Renovation for the Nation National Science Education Standards

Science Content Standards: Grades 5-8

The National Science Education Standards, set forth by the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment, of the National Research Council, are designed to enable students to achieve scientific literacy. The standards outlined in this document represent the fundamental abilities and concepts of the standards which are address by the Eat, Move, Learn curriculum. The standards that are checked are addressed by the Renovation for the Nation Exploration.

X = standards addressed by Renovation for the Nation

Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to do Scientific Inquiry

Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.
Develop the ability to refine and refocus broad and ill-defined questions	X
Students develop ability to clarify questions and inquiries and direct them toward objects that can be described, explained, or predicted by scientific investigations.	X
Students develop ability to identify their questions with scientific ideas, concerts, and quantitative relationship that guide investigation.	X
Design and conduct a scientific investigation.
Students develop general abilities: systematic observation, accurate measurements, identifying & controlling variables.	X
Students develop ability to clarify their ideas that are influencing and guiding the inquiry and contrast how their ideas compare with current scientific knowledge.	X
Students learn to formulate questions, design investigations, execute investigations, interpret data, use evidence to generate explanations, propose alternative explanations, and critique explanations and procedures.	X
Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze and interpret data.
Use of tools and techniques will be guided by the question asked and the investigations students design.	X
Use of computers for the collection, summary, and display of evidence is part of this standard.	X
Students should be able to access, gather, store, retrieve, and organize data, using hardware and software designed for these purposes.	X
Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.
Students should base their explanation on what they observed, and as they develop cognitive skills, they should be able to differentiate explanation from description – providing causes for effects and establishing relationships based on evidence and logical argument.	X
Standard requires a subject matter knowledge base so the students can effectively conduct investigations, because developing explanations establishes connections between the content of science and the contexts within which students develop new knowledge.	X
Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.
Deciding what evidence should be used and accounting for anomalous data.	X
Students should be able to review data from a simple experiment, summarize the data, and form a logical argument about the cause-and-effect relationships in the experiment.	X
Students should begin to state some explanations in terms of the relationship between two or more variables.	X
Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.
Develop the ability to listen to and respect the explanations proposed by other students.	X
Remain open to and acknowledge different ideas and explanations, be able to accept the skepticism of others, and consider alternative explanations.	X
Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.
Become competent at communicating experimental methods, following instructions, describing observations, summarizing the results of other groups and telling other students about investigations and explanations.	X
Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.
Mathematics can be used to ask questions; to gather, organize, and present data; and to structure convincing explanations.	X
Students should be able to review data from a simple experiment, summarize the data, and form a logical argument about the cause-and-effect relationships in the experiment.	X
Students should begin to state some explanations in terms of the relationship between two or more variables.	X

Understandings about Scientific Inquiry

Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations.	X
Different scientific domains employ different methods, core theories and standards to advance scientific knowledge and understanding.	X
Mathematics is important in all aspects of scientific inquiry.	X
Technology used to gather data enhances accuracy and allows scientists to analyze and quantify results of investigations.	X
Scientific explanations emphasize evidence, have logically consistent arguments, and use scientific principles, models, and theories. The scientific community accepts and uses such explanations until displaced by better scientific ones. When such displacement occurs, science advances.	X
Asking questions and querying other scientists' explanations is part of scientific inquiry. Evaluate the explanations proposed by examining evidence, comparing evidence, identifying faulty reasoning, pointing out statements that go beyond the evidence, and suggesting alternative explanations for the same observations.	X

Content Standard C: Life Science

Structure and Function in Living Systems

Learn that cells carry on the many functions needed to sustain life. They grow and divide, thereby producing more cells. This requires that they take in nutrients, which they use to provide energy for the work that cells do and to make the materials that a cell or an organism needs.	X
Understand the human organism has systems for digestion, respiration, reproductions, circulation, excretion, movement, control, and coordination, and for protection from disease. These systems interact with one another.	X

Reproduction and Heredity

Understand every organism requires a set of instructions for specifying its traits. Heredity is the passage of these instructions from one generation to another.	X
The characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of a combination of traits. Some traits are inherited and others result from interactions with the environment.	X

Regulation and Behavior

An organism's behavior evolves through adaptation to its environment. How a species moves, obtains food, reproduces, and responds to danger are based in the species' evolutionary history.

Content Standard E: Science and Technology

Abilities of Technological Design

Identify appropriate problems for technological design.
Students should develop their abilities by identifying a specified need, considering its various aspects, and talking to different potential users of beneficiaries.	X
They should appreciate that for some needs, the cultural backgrounds and beliefs of different groups can affect the criteria for a suitable product.	X
Design a solution or product.
Students should make and compare different proposals in the light of the criteria they have selected.	X
Students must consider constraints – such as cost, time, trade-offs, and materials needed and communicate ideas with drawings and simple models.	X
Implement a proposed design.
Students should organize materials and other resources, plan their work, make good use of group collaboration where appropriate, choose suitable tools and techniques, and work with appropriate measurement methods to ensure adequate accuracy.	X
Evaluate completed technological designs or products.
Students should use criteria relevant to the original purpose or need, consider a variety of factors that might affect acceptability and suitability for intended users or beneficiaries: they should also suggest improvements and, for their own products, try proposed modifications.	X
Communicate the process of technological design.
Students should review and describe any completed piece of work and identify the stages of problem identifications, solution design, implementation, and evaluation.	X

Understandings about Science and Technology

Scientific inquiry and technological design have similarities and differences. Scientists propose explanations for questions about the natural world, and engineers propose solutions related to human problems, needs, and aspirations.	X
Science and technology are reciprocal. Science helps drive technology and technology is essential to science.	X
Perfectly designed solutions do not exist and risk is part of living in a highly technological world.	X

Content Standard F – Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Personal Health

Regular exercise is important to the maintenance and improvement of health. The benefits of physical fitness include maintaining healthy weight, having energy and strength for routine activities, good muscle tone, bone strength, strong heart/lung systems, and improved mental health. Personal exercise, especially developing cardiovascular endurance, is the foundation of physical fitness.	X
Food provides energy and nutrients for growth and development. Nutrition requirements vary with body weight, age, sex, activity, and body functioning.	X

Science and Technology in Society

Science influences society through its knowledge and world view. Scientific knowledge and the procedures used by scientists influence the way many individuals in society think about themselves, other, and the environment.	X
Societal challenges often inspire questions for scientific research, and social priorities often influence research priorities through the availability of funding for research.	X
Technology influences society through its products and processes. Technology influences the quality of life and the way people act and interact. Technological changes are often accompanied by social, political, and economic changes that can be beneficial to society.	X

Content Standard G – History and Nature of Science

Science as a Human Endeavor

Women and men with a variety of backgrounds engage in the activities of science. Some scientists work in teams, and some work alone, but all must communicate with each other.	X
Science requires different abilities and qualities such as reasoning, insight, energy, skill, and creativity.	X

Nature of Science

Scientists formulate and test their explanations of nature using observation, experiments, and theoretical and mathematical models.	X
It is normal for scientists to differ with one another about the interpretation of the evidence of theory being considered. Scientists may publish conflicting experimental results or might draw different conclusions from the same data.	X