CH 5.1

The student acquires the skills necessary to engage in scientific inquiry, analysis, deductive and inductive reasoning, information gathering, and problem solving as essential and integral elements in the study of science.

CH 5.2

The student develops an understanding of how people of various cultures have contributed to the advancement of science and technology, and how major discoveries and events have advanced science and technology .

CH 5.3

The student  demonstrates an ability to use all necessary scientific tools related to the study of Science, and will use technology to apply knowledge of scientific principles.

CH 5.4

The student demonstrates an ability to undertake a variety of types of scientific investigation (experiments, research, library media, data collection, design, field work) and to communicate results with a depth of understanding.

CH 5.5

The student produces evidence that demonstrates an understanding of the structure, properties, and behavior of matter.

CH 5.6

The student produces evidence that demonstrates an understanding of the natural laws as they apply to motion, forces, and energy transformation.

CH 5. 7

The student identifies systems of interacting components and explains how their interactions combine to produce the overall behavior of the system.

CH 5. 8

The student produces evidence that demonstrates an understanding of the various sources of energy in the universe, and their effects on matter, with an emphasis on Earth’s systems.

CH 5. 9

The student produces evidence that demonstrates an understanding of the origin, evolution, and structure of the universe and Earth’s place in it.

CH 5. 10

The student produces evidence that demonstrates an understanding of the environment as a system of interdependent components affected by human activity and natural phenomena.

CH 5.11

The student demonstrates an ability to integrate mathematics for problem-solving in science, and uses mathematics to express and/or model scientific theories.

Physical Science

The student acquires the skills necessary to engage in scientific inquiry, analysis, deductive and inductive reasoning, information gathering and problem solving as essential and integral elements in the study of science.

(NCEE S 5; CK S 14, 15; NJ 5.2; NRC A 1,2)

• Identifies and communicates concepts that guide scientific investigations
• Designs and conducts scientific investigations
• Regularly uses technology and mathematics to improve investigations and               communications; completes a minimum of one full investigation
• Formulates and revises scientific explanations and models using logic and                evidence
• Recognizes, analyzes and communicates alternative explanations and                        models
• Communicates and defends a scientific argument
• Demonstrates an understanding that scientific explanations must adhere to               criteria such as: logical consistency, openness to modifications, data based
• Understands and explains how experimental results lead to further                              investigation

• Uses a variety of media and technology to present the design and results of               investigation

Physical Science

The student develops an understanding of how people of various cultures have contributed to the advancement of science and technology, and how major discoveries and events have advanced science and technology.

(NJ 5.3; CK S 16; NRC G 1,2,3)

• Uses information effectively to recognize and explain the role of the scientific community in responding to changing social and political conditions
• Examines and communicates knowledge of the lives and contributions of important scientists and engineers who effected major breakthroughs in our understanding of the natural world
• Demonstrates an understanding that scientists are influenced by societal, cultural, and personal beliefs and ways of viewing the world
• Demonstrates how science is not separate from society, but a part of it

• Demonstrates an understanding that scientists have ethical traditions

Physical Science

The student demonstrates an ability to use all necessary scientific tools related to the study of science, and will use technology to apply knowledge of scientific principles.

(NCEE S6; NJ 5.4, 5.5;

   NRC E 1)

• Demonstrates competency in using a variety of scientific tools as a means of conducting experiments, gathering data, analyzing results, and solving                  problems
• Uses computers and other technological instruments to access scientific knowledge, compare data, cite present and past examples of theinterrelationship and mutual influence of science, technology and society

• Uses scientific tools, print and nonprint resources and technology toparticipate in a design project that identifies a problem, proposes and                         implements a solution, and evaluates the consequences of that solution

Physical Science

The student demonstrates an ability to undertake a variety of types of scientific investigation (experiments, research, library media, data collection, design, field work), and to communicate results with a depth of understanding.

Note: This standard is an integration of several goals/objectives alluded to in previous standards.

(NCEE S 7, S8; CK S 15; NJ 5.2, 5.4, 5.5; NRC A 1,2)

• Demonstrates in a variety of ways how the results of scientific investigation are applicable to real life situations
• Demonstrates that arguments generated from the results of scientific investigation may not have equal merit
• Explains how experimental results lead to further investigation
• Uses scientific investigation to distinguish between fact and opinion
• Uses scientific investigation to create explanations, models, decisions and descriptions

Physical Science

The student produces evidence that demonstrates an understanding of the structure, properties, and behavior of matter.

(NCEE S1 ; CK S 10; NJ 5.8; NRC B 1,2, 3)

• Demonstrates an understanding of atomic structure
• Demonstrates an understanding of the structure and properties of matter, differentiating among elements, compounds and mixtures
• Demonstrates an understanding of what chemical equations represent, and the different types of chemical reactions
• Demonstrates an understanding of the variation among atoms of the same element, including ions and isotopes
• Demonstrates an understanding of the factors that influence reaction rates
• Explains how atoms can form bonds to other atoms by transferring or sharing electrons
• Uses the periodic table to explain how this arrangement shows repeating patterns among elements with similar properties
• Demonstrates an understanding of the relationship between heat and temperature

• Demonstrates an understanding that chemical reactions either release or consume energy

Physical Science

The student produces evidence that demonstrates an understanding of the natural laws as they apply to motion, forces, and energy transformation.

(NCEE S 1 ; CK S 11, 12, 13; NJ 5.9; NRC B 4,5,6)

• Demonstrates an understanding of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on an object’s motion
• Explains how a moving object that is not being subjected to a net force will move in a straight line at a steady speed or remain at rest
•  Investigates and explains how the force of friction acts to retard motion
• Describes the various forms of energy, including heat, light, sound, chemical, nuclear, mechanical, and electrical energy, and that energy can be transformed from one to another
• Explains how heat flows through materials or across space from warmer objects to cooler ones until both objects are at the same temperature
•  Explains the mathematical relationship between the mass of an object, the unbalanced force exerted on it, and the resulting acceleration
• Proves that whenever one object exerts a force on another, an equal amount of force is exerted back on the first object
• Explains  that gravity is a universal force of attraction between masses that depends on the masses and the distance between them
• Explains that all energy is either kinetic or potential and that the total energy of the universe is constant
• Demonstrates an understanding that waves have energy and can transfer energy when they interact with matter

• Explains that matter tends to become steadily less ordered as various energy transfers occur   

Physical Science

The student identifies systems of interacting components and explains how their interactions combine to produce the overall behavior of the system

(NJ 5.1)

• Recognizes and explains how the behavior of a system may be different from            the behavior of its components
• Explains how feedback can be used to control the behavior of a system
• Identifies and diagrams feedback loops that occur in various systems

• Identifies and diagrams feedback loops designed for common control                   systems such as home light switches and thermostats

Physical Science

The student produces evidence that demonstrates an understanding of the various sources of energy in the universe, and their effects on matter, with an emphasis on Earth’s systems.

(NCEE S 3; CK S 3; NJ 5.10, 5.11; NRC D 3,4)

•  Explains that earth systems have internal and external sources of energy, both of which create heat
• Demonstrates an understanding of the sun as the major external source of energy
•  Identifies and describes the two primary sources of internal energy
• Explains how the outward transfer of earth’s internal heat drives convection circulation in the mantle that propels the plates comprising earth’s surface across the face of the globe
• Identifies and explains the effects of the heating of the earth’s surface and atmosphere by the sun
• Explains that global climate is determined by energy transfer from the sun at and near the earth’s surface
• Identifies the various influences on the transfer of energy from the sun
•            (cloud cover, earth’s rotation, etc.)
• Demonstrates an understanding of geochemical cycles as they pertain to Earth’s system

• Explains how the movement of matter between reservoirs is driven by the Earth’s internal and external sources of energy, and how these movements are often accompanied by a change in the physical and chemical properties of matter 

Physical Science

The student produces evidence that demonstrates an understanding of the origin, evolution, and structure of the universe and the Earth’s place in it.

(NCEE S 3; CK S 2,3; NJ 5.11; NRC D 3,4)

• Demonstrates an understanding of how earth at one time was very different from the planet we live on today
•  Identifies and explains methods by which geologic time can be estimated
• Explains how interactions among the solid earth, the oceans, the atmosphere, and organisms have resulted in the ongoing evolution of the earth system
• Demonstrates an understanding of how the evolution of life caused dramatic changes in the composition of the earth’s atmosphere, which did not originally contain oxygen
• Examines, analyzes and depicts all relevant information relating to the origin of the universe
• Examines, analyzes and depicts all relevant information relating to the evolution of the universe since the time of its origin

• Demonstrates an understanding of the role of the stars in the formation of other elements

Physical Science

The student produces evidence that demonstrates an understanding of the environment as a system of interdependent components affected by human activity and natural phenomena.

(NCEE S 3; CK S 2,3; NJ 5.12; NRC D 3,4)

• Demonstrates how human populations use resources in the environment in order to maintain and improve their existence
• Demonstrates how natural resources have been and will continue to be used to maintain human populations
• Demonstrates an understanding that Earth does not have infinite resources; explains the dynamics of human consumption and depletion of resources
•  Examines and identifies natural systems and their role in the study of environmental resources

• Investigates and explains the impact of natural phenomena and physical processes, such as earthquakes, forest fires, volcanoes, floods, and hurricanes, on the environment of different regions of the US and the world