Life Science

Description:
A fundamental goal of the life sciences is for students to understand the essential processes of life as well as the processes to maintain life on earth. The life science curriculum in grades K-6 should emphasize a study of nature (plants, animals, humans- characteristics and diversity in the local environment) and biological phenomena (growth, reproduction, adaptation, behavior, and other topics). In middle/junior high school life science, the emphasis should be understanding oneself as a human being. Issues focusing on health, nutrition, environmental management, and human adaptation are appropriate for middle school students. The study of these issues in the biosocial context usually involves ethical considerations. General biology in the high school should emphasize biological knowledge in a social/ecological context. The focus should be on biological concepts as they relate to human well-being and the common good. Advanced level courses in high school biology should be taught in the context of a discipline emphasizing its structure, its modes of inquiry, its theoretical underpinnings, and its career opportunities.

At all grade levels there should be an emphasis upon scientific modes of thought. Students should be expected to acquire skills in making careful observations, collecting and analyzing data, thinking logically and critically, and making quantitative and qualitative interpretations.

Students need an understanding of basic biological concepts and principles if they are to responsibly apply what they are learning in their daily lives. These concepts should be acquired in terms of the human organism with extensions to other forms of life. Among the basic concepts in the life sciences that have personal and societal dimensions are: genetics, nutrition, evolution, behavior, reproduction, structure/function, disease, diversity, integration of life systems, life cycles, energetics, and the dynamic relationships that exist among all forms of life and the physical environment. The student should also acquire an understanding of how bioengineering and biotechnology are being used to modify or sustain natural systems in organisms, and be aware of the ethical issues surrounding these new scientific fields of exploration.

Special efforts should be made in the teaching of life science at all grade levels to develop bridges or connections between biology and other school subjects such as mathematics, social studies, and the physical sciences.

3a. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to recognize patterns and products of evolution, including genetic variation, specialization, adaptation, and natural selection.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Classify a variety of organisms based on their characteristics, and use this scheme as a tool to organize information about the diversity of life forms
• Describe/identify random differences between individuals of the same species of plant or animal, e.g. students can examine parts of plants of the same species and recognize variations, and can construct graphs and charts showing the variations
• Describe/identify similarities and differences among multiple offspring of same parents, and between parents and offspring
• Collect data on inherited characteristics and use the data to explain how traits are passed from generation to generation
• Identify major body structures of some common organisms, e.g. when shown a picture of the human skeleton students can identify, by common name, the major bones in their body
• Relate the structure of body parts to function, e.g. when presented with teeth (or models ofteeth) from various animals, students can make inferences concerning what the animal eats
• Create examples of food chains and webs in several types of ecosystems, e.g. deciduous forest, fresh water, desert, etc.

End of Grade 10 (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Identify and give examples of representative life forms in the five kingdoms (see curriculum standard 3d) of living things
• Identify and describe similarities and differences among organisms of different, but closely related taxa (groups), e.g. conifers, rodents, big cats, etc.
• Relate different kinds of animals and plants to their habitat by observing their physical characteristics
• Interpret simple genetic crosses and predict/explain the patterns that emerge
• Explain how the characteristics of living things depends upon genes
• Estimate the degree of kinship among organisms or species, e.g. from the similarity of their DNA base-pair sequences, anatomy, physiology, or behavior
• Develop appropriate food webs for the major biomes of the earth and accurately describe the major biogeochemical cycles which control the interactions between the biotic and physical worlds
• Construct a "timeline" that depicts how life forms change over time as they interact in and with the environment
• Describe how genetic material is passed from parent to offspring during asexual and sexual reproduction, e.g. mitosis, meiosis
• Research a human genetic trait and trace its appearance/presence through a family history and predict the inheritance patterns and probabilities through the next generation
• Explain how new genetic traits can arise and become established in a population, e.g. mutation of DNA, new gene linkages, crossing over, etc.

3b. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand how environmental factors affect all living systems (i.e. individuals, community, biome, the biosphere) as well as species to species interactions.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the process of photosynthesis and its importance for all life forms
• Identify and describe the basic requirements for sustaining life, e.g. plants and animals need food for energy and growth
• Conduct an investigation which illustrates how the environment affects the viability of plants or animals within that environment
• Describe and give examples of the various types of interactions that occur among organisms (e.g. predator-prey, symbiotic, producer-consumer-decomposer, host-parasite) to demonstrate how organisms compete or cooperate with each other to gain food, resources or space
• Identify and describe examples of New Hampshire animals and plants that live together in one ecosystem, e.g. forest, seashore, lake, river, stream

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Design a controlled investigation that demonstrates the interdependence of plants and animals found within a specific New Hampshire ecosystem, e.g. forest, seashore, lake, river, stream
• Predict, with rationale, the effects of changing one or two factors in an ecosystem, e.g. What would happen if mosquitoes were to suddenly disappear?
• Research and present a model that demonstrates how ecosystems are reasonably stable over hundreds or thousands of years, dependent on climate, limiting factors, carrying capacities, and biogeochemical cycles
• Make predictions about changes in the size or growth rate of a population using mathematical models, e.g from graphs and charts, students can determine relationships among the species within an ecosystem
• Trace the history of an interaction between man and the environment that demonstrates how human activities can deliberately or inadvertently alter the equilibrium in an ecosystem

3c. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand that organisms are linked to one another and to their physical setting by the transfer and transformation of matter and energy to maintain a dynamic equilibrium.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Identify common materials that cycle through the environment, e.g. carbon, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen
• Explore through models, experiments, and observations how matter and energy interact in any ecosystem
• Describe how organisms can acquire energy directly or indirectly from the energy of the sun

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Design and perform an experiment to show that the number of living things any environment can support is limited by the available energy, water, oxygen, minerals, and ability of an ecosystem to recycle organic material
• Construct models that demonstrate which chemical elements make up the molecules of substances found in living organisms and how these elements pass through food webs
• Describe how essential materials enter cells and how waste and other materials leave the cell, e.g. diffusion, osmosis
• Explain how cells use nutrients as a source of energy, e.g. respiration
• Compare the transformation of matter and energy during photosynthesis and respiration

3d. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand fundamental structures, functions, and mechanisms of inheritance found in microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants, and animals.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

li>Describe similarities and differences between single celled and multicellular organisms, e.g. cell structures
• Identify the major anatomical features of plants and animals, and the major function of each
• Observe and describe major characteristics of various life forms, e.g. microorganisms, fungi, protists, plants and animals
• Compare and contrast life processes in plants and animals, e.g. growth and development, nutrition, reproduction, etc.
• Describe/identify major organ systems of the human body, state their major functions, and describe some of their interactions, e.g. the heart and lungs working together in respiration
• Explain how the human body remains healthy and fights-off disease, i.e. the immune system, the influence of diet, food and exercise, the influence of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, protista)
• Explain the difference between acquired and inherited characteristics or traits of an organism.

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Use tools and models to demonstrate that all cells have specialized structures that carry out specialized functions, e.g. microscopic evidence, photographic evidence
• Describe the major functions of the living cell and discuss how different groups of cells perform interrelated functions in any organism
• Explain, in general terms, the role DNA plays in controlling cell functions
• Discuss, using observation, experimentation, and modeling, the connections between the structure and function of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems
• Describe/explain homeostasis (the maintenance of internal stability within organisms), i.e. regulation and communication between parts of the body on a macrocellular scale
• Describe the life cycles of representative organisms that cause human diseases
• Describe the use of technology in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, e.g. sanitation. medicines, organ transplants, adequate food and water supplies
• Investigate behavioral patterns found in different life forms, e.g. communication, orientation, hormonal regulation, learning, and conditioning

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Earth/Space Science

Description:
The Earth is situated in a universe with many puzzling, interesting, and exciting phenomena. Students have a natural curiosity about the Earth and space and seek explanations for their observations of such things as the day and night time sky. Students should have numerous opportunities to explore Earth and space science topics. They become interested in the Earth and familiar with it at an early age, primarily as the solid surface on which they walk, play, and live. They are unaware of its size and shape, or the variety of landforms that are different from those in their immediate environment. As students' understanding of the Earth develops, they begin to connect their local environment to an Earth that is much larger and possibly very different. For example, middle school students can use a map to identify and compare large continental surface features as well as those found beneath the ocean. High school students should be able to recognize surface features of their state and relate those features to glacial or crustal activity. Young children see rocks and minerals as individual objects and not part of the Earth's changing surface. As students grow and develop, and their ability to visualize occurrences they can not directly observe develops, they can more easily understand the processes that form rocks and minerals. Students also have many explanations of what causes rain, winds, thunder, and lightning. At early ages, their explanations are based on familiar everyday mechanisms. In the middle-grades, students' explanations of the causes of precipitation become more scientific as their understanding of invisible gases and matter-as-molecules develop. Understanding how objects--moons, planets, comets, and Earth satellites--move in space is difficult for young children. They view the universe and the planet on which they live from the standpoint of standing on a flat surface, looking out at the heavens, seeing a sun that rises, passes over them, and sets, and stars that move across the night sky. Developing an accurate understanding of space is central to scientific literacy because of its importance to modern society. The study of astronomy and space science lends itself to many opportunities for students to practice inquiry skills; and to use technology to help them better understand such things as how objects in the solar system actually form or how they move in space.

Earth science applies principles developed in each of the other scientific disciplines to help in our understanding of the processes and interactions of the Earth's physical systems. Investigations of the Earth focus on five interacting and dynamic systems: the lithosphere (the solid part of the Earth), the hydrosphere (the water on and below the Earth's surface), the cryosphere (the ice formations found on the Earth), the atmosphere (the gaseous layer overlying the lithosphere and hydrosphere), and the biosphere (all life forms found on the Earth). Students can investigate each of the Earth science systems to help them understand that each system is composed of characteristic materials involving unique interrelated processes, uniting them into a single, universal system.

4a. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand that the Earth is a unique member of our solar system, located in a galaxy, within the universe.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Compare and contrast important features of the Earth, Sun and Moon
• Observe and describe the motion of the sun, moon, and stars from the perspective of the Earth
• Explain how the brightness of a star as seen from Earth is related to its size, color, and distance from the Earth
• Use a telescope to magnify the appearance of some distant objects in the sky
• Explain how the Earth's relationship to the Sun causes night, day, and the seasons
• State the type of information which can be gathered by the use of scientific instruments such as telescopes, satellites, etc.
• Cite evidence that the Earth is very old

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Use a model to describe the location and motion of the Earth and its Moon in the solar system
• Identify the other planets in the solar system on a diagram or in the night sky, and describe their motions, as well as the motion of the planetary moons and comets
• Describe the characteristics of Earth and other planets in the solar system in terms of their ability to support life
• Describe the current scientific theory relating to the origin and geologic evolution of the Earth and the solar system
• Explain phases of the Moon in terms of relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun
• Draw inferences from celestial and terrestrial observations relating frames of reference for time and Earth motion

4b. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand that the Earth is a complex planet with five interacting systems, which consists of the solid Earth (lithosphere), air (atmosphere), water (hydrosphere), ice (cryosphere), and life (biosphere).

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Analyze rocks to obtain evidence of weathering and erosion
• Identify common geographic features of New Hampshire landscapes, e.g. mountains, lakes
• Describe basic facts about major features of the Earth's surface and natural changes in the features,e.g. volcanoes, earthquakes, glaciers
• Identify/give examples of geological processes that have shaped New Hampshire's landscape over long periods of time, e.g. volcanoes, glaciers, weathering
• Observe, describe and record weather conditions such as clouds, temperature, air pressure, and precipitation
• Identify events in nature that have repeating patterns or cycles, e.g. weather patterns, water cycle, rock cycle
• Identify common rocks and minerals using their physical properties
• Construct models that demonstrate the effects of water, ice, wind, and waves on the Earth's land surfaces, e.g. stream tables, wave tanks
• Compare and contrast the various types of common clouds
• Relate observed weather conditions to different climates and seasonal changes

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Use maps and globes to identify surface features of the Earth
• Establish a correlation between different locations using rock and fossil evidence
• Identify common soil conservation methods
• Relate common cycles such as the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the carbon cycle to each other
• Describe the motions of ocean waters and identify their causes and effects on climate
• Identify the composition and physical characteristics of the atmosphere
• Explain the roles of water and weather in distributing the Sun's heat energy
• Explain weather-related phenomena such as thunderstorms, tornados, hurricanes, drought, or acid precipitation
• Use a variety of weather measurement instruments and recording methods such as barometers, anemometers, and charts
• Relate observed weather conditions to large and small scale weather systems,e.g. highs, lows, and fronts
• Demonstrate how living things alter the Earth's atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere
• Describe the relationship of plate tectonics to earthquakes and volcanism

4c. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand that the Earth contains a variety of renewable and non-renewable resources.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Identify Earth resources used in their life
• Explain how some of the Earth's resources are processed to make them useful
• List some ways that the Earth's water supply can be conserved
• Identify/explain some effects human activities have on the atmosphere, e.g. smog, industrial wastes

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Investigate how human activities, such as reducing the amount of forest cover and increasing the amount and variety of chemicals released into the atmosphere have changed the Earth's land, ocean, and atmosphere
• Cite evidence that our fresh water supply is essential for life and also for most industrial processes
• Describe possible consequences of reducing or eliminating some of the Earth's natural resources
• Identify natural, as well as human-induced, factors which contribute to changes in the Earth's systems
  

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Physical Science

Description:
Beginning with manipulation of objects in the physical environment , and continuing with the investigation of the various properties of selected materials, students use observation, experimentation, and the tools of science to reach a scientific understanding of the nature of matter and its interactions. By the middle school years, students refer to the basic particles of matter as atoms, ions, and molecules. Through the high school years, students build a more elaborate model of these particles as dynamic, interactive electromagnetic entities.

A parallel investigative component involves the concepts of energy, forces, and motion which students encounter in their lives. In the early years students explore forces and motion encountered in their daily lives and come to understand energy as an essential component of all change. At a basic level, students will understand that energy is necessary for all living and non-living systems and has identifiable sources, e.g. mechanical, electrical, magnetic, acoustic, etc. By the high school years, students can apply their knowledge of forces and motion to all types of motion in the universe. Simultaneously, they expand their understanding of the concept of energy, realizing its two major types(kinetic and potential), its multiple forms and transformations, and its conservation within any system. They also come to realize and apply the difference between total energy and usable energy and understand the concept of entropy.

The combination of the two curriculum components dealing with matter and energy leads students to a basic understanding of the several key laws and concepts which can be used to explain the phenomena observed in the physical world. Over time, experimentation and observation become more quantitative as students expand their abilities to make measurements and conduct investigations to reach non-trivial, higher-level conclusions that replace earlier naive or partial conceptions.

5a. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to distinguish among materials by utilizing observable properties.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Distinguish between the general properties of a substance and the properties which are important for a specific use
• Classify substances according to observable properties and describe how certain properties determine the major uses of the substance
• Measure and compare properties, such as color, size, shape, texture, and hardness of a variety of substances

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Obtain reliable and valid quantitative data through careful and skilled use of measuring instruments, e.g. balances, graduated cylinders, computer probes
• Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative properties based upon observations of a substance
• Experiment to determine specific properties of substances that are useful in identification of the substance such as density, acidity, corrosiveness, strength, stretchability, melting point, or solubility
• Use derived measurements of objects or substances to determine non-observable properties, e.g. density
• Describe, compare, and classify elements, compounds, and mixtures

5b. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand that matter is composed of dynamic interactive units or particles and that all the properties and changes in matter can be explained in terms of the forces involved in the interactions of these units.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Perform an experiment to demonstrate that matter exists in different states that are interchangeable, e.g. melting ice cubes, boiling water
• Perform an experiment to demonstrate common properties of gases, liquids, and solids
• Describe and record how treatments such as heating, wetting, bending, or combining with other materials affect substances
• Perform or describe experiments which illustrate the difference between physical and chemical changes in substances

 

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Explain that the arrangement, configuration and/or motion of atoms, molecules, and ions of a particular substance determine the structure and, thus, the properties of that substance
• Recognize that groups of elements have similar properties because of their atomic structure and have been organized in a Periodic Table
• Identify and describe each state of matter, including plasma, in terms of the arrangement and motion of its particulate units
• Demonstrate that it takes time for substances to change or interact and that these rates are affected by such factors as temperature, pressure, and change of state, e.g. fermentation, decomposition, combustion

5c. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to understand the relationships among different types and forms of energy.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Recognize and give examples of the various forms of energy, e.g. heat, light, sound, electrical, mechanical, magnetic, chemical, and nuclear
• Show by examples how types of energy are used for specific purposes
• Observe and describe how one form of energy may be transformed into another
• Build or design a device to demonstrate energy transfer and apply the knowledge gained to how energy transfer impacts on the operation of devices found in the home, e.g. home heating systems, refrigerators
• Design a simple experiment or demonstration to show the difference between potential and kinetic energy
• Identify the relationship between the pitch of a sound and the frequency of the sound wave

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Collect observations to show that transformations of energy involve the production of heat
• Describe or sketch how energy is released when the nuclei of some atoms undergo fission or fusion
• Experimentally perform the transformation of one energy form to another, e.g. by building a simple electric motor
• Explain quantitatively exchanges of energy within a system, e.g. hot metal in cold water
• Investigate and explain the range of energy released in different transformations , e.g. change of state, chemical reactions, and nuclear phenomena
• Use basic measurement to study increases and decreases in an energy system to determine conservation of energy
• Describe momentum and conduct an experiment to illustrate conservation of momentum

5d. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing understanding of how electrical and magnetic systems interact with matter and energy.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Conduct an investigation to discover which materials are attracted to a magnet
• Plan, conduct, and explain an investigation which demonstrates a complete simple circuit with wires, bulbs, switches, and a power source
• Describe and practice appropriate safety precautions, particularly in regard to electricity

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Investigate and measure the responses of different materials to electrical forces
• Construct a simple series, parallel or compound circuit
• Measure all circuit values in a compound circuit
• Demonstrate the relationship between electrical and magnetic fields of force

5e. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing understanding of how an unbalanced force exerted on an object causes a change in the state of rest or motion of that object in the direction of the unbalanced force.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Observe and describe objects in motion, including vibration motion
• Define the force which causes an object to undergo a change in direction or speed
• Design a simple experiment which demonstrates the effect of gravitational force on an object
• Describe or conduct an investigation which illustrates that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Formulate questions, design an exploration, and collect data about objects in motion
• Demonstrate inertia as a property of an object which resists a change in motion and is directly related to its mass
• Observe, describe, and identify basic properties of waves (transverse and longitudinal)
• Demonstrate the relationships among change in motion, applied force, and mass of an object
• Identify friction as a force opposing motion
• Identify and experimentally explore forces acting at a distance (gravity/electromagnetism)

5f. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing understanding that energy can be transmitted by waves, using light and sound as examples.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Produce sounds by causing several types of objects to vibrate
• Relate the pitch of a sound to the rapidity of an object's vibration
• Use a prism to separate white light into the visible spectrum
• Identify ways in which light can be generated, e.g. heat, electricity, chemicals
• Distinguish among objects which are opaque, transparent, and translucent

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Distinguish among amplitude, wavelength, and frequency of longitudinal and transverse waves
• Conduct investigations to demonstrate the properties of reflection, refraction and diffraction of light
• Demonstrate the differences in sound quality produced by simple musical instruments, e.g. whistle, vibrating string, tapping water glasses
• Identify and distinguish among the various forms of electromagnet radiation, e.g. visible light, microwaves, X-rays
• Determine the speed of a wave using wave length and frequency

5g. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing understanding that heat is the product of many natural processes.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Explore and identify sources of heat including chemical, mechanical, and absorption of radiation
• Identify the effect of heat on common substances

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Formulate a series of explorations that distinguish between heat and temperature
• Examine the relationship between the effects of heating and cooling and the motion of the molecules of the substance being heated or cooled
• Sketch an experiment to show how most natural processes result in an increase in entropy of the system
  

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Unifying Themes and Concepts

Description:
Any field of knowledge is more than an accumulation of isolated facts and ideas. In science, particularly, recurrent themes and concepts occur as our knowledge and understanding of the phenomena encountered in the natural world increases. These themes and concepts provide the framework into which one can fit new discoveries and insights and thus, make a complex field of knowledge more comprehensible and meaningful. Utilizing these themes and concepts to organize instruction in science will ultimately provide students with a more coherent and integrated understanding of the world in which they live. This organization is especially important as scientific knowledge continues to increase at an exponential rate, and students, throughout their lives, incorporate increasing amounts of new knowledge into their previous understanding of the natural world.

The scientific community has identified several themes and concepts which allow us to integrate scientific knowledge for greater understanding. Those most often mentioned are: scale and structure, patterns and change, evolution, constancy and equilibrium, cause and effect, models, energy, and systems and interactions.

In the early elementary years, students learn mainly through direct experience, and may not organize their knowledge into these more abstract themes, but the richness of their elementary science activities will provide the raw material from which they will later build their understanding of science around these themes. Early elementary teachers can strengthen their science instruction by considering these themes when choosing the activities and experiences from which students will construct an understanding of the natural world. Appropriate experiences focus on enhancing the observation skills of students and facilitating the classification of these observations into meaningful categories.

In the upper elementary and middle school years, teaching to the central themes can be more explicit as students gain the ability to learn more abstract material. Students can be assisted in examining their science experiences in the context of these themes and concepts. For example, in their science investigations they can be asked to look for cause and effect relationships, consider a realm of the natural world as a system of integrated and interdependent parts, trace the flow of energy through a system, and/or consider the volume/area relationship in living organisms or physical objects.

In the high school years, well designed science experiences lead students to construct physical models to represent unobservable phenomena or events and to use mathematical expressions to describe interactions and relationships. Proportionality, both direct and inverse, is a key concept to be emphasized and mastered during this time. Constancy, as found in both static and dynamic equilibrium, should be considered in many different contexts as well as the factors that can alter these equilibrium states and lead to fundamental change in physical, chemical and biological systems. During the high school years, effective student experiences in science lead them to increasingly relate and apply the themes and concepts of science to other areas of human endeavor, including social systems, ethics, communication and technology.

6a. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to recognize parts of any object or system, and understand how the parts interrelate in the operation of that object or system.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Identify and describe the essentials parts of any object or system
• Relate structure and function of parts of any object in a system to the system as a whole
• Describe the interrelationships among the parts of an object or system

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Demonstrate and describe how parts of a system influence each other, including feedback
• Demonstrate how systems include processes as well as parts, e.g. human body, telephone system, solar system
• Show how one system can be part of another system, and how systems influence each other
• Predict how certain changes in the system will/will not affect the operation of the system

6b. Curriculum Standard:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the meaning of stability and change and will be able to identify and explain change in terms of cause and effect.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Identify and describe several ways in which things may change
• Identify and describe several types of change
• Identify and describe how change can be prevented or enhanced
• Distinguish between important and unimportant changes in given situations

End of Grade 10 (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Distinguish among cyclic (e.g. seasons), linear (e.g.distance/time) and irregular (e.g.weather) changes and give examples of each
• Identify and describe varying rates of change and measure selected rates
• Recognize one form of stability as opposing changes occurring at the same rate (dynamic equilibrium) and cite several examples of that type of stability, e.g. homeostasis, saturated solutions, vapor pressure of liquids
• Quantify certain changes and use a mathematical expression to determine past or future states of the system, e.g. gas laws, Newton's laws of motion

6c. Curriculum Standard:
Students will understand the meaning of models, their appropriate use and limitations, and how models can help them in understanding the natural world.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Define and describe various physical models and their uses, e.g. cell model, model cars
• Use graphs, geometric figures, number and time lines, and other devices to represent events and processes in the natural world
• Construct one or more physical models representative of objects or processes in the natural world, and explain how the elements of the model are representative of the real object, e.g. solar system, dinosaurs, telephone
• Recognize that a model is a representation of an object or process and is not identical to the object or process

End of Grade Ten (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Distinguish among physical (e.g. DNA), mathematical ( e.g. D=RT), and conceptual (e.g. atom) models and give examples of each
• Use different models to represent the same object or process
• Use a computer and mathematical model to determine values of variables beyond the range of phenomena observed in the laboratory
• Compare and explain differences in values obtained using a mathematical model and those obtained in the laboratory
• Illustrate how models allow scientists to better understand the natural world

6d. Curriculum Standard:
Students will increasingly quantify their interactions with phenomena in the natural world, use these results to understand differences of scale in objects and systems, and determine how changes in scale affect various properties of those objects and systems.

Proficiency Standards

End of Grade Six (Elementary)
Students will be able to:

• Measure properties of objects, to a reasonable degree of accuracy, using standard scientific instruments such as a ruler, balance, clock, and thermometer
• Calculate derived measurements of objects, such as area, volume, and density from direct measurements made in the laboratory
• Estimate the smallest and largest limits, or the range in size, of certain objects in quantitative terms
• Determine that increases in linear dimensions (length), have a large effect on area and volume

End of Grade 10 (Secondary)
Students will be able to:

• Calculate from direct measurements, many of the derived measurements of objects such as density, velocity, inner and surface areas, volumes, perimeters, and changes in heat content
• Calculate averages and ranges of measurement values for certain properties or processes in a system
• Correlate the mathematical relationships among length, area, volume, surface area, mass, etc.
• Convert data collected from measurements into graphs and derive mathematical relationships from the data and graphs
• Determine the degree of error in any measurement given the accuracy of the instruments used
• Express relationships among measurements in the form of a ratio, proportion, or percentage when appropriate
  

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Contributors

Dr. Christopher Bauer Maurice Belanger
Asst. Prof., Chemistry Dept. Teacher, Nashua High School
UNH, Durham Nashua

Daniel Bisaccio Frederick Bramante, Jr.
Teacher, Souhegan High School Member, State Board of Education
Amherst Durham

Susan Duhaime William B. Ewert
Teacher, St. Anthony School Administrator
Manchester NH Dept. of Education

Irene Goulet-Ladd V. Arthur Hammon
Teacher, Carpenter Elementary School Teacher, Whitefield Elementary School
Wolfeboro Whitefield

Dr. Edward J. Hendry Barbara Hopkins
Curriculum Supervisor, Science Teacher, Oyster River High School
NH Dept. of Education Durham

Enid Kelly Saundra Kent
Teacher, Deerfield Community Schools Teacher, McKelvie Middle School
Deerfield Bedford

Dr. Judith Kull Margaret LaPointe
Assoc. Prof., Education Dept. Teacher, Mascenic High School
UNH, Durham New Ipswich

Rodney F. Mansfield Pamela Pelletier
Director, Project RISE Teacher, Pelham High School
Derry Pelham

Susan Pisinski Marsha Rich
Teacher, Maple St. Elementary School Science Consultant
Contoocook Chichester

Rosemarie Rung Karen Soule
Hampshire Chemical Company Principal, Bristol Elementary School

John White Paul Williams
Member, NH House Education Committee Teacher, Profile Jr./Sr. High School
Manchester Bethlehem

 

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Accountability

Curriculum & Assessment

School Approval

School Improvement

Award Recognition