Standards & Benchmarks for Nature's Recyclers

Legend: F=Focus in Lesson O=Ongoing Development E=Early Development

NSE STANDARDS			LESSONS															SBAS
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	S1	S2	S3	S4	SRB
A. Science as Inquiry
	Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry
		Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.	O	O	O	O	O	O	0	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O		F
		Plan and conduct a simple investigation.				O	F	F	F	F	O		O	O						F
		Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.		O		O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O		O		F		O
		Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.						O		O			F	F		O
		Communicate investigations and explanations.					O	O		O			F	F				O	F
		Design and conduct a scientific investigation. (Grades 5-8)						E	E	F			O	O						F
	Understandings About Scientific Inquiry
		Scientists use different kinds of investigations depending on the questions they are trying to answer. Types of investigations include describing objects, events, and organisms; classifying them; and doing a fair test (experimenting).				F	F	F	O	F	O		F	F			D	F	F	F
		Simple instruments, such as magnifiers, thermometers, and rulers, provide more information than scientists obtain using only their senses.		O		F	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O					O		O
		Scientists develop explanations using observations (evidence) and what they already know about the world (scientific knowledge). Good explanations are based on evidence from investigations.				E	O	O				O	F	F					F	F
		Scientists review and ask questions about the results of other scientists' work.						O					F	F				O		F
B. Physical Science
	Properties of Objects and Materials
		Objects have many observable properties, including size, weight, shape, color, temperature, and the ability to react with other substances. Those properties can be measured using tools, such as rulers, balances, and thermometers.				E		E		F	O		O	O					O
C. Life Science
	The Characteristics of Organisms
		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.		F	F	O	O	O		O	O	O	O	F	F		F					O
		Each plant and animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing, and talking.				F	O	O	F	O	O	O	O	O								O
		The behavior of individual organisms is influenced by internal cues (such as hunger) and by external cues (such as a change in the environment). Humans and other organism have senses that help them detect internal and external cues.				F	O								O	O	O					O
	Life Cycles of Organisms
		Plants and animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying. The details of this life cycle are different for different organisms.			F			O		O			O	O			O					O
	Organisms and their Environment
		All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat plants.		E	O	O	E					F			F	F	O					F
		All organisms cause changes in the environment where they live. Some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are beneficial.			F		F	F		O		O	O	O		O						F
	Populations and Ecosystems (Grades 5 through 8)
		Populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an ecosystem. Plants and some organisms 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 between decomposers in an ecosystem.	E	E	E	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	F	F	O					F
D. Earth and Space Science
	Properties of Earth Materials
		Soils have properties of color and texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants, including those in our food supply.				E		F						O								F
		Fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that time.																				E
E. Science and Technology
	Understandings about science and technology
		People have always had questions about their world. Science is one way of answering questions and explaining the natural world.	E	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	F	F		O
		Scientists and engineers often work in teams with different individuals doing different things that contribute to the results. This understanding focuses primarily on teams working together and secondarily, on the combination of scientist and engineer teams.					O		O	O		O								O
		Women and men of all ages, backgrounds, and groups engage in a variety of scientific and technological work.																				O
		Tools help scientists make better observations, measurements, and equipment for investigations. They help scientists see, measure, and do things that they could not otherwise see, measure, and do.											O	O				O	F			O
F. Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
	Types of Resources
		Some resources are basic materials, such as air, water, and soil; some are produced from basic resources, such as food, fuel, and building materials; and some resources are nonmaterial, such as quiet places, beauty, security, and safety.	E									O		O								O
		The supply of many resources is limited. If used, resources can be extended through recycling and decreased use.	E									O										O
	Science and Technology in Local Challenges
		Science and technology have greatly improved food quality and quantity, transportation, health, sanitation, and communication. These benefits of science and technology are not available to all of the people in the world.																				F
G. History and Nature of Science
	Science as a Human Endeavor
		Science and technology have been practiced by people for a long time.																				O
		Men and women have made a variety of contributions throughout the history of science and technology.																				O
		Although men and women using scientific inquiry have learned much about the objects, events, and phenomena in nature, much more remains to be understood. Science will never be finished.																				O
		Many people choose science as a career and devote their entire lives to studying it. Many people derive great pleasure from doing science.																				O
	History of Science (Grades 5 through 8)
		Many individuals have contributed to the traditions of science. Studying some of these individuals provides further understanding of scientific inquiry, science as a human endeavor, the nature of science, and the relationships between science and society.																				O
		Tracing the history of science can show how difficult it was for scientific innovators to break through the accepted ideas of their time to reach the conclusions that we currently take for granted.																				O

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Legend: F=Focus in Lesson O=Ongoing Development E=Early Development

AAAS BENCHMARKS			LESSONS															SBAS
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	S1	S2	S3	S4	SRB
1. The Nature of Science
	B. Scientific Inquiry
		Describing things as accurately as possible is important in science because it enables people to compare their observations with those of others. (Grades K through 2)																	F
		Scientific investigations may take many different forms, including observing what things are like or what is happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments. Investigations can focus on physical, biological, and social questions.	F	O	O	F	F	F	F	F	F	F	O	O	O	O	O	O	F	F	O
		Results of scientific investigations are seldom exactly the same, but if the differences are large, it is important to try to figure out why. One reason for following directions carefully and for keeping records of one's work is to provide information on what might have caused the differences.					E	O	O				F	F						F
		Scientists' explanations about what happens in the world come partly from what they observe, partly from what they think. Sometimes scientists have different explanations for the same set of observations. That usually leads to their making more observations to resolve the differences.	F				E	E		E			O	O					F
		If more than one variable changes at the same time in an experiment, the outcome of the experiment may not be clearly attributable to any one of the variables. (Grades 6 through 8)						E		F			F	O						F
	C. The Scientific Enterprise
		Science is an adventure that people everywhere can take part in, as they have for many centuries.			O							O			O							F
		Clear communication is an essential part of doing science. It enables scientists to inform others about their work, expose their ideas to criticism by other scientists, and stay informed about scientific discoveries around the world.							O				O	O
		Doing science involves many different kinds of work and engages men and women of all ages and backgrounds.			O							O										F
3. The Nature of Technology
	A. Technology and Science
		Throughout all of history, people everywhere have invented and used tools. Most tools of today are different from those of the past but many are modifications of very ancient tools.																				O
		Technology enables scientists and others to observe things that are too small or too far away to be seen without them and to study the motion of objects that are moving very rapidly or are hardly moving at all.																				O
4. The Physical Setting
	C. Processes That Shape the Earth
		Soil is made partly from weathered rock, partly from plant remains--and also contains many living organisms.				O	O	O				O		O	O	O	O					F
		Although weathered rock is the basic component of soil, the composition and texture of soil and its fertility and resistance to erosion are greatly influenced by plant roots and debris, bacteria, fungi, worms, insects, rodents, and other organisms. (Grades 6 through 8)			O	O	O	O				O		O	O	O	O					F
5. The Living Environment
	A. Diversity of Life
		A great variety of living things can be sorted into groups in many ways using various features to decide which things belong to which group.		E	O	O		O	F	F	O				F	O	O					O
		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. Some kinds of organisms, many of them microscopic, cannot be neatly classified as either plants or animals. (Grades 6 through 8)							F			O										O
	C. Cells
		Some living things consist of a single cell. Like familiar organisms, they need food, water, and air; a way to dispose of waste; and an environment they can live in.					E			E		E										E
	D. Interdependence of Life
		Insects and various other organisms depend on dead plant and animal matter for food.			F	O	F	F	F	O	O	O	O		O	O	O					F
		Changes in an organism's habitat are sometimes beneficial to it and sometimes harmful.				E		E		O		O		F
		Most microorganisms do not cause disease, and many are beneficial.					E			E		O										F
		Two types of organisms may interact with one another in several ways: They may be in a producer/consumer, predator/prey, or parasite/host relationship. Or one organisms may scavenge or decompose another. (Grades 6 through 8)			O		O		O			O			F	O	O					F
	E. Flow of Matter and Energy
		Almost all kinds of animals' food can be traced back to plants.				O	O	O							F	O	O					F
		Some source of "energy" is needed for all organisms to stay alive and grow.													F							F
		Over the whole earth, organisms are growing, dying, and decaying, and new organisms are being produced by the old ones.	O	F	F	O	O	O	O	O	O	F	O	F	F	F	F					O
		Over a long time, matter is transferred from one organism to another repeatedly and between organisms and their physical environment. As in all material systems, the total amount of matter remains constant, even though its form and location change. (Grades 6 through 8)						E	E			E		E	E	F						O
	F. Evolution of Life
		Fossils can be compared to one another and to living organisms according to their similarities and differences. Some organisms that lived a long time ago are similar to existing organisms, but some are quite different.																				E
6. The Human Organism
	E. Physical Health
		Food provides energy and materials for growth and repair of body parts. Vitamins and minerals, present in small amounts in foods, are essential to keep everything working well.			E		O	O	O			O		O	O	O	O					O
8. The Designed World
	B. Materials and Manufacturing
		Discarded products contribute to the problem of waste disposal. Sometimes it is possible to use the materials in them to make new products, but materials differ widely in the ease with which they can be recycled.	E	E								E										E
9. The Mathematical World
	B. Symbolic Relationships
		Tables and graphs can show how values of one quantity are related to values of another.											F	O				O			F	O
	C. Shapes
		Graphical displays of numbers may make it possible to spot patterns that are not otherwise obvious, such as comparative sizes and trends											F	O				O			F
		Scale drawings show shapes and compare locations of things very different in size.																				E
12. Habits of Mind
	A. Values and Attitudes
		Keep records of their investigations and observations and not change the records later.	O			O	F	E	O	O	O		F	F					F	F
		Offer reasons for their findings and consider reasons suggested by others.					F				F	O	F	F			O
		Know that often different explanations can be given for the same evidence, and it is not always possible to tell which is correct.						E		E			F	F						F
	C. Manipulation and Observation
		Keep a notebook that describes observations made, carefully distinguishes actual observations from ideas and speculations about what was observed, and is understandable weeks or months later.					F	F	F	F			O	F
	D. Communication Skills
		Make sketches to aid in explaining procedures and ideas.	E			O	O	O	O	O	O						O		F
		Organize information in simple tables and graphs and identify relationships they reveal. (Grades 6-8)						E		E			F	F							F	O

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