MSAD #55
Grade
Five Science Benchmarks
And
Units
10/05
A. Students
will understand that there are similarities within the diversity of all living
things. Students will be able to:
1. Compare systems of classifying organisms including systems used by scientists.
q
Planet
Ocean
2. Decipher the system for assigning a scientific name to every living thing.
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Planet
Ocean
3. Describe some structural and behavioral adaptations that allow organisms to survive in a changing environment.
q Environments
q Planet Ocean
B. Students
will understand how living things depend on one another and on non-living
aspects of the environment.
Students will be able to:
1. Describe in general terms the chemical processes of photosynthesis and respiration.
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Planet
Ocean
2. Analyze how the finite resources in an ecosystem limit the types and populations of organisms within it.
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Planet
Ocean
3. Describe succession and other ways that ecosystems can change over time.
q Environments
q Planet Ocean
4.
Generate examples of the variety of ways that organisms
interact (e.g., competition, predator/prey, parasitism/mutualism).
q a. Planet Ocean
5.
Describe various mechanisms found in the natural world for
transporting living and nonliving matter and the results of such movements.
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a. Planet Ocean
C. Students
will understand that cells are the basic units of life. Students will be able to:
1. Compare and contrast human organ systems with those of other species.
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Planet
Ocean
2. Prepare and examine microscopic slides of single-celled and multi-celled organisms.
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Planet
Ocean
D. Students
will the basis for all life and that all living things change over time. Students will be able to:
1. Describe how fossils can be used by scientists to trace the history of a species.
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Planet
Ocean
2. Explain how scientists use fossils to prove that life forms, climate, environment, and geologic features in a certain location are not the same now as they were in the past.
q Planet Ocean
Structure of Matter
E.
Students
will understand the structure of matter and the changes it can undergo. Students will be able to:
4. Describe how a substance can combine with different substances in different ways, depending on the conditions and the properties of each substance.
q Mixtures and Solutions
7.
Investigate
the similarities and differences between elements, compounds, and
mixtures.
q a. Mixtures and Solutions
F. Students
will gain knowledge about the earth and the processes that change it. Students will be able to:
2.
Describe
how soils are formed and why soils differ from one place to another.
q
Planet
Ocean
3.
Explain the evidence scientistsÕ use when they give the age
of the earth.
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Planet Ocean
4.
Describe
factors that can cause short-term and long-term changes to the Earth.
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Planet
Ocean
5.
Classify
and identify rocks and minerals based on their physical and chemical
properties, their composition, and the processes which formed them.
q
Planet
Ocean
The Universe
G. Students will gain knowledge about the universe and how humans have learned about it, and about the principles upon which it operates. Students will be able to:
1. Compare past and present knowledge about characteristics of stars (e.g., composition, location, life cycles) and explain how people have learned about them.
q Planet Ocean
2.
Describe
the concept of galaxies, including size and number of stars.
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Planet
Ocean
3.
Compare and contrast distances and the time required to
travel those distances on earth, in the solar system, in the galaxy, and
between galaxies.
q
Planet Ocean
4.
Describe scientistsÕ explanation of space and the objects
they have found (e.g., comets, asteroids, pulsars).
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Planet Ocean
J. The student
will apply inquiry and problem-solving approaches in science and
technology. Students will be able
to:
1. Make accurate observations using appropriate tools and units of measure.
q
Environments
q
Mixtures and Solutions
q
Planet Ocean
2. Design
and conduct scientific investigations which include controlled experiments and
systematic observations. Collect
and analyze data, and draw conclusions fairly.
q
Environments
q
Mixtures and Solutions
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Planet Ocean
3. Verify
and evaluate scientific investigations and use the results in a purposeful way.
q
Environments
q
Mixtures and Solutions
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Planet Ocean
5. Explain
how personal bias can affect observations.
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Planet
Ocean
6. Design,
construct, and test a device (e.g., invention) that solves a special problem.
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Ocean
Scientific Reasoning
K. Students will
learn to formulate and justify ideas and to make informed decisions Students will be able to:
1. Examine
the ways people form generalizations.
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Planet
Ocean
2.
Identify
exceptions to proposed generalizations.
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Mixtures and Solutions
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Planet Ocean
3. Identify
basic informal fallacies in arguments.
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Planet Ocean
4. Analyze means of slanting information.
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Planet Ocean
5.
Identify stereotypes.
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Planet Ocean
6.
Support reasoning by using a variety of evidence.
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Environments
q
Mixtures and Solutions
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Planet Ocean
7. Classify and
identify rocks and minerals based on their physical and chemical properties,
their composition, and the processes which formed them.
q
Earth
q
Ocean
8.
Construct logical arguments.
q
Environments
q
Mixtures
and Solutions
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Planet
Ocean
9.
Apply
analogous reasoning.
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Planet
Ocean
Communication
L. Students
will communicate effectively in the application of science and technology. Students will be able to:
1.
Discuss
scientific and technological ideas and make conjectures and convincing
arguments.
q
Environments
q
Mixtures
and Solutions
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Planet
Ocean
2.
Defend
problem-solving strategies and solutions.
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Environment
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Planet
Ocean
3.
Evaluate individual and group communication for clarity, and
work to improve communication.
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Mixtures and Solutions
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Planet Ocean
4.
Make and use scale drawings, maps, and three-dimensional
models to represent real objects, find locations, and describe relationships.
q
Environments
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Mixtures and Solutions
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Planet Ocean
5.
Access information at remote sites using telecommunications.
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Planet Ocean
6.
Identify and perform roles necessary to accomplish group
tasks.
q
Environments
q
Mixtures and Solutions
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Planet Ocean
Implications of Science and Technology
M. Students will
understand the historical, social, economical, environmental, and ethical
implications of science and technology.
Students will be able to:
1. Research and
evaluate the social and environmental impacts of scientific and technological
developments.
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Planet
Ocean
2.
Describe
the historical and cultural conditions at the time of an invention or
discovery, and analyze the societal impacts of that invention.
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Planet
Ocean
3.
Discuss
the ethical surrounding a specific scientific or technological development.
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Planet
Ocean
4.
Describe
an individualÕs biological and other impacts on an environmental system.
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Planet
Ocean
5.
Identify
factors that have caused some countries to become leaders in science and
technology.
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Planet
Ocean
6.
Give
examples of actions which may have expected or unexpected consequences that may
be positive, negative, or both.
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Planet
Ocean
7.
Explain
the connections between industry, natural resources, population, and economic
development.
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Planet
Ocean
8.
Recognize
scientific and technological contributions of diverse people including women,
different ethnic groups, races, and physically disabled.