The Nature of Science
1.   Describe and practice the Scientific Method.
2.   Measure Mass, Volume, Density and Temperature.
3.   Make accurate observations using appropriate tools and units of measure.


Physical Science
1.   Identify elements, compounds and molecules.
2.   Explain and give examples of matter.
3.   Define solid, liquid, and gas.
4.   Predict and describe changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
5.    Recognize elements and their symbols.
6.    Use models to describe the structure of atoms and molecules.
7.    Identify chemical and physical changes.
8.    Analyze data to determine if a chemical reaction has taken place.
9.    Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.
10.  Describe the different forms of energy.
11.  Explain the conservation of energy theory.
12.  Differentiate between potential and kinetic energy.
13.  Describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.
14.  Describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.
15.  Present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.
16.  Define force.
17.  Define gravity.
18.  Differentiate between weight and mass.
19.  Describe the motion of objects using knowledge of Newton’s laws.
20.  Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
21.  Provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
22.  Describe a simple model for waves that includes how the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave.
23.  Describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted  through various materials

Life Science
1. Describe examples of populations, habitats, niches, and ecosystems.
2. Describe commensalism, mutualism and parasitism.
3. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.
4.  Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
5.  Be able to compare food chains and food webs.
6.  Identify energy roles-producers, consumers, and decomposers.
7.  predict patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
8.  Explain that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
9.  Describe how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
10.  Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
11.   Explain how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.
12.   Describe structural and behavioral adaptations that allow organisms to survive in a changing environment.
13.   Provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.




Astronomy

1.Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting         objects.
2. Describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.
3. Compare and contrast the three types of galaxies.
4. Describe the composition of an average galaxy.
5. Describe the movements of stars and galaxies.
6.Describe the life cycle of a star.
7. Discuss our sun in terms of its stage in the stellar life cycle.
8. Describe the diversity of objects in the universe.
9. Determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.
10. Note characteristics of inner and outer planets.
11.Draw or label a diagram of the sun’s structure.
12.Describe features of the sun.
13.Describe and identify features of the moon.
14Identify the various phases of the moon.
15.Explain why eclipses occur.
16.Explain why tides occur.
17.Explain why seasons occur.
18.Describe a comet.
19.Describe an asteroid.
20.Describe a meteor/meteoroid/meteorite.

Geology

1. Compare and contrast sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks.
2. Explain how the rock cycle changes the earth’s surface.
3. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth's mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.
4. List the 4 major layers of the Earth.
5.Compare and contrast the following for each of the 4 major layers of the Earth:  Size; composition; and, state of matter
6. Describe how the earth would have looked 220 million years ago.
7.  Describe the driving mechanism for tectonics.
8. Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.
9. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history.
10. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.
11. Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
12.Describe the causes of an earthquake.
13.Compare and contrast the various types of volcanoes.
14.Describe the causes of volcanism.
15. Document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate     today as in the past.
16. explain that the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.



Oceanography/Hydrology

1. Describe the hydrologic cycle.
2. Describe how glaciers shape the land.
3. Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
4. Describe the composition of ocean water.
5.Compare and contrast the three major life zones of the ocean shore.
6. Describe the physical structure of the edges of the continents.
7. Describe the structure of the ocean floor.
8. Describe currents and waves and their effect on the environment.
9. Describe food chain relationships in the ocean. (focus on phytoplankton and oxygen production.)
10. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
11. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.*
12. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per- capital consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.

Meteorology
1. Compare and contrast the past and present atmosphere of earth.
2. Describe the composition of today’s atmosphere.
3. Sketch or describe the oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide cycles.
4. Describe the characteristics of the major layers of the earth’s atmosphere.
5. Describe how the greenhouse effect affects the earth.
7. Describe the cause of air pressure.
8. Describe the various types of local wind systems.
9. Locate the position of typical global wind systems on the earth.
10.Define precipitation.
11.Describe the characteristics of the three major types of fronts.
12.Describe the cause of rainstorms and snowstorms.
13.Describe the conditions that lead to severe weather.
14.Describe a hurricane.
15.Describe a tornado.
16.Identify areas of the US that are likely to experience a tornado or a hurricane.
17. Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
18. Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine         regional climates
20. Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.