Ohio Academic Content Standards for Science
Benchmarks and Indicators
11-12 Science Benchmarks
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Earth and Space Sciences |
Life Sciences |
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A. Explain how technology can be
used to gather evidence and increase our understanding of the universe. B. Describe how Earth is made up of
a series of interconnected systems and how a change in one system affects
other systems. C. Explain that humans are an
integral part of the Earth's system and the choices humans make today impact
natural systems in the future. D. Summarize the historical
development of scientific theories and ideas and describe emerging issues in
the study of Earth and space sciences. |
A. Explain how processes at the
cellular level affect the functions and characteristics of an organism. B. Explain how humans are connected
to and impact natural systems. C. Explain how the molecular basis
of life and the principles of genetics determine inheritance. D. Relate how biotic and abiotic
global changes have occurred in the past and will continue to do so in the
future. E. Explain the interconnectedness of
the components of a natural system. F. Explain how human choices today
will affect the quality and quantity of life on earth. G. Summarize the historical
development of scientific theories and ideas within the study of life
sciences. |
A11-12 Science Benchmarks
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Physical Sciences |
Science and Technology |
|
A. Explain how variations in the
arrangement and motion of atoms and molecules form the basis of a variety of
biological, chemical and physical phenomena. B. Recognize that some atomic nuclei
are unstable and will spontaneously break down. C. Describe how atoms and molecules
can gain or lose energy only in discrete amounts. D. Apply principles of forces and
motion to mathematically analyze, describe and predict the net effects on
objects or systems. E. Summarize the historical
development of scientific theories and ideas within the study of physical
sciences. |
A. Predict how human choices today
will determine the quality and quantity of life on Earth. |
11-12 Science Benchmarks
By the end of the 11-12 program:
|
Scientific Inquiry |
Scientific Ways of Knowing |
|
A. Make appropriate choices when
designing and participating in scientific investigations by using cognitive
and manipulative skills when collecting data and formulating conclusions from
the data. |
A. Explain how scientific evidence is used to develop and revise scientific predictions, ideas or theories. B. Explain how ethical
considerations shape scientific endeavors. C. Explain how societal issues and
considerations affect the progress of science and technology. |
Grade Eleven
Earth
and Space Sciences
|
The
Universe |
1. Describe how the early Earth was
different from the planet we live on today, and explain the formation of the
sun, Earth and the rest of the solar system from a nebular cloud of dust and
gas approximately 4.5 billion years ago. |
|
Earth
Systems |
2. Analyze how the regular and
predictable motions of Earth, sun and moon explain phenomena on Earth (e.g.,
seasons, tides, eclipses and phases of the moon). 3. Explain heat and energy transfers
in and out of the atmosphere and its involvement in weather and climate
(radiation, conduction, convection and advection). 4. Explain the impact of oceanic and
atmospheric currents on weather and climate. 5. Use appropriate data to analyze
and predict upcoming trends in global weather patterns (e.g., el Ni–o and la
Ni–a, melting glaciers and icecaps and changes in ocean surface
temperatures). 6. Explain how interactions among
Earth's lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere have resulted in
the ongoing changes of Earth's system. 7. Describe the effects of
particulates and gases in the atmosphere including those originating from
volcanic activity. 8. Describe the normal adjustments
of Earth, which may be hazardous for humans. Recognize that humans live at
the interface between the atmosphere driven by solar energy and the upper
mantle where convection creates changes in Earth's solid crust. Realize that
as societies have grown, become stable and come to value aspects of the
environment, vulnerability to natural processes of change has increased. 9. Explain the effects of biomass
and human activity on climate (e.g., climatic change and global warming). 10. Interpret weather maps and their
symbols to predict changing weather conditions worldwide (e.g., monsoons,
hurricanes and cyclones). 11. Analyze how materials from human
societies (e.g., radioactive waste and air pollution) affect both physical
and chemical cycles of Earth. |
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12. Explain ways in which humans
have had a major effect on other species (e.g., the influence of humans on
other organisms occurs through land use, which decreases space available to
other species and pollution, which changes the chemical composition of air,
soil and water). 13. Explain how human behavior
affects the basic processes of natural ecosystems and the quality of the
atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. 14. Conclude that Earth has finite
resources and explain that humans deplete some resources faster than they can
be renewed. |
|
Historical Perspectives
and Scientific Revolutions |
15. Use historical examples to show
how new ideas are limited by the context in which they are conceived; are
often rejected by the social establishment; sometimes spring from unexpected
findings; and usually grow slowly through contributions from many different
investigators (e.g., global warming, Heliocentric Theory and Theory of
Continental Drift). 16. Describe advances in Earth and
space science that have important long-lasting effects on science and society
(e.g., global warming, Heliocentric Theory and Plate Tectonics Theory). |
Life
Sciences
|
Characteristics
and Structure
of Life |
1. Describe how the maintenance of a
relatively stable internal environment is required for the continuation of
life, and explain how stability is challenged by changing physical, chemical
and environmental conditions as well as the presence of pathogens. 2. Recognize that chemical bonds of
food molecules contain energy. Energy is released when the bonds of food
molecules are broken and new compounds with lower energy bonds are formed.
Some of this energy is released as thermal energy. 3. Relate how birth rates, fertility
rates and death rates are affected by various environmental factors. 4. Examine the contributing factors
of human population growth that impact natural systems such as levels of
education, children in the labor force, education and employment of women,
infant mortality rates, costs of raising children, birth control methods, and
cultural norms. |
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5. Investigate the impact on the
structure and stability of ecosystems due to changes in their biotic and
abiotic components as a result of human activity. |
|
Diversity
and Interdependence
of Life |
6. Predict some possible impacts on
an ecosystem with the introduction of a non-native species. 7. Show how populations can increase
through linear or exponential growth with corresponding effects on resource
use and environmental pollution. 8. Recognize that populations can
reach or temporarily exceed the carrying capacity of a given environment.
Show that the limitation is not just the availability of space but the number
of organisms in relation to resources and the capacity of earth systems to
support life. 9. Give examples of how human
activity can accelerate rates of natural change and can have unforeseen
consequences. 10. Explain how environmental
factors can influence heredity or development of organisms. 11. Investigate issues of
environmental quality at local, regional, national and global levels such as
population growth, resource use, population distribution, over-consumption,
the capacity of technology to solve problems,
poverty, the role of economics, politics and different ways humans view the
earth. |
|
Evolutionary Theory |
12. Recognize that ecosystems change
when significant climate changes occur or when one or more new species appear
as a result of immigration or speciation. 13. Describe how the process of
evolution has changed the physical world over geologic time. 14. Describe how geologic time can
be estimated by observing rock sequences and using fossils to correlate the
sequences at various locations. Recognize that current methods include using
the known decay rates of radioactive isotopes present in rocks to measure the
time since the rock was formed. |
Physical
Sciences
|
Nature
of Matter |
1. Explain that elements with the
same number of protons may or may not have the same mass and those with different
masses (different numbers of neutrons) are called isotopes. Some of these are
radioactive. |
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2. Explain that humans have used
unique bonding of carbon atoms to make a variety of molecules (e.g.,
plastics). |
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|
Forces
and Motion |
3. Describe real world examples
showing that all energy transformations tend toward disorganized states
(e.g., fossil fuel combustion, food pyramids and electrical use). 4. Explain how electric motors and
generators work (e.g., relate that electricity and magnetism are two aspects
of a single electromagnetic force). Investigate that electric charges in
motion produce magnetic fields and a changing magnetic field creates an
electric field. |
Science
and Technology
|
Understanding Technology |
1. Identify that science and
technology are essential social enterprises but alone they can only indicate
what can happen, not what should happen. Realize the latter involves human
decisions about the use of knowledge. 2. Predict how decisions regarding
the implementation of technologies involve the weighing of trade-offs between
predicted positive and negative effects on the environment and/or humans. 3. Explore and explain any given
technology that may have a different value for different groups of people and
at different points in time (e.g., new varieties of farm plants and animals
have been engineered by manipulating their genetic instructions to reproduce
new characteristics). 4. Explain why basic concepts and
principles of science and technology should be a part of active debate about
the economics, policies, politics and ethics of various science-related and
technology-related challenges. 5. Investigate that all fuels (e.g.,
fossil, solar and nuclear) have advantages and disadvantages; therefore
society must consider the trade-offs among them (e.g., economic costs and
environmental impact). 6. Research sources of energy beyond
traditional fuels and the advantages, disadvantages and trade-offs society
must consider when using alternative sources (e.g., biomass, solar, hybrid
engines, wind and fuel cells). |
Scientific
Inquiry
|
Doing
Scientific Inquiry |
1. Formulate testable hypotheses.
Develop and explain the appropriate procedures, controls and variables
(dependent and independent) in scientific experimentation. 2. Evaluate assumptions that have
been used in reaching scientific conclusions. |
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3. Design and carry out scientific
inquiry (investigation), communicate and critique results through peer
review. 4. Explain why the methods of an
investigation are based on the questions being asked. 5. Summarize data
and construct a reasonable argument based on those data and other known
information. |
Scientific
Ways of Knowing
|
Nature
of Science |
1. Analyze a set of data to derive a
hypothesis and apply that hypothesis to a similar phenomenon (e.g., biome
data). 2. Apply scientific inquiry to evaluate
results of scientific investigations, observations, theoretical models and
the explanations proposed by other scientists. 3. Demonstrate that scientific
explanations adhere to established criteria, for example a proposed
explanation must be logically consistent, it must abide by the rules of
evidence and it must be open to questions and modifications. 4. Explain why scientists can assume
that the universe is a vast single system in which the basic rules are the
same everywhere. |
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Ethical
Practices |
5. Recognize that bias affects
outcomes. People tend to ignore evidence that challenges their beliefs but
accept evidence that supports their beliefs. Scientist attempt to avoid bias
in their work. 6. Describe the strongly held
traditions of science that serve to keep scientists within the bounds of
ethical professional behavior. |
|
Scientific
Theories |
7. Explain how theories are judged
by how well they fit with other theories, the range of included observations,
how well they explain observations and how effective they are in predicting
new findings. |
|
Science
and Society |
8. Explain that the decision to
develop a new technology is influenced by societal opinions and demands and
by cost benefit considerations. 9. Explain how natural and
human-induced hazards present the need for humans to assess potential danger
and risk. Many changes in the environment designed by humans bring benefits
to society as well as cause risks. |
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10. Describe costs and trade-offs of
various hazards Ð ranging from those with minor risk to a few people, to
major catastrophes with major risk to many people. The scale of events and
the accuracy with which scientists and engineers can (and cannot) predict
events are important considerations. 11. Research the role of science and
technology in careers that students plan to pursue. |
Grade Twelve
Earth
and Space Sciences
|
The
Universe |
1. Explain how scientists obtain
information about the universe by using technology to detect electromagnetic
radiation that is emitted, reflected or absorbed by stars and other objects. 2. Explain how the large-scale
motion of objects in the universe is governed by gravitational forces and
detected by observing electromagnetic radiation. 3. Explain how information about the
universe is inferred by understanding that stars and other objects in space
emit, reflect or absorb electromagnetic radiation, which we then detect. 4. Explain how astronomers infer
that the whole universe is expanding by understanding how light seen from
distant galaxies has longer apparent wavelengths than comparable light
sources close to Earth. |
|
Earth
Systems |
5. Investigate how thermal energy
transfers in the world's oceans impact physical features (e.g., ice caps,
oceanic and atmospheric currents) and weather patterns. 6. Describe how scientists estimate
how much of a given resource is available on Earth. |
Life
Sciences
|
Characteristics
and Structure
of Life |
1. Recognize that information stored
in DNA provides the instructions for assembling protein molecules used by the
cells that determine the characteristics of the organism. 2. Explain why specialized
cells/structures are useful to plants and animals (e.g., stoma, phloem,
xylem, blood, nerve, muscle, egg and sperm). 3. Explain that the sun is
essentially the primary source of energy for life. Plants capture energy by
absorbing light and using it to form strong (covalent) chemical bonds between
the atoms of carbon-containing (organic) molecules. 4. Explain that carbon-containing
molecules can be used to assemble larger molecules with biological activity
(including proteins, DNA, sugars and fats). In addition, the energy stored in
bonds between the atoms (chemical energy) can be used as sources of energy
for life processes. |
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Heredity |
5. Examine the inheritance of traits
through one or more genes and how a single gene can influence more than one
trait. 6. Explain how developmental
differentiation is regulated through the expression of different genes. |
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Diversity
and Interdependence
of Life |
7. Relate diversity and adaptation
to structures and functions of living organisms at various levels of
organization. 8. Based on the structure and
stability of ecosystems and their nonliving components, predict the biotic
and abiotic changes in such systems when disturbed (e.g. introduction of
non-native species, climatic change, etc.). 9. Explain why and how living
systems require a continuous input of energy to maintain their chemical and
physical organization. Explain that with death and the cessation of energy
input, living systems rapidly disintegrate toward more disorganized states. |
|
Evolutionary Theory |
10. Explain additional components of
the evolution theory, including genetic drift, immigration, emigration and
mutation. |
|
Historical Perspectives
and Scientific Revolutions |
11. Trace the historical development
of a biological theory or idea (e.g., genetics, cytology and germ theory). 12. Describe advances in life
sciences that have important, long-lasting effects on science and society
(e.g., biotechnology). |
Physical
Sciences
|
Nature
of Matter |
1. Explain how atoms join with one
another in various combinations in distinct molecules or in repeating crystal
patterns. 2. Describe how a physical, chemical
or ecological system in equilibrium may return to the same state of
equilibrium if the disturbances it experiences are small. Large disturbances
may cause it to escape that equilibrium and eventually settle into some other
state of equilibrium. 3. Explain how all matter tends
toward more disorganized states and describe real world examples (e.g.,
erosion of rocks and expansion of the universe). 4. Recognize that at low
temperatures some materials become superconducting and offer little or no
resistance to the flow of electrons. |
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Forces
and Motion |
5. Use and apply the laws of motion
to analyze, describe and predict the effects of forces on the motions of
objects mathematically. 6. Recognize that the nuclear forces
that hold the nucleus of an atom together, at nuclear distances, are stronger
than the electric forces that would make it fly apart. 7. Recognize that nuclear forces are
much stronger than electromagnetic forces, and electromagnetic forces are
vastly stronger than gravitational forces. The strength of the nuclear forces
explains why greater amounts of energy are released from nuclear reactions
(e.g., from atomic and hydrogen bombs and in the sun and other stars). 8. Describe how the observed
wavelength of a wave depends upon the relative motion of the source and the
observer (Doppler effect). If either is moving towards the other, the
observed wavelength is shorter; if either is moving away, the observed
wavelength is longer (e.g., weather radar, bat echoes and police radar). 9. Describe how gravitational forces
act between all masses and always create a force of attraction. Recognize
that the strength of the force is proportional to the masses and weakens
rapidly with increasing distance between them. |
|
Nature
of Energy |
10. Explain the characteristics of
isotopes. The nuclei of radioactive isotopes are unstable and spontaneously
decay emitting particles and/or wavelike radiation. It cannot be predicted
exactly when, if ever, an unstable nucleus will decay, but a large group of
identical nuclei decay at a predictable rate. 11. Use the predictability of decay
rates and the concept of half-life to explain how radioactive substances can
be used in estimating the age of materials. 12. Describe how different atomic
energy levels are associated with the electron configurations of atoms and
electron configurations (and/or conformations) of molecules. 13. Explain how atoms and molecules
can gain or lose energy in particular discrete amounts (quanta or packets);
therefore they can only absorb or emit light at the wavelengths corresponding
to these amounts. |
|
Historical Perspectives
and Scientific Revolutions |
14. Use historical examples to
explain how new ideas are limited by the context in which they are conceived;
are often initially rejected by the scientific establishment; sometimes
spring from unexpected findings; and usually grow slowly through
contributions from many different investigators (e.g., nuclear energy,
quantum theory and theory of relativity). 15. Describe concepts/ideas in
physical sciences that have important, long-lasting effects on science and
society (e.g., quantum theory, theory of relativity, age of the universe). |
Science
and Technology
|
Understanding Technology |
1. Explain how science often
advances with the introduction of new technologies and how solving
technological problems often results in new scientific knowledge. 2. Describe how new technologies
often extend the current levels of scientific understanding and introduce new
areas of research. 3. Research how scientific inquiry
is driven by the desire to understand the natural world and how technological
design is driven by the need to meet human needs and solve human problems. 4. Explain why basic concepts and
principles of science and technology should be a part of active debate about
the economics, policies, politics and ethics of various science-related and
technology-related challenges. |
Scientific
Inquiry
|
Doing
Scientific Inquiry |
1. Formulate testable hypotheses.
Develop and explain the appropriate procedures, controls and variables
(dependent and independent) in scientific experimentation. 2. Derive simple mathematical
relationships that have predictive power from experimental data (e.g., derive
an equation from a graph and vice versa, determine whether a linear or
exponential relationship exists among the data in a table). 3. Research and apply appropriate
safety precautions when designing and/or conducting scientific investigations
(e.g., OSHA, MSDS, eyewash, goggles and ventilation). 4. Create and clarify the method,
procedures, controls and variables in complex scientific investigations. 5. Use appropriate summary statistics to analyze and describe
data. |
Scientific
Ways of Knowing
|
Nature
of Science |
1. Give examples that show how
science is a social endeavor in which scientists share their knowledge with
the expectation that it will be challenged continuously by the scientific
community and others. 2. Evaluate scientific
investigations by reviewing current scientific knowledge and the experimental
procedures used, examining the evidence, identifying faulty reasoning,
pointing out statements that go beyond the evidence and suggesting
alternative explanations for the same observations. 3. Select a scientific model,
concept or theory and explain how it has been revised over time based on new
knowledge, perceptions or technology. 4. Analyze a set of data to derive a
principle and then apply that principle to a similar phenomenon (e.g.,
predator-prey relationships and properties of semiconductors). 5. Describe how individuals and
teams contribute to science and engineering at different levels of complexity
(e.g., an individual may conduct basic field studies, hundreds of people may
work together on major scientific questions or technical problem). |
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Ethical
Practices |
6. Explain that scientists may
develop and apply ethical tests to evaluate the consequences of their
research when appropriate. |
|
Science
and Society |
7. Describe the current and
historical contributions of diverse peoples and cultures to science and
technology and the scarcity and inaccessibility of information on some of
these contributions. 8. Recognize that individuals and
society must decide on proposals involving new research and the introduction
of new technologies into society. Decisions involve assessment of
alternatives, risks, costs and benefits and consideration of who benefits and
who suffers, who pays and
gains, and what the risks are and who bears them. 9. Recognize the appropriateness and
value of basic questions "What can happen?" "What are the
odds?" and "How do scientists and engineers know what will
happen?" |
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10. Recognize that social issues and
challenges can affect progress in science and technology. (e.g., Funding
priorities for specific health problems serve as examples of ways that social
issues influence science and technology.) 11. Research how advances in
scientific knowledge have impacted society on a local, national or global
level. |
A C A D E M I C C O N T E N T S TA N D A R D S