Explain why preparation is important in carrying out investigations in the lab and in the field.
Describe what you should do if an accident occurs in the lab.
Learn what skills and attitudes scientists use.
Know how to design and conduct an experiment, how to use the scientific method.
Learn what measurements are SI units of measure.
Atoms, Elements, Compounds, Mixtures Skills:
Explain the different ways atoms combine to form substances (e.g. crystals)
Identify pure substances by their characteristic physical and chemical properties.
Analyze and interpret data on the properties of a substance before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
Weather Skills:
Understand that because the patterns are so complex, weather can only be predicted probabilistically.
Explain how variations in density due to variations in temperature and salinity drive a global pattern of interconnected ocean currents.
Understand that weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary will altitude, latitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.
Explain how the ocean exerts a major influence on weather and climate by absorbing energy from the sun, releasing it over time, and globally redistributing it through ocean currents.
Solar Bodies Skills:
Describe how the solar system formed from a disk of dust and gas drawn together by gravity and how it is part of the MIlky Way Galaxy, which is one of many galaxies in the universe.
Explain the model and components of our solar system; sun planets, moons, and asteroids.
Understand that objects are held in orbit by gravitational pull and that gravitational forces always act between any two masses.
Describe how the model of our solar system can cause eclipses of the sun and the moon.
Understand that seasons are a result of the earth’s axis spin, axis tilt, and differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year.
Plants Skills:
Describe the structure and function of roots, stems, leaves and flowers.
Explain how seeds become new plants
Identify the stages of a plant’s life and reproductive cycles
Define the cause and effect of three stimuli that produce plant responses
Describe how plants respond to seasonal changes.
DNA Skills:
Though rare, mutations may result in changes to the structure and function of proteins.
Some changes are beneficial, others harmful, and some neutral to the organisms
Genetics Skills:
Genes are located in the chromosomes of cells, with each chromosome pair containing two variants of each of many distinct genes. Each distinct gene chiefly controls the production of specific proteins, which in turns affects the traits of the individual.
Changes (mutations) to genes can result in changes to proteins, which can affect the structures and functions of the organism and thereby change traits. In addition to variations that arise from sexual reproduction, genetic information can be altered because of mutations.
Organisms reproduce, either sexually or asexually, and transfer their genetic information to their offspring
variations of inherited traits between parent and offspring arise from genetic differences that result from the subset of chromosomes (and therefore genes) inherited. In sexually reproducing organisms, each parent contributes half of the genes acquired (at random) by the offspring. Individuals have two of each chromosome and hence two alleles of each gene, one acquired from each parent. These versions may be identical or may differ from each other.
Natural Selection Skills:
Explain how characteristic behaviors in animals can increase the odds of reproduction.
Compare embryological development across different species to show relationships that is not present in grown animals.
Explain the process of natural selection and its relationship with the predominance of traits in the population.
Describe how humans have the capacity to influence certain characteristics of organisms through selective breeding.
Explain how gene mutations can be beneficial, harmful, or neutral to an organism.