Diocese of
SCIENCE
ACADEMIC CONTENT
STANDARDS
1.0 Plate
tectonics explains important features of the Earth’s surface and major geologic events God has created. As the basis for understanding this
concept, students know:
1.1 evidence for plate tectonics based on the fit of the continents, location of earthquakes, volcanoes, and mid-ocean ridges, and the distribution of fossils, rock types and ancient climatic zones.
1.2 the solid Earth is layered with cold, brittle lithosphere; hot, convecting mantle, and dense, metallic core.
1.3 lithospheric plates, on the scales of continents and oceans, move at rates of centimeters per year in response to movements in the mantle.
1.4 earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults, and volcanoes/fissures are locations where magma reaches the surface.
1.5 major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and mountain building result from plate motions.
1.6 how
to explain major features of
1.7 how to determine the epicenter of an earthquake and that the effects of an earthquake vary with its size, distance from the epicenter, local geology and the type of construction involved.
2.0 Topography
is reshaped by weathering of rock and soil and by the transportation and deposition
of sediment. As the basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
2.1 water
running downhill is the dominant process in shaping the landscape,
including
2.2 rivers and streams are dynamic systems that erode and transport sediment, change their course and flood their banks in natural and recurring patterns.
2.3 beaches are dynamic systems in which sand is supplied by rivers and moved along the coast by wave action.
2.4 earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and floods change human and wildlife habitats.
Heat
(Thermal Energy)
(Physical Science)
3.0 Heat
moves in a predictable flow from warmer objects to cooler objects until all
objects are at the same temperature.
All forms of energy are controlled by God. As a basis for understanding this
concept, students know:
3.1 energy can be carried from one place to another by heat flow or by waves, including water waves, light and sound, or by moving objects.
3.2 when fuel is consumed, most of the energy released becomes heat energy.
3.3 heat flows in solids by conduction (which involves no flow of matter) and in fluids by conduction and also by convection (which involves flow of matter).
3.4 heat energy is also transferred between objects by radiation; radiation can travel through space.
4.0 Many phenomena on the Earth’s surface are affected by the transfer of energy through radiation and convection currents, as planned by God. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
4.1 the sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the Earth’s surface, powering winds, ocean currents and the water cycle.
4.2 solar energy reaches Earth through radiation, mostly in the form of visible light.
4.3 heat from Earth’s interior reaches the surface primarily through convection.
4.4 convection currents distribute heat in the atmosphere and oceans.
4.5 differences in pressure, heat, air movement and humidity result in changes of weather.
Ecology
(Life Science)
5.0 Organisms
in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the
physical environment in God’s amazing circle of life. As a basis for understanding this
concept, students know:
5.1 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.
5.2 over time, matter is transferred from one organism to others in the food web and between organisms and the physical environment.
5.3 populations of organisms can be categorized by the functions they serve in an ecosystem.
5.4 different kinds of organisms may play similar ecological roles in similar biomes.
5.5 the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water, range of temperatures and soil composition.
6.0 Sources
of energy and materials differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness and the
time required for their formation.
God has provided a huge array of resources, which we must use
wisely. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
6.1 the utility of energy sources is determined by factors that are involved in converting these sources to useful forms and the consequences of the conversion process.
6.2 different natural energy and material resources including air, soil, rocks, minerals, petroleum, fresh water wildlife and forests, and classify them as renewable or nonrenewable.
6.3 natural origin of the materials used to make common objects.
7.0 Scientific
progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for
understanding this concept, and to address the content in the other three
strands, students should develop their own questions and perform
investigations. Students will:
7.1 develop a hypothesis.
7.2 select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data and display data.
7.3 construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the relationships between variables.
7.4 communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and verbal presentations.
7.5 recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation.
7.6 read a topographic map and a geologic map for evidence provided on the maps, and construct and interpret a simple scale map.
7.7 interpret events by sequence and time from natural phenomena (e.g., relative ages of rocks and instrusions).
7.8 dentify changes in natural phenomena over time without manipulating the phenomena (e.g., a tree limb, a grove of trees, a stream, a hill slope).
SCIENCE STANDARDS
Grade Seven
1.0 God made all living things to be composed of cells, from just one to many trillions, whose details usually are visible only through a microscope. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
1.1 the way in which cells function is similar in all living organisms.
1.2 the characteristics that distinguish plant cells from animal cells, including chloroplasts and cell walls.
1.3 the nucleus is the repository for genetic information in plant and animal cells.
1.4 mitochondria liberate energy for the work that cells do, and chloroplasts capture sunlight energy for photosynthesis .
1.5 cells divide to increase their numbers through a process of mitosis, which results in two daughter cells with identical sets of chromosomes.
1.6 As multi-cellular organisms develop, their cells differentiate.
1.7 observe plant and animal cells through microscopes.
1.9 how HIV destroys T-cells.
1.10 cell organelles and their function.
1.11 the cell in its environment.
1.12 chemical compounds in cells.
1.13 diffusion; osmosis; passive and active transport across cell membrane.
1.14 cell mutation causing cancer.
2.0 A
typical cell of any organism contains genetic instructions that specify its
traits. Those traits may be modified by environmental influences. As a basis
for understanding this concept, students know:
2.1 the differences between the life cycles and reproduction of sexual organisms .
2.2 sexual reproduction
produces offspring that inherit half of their genes from each parent.
2.3 an inherited trait can be determined by one or by many genes.
2.4 plant and animal cells contain many thousands of different genes, and typically have two copies of every gene. The two copies (or alleles) of thegene may or may not be identical, and one may be dominant in determining the phenotype while the other is recessive.
2.5 DNA is the genetic material of living organisms and is located in the chromosomes of each cell.
2.6 human genetic disorders and disease
3.0 God
initiated the biological evolution process which accounts for the diversity of
species developed through gradual processes over many generations. As a basis
for understanding this concept, students know:
3.1 both genetic variation and environmental forces act to cause evolution and diversity of organisms.
3.2 the reasoning used by
3.3 how independent lines of evidence from geology, fossils, and comparative anatomy provide a basis for the theory of evolution.
3.4 how to construct a simple branching diagram to classify several living groups of organisms by shared derived characteristics, and that a branching diagram can be expanded to include fossil organisms.
3.5 extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient to allow its survival.
4.0 Evidence
from rocks allows us to understand the evolution of life on Earth. As the basis
for understanding, students know:
4.1 Earth processes today are similar to those that occurred in the past and slow geologic processes have large cumulative effects over long periods of time.
4.2 the history of life on Earth has been disrupted by major catastrophic events, such as major volcanic eruptions or the impact of an asteroid.
4.3 the rock cycle includes the formation of new sediment and rocks. Rocks are often found in layers with the oldest generally on the bottom.
4.4 evidence from geologic layers and radioactive dating indicate the Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old, and that life has existed for more than 3 billion years.
4.5 fossils provide important evidence of how life and environmental conditions have changed.
4.6 how movements of the Earth’s continental and oceanic plates through time, with associated changes in climate and geographical connections, have affected the past and present distribution of organisms.
4.7 how to explain significant developments and extinctions of plant and animal life on the geologic time scale.
4.8 viruses and bacteria; how infectious diseases spread.
4.9 research report on virus/bacterial disease using paraphrasing of resource materials.
4.10 types of protists and algae.
5.0 The
anatomy and physiology of plants and animals of God’s world illustrate
the complimentary nature of structure and function. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
5.1 plants and animals have levels of organization for structure and function, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and the whole organism.
5.2 organ systems function because of the contributions of individual organs, tissues, and cells. The failure of any part can affect the entire system.
5.3 how bones and muscles work together to provide a structural framework for movement.
5.4 how the reproductive organs of the human female and male generate eggs and sperm, and how sexual activity my lead to fertilization and pregnancy.
5.5 the function of the umbilicus and placenta during pregnancy.
5.6 the structures and processes by which flowering plants generate pollen and ovules, seeds, and fruit.
5.7 relate the structures of the eye and ear to their functions.
Physical Principles In Living Systems (Physical Science)
6.0 Physical
principles underlie biological structures and functions of God’s
universe. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
6.1 visible light is a small band within a very broad electromagnetic spectrum.
6.2 for an object to be seen, light emitted by or scattered from it must enter the eye.
6.3 that light travels in straight lines except when the medium it travels through changes.
6.4 how simple lenses are used in a magnifying glass, the eye, camera ,telescope, and microscope.
6.5 white light is a mixture of many wavelengths (colors), and that retinal cells react differently with different wavelengths.
6.6 the angle of reflection of a light beam is equal to the angle of incidence.
6.7 how to compare joints in the body (wrist, shoulder, thigh) with structures used in machines and simple devices (hinge, ball-and-socket, and sliding joints)
6.8 how levers confer mechanical advantage and how the application of this principle applies to the muscular-skeletal system.
6.9 that contractions of the heart generate blood pressure, and that heart valves prevent back flow of blood in the circulatory system.
6.10 light interacts with matter by transmission (including refraction), absorption, or scattering (including reflection).
7.0 Scientific
progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for
understanding this concept, and to address the content in the other three
strands, students should develop their own questions and perform
investigations. Students will:
7.1 develop a hypothesis.
7.2 select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data and display data.
7.3 construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the relationships between variables.
7.4 communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and verbal presentations.
7.5 recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation.
7.6 read a topographic map and a geologic map for evidence provided on the maps, and construct and interpret a simple scale map.
7.7 interpret events by sequence and time from natural phenomena.
7.8 identify changes in natural phenomena over time without manipulating the phenomena.
SCIENCE
STANDARDS
SCIENCE
STANDARDS
1.0 The
velocity of an object is the rate of change of its position. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
1.1 position is defined relative to some choice of standard reference point and a set of reference directions.
1.2 average speed is the total distance traveled divided by the total time elapsed. The speed of an object along the path traveled can vary.
1.3 how to solve problems involving distance, time, and average speed.
1.4 that to describe the velocity of an object, one must specify both direction and speed.
1.5 changes in velocity can be changes in speed, direction, or both.
1.6 how to interpret graphs of position versus time, and speed versus time for motion in a single direction.
2.0 Unbalanced
forces cause changes in velocity. As a basis for understanding this concept,
students know:
2.1 a force has both direction and magnitude.
2.2 when an object is subject to two or more forces at once, the effect is the cumulative effect of all the forces.
2.3 when the forces on an object are balanced, the motion of the object does not change.
2.4 how to identify separately two or more forces acting on a single static object, including gravity, elastic forces due to tension or compression in matter, and friction.
2.5 when the forces on an object are unbalanced, the object will change its motion (that is, it will speed up, slow down, or change direction).
2.6 the greater the mass of an object, the more force is needed to achieve the same change in motion.
2.7 the role of gravity in forming and maintaining planets, stars, and the solar system.
3.0 Elements
have distinct properties and atomic structure in the scientific realm created
by God. All matter is comprised of one or more of over 100 elements. As a basis
for understanding this concept, students know:
3.1 the structure of the atom and how it is composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
3.2 compounds are formed by combining two or more different elements.
3.3 atoms and molecules form solids by building up repeating patterns such as the crystal structure of NaCl or long chain polymers.
3.4 the states (solid, liquid, gas) of matter depend on molecular motion.
3.5 in solids, the atoms are closely locked in position and can only vibrate; in liquids, the atoms and molecules are more loosely connected and can collide with and move past one another; in gases, the atoms or molecules are free to move independently, colliding frequently.
3.6 how to use the periodic table to identify elements in simple compounds.
Earth In The Solar System (Earth Science)
4.0 The
structure and composition of the universe can be learned from the study of
stars and galaxies and their evolution. As a basis for understanding this
concept, students know:
4.1 galaxies are clusters of billions of stars, and may have different shapes.
4.2 the sun is one of many stars in our own Milky Way galaxy. Stars may differ in size, temperature, and color.
4.3 how to use astronomical units and light years as measures of distance between the sun, stars, and Earth.
4.4 stars are the source of light for all bright objects in outer space. The moon and planets do not shine by their own light, but by reflected sunlight.
4.5 the appearance, general composition, relative position and size, and motion of objects in the solar system, including planets, planetary satellites, comets, and asteroids.
5.0 Chemical reactions are processes
in which atoms are rearranged into different combinations of molecules. As a
basis for understanding this concept, students know:
5.1 reactant atoms and molecules interact to form products with different chemical properties.
5.2 the idea of atoms explains the conservation of matter: in chemical reactions, the number of atoms stays the same no matter how they are arranged, so their total mass stays the same.
5.3 chemical reactions usually liberate heat or absorb heat.
5.4 physical processes include freezing and boiling, in which a material changes form with no chemical reaction.
5.5 how to determine whether a solution is acidic, basic or neutral.
6.0 Principles
of chemistry underlie the functioning of biological systems as created by God.
As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
6.1 carbon, because of its ability to combine in many ways with itself and other elements, has a central role in the chemistry of living things.
6.2 living things are made of molecules largely consisting of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur.
6.3 living things have many different kinds of molecules, including small ones, such as water and salt, and very large ones, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins and DNA.
7.1 how to identify regions corresponding to metals, nonmetals, and inert gases.
7.2 elements are defined by the number of protons in the nucleus, which is called the atomic number. Different isotopes of an element have a different number of neutrons in the nucleus.
7.3 substances can be classified by their properties, including melting temperature, density, hardness, heat, and electrical conductivity.
8.0 All
objects experience a buoyant force when immersed in a fluid. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
8.1 that density is mass per unit volume and how to calculate the density of substances (regular and irregular solids and liquids) from measurements of mass and volume.
8.2 that the buoyant force on an object in a fluid is an upward force equal to the weight of the fluid it has displaced, and know how to apply this principle to predict whether an object will float or sink.
8.3 writing a research report; paraphrasing, cover page, bibliography, footnotes, and organization of resource materials.
8.4 application and use of scientific method for problem solving.
9.0 Scientific
progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for
understanding this concept, and to address the content in the other three
strands, students should develop their own questions and perform
investigations. Students will:
9.1 develop a hypothesis.
9.2 select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data and display data.
9.3 construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the relationships between variables.
9.4 communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and verbal presentations.
9.5 recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation.
9.6 read a topographic map and a geologic map for evidence provided on the maps, and construct and interpret a simple scale map.
9.7 interpret events by sequence and time from natural phenomena.
9.8 identify changes in natural phenomena over time without manipulating the phenomena.
Science
Tracking Sheet – Sixth Grade
Science
Tracking Sheet – Seventh Grade
Science
Tracking Sheet – Eighth Grade
< Back to Curriculum Standards