The science framework is what
students should know, understand, and be able to do in the natural sciences.
Students combine process and content as they use scientific reasoning and
critical thinking to develop their understandings of science.
The science
process skills are:
♦ Observation and
Measurement
♦ Classification
♦ Experimentation
♦ Interpretation
and Communication
♦ Model
♦ Inquiry
The science
content area is:
♦ Biology--study of
living things
Science knowledge in this content
area is developed through the use of the science process skills.
Observation and
Measurement--Observation is the first action taken by the student to find new
information about an object, organism, or event.
In Biology I, students will:
♦ Observe and
measure the type of change (such as temperature, mass, length, volume,
position, and time) and the amount of change before, during, and after an
event.
♦ Use tools such
as metric rulers, graduated cylinders, thermometers, balances, spring scales,
and stopwatches.
♦ Use the metric
system--grams, milligrams, centigrams, kilograms, meters, millimeters,
centimeters, kilometers, liters, milliliters, seconds, and degrees Celcius.
Classification
is sorting objects based on similarities, differences, and relationships.
In Biology I, students will:
♦ Classify (group)
objects, organisms, or events based on how they are alike or different.
♦ Identify the properties
used to classify objects, organisms, or events.
Experimentation
is a method of discovering information.
In Biology I, students will:
♦ Evaluate a
physical science experiment for correct scientific design.
♦ Identify
independent variables (factors that are set by the experimenter), dependent
variables (what is measured) in an experiment, and controls (what stays the
same) in an experiment.
♦ Use mathematics
to show relationships.
♦ Identify a
hypothesis (possible explanation for what will happen) in an experiment.
♦ Follow safety
rules.
Interpretation
and Communication is the process of recognizing patterns in data and sharing
that information with others.
In Biology I, students will:
♦ Make predictions
based on patterns in evidence.
♦ Report data
appropriately and make and interpret data tables, line bar, trend, or circle
graphs to show data.
♦ Use the results
of the experiment to show if the hypothesis was proved or disproved.
♦ Evaluate data from
an experiment to explain what has happened, make conclusions, and predict what
will happen next.
♦ Create a written
report that describes the experiment procedure and the results of the
experiment.
♦ Defend their
scientific thinking.
Modeling is the
process of forming a mental or physical representation of data, patterns, or
relationships.
In Biology I, students will:
♦ Explain models
and use models to make predictions.
♦ Compare models
to the physical world around them.
Inquiry is
defined as the skills necessary to carry out the process of scientific
thinking.
In Biology I, students will:
♦ Form a testable
hypothesis and design an experiment relating to the physical world.
♦ Design and
conduct physical science experiments, identifying variables and controls.
♦ Use many types
of technology to collect, display, and analyze data including hand tools, measuring
instruments, and computers.
♦ Form
explanations or models based on experimental data and participate in
discussions based on scientific thinking that leads to revision of explanations
and continued inquiry.
In Biology I,
students will:
♦ Learn that cells
are the basic unit of life. Cells are made of different structures that do
specific jobs necessary for life.
♦ Learn that cells
can develop in different ways and may develop into organisms (living things)
that have many types of cells that work together (cells - tissues - organs -
organ systems - organisms).
♦ Know that cells
act from instructions that come from DNA in the cell. These instructions are
the master code for the cell and control everything about the cell.
♦ Know that genes
are small sections of DNA that give instructions to the cell for how the cell
acts or how an organisms looks. When an organism creates offspring, the genes
are sorted and put together in different ways.
♦ Learn that the
offspring receive information from each parent, so the way the genes are
combined causes the offspring to look a certain way or the organism's cells to
act a certain way.
♦ Know that charts
called Punnett Squares and Pedigrees allow us to predict how the genes will
combine to form offspring.
♦ Learn that
different species may look different, but the unity and similarity of organisms
is seen when the internal structures and the chemical processes are studied.
♦ Learn that
evidence of common ancestors is seen in the structures that are analogous (common
to different species).
♦ Understand that
species get many of their special characteristics through biological adaptation
(a process which may include changes in structures, behaviors, or the way the organism
moves).
♦ Discover that
organisms depend on each other and on the environment around them.
♦ Learn that
matter on Earth cycles through the living and nonliving parts of the biosphere
(the part of the Earth, including air, land, surface rocks, and water where
life is found).
♦ Learn that
organisms cooperate (symbiosis) and compete to survive in an ecosystem.
♦ Know that
organisms have the ability to produce populations of unlimited size, but the
environment and the amount of resources around them (food, water, shelter, etc.)
limits the size of the population.
♦ Know that living
systems must have continuing input of energy in order to support life.
♦ Learn that
organisms must obtain, change, move, release, and eliminate matter and energy
in order to survive.
♦ Learn that
matter and energy can flow through different levels of living systems and
between living systems and the environment (sun energy - grass - deer -
mountain lion).
When this energy is transferred,
chemical elements are changed.
♦ Learn that
matter and energy are conserved (not lost) in each change. Examples include the
water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, food webs, and energy pyramids.
♦ Special cells
allow an organism to know what is going on in the world around them. Examples
include special cells called sense organs and cells that detect light, sound,
and gravity.
♦ Discover that
organisms can respond to a stimulus from the environment around them or from
their species or other species. These responses can either be an innate
response (the organism is born with this response) or a learned response.
♦ Know that
patterns of change over time have allowed organisms to have more success in
reproduction and survival.
