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State
and Local Inquiry Standards--Embedded Throughout All Projects |
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·
Recognize the steps of the scientific method. ·
Formulate a testable hypothesis. ·
Apply the steps of the scientific method by designing and carrying
out an investigation specifying variables to be changed, controlled and
measured. ·
Clearly specify the units
of measurement for all variables. ·
Differentiate between questions that can be answered through direct
investigation and those that cannot. ·
Apply personal experience and knowledge to make predictions. ·
Apply multiple lines of inquiry to address and analyze a question,
e.g. experimentation, trial and error, survey, interview, and secondary
sources. ·
Select appropriate tools and technology (e.g. calculators, computers,
thermometers, meter sticks, balances, graduated cylinders, and microscopes)
and make quantitative observations. ·
Present and explain data and findings using multiple representations,
including tables, graphs, mathematical and physical models, and
demonstrations. ·
Clearly show data from multiple trials. ·
Draw conclusions based on data or evidence presented in tables or
graphs, and make inferences based on patterns or trends in the data. ·
Communicate procedures and results using appropriate science and
technology terminology. • Offer explanations of procedures, and
critique and revise them. |
|
Project |
Examples
of State & Local Frameworks & Progress Indicators |
|
Pressure
Treated Wood (Arsenic
& Soil) |
•Explain how the balance of an ecosystem can be
upset if living or non-living factors are introduced or remove •Give
examples of basic chemical compounds. •State
the elements that compose basic compounds. •Demonstrate
differences between basic chemical compounds. •Explain
that a mixture of substances often can be separated into the original substances
using one or more of the characteristic properties of the substances. •Differentiate between physical changes and
chemical changes |
|
Water
(Rainfall, Streams, Pollution) |
•Explain
how the balance of an ecosystem can be upset if living or non-living factors
are introduced or removed. •Explain
how dead plants and animals are broken down by other living organisms and how
this process contributes to the system as a whole. •Recognize
that the measurement of volume and mass requires understanding of the sensitivity
of measurement tools (e.g., [metric] rulers, graduated cylinders, balances)
and knowledge and appropriate use of significant digits. •Show
that the accuracy of the data is appropriate to the measuring tools being
used. •Define
and explain an element. •Identify
and give examples of common elements and their chemical symbol. •Classify
substances as metals, nonmetals, or metalloids based on their physical
properties and reactions to chemicals. •Explain
how acidic, basic, and neutral solutions react with litmus paper and
indicators. •Define
pH and describe how to determine the pH of a solution. •Recognize,
interpret, and be able to create models of the earth’s common physical
features in various mapping representations, including contour maps. •Describe
and give examples of ways in which the earth’s surface is built up and torn
down by natural processes, including deposition of sediments, rock formation,
erosion, and weathering. |
|
Ground-level
Stratospheric Ozone |
•Explain
how the balance of an ecosystem can be upset if living or non-living factors
are introduced or removed. •Recognize
that the measurement of volume and mass requires understanding of the
sensitivity of measurement tools (e.g., [metric] rulers, graduated cylinders,
balances) and knowledge and appropriate use of significant digits. •Show
that the accuracy of the data is appropriate to the measuring tools being
used •Demonstrate
an understanding of the organization of the periodic table of the elements. •Investigate
and illustrate ways in which human activities, such as reducing the amount of
forest cover, increasing the amount and variety of chemicals released into
the atmosphere, and intensive farming, have changed the Earth’s land, oceans,
and atmosphere. •Explain
the relationship among the energy provided by the sun, the global patterns of
atmospheric movement, and the temperature differences among water, land, and
atmosphere. •Describe
variables that influence how much of the Sun’s heat is absorbed and released
by different surfaces. •Explain
why the temperature of an air mass depends on the temperature of the Earth’s
surface directly beneath the air mass. |
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Ecology
and Behavior
of Birds |
•Identify
the characteristics of living things. •Define
and give examples of traits. Describe
and give examples of adaptations. •Give
examples of ways in which organisms interact and have different functions
within an ecosystem that enable the ecosystem to survive. •Differentiate organisms
according to physical characteristics and traits. •Explain
the importance of scientific names. •Explain
the need for the science of taxonomy of living things. |
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Fast
Plants and Bottle
Biology |
•Identify
the characteristics of living things. •Define
and give examples of traits. •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. •Identify
basic plant anatomy. •Describe
the process of pollination and fertilization in flowering plants. •Explain
how the balance of an ecosystem can be upset if living or non-living factors
are introduced or removed. |
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Pollen
and Seed Cell
Growth |
•Identify
the characteristics of living things. •Define
and give examples of traits. •Identify
basic plant anatomy. •Describe
the process of pollination and fertilization in flowering plants. |