| Science
Many of the Nebraska K-12 Science Standards contain the words investigate and understand. These words were chosen to communicate the range of rigorous science skills and knowledge levels embedded in each standard. Limiting a standard to one observable behavior, such as "describe" or "explain," would have narrowed the interpretation of the rich, highly rigorous, and inclusive content standard.
"Investigate" refers to scientific methodology and implies systematic use of the following inquiry skills:
Observing
Classifying and sequencing
Communicating
Measuring
Predicting
Hypothesizing
Inferring
Defining, controlling, and manipulating variables in experimentation
Designing, constructing, and interpreting models
Interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating data
"Understand" refers to various levels of knowledge application. In the Nebraska K-12 Science Standards these knowledge levels include the ability to:
Recall or recognize important information, key definitions, terminology, and facts.
Explain the information in one's own words, comprehend how the information is related to
other key facts, and suggest additional interpretations of its meaning or importance.
Apply the facts and principles to new problems or situations, recognize what information is required for a particular situation, explain new phenomena with the information, and determine when there are exceptions.
Analyze the underlying details of important facts and principles, and recognize the key relations and patterns that are not always readily visible.
Arrange and combine important information, facts, and principles to produce a new idea, plan, procedure, or product.
Make judgments about information in terms of accuracy, precision, consistency, or effectiveness.
The level of achievement in investigation and understanding will vary based on the average developmental level of students in grades 1, 4, 8, and 12. This also allows flexibility in establishing the scope and sequence of investigative skills and understanding.
Therefore, the use of "investigate" and "understand" allows each content standard to become the basis for a broad range of teaching objectives, which the local school will develop and refine to meet the intent of the Nebraska K-12 Science Standards.
UNIFYING CONCEPTS AND PROCESSES:
Systems, Order, and Organization
Systems system is an organized group of related objects or components that form a whole. Systems can consist, for example, of organisms, machines, fundamental particles, galaxies, ideas, numbers, transportation, and education. The goal is to help students think and analyze in terms of systems.
Order is the behavior of units of matter, objects, organisms, or events in the universe. The goal is to help students develop knowledge about factors influencing objects, organisms, systems, or events.
Organization is a hierarchic and systematic way of thinking about the world. The goal is to help students describe physical and living systems at different levels of organization.
Evidence, Models, and Explanations
Evidence consists of observations and data on which to base scientific explanations. The goal is to help students use evidence to understand interactions and predict changes.
Models are tentative schemes or structures that correspond to real objects, events, or classes of events, and that have explanatory power. The goal is to help students learn how to make and use many models, including physical objects, plans, mental constructs, mathematical equations, and computer simulations.
Explanations provide interpretation, meaning, or sense to objects, organisms, or events. Explanations incorporate existing scientific knowledge and new evidence from observations, experiments, or models into internally consistent, logical statements, such as hypotheses, laws, principles, and theories. The goal is to help students create explanations which incorporate a scientific knowledge base, logic, and higher levels of analysis.
Constancy, Change, and Measurement
Constancy is uniformity in nature, value, and extent. The goal is to help students recognize those conditions or values that cannot change or be changed.
Change denotes making something different. Changes in systems vary in rate, scale, and pattern, including trends and cycles. The goal is for students to identify and measure changes in properties of materials, positions of objects, motion, and form and function of systems.
Measurement makes quantitative observations about objects, events, or systems. The goal is to help students use tools of measurement and measurement systems and to achieve understandings of scales and rates.
Form and Function
Form is the shape of an object. The goal is for students to use form to explain function.
Function is the normal or characteristic action of anything. The goal is for students to use function to explain form.
Evolution and Equilibrium
Evolution is a series of changes, some gradual and some sporadic, that account for the present form and function of objects, organisms, and natural and designed systems. The goal is for students to recognize that objects & systems change over time.
Equilibrium is the physical state in which forces and changes occur in opposite and off-setting directions. The goal is for students to recognize systems that are in equilibrium.
The Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition (SAT-9) contains one subtest for Science at each level. In levels SESAT 1 - Primary 2, the Science subtest is titled 'Environment.
Physical Science
The Physical Science unit includes properties of objects, motion of objects, matter, energy, light, heat, electricity, magnetism, and force.
Research and Inquiry
The Research and Inquiry unit includes the history and development of science and scientists, investigation techniques, the use of instruments in science, communication of scientific concepts, and real world issues that surround science, technology, and mathematics.
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