We believe that Science should actively engage all students in the exploration of the natural world. By observing, communicating, comparing and organizing, and relating, students will learn to make reasoned decisions, and take relevant action.

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE

Standard 1: Understands atmospheric processes and the
 water cycle

Benchmark 1. Knows that short-term weather conditions (e.g., temperature, rain, snow) can change daily, and weather patterns change over the seasons
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that short-term weather conditions can change daily
    2. Knows that temperature can change daily
    3. Knows that rain conditions can change daily
    4. Knows that snow conditions can change daily
    5. Knows that weather patterns change over the seasons

Benchmark 2. Knows that water can be a liquid or a solid and can be made to change from one form to the other, but the amount of water stays the same
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that water can exist in a liquid form
    2. Knows that water can exist in a solid form
    3. Knows that water can change from a solid to a liquid, but the                    amount of water stays the same
    4. Knows that water can change from a liquid to a solid, but the                  amount of water stays same

Standard 2: Understands Earth's composition and structure

Benchmark 1. Knows that Earth materials consist of solid rocks, soils, liquid water, and the gases of the atmosphere
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that solid rock is an Earth material
    2. Knows that soil is an Earth material
    3. Knows that liquid water is an Earth material
    4. Knows that the gases of the atmosphere are Earth materials

Benchmark 2. Knows that rocks come in many different shapes and sizes (e.g., boulders, pebbles, sand)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that rocks come in different shapes
    2. Knows that rocks come in different sizes
    3. Knows that rocks come in the form of boulders
    4. Knows that rocks come in the form of pebbles
    5. Knows that rocks come in the form of sand

Standard 3. Understands the composition and structure of the universe and the Earth's place in it

Benchmark 1. Knows basic patterns of the Sun and Moon (e.g., the Sun appears every day and the Moon appears sometimes at night and sometimes during the day; the Sun and Moon appear to move from east to west across the sky; the Moon appears to change shape over the course of a month; the Sun's position in the sky changes through the seasons)
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows the basic patterns of the Sun
    2. Knows the basic patterns of the Moon
    3. Knows that the Sun appears every day
    4. Knows that the Moon appears sometimes at night
    5. Knows that the Moon appears sometimes during the day
    6. Knows that the Sun appears to move from east to west
    7. Knows that the Moon appears to move from east to west
    8. Knows that the Moon appears to change shape over a month’s time
    9. Knows that the Sun’s position in the sky changes throughout the seasons


Benchmark 2. Knows that the stars are innumerable, unevenly dispersed, and of unequal brightness

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that the stars are innumerable
    2. Knows that the stars are unevenly dispersed
    3. Knows that the stars are of unequal brightness


LIFE SCIENCES

Standard 4 : Understands the principles of heredity and related concepts

Benchmark 1. Knows that plants and animals closely resemble their parents
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that plants closely resemble their parents
    2. Knows that animals closely resemble their parents

Benchmark 2. Knows that differences exist among individuals of the same kind of plant or animal
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that differences exist among individuals of the same kind of plant
    2. Knows that differences exist among individuals of the same kind of                animal

Standard 5: Understands the structure and function of cells
and organisms

Benchmark 1. Knows the basic needs of plants and animals (e.g., air, water, nutrients, light or food, shelter)
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that animals require air for life
    2. Knows that animals require water for life
    3. Knows that animals require food for life
    4. Knows that animals require shelter for life
    5. Knows that plants require air for life
    6. Knows that plants require water for life
    7. Knows that plants require nutrients for life
    8. Knows that plants require light to make food for life
    9. Knows the basic life needs of plants
    10. Knows the basic life needs of animals

Benchmark 2. Knows that plants and animals have features that help them live in different environments
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that plants have features to help them live in different              environments
    2. Knows that animals have features to help them live in different           environments

Standard 6 : Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment

Benchmark 1. Knows that plants and animals need certain resources for energy and growth (e.g., food, water, light, air)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that plants need certain resources for energy
    2. Knows that plants need certain resources for growth
    3. Knows that plants need food for energy and growth
    4. Knows that plants need water for energy and growth
    5. Knows that plants need light for energy and growth
    6. Knows that plants need air for energy and growth
    7. Knows that animals need food for energy and growth
    8. Knows that animals need water for energy and growth
    9. Knows that animals need light for energy and growth
    10. Knows that animals need air for energy and growth
    11. Knows that animals need certain resources for growth
    12. Knows that animals need certain resources for energy

Benchmark 2. Knows that living things are found almost everywhere in the world and that distinct environments support the life of different types of plants and animals
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that living things are almost everywhere

Standard 7 : Understands biological evolution and the
diversity of life

Benchmark 1. Knows that some kinds of organisms that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared (e.g., dinosaurs, trilobites, mammoths, horsetail trees)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that some organisms that once lived on Earth have disappeared
    2. Knows that dinosaurs no longer exist
    3. Knows that trilobites no longer exist
    4. Knows that mammoths no longer exist
    5. Knows that horsetail trees no longer exist

Benchmark 2. Knows that there are similarities and differences in the appearance and behavior of plants and animals
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows there are similarities in the appearance of plants
    2. Knows there are similarities in the appearance of animals
    3. Knows there are similarities in the behavior of plants
    4. Knows there are similarities in the behavior of animals
    5. Knows there are differences in the appearance of plants
    6. Knows there are differences in the appearance of animals
    7. Knows there are differences in the behavior of plants
    8. Knows there are differences in the behavior of animals

PHYSICAL SCIENCES

Standard 8 : Understands the structure and properties of matter

Benchmark 1. Knows that different objects are made up of many different types of materials (e.g., cloth, paper, wood, metal) and have many different observable properties (e.g., color, size, shape, weight)
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that different objects are made from different materials
    2. Knows that objects can be made up of paper
    3. Knows that objects can be made up of metal
    4. Knows that objects can be made up of cloth
    5. Knows that objects can be made up of wood
    6. Knows that objects have different observable properties
    7. Knows that color is an observable property of objects
    8. Knows that size is an observable property of objects
    9. Knows that shape is an observable property of objects
    10. Knows that weight is an observable property of objects

Benchmark 2. Knows that things can be done to materials to change some of their properties (e.g., heating, freezing, mixing, cutting, dissolving, bending), but not all materials respond the same way to what is done to them
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows the properties of materials can be changed
    2. Knows the properties of materials can be changed by heating
    3. Knows the properties of materials can be changed by freezing
    4. Knows the properties of materials can be changed by mixing
    5. Knows the properties of materials can be changed by cutting
    6. Knows the properties of materials can be changed by dissolving
    7. Knows the properties of materials can be changed by bending
    8. Knows that not all materials respond the same way to what is done to         them