Science back
By the end of Kindergarten,
ASES students will be able to:
- Recognize that all living things grow and change;
- Understand that (animals and) human beings learn
about their world through the use of their senses;
- Understand that weather conditions change from
day to day;
- Develop an appreciation for the Earth's environment
and the necessity to keeping it clean;
- Understand that animals reproduce by having young
and that
- Animals live in a variety of habitats that change
with the different seasons.
By the end of the First Grade, ASES
students will be able to:
- Identify the five senses, why and how they are
used to observe,
- Learn about, and experience objects and events;
- Seek answers to questions and make predictions of
outcomes by making and recording observations;
- Use tools, simple models and representations
(e.g.: thermometers, rulers, tables, graphs, drawings, art) to learn about
the world;
- Understand and identify names and functions of
simple machines and safety rules;
- Understand the concept of solid, liquid, gas and
that matter changes;
- Differentiate and group living and non-living
things into smaller groups based on role, characteristics, needs, and/or
wants (people, plants, animals);
- Identify Earth as home planet and understand
Earth's relationship' to the sun, moon, stars and other planets (day,
night, shadows);
- Recognize and practice ways to care for the Earth
and its resources;
By the end of the Second Grade, ASES
students will be able to:
- Identify the five senses, why and how they are
used to observe
- Use tools, simple models and representations
(e.g.: thermometers, rulers, tables, graphs, drawings, art) to learn about
the world
- Understand safety rules
- Differentiate, and group people into smaller
groups based on role, characteristics, needs and or wants
- Differentiate, and group animals into smaller
groups based on role, characteristics, needs and or wants
- Seek answers to questions and make predictions of
outcomes by making and recording observations
- Differentiate, and group plants into smaller
groups based on role, characteristics, needs and or wants
- Recognize and practice ways to care for the earth
and its resources
- Understand and identify names and functions of
simple machines
- Identify earth as home planet and understand
earth’s relationship to the sun, moon, stars and other planets (day,
night, shadows)
- Understand the concept of solid, liquid and gas,
and that matter changes
By the end of the Third Grade, ASES
students will be able to:
- Define "work" and understand how
machines use energy to make work easier;
- Recognize that matter is made of atoms, and that
it exists in three states, each having different properties;
- Know the parts of a plant and how each part
functions, understand how plants grow and reproduce;
- Classify the different types of animals according
to physical.
- Characteristics, understand the life cycles of
animals;
- Know the planets in the solar system, describe
the characteristics of each, understand the movements of the moon and sun
and how they affect the earth;
- Identify and describe the different kinds of
rocks and soil, describe the rock-soil cycle;
- Know the types of clouds, how precipitation is
formed, explain the water cycle;
- Describe the different layers of the Earth and
the factors that affect
- Changes in the Earth's crust.
By the end of the Fourth Grade, ASES
students will be able to:
Life Science
A World of Living Things
Living Things
- Explain that all living things are made up of one
or more cells.
- Recognize that different kinds of cells have
different parts.
- Identify features of animals.
- Describe how body plans and support systems are
used to classify animals.
- Identify seeds as reproductive cells of plants.
- List features and examples of plants that
reproduce with seeds.
- Identify that fungal spores produce new fungi.
- Describe the features of fungi.
Animal Growth and
Adaptations
- Recognize that all animals have five basic needs:
food, water, oxygen, shelter, and climate.
- Conclude that animals meet their needs in
different ways.
- Identify three adaptations that enable them to
meet their needs.
- Identify ways animals behave to enable them to
meet their needs.
- Distinguish between instinctual behavior and
learned behavior in animals.
Plant Growth and
Adaptations
- Identify the four basic needs of plants.
- Explain how plants make food.
- Give examples of plant adaptations.
- Explain how plant adaptations enable plants to
survive in different environments.
- Identify ways that leaves, stems, and roots help
plants live.
- Give examples of unusual plant adaptations.
- Describe the ways plants reproduce.
- Give examples of ways seeds are spread.
Human Body Systems
- Identify the basic parts that make up the body.
- Explain how the skeletal and muscular systems
work.
- Describe what breathing does for the body.
- Identify why blood is important to the body's
cells.
- Describe how the nervous system controls all the
body's systems.
- Analyze what the digestive system does for the
body.
Looking At Ecosystems
Ecosystems
- Describe what makes up a system.
- Identify ways that a system gains stability.
- Describe the basic parts of an ecosystem.
- Explain how the living things in ecosystems are
organized.
- Give examples of habitats and niches in
ecosystems.
- Explain how plants and animals interact and
change their environments.
- Explain how tropical rain forests and coral reefs
are alike.
- Describe the resources of rain forests and coral
reefs.
- Explain why the resources are important.
- Identify three examples of saltwater communities.
- Give examples of living things in each type of
saltwater community
- Conclude that living things in different
saltwater communities meet their needs in different ways.
Protecting Ecosystems
- Describe ways ecosystems change.
- Explain how changes affect ecosystems.
- Describe how people affect ecosystems.
- Give examples of ecosystem changes that people
cause.
- Describe the ways people can conserve natural
resources.
- Explain how governments help protect ecosystems.
By the end of the Fifth Grade, ASES
students will be able to:
Earth Science
- Compare and contrast air masses, and explain what
happens when they pass over an area.
- Construct a device to measure and observe changes
in air pressure.
- Explain how different weather conditions are
measured.
- Recognize symbols used on weather maps.
The Oceans
- Demonstrate how fresh water can be extracted from
salt water.
- Define and describe the processes involved in the
water cycle.
- Describe the composition of ocean water.
- Demonstrate how some ocean currents form.
- Compare and contrast waves, tides, and currents.
- Explain, in detail, what causes tides to rise and
fall.
- Describe features of the ocean floor.
- Explain how new ocean floors form.
Planets and Other Objects
in Space
- Describe the motions of Earth and the moon.
- Explain how these motions cause phases of the
moon.
- Relate a day and year to the motions of Earth.
- Describe the causes of the seasons.
- Demonstrate two motions of planets - rotation and
revolution.
- Describe some characteristics of the star that is
at the center of our solar system.
- Distinguish among planets, asteroids, and comets.
- Construct scale models of the solar system.
- Explain how the planets are divided into two
groups - inner and outer planets.
- Analyze and critique theories regarding the
formation of planets' moons and rings.
- Construct and use a simple telescope.
- Compare and contrast radio and optical
telescopes.
- Describe how crewed missions differ from space
probes.
By the end of the Sixth Grade, ASES
students will be able to:
Physical Science
Matter and Energy
Matter and Its Changes
- Conclude that matter has three forms: solid,
liquid, and gas.
- Recognize that heat can cause a change in the
state of matter.
- Conduct tests, compare data, and draw conclusions
about states of matter.
- Use numerical data to measure, describe, and
compare physical properties of matter.
- Conduct tests, compare data, and draw conclusions
about mass, volume, and density.
- Identify buoyancy as a physical property of
matter.
- Conduct tests, compare data, and draw conclusions
about the buoyancy of different materials.
- Recognize that some materials combine to form
solutions. . Describe a physical change.
- Identify a chemical change.
- Recognize that chemical and physical changes are
used in the manufacturing of steel.
Heat - Energy on the Move
- Recognize that thermal energy is the motion of
particles of matter.
- Observe and record changes in the states of
matter caused by the addition or reduction of thermal energy.
- Explain how thermal energy and temperature
differ.
- Explain that adding or removing heat from a
substance can change its state of matter.
- Identify conduction as a physical property of
matter.
- Recognize that thermal energy can be transferred
from one object to another.
- Analyze information about temperature by using
thermometers.
- Identify ways to produce and use thermal energy.
- Explain that people can use the energy that comes
from the sun to Earth.
- Collect and analyze data about how sounds are
made.
- Recognize that sound energy can be carried from
one place to another by waves.
Sound
- Collect and analyze data about how sounds are
made.
- Recognize that sound energy can be carried from
one place to another by waves.
- Observe how sounds differ.
- Compare and contrast loudness and pitch.
- Recognize that sound travels at different speeds
through different media.
- Describe how an echo forms.
- Explain what causes a sonic boom. Light
- Explain how light travels.
- Describe what can occur when light strikes an
object.
- Describe what causes a rainbow.
- Explain how light and colors are related.
Forces and Motion
Electricity and Magnetism
- Define static Electricity.
- Recognize that electrically charged objects
attract or repel each other as can be seen from the effects of static
electricity.
- Explain what causes an electric field.
- Design and build a simple series circuit using
components such as wires, batteries, and bulbs.
- Compare data about physical properties of matter,
including conduction.
- Recognize that electrical energy can be converted
to other forms of energy, such as heat, light, and motion.
- Construct a simple compass, and use it to detect
magnetic effects.
- Recognize that magnets have two poles, labeled north
and south, and that like poles repel each other,
while unlike poles attract each other.
- Recognize that all electric currents produce
magnetic effects.
- Construct a simple electromagnet.
- Identify how electromagnets are useful to people.
Motion – Forces at Work
- Identify ways to describe motion.
- Define frame of reference and relative
motion.
- Calculate speed using data of distance and time.
- Define force.
- Demonstrate how forces are added and subtracted.
- Measure forces using a spring scale.
- Recognize the relationship between gravity and
weight.
- Give examples of different kinds of natural
forces.
Simple Machines
- Identify the parts of a lever.
- Describe the parts of a lever.
- Draw conclusions about what happens when a lever
is moved.
- Identify the parts of a wheel and axle.
- Describe the parts of the different types of
pulleys.
- Draw conclusions about what happens when the size
of a wheel or axle is changed.
- Describe how an inclined plane makes work easier.
- Identify the relationship among screws, wedges,
and inclined planes.
By the end of Seventh Grade, ASES students will be able to:
Life Science
Cells: The Building Blocks of Life
What is Life?
- List the characteristics all living things share.
- Explain how scientists used controlled
experiments to disprove the idea of spontaneous generation.
- Identify what all living things need to survive.
- Explain how the invention of the microscope
contributed to scientists’ understanding of living things.
- Describe how a light microscope works, including
how a lens magnifies an object.
- Identify the cell wall, cell membrane, and
nucleus, and describe their functions.
- Identify other organelles in the cell and
describe their functions.
- Compare bacterial cells with plant and animal
cells.
- Describe the role of specialized cells in
many-celled organisms.
Cell Processes and Energy
Chemical Compounds in Cells
- Describe the four main kinds of organic molecules
in living things.
- Explain how water is essential to the functioning
of cells.
The Cell in its environment
- Describe the three methods by which materials
move into and out of cells.
- Compare passive transport to active transport.
- Explain why cells are small.
Photosynthesis
- Describe the process of photosynthesis.
- Explain how the sun supplies all living things
with the energy they need.
Respiration
- Describe the events that occur during
respiration.
- Describe the relationship between photosynthesis
and respiration.
- Describe alcoholic and lactic-acid fermentation.
Cell Division
- Identify the events that take place during the
three stages of the cell cycle.
- Describe the structure of DNA and DNA
replication.
Genetics: The Science of Heredity
Mendel’s Work
- Describe Mendel’s genetics experiments.
- Identify the factors that control the inheritance
of traits in organisms.
- Explain how geneticists use symbols to represent
alleles.
- Describe the principles of probability and how
Mendel applied them to inheritance.
- State how geneticists use Punnett
squares.
- Describe chromosomes and their role in
inheritance.
- Identify and describe the events that occur
during meiosis.
The DNA Connection
- Explain the term “genetic code”.
- Describe the process by which a cell produces
proteins.
- Describe different types of mutations and how
they affect organisms.
Human Inheritance
- Explain what multiple alleles are.
- Explain why some human traits show a large
variety of phenotypes.
- Explain how environmental factors can alter the
effects of a gene.
- Identify what determines sex, and explain why
some sex-linked traits are more common in males than in females.
- Describe how geneticists use pedigrees.
Human Genetic Disorders
- Describe the causes and symptoms of five human
genetic disorders.
- Explain how genetic disorders are diagnosed.
- Describe the role of a genetic counselor.
Advances in Genetics
- Describe three ways in which people have
developed organisms with desired traits.
- Identify some uses of DNA fingerprinting.
- State the goal of the Human Genome Project.
The Fossil Record
Describe how most fossils form.
- Explain how a scientist determines a fossil’s
age.
- Explain what a fossil reveal.
- Describe the main events of the Geologic Time
Scale.
- Distinguish between gradualism and punctuated equilibria.
Classifying Organisms
- Explain why scientists organize living things
into groups.
- Describe early classification systems including
that of Linnaeus.
- Name the seven levels of classification used by
scientists.
- Explain the relationship between classification
and evolution.
- Name and describe the six kingdoms into which all
organisms are grouped.
Bacteria
- Describe ways in which bacteria cells are different
from all other organisms’ cells.
- Name the two kingdoms of bacteria, and explain
how bacteria reproduce and survive.
- List positive roles that bacteria play in
people’s lives.
Viruses
- Give reasons why viruses are considered to be
nonliving.
- Describe the sizes and shapes of viruses.
- Describe the basic structure of a virus.
- Explain how viruses multiply.
Protists
- Describe the characteristics of animal-like,
fungus-like, and plantlike protists.
Algal Blooms
- Describe how red tides occur and explain why they
are dangerous.
- Explain how the rapid growth of algae affects a
pond or lake.
Fungi
- Name the characteristics that all fungi share.
- Describe how fungi obtain food.
- List the roles fungi play in the living world.
- Describe the ways that fungi reproduce.
The
- Identify the characteristics that all plants
share.
- Name all the things that plants need to live
successfully and describe the plant life cycle.
- Name some nonvascular plants and list the characteristics
that they all share.
- Describe the structure of a moss plant and the
importance of mosses on Earth.
- Name some seedless vascular plants and list the
characteristics that they share.
- Describe the structure of a fern plant, how a
fern plant reproduces, and the importance of ferns on Earth.
- List the characteristics that seed plants share.
- Name the main parts of a seed, identify the
function of each part of the seed, and describe how seeds disperse and
germinate.
- Describe the functions of leaves, stems, and
roots.
- Give examples of gymnosperms and list the
characteristics they share.
- Describe how gymnosperms reproduce.
- Name types of angiosperms and list the
characteristics that they all share.
- Describe the structure and function of a flower.
- Describe the life cycle of an angiosperm.
- Compare monocots and dicots.
Plant Responses and Growth
- Identify three stimuli that produce plant
responses.
- List the functions that plant hormones control.
What is an Animal?
- List and describe four major characteristics that
all animals share.
- Describe what animals need from their environment
in order to live.
- Describe animal adaptations for getting food and
escaping predators.
- Distinguish between bilateral and radial
symmetry, and describe how animals exhibit these kinds of symmetry.
Sponges and Cnidarians
- Describe the organization of a sponge’s body.
- Identify the main characteristics of cnidarians.
- Describe how a coral reef is formed and the life
that exists on a coral reef.
- Identify the three main groups of worms.
- List and identify the characteristics of the
three groups of worms.
Mollusks
- Describe the main characteristics of mollusks and
the evidence of their early existence on Earth.
- Describe the major groups of mollusks.
Arthropods
- Describe the major characteristics of arthropods.
- Identify and describe the main groups of
arthropods.
Insects
- Describe the characteristics of insects,
including their body structure, how they feed, and how they defend
themselves.
- Explain metamorphosis.
- Describe the overall impact of insects on humans.
- Describe how animals use pheromones to
communicate.
- Explain bioluminescence.
Echinoderms
- Describe the typical echinoderm characteristics.
- Name and describe some types of echinoderms.
Vertebrates
·
Describe
the main characteristics that vertebrates share.
·
Describe
how vertebrates differ in the way that they control body temperatures.
·
Explain
what fossil evidence indicates about vertebrate evolution.
Fishes
- Explain how fish use their gills, move, feed, and
reproduce.
- Describe the three major groups of fish.
Amphibians
- Describe the characteristics of amphibians and
their life cycles.
- Explain how amphibians are adapted for land and
current threats to their survival.
- Identify and describe the groups of amphibians.
Reptiles
- Describe some adaptations that allow reptiles to
live on dry land.
- State how reptiles, eggs are different from
amphibians’ eggs.
- Describe the major groups of reptiles.
Birds
- Identify the common characteristics of birds.
- Explain how birds are adapted to and affect their
environments.
- Explain how a bird is able to fly.
Mammal
- Describe the characteristics all mammals share.
- Identify the characteristic used to classify
mammals into three groups.
- Describe the characteristics of monotremes, marsupials, and placental mammal.
Animal Behavior
- Describe the functions of most of an animal’s
behavior.
- Compare instinctive and learned behavior.
- Explain the process called imprinting.
- Explain competition and aggression and the role
they play in establishing a territory.
- Explain the purpose of courtship behavior.
- Describe the benefits animals receive from living
groups.
- Describe animal behavior cycles and explain how
they may affect an animal’s survival.
Body organization and Homeostasis
- Identify the levels of organization in the body.
- Identify and describe the four basic types of
tissue in the human body.
- Define homeostasis and describe its importance to
the body.
- Identify the functions of the skeleton.
- Describe the structure of bones and how they grow
and form.
- Explain the role of movable joints in the body.
- List ways that individuals can keep their bones
strong and healthy.
The Muscular System
- Identify the three types of muscles found in the
body and describe the function of each.
- Explain how skeletal muscles work in pairs.
- List ways in which people can keep their muscles
healthy.
The Skin
- Describe the functions of skin.
- Identify and describe the layers of the skin.
- List ways that individuals can keep skin healthy.
Food and Digestion
- List and describe each of the six nutrients
needed by the body.
- Describe how the Food Guide Pyramid and food
labels help people make food choices for nutrient and caloric value.
- Describe the general functions carried out by the
digestive system and the specific functions of the mouth, esophagus, and
stomach.
- Explain the role of the small intestine in
digestion.
Circulation
- Describe the function of the cardiovascular
system.
- Describe the structure of the heart and explain its
function.
- Describe the origin of the heartbeat and why the
heart rate changes during exercise.
- Trace the path taken by blood through the
circulatory system.
- Describe the functions of the arteries,
capillaries, and veins.
- Identify the cause of blood pressures.
- Name and describe the four components of blood.
- Explain blood type and how it determines what
blood a person can receive in a transfusion.
- Describe the structure and function of the
lymphatic system.
- Identify and describe types of cardiovascular disease.
- Describe behaviors that maintain cardiovascular
health.
Respiration and Excretion
- Identify the functions of the respiratory system.
- Identify the structures that air passes through
as it travels to the lungs.
- Describe how oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water
move on the lungs.
- Explain the process by which people breathe and
speak.
- List the harmful chemicals contained in tobacco
smoke.
- Explain how tobacco smoke harms the respiratory
and circulatory systems.
- Define passive smoking and identify its effects
on health.
- Identify the reasons why some people choose to
smoke.
The Excretory System
- Identify the function of the excretory system.
- State how urine is produced in the kidney’s nephrons.
- Explain how the kidneys help maintain water
balance in the body.
- Name the organs involved in excretion and
describe their roles.
Infectious Disease
- Explain the cause of infectious disease and
identify the kinds of organisms that cause disease.
- Describe methods in which pathogens enter the
body.
- Identify the body’s barriers against pathogens.
- Describe the role of the inflammatory response in
fighting disease.
- State how the immune system responds to
pathogens.
- Describe HIV and list the ways it can be spread.
- Define and explain active immunity.
- Define and explain passive immunity.
- Identify some strategies for staying healthy.
Noninfectious Disease
- Define an allergy.
- Explain how diabetes affects the body.
- Explain how cancer affects the body.
Nervous System
- Identify the functions of the nervous system.
- Describe the structure of a neuron.
- List the three types of neurons and tell how a
nerve impulse travels.
- Identify the function of the central nervous
system, and describe its parts, and explain how to keep it safe from
injury.
- Identify the different structures of the brain, and
describe the function of each.
- Identify the functions of the peripheral nervous
system and its parts.
- Describe a reflex.
- List the activities that can harm the nervous
system, and describe ways that individuals can protect the nervous system during
these activities.
Senses
- Name the senses and state the overall function
performed by the senses.
- Describe how eyes enable people to see.
- Describe how people hear sounds and maintain
balance.
- Describe how people experience the senses of
touch, taste, and smell.
Alcohol and Drugs
- Name some commonly abused drugs and state how
they affect the body.
- Explain how alcohol abuse harms the body.
- Identify the organs of the endocrine system and
their functions.
- Describe hormones and the effects they have on the
body.
- Describe how negative feedback controls hormone
levels.
Male and Female Reproductive Systems
- List the organs of the male and female
reproductive systems and identify their function.
- Describe the events that occur during the
menstrual cycle.
Human Life Cycle
- List the stages of human development that occur
before birth.
- Describe what happens during childbirth.
- Describe the physical changes that occur during
infancy and childhood.
- Describe the changes that occur during
adolescence.
- Describe the changes that occur during adulthood.
Living Things and the Environment
- Identify the needs that are met by an organism’s
habitat.
- Identify biotic and abiotic
parts of an ecosystem.
- Describe the levels of organization within an
ecosystem.
- Define ecology and state what ecologists do.
- Describe how ecologists determine the size of a
population.
- Explain what causes populations to change in
size.
- Identify factors that limit population growth.
Interactions Among Living
Things
- Explain how an organism’s adaptations help it to
survive.
- Describe the major types of interactions among
organisms.
- Identify the three forms of symbiotic
relationships. Describe the energy roles of organisms in an ecosystem.
- Explain food chains and food webs.
- Describe how much energy is available at each
level of an energy pyramid.
Cycles of Matter
- Describe the three major processes that make up
the water cycle.
- Describe the carbon-oxygen cycle and the nitrogen
cycle.
Earth’s Biomes
- List and describe Earth’s major land biomes.
- List and describe Earth’s major freshwater and
ocean biomes.
- Describe the differences between primary and
secondary succession.
Environment Issues
- Identify the main types of environmental issues.
- Define environmental science. Describe different ways
that forest and fisheries can be managed to provide resources.
- Identify the factors that affect biodiversity.
- Explain the value of biodiversity.
- Name some human activities that threaten
biodiversity.
- List some ways that biodiversity can be
protected.
By the end of Eighth Grade, ASES students will be able to:
Physical Science
Physical properties of matter
Using physical properties to identify objects
- Recognize that matter is anything that has mass
and takes of space.
- Conclude that and object’s physical properties
remain constant and can be used to identify it.
- Compare and classify matter according to its
physical state.
- Recognize that heat is responsible for changes in
the state of matter.
- Identify melting and boiling points as constant
temperatures at which substances change state.
Chemical properties of matter
How does matter react chemically?
- Compare a physical change and a chemical change.
- Conclude that physical and chemical properties can
be used to identify substances and to separate mixtures.
- Observe that matter is conserved during both a
physical change and a chemical reaction.
Atoms and elements
- Identify an atom and its major parts.
- Describe an element.
- Describe and compare the properties of metal.
- Recognize how the elements are grouped in the
periodic table.
- Identify a compound as a combination of two or
more elements.
- Describe what a chemical formula reveals about a
molecule.
Chemical Compounds
- Recognize how the elements are grouped in the
periodic table.
- Identify a compound as a combination of two or
more elements.
- Describe what a chemical formula reveals about a
molecule.
- Compare the properties of different states of
matter.
- Observe how the
structure of matter is studied.
What forces affect objects on earth
every day?
- Describe what forces
are and what they do.
- Explain how the forces
of friction, magnetism, and gravity act in our everyday lives.
- Describe balanced and
unbalanced forces.
- Define acceleration.
- Calculate net force when
more than one force acts on an object.
What is work and how is it measured
- Define work and
explain how it is measured
- Define power and
explain how it is measured.
- Described what
machines do.
Motion and speed
- Recognize and describe
the relationship among speed, velocity, acceleration and momentum.
- Describe how speed,
velocity, acceleration, and momentum are measured.
- Analyze and explain
the three laws of motion.
- Describe how inertia
and gravity interact to make an orbit.
- Explain the law of
universal gravitation.
Energy forms
- Describe potential and
kinetic energy.
- List the various forms
of energy.
- Explain what electric
energy is.
- Tell what an electric
current is.
- Describe how
electromagnets work.
- Describe the
characteristics of light energy and sound energy.
- Identify and compare
the characteristics of light waves and sound waves.
- Describe thermal
energy.
- Explain how thermal
energy moves.
- Describe chemical
energy.
- Explain how fossil
fuels form.
- List some ways that
people use fossil fuels.
- Explain why fossil
fuels are nonrenewable resources.
- Explain how electric
energy is produced from the mechanical energy of moving water.
- Describe how tidal
energy stations work.
- Describe other energy
sources that are used in the
- Tell about the energy
sources that we might rely on in the future.