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Seventh Grade Level Expectations
Science as Inquiry
The Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry
1. Generate testable questions about objects, organisms, and events that can be answered through scientific investigation (SI-M-A1)
2. Identify problems, factors, and questions that must be considered in a scientific investigation (SI-M-A1)
3. Use a variety of sources to answer questions (SI-M-A1)
4. Design, predict outcomes, and conduct experiments to answer guiding questions (SI-M-A2)
5. Identify independent variables, dependent variables, and variables that should be controlled in designing an experiment (SI-M-A2)
6. Select and use appropriate equipment, technology, tools, and metric system units of measurement to make observations (SI-M-A3)
7. Record observations using methods that complement investigations (e.g., journals, tables, charts) (SI-M-A3)
8. Use consistency and precision in data collection, analysis, and reporting (SI-M-A3)
9. Use computers and/or calculators to analyze and interpret quantitative data (SI-M-A3)
10. Identify the difference between description and explanation (SI-M-A4)
11. Construct, use, and interpret appropriate graphical representations to collect, record, and report data (e.g., tables, charts, circle graphs, bar and line graphs, diagrams, scatter plots, symbols) (SI-M-A4)
12. Use data and information gathered to develop an explanation of experimental results (SI-M-A4)
13. Identify patterns in data to explain natural events (SI-M-A4)
14. Develop models to illustrate or explain conclusions reached through investigation (SI-M-A5)
15. Identify and explain the limitations of models used to represent the natural world (SI-M-A5)
16. Use evidence to make inferences and predict trends (SI-M-A5)
17. Recognize that there may be more than one way to interpret a given set of data, which can result in alternative scientific explanations and predictions (SI-M-A6)
18. Identify faulty reasoning and statements that misinterpret or are not supported by the evidence (SI-M-A6)
19. Communicate ideas in a variety of ways (e.g., symbols, illustrations, graphs, charts, spreadsheets, concept maps, oral and written reports, equations) (SI-M-A7)
20. Write clear, step-by-step instructions that others can follow to carry out procedures or conduct investigations (SI-M-A7)
21. Distinguish between observations and inferences (SI-M-A7)
22. Use evidence and observations to explain and communicate the results of investigations (SI-M-A7)
Understanding Scientific Inquiry
25. Compare and critique scientific investigations (SI-M-B1)
26. Use and describe alternate methods for investigating different types of testable questions (SI-M-B1)
27. Recognize that science uses processes that involve a logical and empirical, but flexible, approach to problem solving (SI-M-B1)
28. Recognize that investigations generally begin with a review of the work of others (SI-M-B2)
29. Explain how technology can expand the senses and contribute to the increase and/or modification of scientific knowledge (SI-M-B3)
30. Describe why all questions cannot be answered with present technologies (SI-M-B3)
31. Recognize that there is an acceptable range of variation in collected data (SI-M-B3)
32. Explain the use of statistical methods to confirm the significance of data (e.g., mean, median, mode, range) (SI-M-B3)
33. Evaluate models, identify problems in design, and make recommendations for improvement (SI-M-B4)
34. Recognize the importance of communication among scientists about investigations in progress and the work of others (SI-M-B5)
35. Explain how skepticism about accepted scientific explanations (i.e., hypotheses and theories) leads to new understanding (SI-M-B5)
36. Explain why an experiment must be verified through multiple investigations and yield consistent results before the findings are accepted (SI-M-B5)
37. Critique and analyze their own inquiries and the inquiries of others (SI-M-B5)
38. Explain that, through the use of scientific processes and knowledge, people can solve problems, make decisions, and form new ideas (SI-M-B6)
39. Identify areas in which technology has changed human lives (e.g., transportation, communication, geographic information systems, DNA fingerprinting) (SI-M-B7)
40. Evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society, and the environment (SI-M-B7)
Physical Science
Properties and Changes of Properties in Matter
1. Identify the elements most often found in living organisms (e.g., C, N, H, O, P, S, Ca, Fe) (PS-M-A9)
Life Science
Structure and Function in Living Systems
2. Compare the basic structures and functions of different types of cells (LS-M-A1)
3. Illustrate and demonstrate osmosis and diffusion in cells (LS-M-A1)
4. Compare functions of plant and animal cell structures (i.e., organelles) (LS-M-A2)
5. Compare complete and incomplete metamorphosis in insects (e.g., butterflies, mealworms, grasshoppers) (LS-M-A3)
6. Compare the life cycles of a variety of organisms, including non-flowering and flowering plants, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and mammals (LS-M-A3)
7. Construct a word equation that illustrates the processes of photosynthesis and respiration (LS-M-A4)
8. Distinguish between aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration (LS-M-A4)
9. Relate structural features of organs to their functions in major systems (LS-M-A5)
10. Describe the way major organ systems in the human body interact to sustain life (LS-M-A5)
11. Describe the growth and development of humans from infancy to old age (LS-M-A6)
12. Explain how external factors and genetics can influence the quality and length of human life (e.g., nutrition, smoking, drug use, exercise) (LS-M-A6)
13. Identify and describe common communicable and noncommunicable diseases and the methods by which they are transmitted, treated, and prevented (LS-M-A7)
Reproduction and Heredity
14. Differentiate between sexual and asexual reproduction (LS-M-B1)
15. Contrast the processes of mitosis and meiosis in relation to growth, repair, reproduction, and heredity (LS-M-B1)
16. Explain why chromosomes in body cells exist in pairs (LS-M-B2)
17. Explain the relationship of genes to chromosomes and genotypes to phenotypes (LS-M-B2)
18. Recognize genetic errors caused by changes in chromosomes (LS-M-B2)
23. Classify organisms based on structural characteristics, using a dichotomous key (LS-M-C1)
24. Analyze food webs to determine energy transfer among organisms (LS-M-C2)
25. Locate and describe the major biomes of the world (LS-M-C3)
26. Describe and compare the levels of organization of living things within an ecosystem (LS-M-C3)
27. Identify the various relationships among plants and animals (e.g., mutualistic, parasitic, producer/consumer) (LS-M-C4)
28. Differentiate between ecosystem components of habitat and niche (LS-M-C4)
29. Predict the impact changes in a species’ population have on an ecosystem (LS-M-C4)
Adaptations of Organisms
30. Differentiate between structural and behavioral adaptations in a variety of organisms (LS-M-D1)
31. Describe and evaluate the impact of introducing nonnative species into an ecosystem (LS-M-D1)
32. Describe changes that can occur in various ecosystems and relate the changes to the ability of an organism to survive (LS-M-D2)
33. Illustrate how variations in individual organisms within a population determine the success of the population (LS-M-D2)
34. Explain how environmental factors impact survival of a population (LS-M-D2)
Science and the Environment
35. Identify resources humans derive from ecosystems (SE-M-A1)
36. Distinguish the essential roles played by biotic and abiotic components in various ecosystems (SE-M-A1)
37. Identify and describe the effects of limiting factors on a given population (SE-M-A2)
38. Evaluate the carrying capacity of an ecosystem (SE-M-A2)
39. Analyze the consequences of human activities on ecosystems (SE-M-A4)
40. Construct or draw food webs for various ecosystems (SE-M-A5)
41. Describe the nitrogen cycle and explain why it is important for the survival of organisms (SE-M-A7)
42. Describe how photosynthesis and respiration relate to the carbon cycle (SE-M-A7)
43. Identify and analyze the environmental impact of humans’ use of technology (e.g., energy production, agriculture, transportation, human habitation) (SE-M-A8)
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