English Language Arts | Fine Arts | Foreign Language | Health | Math | Phys Ed | Science | Social Studies | Technology | Advanced Learner

Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Three Levels

Standard 4: Science - Commencement

Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
 

Physical Setting

1. The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.

Students:

     explain complex phenomena, such as tides, variations in day length, solar insulation, apparent motion of the planets, and annual traverse of the constellations.
     describe current theories about the origin of the universe and solar system.

This is evident, for example, when students:

     create models, drawings, or demonstrations to explain changes in day length, solar insulation, and the apparent motion of planets.
 

2. Many of the phenomena that we observe on Earth involve interactions among components of air, water, and land.

Students:

     use the concepts of density and heat energy to explain observations of weather patterns, seasonal changes, and the movements of the Earth's plates.
     explain how incoming solar radiations, ocean currents, and land masses affect weather and climate.

This is evident, for example, when students:

     use diagrams of ocean currents at different latitudes to develop explanations for the patterns present.
 

3. Matter is made up of particles whose properties determine the observable characteristics of matter and its reactivity.

Students:

     explain the properties of materials in terms of the arrangement and properties of the atoms that compose them.
     use atomic and molecular models to explain common chemical reactions.
     apply the principle of conservation of mass to chemical reactions.
     use kinetic molecular theory to explain rates of reactions and the relationships among temperature, pressure, and volume of a substance.

This is evident, for example, when students:

     use the atomic theory of elements to justify their choice of an element for use as a lighter than air gas for a launch vehicle.
     represent common chemical reactions using three-dimensional models of the molecules involved.
     discuss and explain a variety of everyday phenomena involving rates of chemical reactions, in terms of the kinetic molecular theory (e.g., use of refrigeration to keep food from spoiling, ripening of fruit in a bowl, use of kindling wood to start a fire, different types of flames that come from a Bunsen burner).
 

4. Energy exists in many forms, and when these forms change energy is conserved.

Students:

     observe and describe transmission of various forms of energy.
     explain heat in terms of kinetic molecular theory.
     explain variations in wavelength and frequency in terms of the source of the vibrations that produce them, e.g., molecules, electrons, and nuclear particles.
     explain the uses and hazards of radioactivity.

This is evident, for example, when students:

     demonstrate through drawings, models, and diagrams how the potential energy that exists in the chemical bonds of fossil fuels can be converted to electrical energy in a power plant (potential energy a heat energy a mechanical energy a electrical energy).
     investigate the sources of radioactive emissions in their environment and the dangers and benefits they pose for humans.
 

5. Energy and matter interact through forces that result in changes in motion.

Students:

     explain and predict different patterns of motion of objects (e.g., linear and angular motion, velocity and acceleration, momentum and inertia).
     explain chemical bonding in terms of the motion of electrons.
     compare energy relationships within an atom's nucleus to those outside the nucleus.

This is evident, for example, when students:

     construct drawings, models, and diagrams representing several different types of chemical bonds to demonstrate the basis of the bond, the strength of the bond, and the type of electrical attraction that exists.