characteristics of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts and identify common organisms for each environment.

OBJECTIVE V.2. Describe the common plants and animals found in Utah environments and how these organisms have adapted to the environment in which they live.

INDICATOR V.2.a. Identify common plants and animals that inhabit Utah's forests, wetlands, and deserts.

INDICATOR V.2.b. Cite examples of physical features that allow particular plants and animals to live in specific environments (e.g., duck has webbed feet, cactus has waxy coating).

INDICATOR V.2.c. Describe some of the interactions between animals and plants of a given environment (e.g., woodpecker eats insects that live on trees of a forest, brine shrimp of the Great Salt Lake eat algae and birds feed on brine shrimp).

INDICATOR V.2.d. Identify the effect elevation has on types of plants and animals that live in a specific wetland, forest, or desert.

STANDARD UT.V. Students will understand the physical characteristics of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts and identify common organisms for each environment.





OBJECTIVE V.4. Observe and record the behavior of Utah animals.

INDICATOR V.4.b. Describe how the behavior and adaptations of Utah mammals help them survive winter (e.g., obtaining food, building homes, hibernation, migration).



OBJECTIVE 1.d. Compare things, processes, and events.

STANDARD UT.2. Intended Learning Outcome: Manifest Scientific Attitudes and Interests.

OBJECTIVE 2.f. Accept and use scientific evidence to help resolve ecological problems.

STANDARD UT.V. Students will understand that traits are passed from the parent organisms to their offspring, and that sometimes the offspring may possess variations of these traits that may help or hinder survival in a given environment.

OBJECTIVE V.2. Describe how some characteristics could give a species a survival advantage in a particular environment.

INDICATOR V.2.a. Compare the traits of similar species for physical abilities, instinctual behaviors, and specialized body structures that increase the survival of one species in a specific environment over another species (e.g., difference between the feet of snowshoe hare and cottontail rabbit, differences in leaves of plants growing at different altitudes, differences between the feathers of an owl and a hummingbird, differences in parental behavior among various fish).

INDICATOR V.2.c. Describe how a particular physical attribute may provide an advantage for survival in one environment but not in another (e.g., heavy fur in arctic climates keep animals warm whereas in hot desert climates it would cause overheating; flippers on such animals as sea lions and seals provide excellent swimming structures in the water but become clumsy and awkward on land; cacti retain the right amount of water in arid regions but would develop root rot in a more temperate region; fish gills have the ability to absorb oxygen in water but not on land).

INDICATOR V.2.d. Research a specific plant or animal and report how specific physical attributes provide an advantage for survival in a specific environment.


STANDARD UT.1. Intended Learning Outcome: Use Science Process





and Thinking Skills.

OBJECTIVE 1.a. Observe simple objects, patterns, and events, and report their observations.

OBJECTIVE 1.d. Compare things, processes, and events.

STANDARD UT.2. Intended Learning Outcome: Manifest Scientific Attitudes and Interests.

OBJECTIVE 2.f. Accept and use scientific evidence to help resolve ecological problems.

STANDARD UT.3. Intended Learning Outcome: Understand Science Concepts and Principles.

OBJECTIVE 3.b. Distinguish between examples and non-examples of concepts that have been taught.

STANDARD UT.4. Intended Learning Outcome: Communicate Effectively Using Science Language and Reasoning.

OBJECTIVE 4.b. Describe or explain observations carefully and report with pictures, sentences, and models.

STANDARD UT.V. Students will understand that microorganisms range from simple to complex, are found almost everywhere, and are both helpful and harmful.

OBJECTIVE V.3. Identify positive and negative effects of microorganisms and how science has developed positive uses for some microorganisms and overcome the negative effects of others.

INDICATOR V.3.a. Describe in writing how microorganisms serve as decomposers in the environment.

Vermont Framework of Standards

Science


STANDARD / STRAND VT.7.1. Inquiry, Experimentation, and Theory: Scientific Method: Students use scientific methods to describe, investigate, and explain phenomena and raise questions in order to: Generate alternative explanations (hypotheses) based on observations and prior knowledge; Design inquiry that allows these explanations to be tested; Deduce the expected results; Gather and analyze data to compare the actual results to the expected outcomes; and Make and communicate conclusions, generating new questions raised by observations and





readings.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL / STANDARD

S3-4:7. Representing Data and Analysis: Students demonstrate their ability to explain data by:

GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION / KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL

7.2. Identifying differences between proposed predictions and experimental data.

STANDARD / STRAND VT.7.9. Mathematical Understanding: Statistics and Probability Concepts: Students use statistics and probability concepts.


S3-4:34. Interdependence within Ecosystems: Students demonstrate their understanding of Energy Flow in an Ecosystem by:


34.1. Identifying the source of energy for the survival of organisms.



S3-4:35. Interdependence within Ecosystems: Students demonstrate their understanding of Food Webs in an Ecosystem by:


35.1. Recognizing that, in a simple food chain, all animals' food begins with plants.


35.2. Researching and designing a habitat and explaining how it meets the needs of the organisms that live there.

STANDARD / STRAND VT.7.11. Systems: Analysis: Students analyze and understand living and non-living systems (e.g., biological, chemical, electrical, mechanical, optical) as collections of interrelated parts and interconnected systems.






ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL / S3-4:35. Interdependence within Ecosystems: Students demonstrate their understanding of Food Webs in an





STANDARD Ecosystem by:







S3-4:36. Interdependence within Ecosystems: Students demonstrate their understanding of Equilibrium in an ecosystem by:


36.1. Explaining how one organism depends upon another organism to survive.

STANDARD / STRAND VT.7.13. The Living World: Organisms, Evolution, and Interdependence: Students understand the characteristics of organisms, see patterns of similarity and differences among living organisms, understand the role of evolution, and recognize the interdependence of all systems that support life.


S3-4:30. Survival of Organisms: Students demonstrate their understanding of Structure and Function-Survival Requirements by:


30.1. Identifying how the physical structure/characteristic of an organism allows it to survive and defend itself (e.g., The coloring of a fiddler crab allows it to camouflage itself in the sand and grasses of its environment so that it will be protected from predators. A rose is protected by its thorns.).






STANDARD / STRAND VT.7.13. The Living World: Organisms, Evolution, and Interdependence: Students understand the





characteristics of organisms, see patterns of similarity and differences among living organisms, understand the role of evolution, and recognize the interdependence of all systems that support life.













STANDARD / STRAND VT.7.1. Inquiry, Experimentation, and Theory: Scientific Method: Students use scientific methods to describe, investigate, and explain phenomena and raise questions in order to: Generate alternative explanations (hypotheses) based on observations and prior knowledge; Design inquiry that allows these explanations to be tested; Deduce the expected results; Gather and analyze data to compare the actual results to the expected outcomes; and Make and communicate conclusions, generating new questions raised by observations and readings.


S3-4:7. Representing Data and Analysis: Students demonstrate their ability to explain data by:


7.2. Identifying differences between proposed predictions and experimental data.





























STANDARD / STRAND VT.7.11. Systems: Analysis: Students analyze and understand living and non-living systems (e.g., biological, chemical, electrical, mechanical, optical) as collections of interrelated parts and interconnected





systems.







S3-4:30. Survival of Organisms: Students demonstrate their understanding of Structure and Function-Survival Requirements by:


30.1. Identifying how the physical structure/characteristic of an organism allows it to survive and defend itself (e.g., The coloring of a fiddler crab allows it to camouflage itself in the sand and grasses of its environment so that it will be protected from predators. A rose is protected by its thorns.).



























34.1. Developing a model that shows how the flow of energy from the sun is transferred to organisms as food in order to sustain life.








S5-6:34. Interdependence within Ecosystems: Students demonstrate their understanding of Energy Flow in





an Ecosystem by:





S5-6:39. Natural Selection/Evolution: Students demonstrate their understanding of Evolution/Natural Selection by:


39.1. Explaining, through engaging in simulations, how a variation in a characteristic (trait) enables an organism to survive in a changing environment.

STANDARD / STRAND VT.7.15. The Universe, Earth, and The Environment: Theories, Systems, and Forces: Students demonstrate understanding of the earth and its environment, the solar system, and the universe in terms of the systems that characterize them, the forces that affect and shape them over time, and the theories that currently explain their evolution.


S5-6:49. Natural Resources: Students demonstrate their understanding of Processes and Change within Natural Resources by:


49.1. Identifying examples of good and poor management of natural resources.























S5-6:39. Natural Selection/Evolution: Students demonstrate their understanding of Evolution/Natural Selection by:


39.1. Explaining, through engaging in simulations, how a variation in a characteristic (trait) enables an organism to survive in a changing environment.

STANDARD / STRAND VT.7.15. The Universe, Earth, and The Environment: Theories, Systems, and Forces: Students demonstrate understanding of the earth and its environment, the solar system, and the universe in terms of the systems that characterize them, the forces that affect and shape them over time, and the theories that currently explain their evolution.


S5-6:49. Natural Resources: Students demonstrate their understanding of Processes and Change within Natural Resources by:


49.1. Identifying examples of good and poor management of natural resources.

Virginia 2012-2013 Standards of Learning





Science


SUBJECT AREA VA.3. Virginia 2010 Science Standards of Learning

CONTENT STRAND / COURSE LIFE PROCESSES

STANDARD 3.4. The student will investigate and understand that adaptations allow animals to satisfy life needs and respond to the environment. Key concepts include

INDICATOR 3.4.b) Physical adaptations.


CONTENT STRAND / COURSE LIVING SYSTEMS

STANDARD 3.5. The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include

INDICATOR 3.5.a) Producer, consumer, decomposer.



STANDARD 3.6. The student will investigate and understand that ecosystems support a diversity of plants and animals that share limited resources. Key concepts include

INDICATOR 3.6.a) Aquatic ecosystems.

INDICATOR 3.6.b) Terrestrial ecosystems.

INDICATOR 3.6.d) The human role in conserving limited resources.


CONTENT STRAND / COURSE EARTH RESOURCES

STANDARD 3.10. The student will investigate and understand that natural events and human influences can affect the survival of species. Key concepts include

INDICATOR 3.10.a) The interdependency of plants and animals.

INDICATOR 3.10.b) The effects of human activity on the quality of air, water, and habitat.

INDICATOR 3.10.c) The effects of fire, flood, disease, and erosion on organisms.





INDICATOR 3.10.d) Conservation and resource renewal.



CONTENT STRAND / COURSE FORCE, MOTION, AND ENERGY

STANDARD 4.3. The student will investigate and understand the characteristics of electricity. Key concepts include

INDICATOR 4.3.f) Historical contributions in understanding electricity.



STANDARD 4.5. The student will investigate and understand how plants and animals, including humans, in an ecosystem interact with one another and with the nonliving components in the ecosystem. Key concepts include

INDICATOR 4.5.a) Plant and animal adaptations.

INDICATOR 4.5.b) Organization of populations, communities, and ecosystems and how they interrelate.

INDICATOR 4.5.f) Influences of human activity on ecosystems.




STANDARD 5.5. The student will investigate and understand that organisms are made of one or more cells and have distinguishing characteristics that play a vital role in the organism's ability to survive and thrive in its environment. Key concepts include

INDICATOR 5.5.c) Traits of organisms that allow them to survive in their environment.




STANDARD 6.7. The student will investigate and understand the natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems. Key concepts include





INDICATOR 6.7.d) Wetlands.

INDICATOR 6.7.f) Major conservation, health, and safety issues associated with watersheds.


CONTENT STRAND / COURSE EARTH RESOURCES

STANDARD 6.9. The student will investigate and understand public policy decisions relating to the environment. Key concepts include

INDICATOR 6.9.a) Management of renewable resources.

INDICATOR 6.9.d) Cost/benefit tradeoffs in conservation policies.

Virginia Standards of Learning

Science


STRAND / TOPIC VA.3. Science

STANDARD / STRAND 3.4. Life Processes: The student will investigate and understand that behavioral and physical adaptations allow animals to respond to life needs. Key concepts include

INDICATOR / STANDARD 3.4.a) Methods of gathering and storing food, finding shelter, defending themselves, and rearing young; and

INDICATOR / STANDARD 3.4.b) Hibernation, migration, camouflage, mimicry, instinct, and learned behavior.


STANDARD / STRAND 3.5. Living Systems: The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Key concepts include

INDICATOR / STANDARD 3.5.a) Producer, consumer, decomposer;


STANDARD / STRAND 3.6. Living Systems: The student will investigate and understand that environments support a diversity of plants and animals that share limited resources. Key concepts include

INDICATOR / STANDARD 3.6.a) Water-related environments (pond, marshland, swamp, stream, river, and ocean environments);





INDICATOR / STANDARD 3.6.b) Dry-land environments (desert, grassland, rain forest, and forest environments); and


STANDARD / STRAND 3.10. Resources: The student will investigate and understand that natural events and human influences can affect the survival of species. Key concepts include

INDICATOR / STANDARD 3.10.a) The interdependency of plants and animals;

INDICATOR / STANDARD 3.10.b) The effects of human activity on the quality of air, water, and habitat;

INDICATOR / STANDARD 3.10.c) The effects of fire, flood, disease, and erosion on organisms; and

INDICATOR / STANDARD 3.10.d) Conservation and resource renewal.



STANDARD / STRAND 4.5. Living Systems: The student will investigate and understand how plants and animals in an ecosystem interact with one another and the nonliving environment. Key concepts include

INDICATOR / STANDARD 4.5.a) Behavioral and structural adaptations;

INDICATOR / STANDARD 4.5.f) Influence of human activity on ecosystems.



STANDARD / STRAND 6.1. Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic: The student will plan and conduct investigations in which

INDICATOR / STANDARD 6.1.a) Observations are made involving fine discrimination between similar objects and organisms;

INDICATOR / STANDARD 6.1.b) A classification system is developed based on multiple attributes;


STANDARD / STRAND 6.7. Living Systems: The student will investigate and understand the natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems. Key concepts include





INDICATOR / STANDARD 6.7.d) Wetlands;

INDICATOR / STANDARD 6.7.f) Major conservation, health, and safety issues associated with watersheds; and


STANDARD / STRAND 6.9. Resources: The student will investigate and understand public policy decisions relating to the environment. Key concepts include

INDICATOR / STANDARD 6.9.a) Management of renewable resources (water, air, soil, plant life, animal life);

INDICATOR / STANDARD 6.9.b) Management of nonrenewable resources (coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear power, mineral resources);

INDICATOR / STANDARD 6.9.c) The mitigation of land-use and environmental hazards through preventive measures; and

INDICATOR / STANDARD 6.9.d) Cost/benefit tradeoffs in conservation policies.

Washington D.C. Learning Standards

Science


CONTENT STANDARD / STRAND / DISCIPLINE

DC.3.1. Scientific Thinking and Inquiry: Broad Concept: Scientific progress is made by asking relevant questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content in this grade, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students:

STANDARD / ESSENTIAL SKILL 3.1.11. Explain that one way to make sense of something is to think of how it compares to something more familiar (e.g., vibrations of an object in air such as a tuning fork, a plucked string of a string instrument, human vocal cords).



DC.4.7. Life Science: Broad Concept: All organisms need energy and matter to live and grow. As a basis for understanding this concept, students:

STANDARD / ESSENTIAL SKILL 4.7.1. Explain that organisms interact with one another in various ways, such as providing food, pollination, and seed dispersal.

STANDARD / ESSENTIAL SKILL 4.7.3. Describe how energy derived from the sun is used by green plants to produce chemical energy in the form of sugars (photosynthesis), and this energy is





transferred along a food chain from producers (plants) to consumers to decomposers.

STANDARD / ESSENTIAL SKILL 4.7.10. Investigate the Chesapeake Bay watershed and wetlands and describe how they support a wide variety of plant and animal life that interact with other living and non-living things.



DC.5.9. Life Science: Broad Concept: Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism's chance for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept, students:

STANDARD / ESSENTIAL SKILL 5.9.1. Explain that in any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some do not survive as well, and some cannot survive at all.



DC.6.6. Resources: Broad Concept: Sources of materials differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness, and the time required for their formation. As a basis for understanding this concept, students:

STANDARD / ESSENTIAL SKILL 6.6.4. Explain that the atmosphere and the oceans have a limited capacity to absorb wastes and recycle materials naturally.

Washington Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALR)

Science


EALR WA.4. Life Science (LS)

BIG IDEA / CORE CONTENT LS2. Ecosystems (LS2)

CORE CONTENT / CONTENT STANDARD

2-3.LS2. Changes in Ecosystems: In prior grades, students learned that all plants and animals live in and depend on habitats. In grades 2-3, students learn that ecosystems include both plant and animal populations as well as nonliving resources. Plants and animals depend both on each other and on the nonliving resources in their ecosystem to survive. Ecosystems can change through both natural causes and human activities. These changes might be good or bad for the plants and animals that live in the ecosystem, or have no effect. Humans can protect the health of ecosystems in a number of ways.

CONTENT STANDARD / PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION

2-3.LS2A. Students know that ecosystems support all life on the planet, including human life, by providing food, fresh water, and breathable air.





PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 2-3.LS2A.1. Students are expected to identify at least four ways that ecosystems support life (e.g., by providing fresh water, generating oxygen, removing toxic pollutants, and providing sources of useful materials).






2-3.LS2B. Students know that all ecosystems change over time as a result of natural causes (e.g., storms, floods, volcanic eruptions, fire). Some of these changes are beneficial for the plants and animals, some are harmful, and some have no Effect.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 2-3.LS2B.1. Students are expected to describe three or more of the changes that occur in an ecosystem or model of a natural ecosystem (e.g., aquarium, terrarium) over time, as well as how these changes may affect the plants and animals living there.






2-3.LS2C. Students know that some changes in ecosystems occur slowly, and others occur rapidly. Changes can affect life forms, including humans.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 2-3.LS2C.1. Students are expected to explain the consequences of rapid ecosystem change (e.g., flooding, wind storms, snowfall, volcanic eruptions).





PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 2-3.LS2C.2. Students are expected to explain the consequences of gradual ecosystem change (e.g., gradual increase or decrease in daily temperatures, reduction or increase in yearly rainfall).






2-3.LS2D. Students know that humans impact ecosystems in both positive and negative ways. Humans can help improve the health of ecosystems so that they provide habitats for plants and animals and resources for humans over the long term. For example, if people use fewer resources and recycle waste, there will be fewer negative impacts on natural systems.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 2-3.LS2D.1. Students are expected to describe a change that humans are making in a particular ecosystem, and predict how that change could harm or improve conditions for a given type of plant or animal.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 2-3.LS2D.2. Students are expected to propose a plan to protect or improve an ecosystem.





4-5.LS2. Food Webs: In prior grades, students learned that ecosystems include both plant and animal populations as well as nonliving resources; and that plants and animals depend on one another and on the nonliving resources in their ecosystem to survive. In grades 4-5, students learn how ecosystems change, and how these changes affect the capacity of an ecosystem to support populations. Some changes in ecosystems are caused by the organisms themselves. The ability of any organism to survive will depend on its characteristics and behaviors. Humans also play an important role in many ecosystems and may reduce negative impacts through thoughtful use of natural resources. Concepts related to ecosystems make it possible for students to understand the interrelationships among





various forms of life and between living things and their environment.


4-5.LS2A. Students know that an ecosystem includes all of the plant and animal populations and nonliving resources in a given area. Plants and animals depend on one another and the nonliving resources in their ecosystem to help them survive.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2A.1. Students are expected to identify the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2A.2. Students are expected to give examples to show how the plants and animals depend on one another for survival (e.g., worms decompose waste and return nutrients to the soil, which helps plants grow).

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2A.3. Students are expected to describe how the plants and animals in an ecosystem depend on nonliving resources.




4-5.LS2. Food Webs: In prior grades, students learned that ecosystems include both plant and animal populations as well as nonliving resources; and that plants and animals depend on one another and on the nonliving resources in their ecosystem to survive. In grades 4-5, students learn how ecosystems change, and how these changes affect the capacity of an ecosystem to support populations. Some changes in ecosystems are caused by the organisms themselves. The ability of any organism to survive will depend on its characteristics and behaviors. Humans also play an important role in many ecosystems and may reduce negative impacts through thoughtful use of natural resources. Concepts related to ecosystems make it possible for students to understand the interrelationships among various forms of life and between living things and their environment.


4-5.LS2B. Students know that plants make their own food using energy from the sun. Animals get food by eating plants and/or other animals that eat plants. Plants make it possible for animals to use the energy of sunlight.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2B.1. Students are expected to explain that plants make their own food, and animals, including humans, get food by eating plants and/or eating other animals.










4-5.LS2C. Students know that plants and animals are related in food webs with producers (plants that make their own food), consumers (animals that eat producers and/or other animals), and decomposers (primarily bacteria and fungi) that break down wastes and dead organisms, and return nutrients to the soil.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2C.1. Students are expected to draw a simple food web given a list of three common organisms. Draw arrows properly and identify the producers and consumers.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2C.2. Students are expected to compare the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem.






4-5.LS2D. Students know that ecosystems can change slowly or rapidly. Big changes over a short period of time can have a major impact on the ecosystem and the populations of plants and animals living there.





PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2D.1. Students are expected to apply knowledge of a plant or animal's relationship to its ecosystem and to other plants and animals to predict whether and how a slow or rapid change in the ecosystem might affect the population of that plant or animal.






4-5.LS2F. Students know that people affect ecosystems both positively and negatively.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2F.1. Students are expected to describe ways that humans can improve the health of ecosystems (e.g., recycling wastes, establishing rain gardens, planting native species to prevent flooding and erosion).

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2F.2. Students are expected to describe ways that humans can harm the health of ecosystems (e.g., overuse of fertilizers, littering, not recycling)


BIG IDEA / CORE CONTENT LS3. Biological Evolution (LS3)


4-5.LS3. Heredity and Adaptation: In prior grades, students learned about variations in inherited characteristics. In grades 4-5, students learn that some differences in inherited characteristics may help plants and animals survive and reproduce. Sexual reproduction results in offspring that are never identical to either of their parents and therefore contributes to a species' ability to adapt to changing conditions. Heredity is a key feature of living plants and animals that enables changes in characteristics to be passed on and for species to change over time. Fossils provide evidence of what ancient extinct plants and animals looked like.

CONTENT STANDARD / PERFORMANCE 4-5.LS3A. Students know that in any ecosystem, some populations of organisms thrive and grow, some





EXPECTATION decline, and others do not survive at all.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS3A.1. Students are expected to list some reasons why some populations may not survive as well as others.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS3A.2. Students are expected to evaluate similar populations in an ecosystem with regard to their ability to thrive and grow (e.g., bird populations with different color feathers).







4-5.LS2A. Students know that an ecosystem includes all of the plant and animal populations and nonliving resources in a given area. Plants and animals depend on one another and the nonliving resources in their ecosystem to help them survive.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2A.1. Students are expected to identify the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2A.2. Students are expected to give examples to show how the plants and animals depend on one another for survival (e.g., worms decompose waste and return nutrients to the soil, which helps plants grow).

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2A.3. Students are expected to describe how the plants and animals in an ecosystem depend on nonliving resources.










4-5.LS2B. Students know that plants make their own food using energy from the sun. Animals get food by eating plants and/or other animals that eat plants. Plants make it possible for animals to use the energy of sunlight.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2B.1. Students are expected to explain that plants make their own food, and animals, including humans, get food by eating plants and/or eating other animals.






4-5.LS2C. Students know that plants and animals are related in food webs with producers (plants that make their own food), consumers (animals that eat producers and/or other animals), and decomposers (primarily bacteria and fungi) that break down wastes and dead organisms, and return nutrients to the soil.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2C.1. Students are expected to draw a simple food web given a list of three common organisms. Draw arrows properly and identify the producers and





consumers.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2C.2. Students are expected to compare the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem.






4-5.LS2D. Students know that ecosystems can change slowly or rapidly. Big changes over a short period of time can have a major impact on the ecosystem and the populations of plants and animals living there.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2D.1. Students are expected to apply knowledge of a plant or animal's relationship to its ecosystem and to other plants and animals to predict whether and how a slow or rapid change in the ecosystem might affect the population of that plant or animal.










4-5.LS2F. Students know that people affect ecosystems both positively and negatively.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2F.1. Students are expected to describe ways that humans can improve the health of ecosystems (e.g., recycling wastes, establishing rain gardens, planting native species to prevent flooding and erosion).

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS2F.2. Students are expected to describe ways that humans can harm the health of ecosystems (e.g., overuse of fertilizers, littering, not recycling)




4-5.LS3. Heredity and Adaptation: In prior grades, students learned about variations in inherited characteristics. In grades 4-5, students learn that some differences in inherited characteristics may help plants and animals survive and reproduce. Sexual reproduction results in offspring that are never identical to either of their parents and therefore contributes to a species' ability to adapt to changing conditions. Heredity is a key feature of living plants and animals that enables changes in characteristics to be passed on and for species to change over time. Fossils provide evidence of what ancient extinct plants and animals looked like.


4-5.LS3A. Students know that in any ecosystem, some populations of organisms thrive and grow, some decline, and others do not survive at all.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS3A.1. Students are expected to list some reasons why some populations may not survive as well as others.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 4-5.LS3A.2. Students are expected to evaluate similar populations in an ecosystem with regard to their ability to thrive and grow (e.g., bird populations with different color feathers).


EALR WA.2. Inquiry (INQ)

BIG IDEA / CORE CONTENT 6-8.INQ. Questioning and Investigating: In prior grades, students learned to plan investigations to match a given research question. In grades 6-8, students learn to revise questions so they can be answered scientifically, and then to design an appropriate investigation to answer the question and carry out the study, using appropriate technologies, including computers. Students learn to think critically and logically to make connections between prior science knowledge and evidence produced from their investigations. Students can work well in





collaborative teams, and communicate the procedures and results of their investigations and are expected to critique their own findings as well as the findings of others.


6-8.INQI. Consider Ethics: Students know that scientists and engineers have ethical codes governing animal experiments, research in natural ecosystems, and studies that involve human subjects.


6-8.INQI.1. Students are expected to demonstrate ethical concerns and precautions in response to scenarios of scientific investigations involving animal experiments, research in natural ecosystems, and studies that involve human subjects.




6-8.LS2. Flow of Energy Through Ecosystems: In prior grades, students learned how ecosystems change and how these changes affect the capacity of an ecosystem to support populations. In grades 6-8, students learn to apply key concepts about ecosystems to understand the interactions among organisms and the nonliving environment. Essential concepts include the process of photosynthesis used by plants to transform the energy of sunlight into food energy and possible causes of environmental change. Students also learn to investigate environmental issues and to use science to evaluate different solutions to the problem. Knowledge of how energy flows through ecosystems is a critical aspect of students' understanding of how energy sustains life on the planet, including human life.


6-8.LS2A. Students know that an ecosystem consists of all the populations living within a specific area and the nonliving factors they interact with. One geographical area may contain many ecosystems.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 6-8.LS2A.1. Students are expected to explain that an ecosystem is a defined area that contains populations of organisms and nonliving factors.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 6-8.LS2A.2. Students are expected to give examples of ecosystems (e.g., Olympic National Forest, Puget Sound, one square foot of lawn) and describe their boundaries and contents.




6-8.LS2. Flow of Energy Through Ecosystems: In prior grades, students learned how ecosystems change and how these changes affect the capacity of an ecosystem to support populations. In grades 6-8, students learn to apply key





concepts about ecosystems to understand the interactions among organisms and the nonliving environment. Essential concepts include the process of photosynthesis used by plants to transform the energy of sunlight into food energy and possible causes of environmental change. Students also learn to investigate environmental issues and to use science to evaluate different solutions to the problem. Knowledge of how energy flows through ecosystems is a critical aspect of students' understanding of how energy sustains life on the planet, including human life.


6-8.LS2C. Students know that the major source of energy for ecosystems on Earth's surface is sunlight. Producers (plants) transform the energy of sunlight into the chemical energy of food through photosynthesis. This food energy is used by plants, animals, and all other organisms to carry on life processes. Nearly all organisms on the surface of Earth depend on this energy source.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 6-8.LS2C.1. Students are expected to explain how energy from the Sun is transformed through photosynthesis to produce chemical energy in food.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 6-8.LS2C.2. Students are expected to explain that producers are the only organisms that make their own food. Animals cannot survive without producers because animals get food by eating producers or other animals that eat producers.




6-8.LS2. Flow of Energy Through Ecosystems: In prior grades, students learned how ecosystems change and how these changes affect the capacity of an ecosystem to support populations. In grades 6-8, students learn to apply key concepts about ecosystems to understand the interactions among organisms and the nonliving environment. Essential concepts include the process of photosynthesis used by plants to transform the energy of sunlight into food energy and possible causes of environmental change. Students also learn to investigate environmental issues and to use science to evaluate different solutions to the problem. Knowledge of how energy flows through ecosystems is a critical aspect of students' understanding of how energy sustains life on the planet, including human life.


6-8.LS2E. Students know that investigations of environmental issues should uncover factors causing the problem and relevant scientific concepts and findings that may inform an analysis of different ways to address the issue.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 6-8.LS2E.1. Students are expected to investigate a local environmental issue by defining the problem, researching possible causative factors,





understanding the underlying science, and evaluating the benefits and risks of alternative solutions.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 6-8.LS2E.2. Students are expected to identify resource uses that reduce the capacity of ecosystems to support various populations (e.g., use of pesticides, construction).




6-8.LS3. Variation and Adaptation: In prior grades, students learned how ecosystems change and how these changes affect the capacity of an ecosystem to support populations. In grades 6-8, students learn to apply key concepts about ecosystems to understand the interactions among organisms and the nonliving environment. Essential concepts include the process of photosynthesis used by plants to transform the energy of sunlight into food energy and possible causes of environmental change. Students also learn to investigate environmental issues and to use science to evaluate different solutions to the problem. Knowledge of how energy flows through ecosystems is a critical aspect of students' understanding of how energy sustains life on the planet, including human life.


6-8.LS3E. Students know that adaptations are physical or behavioral changes that are inherited and enhance the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION 6-8.LS3E.1. Students are expected to give an example of a plant or animal adaptation that would confer a survival and reproductive advantage during a given environmental change.

West Virginia 21st Century Content Standards and Objectives

Science


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE WV.SC.S.3.2. Content of Science: Students will demonstrate knowledge, understanding and applications of scientific facts, concepts, principles, theories, and models as delineated in the objectives, demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships among physics, chemistry, biology and the earth and space sciences, apply knowledge, understanding and skills of science subject matter/concepts to daily life experiences.

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.3.2.3. Compare physical characteristics and behaviors of living organisms and explain how they are adapted to a specific environment (e.g., beaks and feet in





birds, seed dispersal, camouflage, or different types of flowers).

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.3.2.4. Observe and describe relationships among organisms and predict the effect of adverse factors.

CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE WV.SC.S.3.3. Application of Science: Students will identify how the parts of a system interact, recognize and use models as representations of real things., observe and identify patterns of change, consistency or regularity within the environment, demonstrate the ability to utilize technology to gather and organize data to communicate designs, results and conclusions, identify that a solution to a problem often creates new problems, demonstrate the ability to listen to, be tolerant of, and evaluate the impact of different points of view on health, population, resources and environmental practices while working in collaborative groups.

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.3.3.8. Recognize that a solution to one scientific problem often creates new problems (e.g., recycling, pollution, conservation, or waste disposal).

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.3.3.10. Develop respect and responsibility for the environment by engaging in conservation practices.


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE WV.SC.S.4.2. Content of Science: Students will demonstrate knowledge, understanding and applications of scientific facts, concepts, principles, theories, and models as delineated in the objectives, demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships among physics, chemistry, biology and the earth and space sciences, apply knowledge, understanding and skills of science subject matter/concepts to daily life experiences.

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.4.2.1. Describe the different characteristics of plants and animals, which help them to survive in different niches and environments.

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.4.2.8. Construct and explain models of habitats, food chains, and food webs.

CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE WV.SC.S.4.3. Application of Science: Students will identify how the parts of a system interact, recognize and use models as representations of real things, observe and identify patterns of change, consistency or regularity within the environment, demonstrate the ability to utilize technology to gather and organize data to communicate designs, results and conclusions, identify that a solution to a problem often creates new problems, demonstrate the





ability to listen to, be tolerant of, and evaluate the impact of different points of view on health, population, resources and environmental practices while working in collaborative groups.

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.4.3.8. Recognize that a solution to one scientific problem often creates new problems (e.g., recycling, pollution, conservation, waste disposal, or need for technology).

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.4.3.11. Develop respect and responsibility for the environment by engaging in conservation practices.


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE WV.SC.S.5.2. Content of Science: Students will demonstrate knowledge, understanding and applications of scientific facts, concepts, principles, theories and models as delineated in the objectives, demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships among physics, chemistry, biology and the earth and space sciences, apply knowledge, understanding and skills of science subject matter/concepts to daily life experiences.

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.5.2.6. Compare and contrast how the different characteristics of plants and animals help them to survive in different niches and environments including adaptations, natural selection, and extinction.

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.5.2.8. Trace and describe the pathways of the sun's energy through producers, consumers and decomposers using food webs and pyramids.


CONTENT STANDARD / COURSE WV.SC.S.6.2. Content of Science: Students will demonstrate knowledge, understanding and applications of scientific facts, concepts, principles, theories and models as delineated in the objectives, demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships among physics, chemistry, biology and the earth and space sciences, apply knowledge, understanding and skills of science subject matter/concepts to daily life experiences.

CONTENT STANDARD / OBJECTIVE SC.O.6.2.9. Analyze the ecological consequences of human interactions with the environment (e.g., renewable and non-renewable resources).

Wisconsin Model Academic Standards

Science






CONTENT STANDARD WI.F. Life and Environmental Science: Students in Wisconsin will demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics and structures of living things, the processes of life, and how living things interact with one another and their environment.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD F.4.2. The Characteristics of Organisms: Investigate how organisms, especially plants, respond to both internal cues (the need for water) and external cues (changes in the environment).

PERFORMANCE STANDARD F.4.4. Organisms and Their Environment: Using the science themes, develop explanations for the connections among living and non-living things in various environments.

CONTENT STANDARD WI.H. Science Applications: Students in Wisconsin will use scientific information and skills to make decisions about themselves, Wisconsin, and the world in which they live.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD H.4.4. Develop a list of issues that citizens must make decisions about and describe a strategy for becoming informed about the science behind these issues.



PERFORMANCE STANDARD F.4.2. The Characteristics of Organisms: Investigate how organisms, especially plants, respond to both internal cues (the need for water) and external cues (changes in the environment).

PERFORMANCE STANDARD F.4.4. Organisms and Their Environment: Using the science themes, develop explanations for the connections among living and non-living things in various environments.

CONTENT STANDARD WI.H. Science Applications: Students in Wisconsin will use scientific information and skills to make decisions about themselves, Wisconsin, and the world in which they live.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD H.4.4. Develop a list of issues that citizens must make decisions about and describe a strategy for becoming informed about the science behind these





issues.


CONTENT STANDARD WI.B. Nature of Science: Students in Wisconsin will understand that science is ongoing and inventive, and that scientific understandings have changed over time as new evidence is found.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD B.8.6. Explain the ways in which scientific knowledge is useful and also limited when applied to social issues.


PERFORMANCE STANDARD F.8.2. Structure and Function in Living Things: Show how organisms have adapted structures to match their functions, providing means of encouraging individual and group survival within specific environments.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD F.8.8. Populations and Ecosystems: Show through investigations how organisms both depend on and contribute to the balance or imbalance of populations and/or ecosystems, which in turn contribute to the total system of life on the planet.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD F.8.10. Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms: Project how current trends in human resource use and population growth will influence the natural environment, and show how current policies affect those trends.


CONTENT STANDARD WI.B. Nature of Science: Students in Wisconsin will understand that science is ongoing and inventive, and that scientific understandings have changed over time as new evidence is found.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD B.8.6. Explain the ways in which scientific knowledge is useful and also limited when applied to social issues.






PERFORMANCE STANDARD F.8.2. Structure and Function in Living Things: Show how organisms have adapted structures to match their functions, providing means of encouraging individual and group survival within specific environments.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD F.8.8. Populations and Ecosystems: Show through investigations how organisms both depend on and contribute to the balance or imbalance of populations and/or ecosystems, which in turn contribute to the total system of life on the planet.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD F.8.10. Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms: Project how current trends in human resource use and population growth will influence the natural environment, and show how current policies affect those trends.

CONTENT STANDARD WI.G. Science Applications: Students in Wisconsin will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between science and technology and the ways in which that relationship influences human activities.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD G.8.3. Illustrate the impact that science and technology have had, both good and bad, on careers, systems, society, environment, and quality of life.

Wyoming Academic Content Standards

Science


CONTENT STANDARD WY1. Concepts and Processes: In the context of unifying concepts and processes, students develop an understanding of scientific content through inquiry. Science is a dynamic process; concepts and content are best learned through inquiry and investigation. Concepts in Life Systems, Earth and Space Systems, and Physical Systems are taught within the context of the following Unifying Concepts and Processes of Science: Systems, classification, order and organization; Evidence, models, and explanations; Cycles and change over time; Measurement and Form and function.

BENCHMARK SC4.1.3. Life Systems: Organisms and Their Environments: Students show connections between living things, their basic needs, and the environments.

CONTENT STANDARD WY3. History and Nature of Science in Personal and Social Decisions: Students recognize the nature of science, its history, and its connections to personal, social, economic, and political decisions. Historically, scientific events have had significant impacts on our





cultural heritage.

BENCHMARK SC4.3.2. Students recognize how scientific information is used to make decisions.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE SC4.3.2.a. Identify and describe local science issues, such as environmental hazards or resource management.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE SC4.3.2.b. Suggest feasible solutions and personal action plans to address an identified issue.


CONTENT STANDARD WY1. Concepts and Processes: In the context of unifying concepts and processes, students develop an understanding of scientific content through inquiry. Science is a dynamic process; concepts and content are best learned through inquiry and investigation. Concepts in Life Systems, Earth and Space Systems, and Physical Systems are taught within the context of the following Unifying Concepts and Processes of Science: Systems, classification, order and organization; Evidence, models, and explanations; Cycles and change over time; Measurement and Form and function.

BENCHMARK SC4.1.3. Life Systems: Organisms and Their Environments: Students show connections between living things, their basic needs, and the environments.

CONTENT STANDARD WY3. History and Nature of Science in Personal and Social Decisions: Students recognize the nature of science, its history, and its connections to personal, social, economic, and political decisions. Historically, scientific events have had significant impacts on our cultural heritage.

BENCHMARK SC4.3.2. Students recognize how scientific information is used to make decisions.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE SC4.3.2.a. Identify and describe local science issues, such as environmental hazards or resource management.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE SC4.3.2.b. Suggest feasible solutions and personal action plans to address an identified issue.


CONTENT STANDARD WY1. Concepts and Processes: In the context of unifying concepts and processes, students develop an understanding of scientific content through inquiry. Science is a dynamic process; concepts and content are best learned through inquiry and investigation. Concepts in Life Systems, Earth and Space Systems, and Physical Systems are taught within the context of the following Unifying Concepts and Processes of





Science: Systems, classification, order and organization; Evidence, models, and explanations; Change, constancy, and measurement; Evolution and equilibrium and Form and function

BENCHMARK SC8.1.6. Life Systems: Interrelationships of Populations and Ecosystems: Students illustrate populations of organisms and their interconnection within an ecosystem, identifying relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers.


BENCHMARK SC8.3.2. Students explore how scientific information is used to make decisions.

GRADE LEVEL EXAMPLE SC8.3.2.c. Origins and conservation of natural resources, including Wyoming examples.


CONTENT STANDARD WY1. Concepts and Processes: In the context of unifying concepts and processes, students develop an understanding of scientific content through inquiry. Science is a dynamic process; concepts and content are best learned through inquiry and investigation. Concepts in Life Systems, Earth and Space Systems, and Physical Systems are taught within the context of the following Unifying Concepts and Processes of Science: Systems, classification, order and organization; Evidence, models, and explanations; Change, constancy, and measurement; Evolution and equilibrium and Form and function

BENCHMARK SC8.1.6. Life Systems: Interrelationships of Populations and Ecosystems: Students illustrate populations of organisms and their interconnection within an ecosystem, identifying relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers.


BENCHMARK SC8.3.2. Students explore how scientific information is used to make decisions.

c correlations · concepts of life science (sc1, sc2, sc3) grade level expectation / strand [3]...

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