Standards & Benchmarks for Watery Earth

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

NES STANDARDS			LESSON															SBA				SRB
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	1	2	3	4
A. SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
	Abilities Necessary to do Scientific Inquiry
		Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.	F	O		O	O		O		F	O			O		O			O	O	O
		Plan and conduct a simple investigation.			O										O
		Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.	O		O		O		O											O
		Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.																		O	O
		Communicate investigations and explanations.			O		O		O						O					O	O	O
	Understandings About Scientific Inquiry
		Scientific investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing the answer with what scientists already know about the world.	F				O		O						F			F		O	O	O
		Scientists use different kinds of investigations depending on the questions they're trying to answer. Types of investigations include describing objects, events, and organisms; classifying them; and doing a fair test (experimenting)	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.			F		O	O	O	O		O								O		O
		Scientists make the results of their investigations public; they describe the investigations in ways that enable others to repeat the investigations.					O					O					F					O
		Scientists review and ask questions about the results of other scientists' work.										O						O				O
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.	O																	O	O	O
		Materials can exist in different states—solid, liquid, and gas. Some common materials, such as water, can be changed from one state to another by heating or cooling.	F					O	F	O										F	F	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								O				O						O
	ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS
		An organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's environment, including the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the physical characteristics of the environment. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations.										E				E						E
		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.									E				E							O
		Humans depend on their natural and constructed environments. Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental for themselves and other organisms.									E				E		E					O
D. EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
	Properties of Earth Materials
		Earth materials are solid rocks and soils, water, and the gases of the atmosphere. The varied materials have different physical and chemical properties, which make them useful in different ways, for example, as building materials, as sources of fuel, or for growing the plants we use as food. Earth materials provide many of the resources that humans use.	O	F								O										O
		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			E												O
		Fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that time.																				O
	Structure of the Earth System (Grades 5 through 8)
		Water, which covers the majority of the earth's surface, circulates through the crust, oceans, and atmosphere in what is known as the 'water cycle.' Water evaporates from the earth's surface, rises and cools as it moves to higher elevations, condenses as rain or snow, and falls to the surface where it collect in lakes, oceans, soil, and in rocks underground.			E	E	F	F	F	F				O								O
	Changes in the Earth and Sky
		Weather changes from day to day and over the seasons. Weather can be described by measurable quantities, such as temperature, wind direction and speed, and precipitation.																				O
E. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
	Understanding about Science and Technology
		People have always had questions about their world. Science is one way of answering questions and explaining the natural world.								O							O	O				O
		People have always had problems and invented tools and techniques (ways of doing something) to solve problems. Trying to determine the effects of solutions helps people avoid some new problems.					E						E		O	O						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							O	O	O
	Abilities to Distinguish between Natural Objects and Objects Made by Humans
		Some objects occur in nature; others have been designed and made by people to solve human problems and enhance the quality of life.		O																		O
		Objects can be categorized into two groups, natural and designed.		O																		O
F. SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES
	CHARACTERISTICS AND CHANGES IN POPULATIONS
		Human populations include groups of individuals living in a particular location. One important characteristic of a human population is the population density-the number of individuals of a particular population that lives in a given amount of space.														E
	TYPES OF RESOURCES
		Resources are things that we get from the living and nonliving environment to meet the needs and wants of a population.		F								O	O									O
		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.										O										O
		The supply of many resources is limited. If used, resources can be extended through recycling and decreased use.										O	F
	CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENTS
		Changes in environments can be natural or influenced by humans. Some changes are good, some are bad, and some are neither good nor bad. Pollution is a change in the environment that can influence the health, survival, or activities of organisms, including humans.											E	F	F	O	O					O
	SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN LOCAL CHALLENGES
		People continue inventing new ways of doing things, solving problems, and getting work done. New ideas and inventions often affect other people; sometimes the effects are good and sometimes they are bad. It is helpful to try to determine in advance how ideas and inventions will affect other people.														F						O
		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.					E				F	O				F
G. HISTORY OF NATURE AND 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 remains to be understood. Science will never be finished.														E
		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
		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
		In historical perspective, science has been practiced by different individuals in different cultures. In looking at the history of many peoples, one finds that scientists and engineers of high achievement are considered to be among the most valued contributors to their culture.																				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				SRB
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	1	2	3	4
1. The Nature of Science
	A. The Scientific World View
		Results of similar scientific investigations seldom turn out exactly the same. Sometimes this is because of unexpected differences in the things being investigated, sometimes because of unrealized differences in the methods used or in the circumstances in which the investigation is carried out, and sometimes just because of uncertainties in observations. It is not always easy to tell which.			O		O		O						O					O	O
	B. Scientific Inquiry
		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.		O	O	O	O	O	O	O						O		O		O	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.		O	F		O		O			O				O
		Scientists' explanations about what happens in the world comes 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.										O
	C. The Scientific Enterprise
		Science is an adventure that people everywhere can take part in, as they have for many centuries.															F					O
		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	F
		Doing science involves many different kinds of work and engages men and women of all ages and backgrounds.
2. The Nature of Mathematics
	C. Mathematical Inquiry
		Numbers and shapes ? and operations on them ? help to describe and predict things about the world around us.											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.									E											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.				F																O
		Measuring instruments can be used to gather accurate information for making scientific comparisons of objects and events and for designing and constructing things that will work properly.																			O	O
		Technology extends the ability of people to change the world: to cut, shape, or pout together materials; to move things from one place to another; and to reach farther with their hands, voices, senses, and minds. The changes may be for survival needs such as food, shelter, and defense, for communication and transportation, or to gain knowledge and express ideas.					E				F											O
	B. Design and Systems
		There is no perfect design. Designs that are best in one respect (safety or ease of use, for example) may be inferior in other ways (cost or appearance). Usually some features must be sacrificed to get others. How such trade-offs are received depends upon which features are emphasized and which are down-played.													F
		Even a good design may fail. Sometimes steps can be taken ahead of time to reduce the likelihood of failure, but it cannot be entirely eliminated.														E
		The solution to one problem may create other other problems.																				O
	C. Issues in Technology
		Technology has been part of life on earth since the advent of the human species. Like language, ritual, commerce, and the arts, technology is an intrinsic part of human culture, and it both shapes society and is shaped by it. The technology available to people greatly influences what their lives are like.														E
		Any invention is likely to lead to other inventions. Once an invention exists, people are likely to think up ways of using it that were never imagined at first.																				O
		Transportation, communication, nutrition, sanitation, health care, entertainment, and other technologies give large numbers of people today the goods and services that were once luxuries enjoyed only by the wealthy. These benefits are not equally available to everyone.									E	E				E
		Scientific laws, engineering principles, properties of materials, and construction techniques must be taken into account in designing engineering solutions to problems. Other factors, such as cost, safety, appearance, environmental impact, and what will happen if the solution fails also must be considered.																				E
		Technologies often have drawbacks as well as benefits. A technology that helps some people or organisms may hurt others - either deliberately (as weapons can) or inadvertently (as pesticides can). When harm occurs or seems likely, choices have to be made or new solutions found.									E			E		E						O
		Because of their ability to invent tools and processes, people have an enormous effect on the lives of other living things.												E		E						O
4. Physical Setting
	B. The Earth
		Things on or near the earth are pulled toward it by earth's gravity.					O		O
		When liquid water disappears, it turns into a gas (vapor) in the air and can reappear as a liquid when cooled, or as a solid if cooled below the freezing point of water. Clouds and fog are made of tiny droplets of water.	E					F	F	F										F	F	O
		The cycling of water in and out of the atmosphere plays an important role in determining climatic patterns. Water evaporates from the surface of the earth, rises and cools, condenses into rain or snow, and falls again to the surface. The water falling on land collects in rivers and lakes, soil, and porous layers of rock, and much of it flows back into the oceans. (Grades 6 through 8)			E	E	F	F	F	F												O
		Fresh water, limited in supply, is essential for life and also for most industrial processes. Rivers, lakes, and groundwater can be depleted or polluted, becoming unavailable or unsuitable for life. (Grades 6 through 8)		E			E					E	E	F		O	O					O
		The benefits of the earths resources—such as fresh water, air, soil, and trees—can be reduced by using them wastefully or by deliberately or inadvertently destroying them. The atmosphere and the oceans have a limited capacity to absorb wastes and recycle materials naturally. Cleaning up polluted air, water, or soil or restoring depleted soil, forests, or fishing grounds can be very difficult and costly. (Grades 6 through 8)									E	E	F	F		F	O					O
	D. Structure of Matter
		Heating and cooling causes changes in the properties of material. Many kinds of changes occur faster under hotter conditions.	E						O											O	F	O
		Materials may be composed of parts that are too small to be seen without magnification.																			O
		Most substances can exist as solids, liquids, or gases depending on temperature. (Grades 6 through 8)						E	E	O										F	F
	G. Forces of Nature
		The earth's gravity pulls any object towards it without touching it.					E			E												O
5. The Living Environment
	D. Interdependence
		For any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.																				O
		Insects and various other organisms depend on dead plant and animal material for food.																				E
		Changes in an organism's habitat are sometimes beneficial to it and sometimes harmful.												E								E
6. The Human Organism
	E. Physical Health
		Tobacco, alcohol, other drugs, and certain poisons in the environment (pesticides, lead) can harm human beings and other living things.												E								O
7. Human Society
	C. Social Change
		Rules and laws can sometimes be changed by getting most of the people they affect to agree to change them.														E
8. The Designed World
	A. Agriculture
		The damage to crops caused by rodents, weeds, and insects can be reduced by using poisons, but their use may harm other plants or animals as well, and pests tend to develop resistance to poisons.																				O
	B. Materials and Manufacturing
		Through science and technology, a wide variety of materials that do not appear in nature at all have become available, ranging from steel to nylon to liquid crystals.																				E
		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.												F								O
9. The Mathematical World
	A. Numbers
		In some situations, "0" means none of something, but in others it may be just the label of some point on a scale.																			O
		When people care about what is being counted or measured, it is important for them to say what the units are (three degrees Fahrenheit is different from three centimeters, three miles from three miles per hour).											O							O	O
		Measurements are always likely to give slightly different numbers, even if what is being measured stays the same.																			O
	B. Symbolic Relationships
		Tables and graphs can show how values of one quantity are related to values of another.											O					O				O
	C. Shapes
		Graphical display of numbers may make it possible to spot patterns that are not otherwise obvious, such as comparative size and trends.																O
	D. Uncertainty
		Some predictions can be based on what is known about the past, assuming that conditions are pretty much the same now.																		O
	E. Reasoning
		One way to make sense of something is to think how it is like something more familiar.																			O
11. Common Themes
	B. Models (Introduction)																		F
		Seeing how a model works after changes are made to it may suggest how the real thing would work if the same were done to it.					F			O
		Models are often used to think about processes that happen too slowly, too quickly, or on too small a scale to observe directly, or that are too vast to be changed deliberately, or that are potentially dangerous. (Grades 6 through 8)				E	F		E	F									F			E
	C. Constancy and Change
		Some features of things may stay the same even when other features change. Some patterns look the same when they are shifted over, or turned, or reflected, or seen from different directions.																		O	O
	D. Scale
		Finding out what the biggest and the smallest possible values of something are is often as revealing as knowing what the usual value is.											E
12. Habits of Mind
	A. Values and Attitudes
		Keep records of their investigations and observations and not change the records later.			O		O			O					O
		Offer reasons for their findings and consider reasons suggested by others.			O							O	F		O	O				O	O
		Know that often different explanations can be given for the same evidence, and it is not always possible to tell which one is correct.											E							E	E
	B. Computation and Estimation
		Add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers mentally, on paper, and with a calculator.											O
	C. Manipulation and Observation
		Measure and mix dry and liquid materials (in the kitchen, garage, or laboratory) in prescribed amounts, exercising reasonable safety.													O
		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.					E			O				O
	D. Communication Skills
		Write instructions that others can follow in carrying out a procedure.																			F
		Make sketches to aid in explaining procedures or ideas.			O		O			O
		Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects and events.				E				E		O	F
		Locate information in references… (Grades 6 through 8)															E	F
	E. Critical-Response Skills
		Buttress their statements with facts found in books, articles, and databases, and identify the sources used and expect others to do the same.														E	E
		Recognize when comparisons might not be fair because some conditions are not kept the same.																		E