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Hoofin' It!
National Standards
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National Science Standards: (see Activities legend)
return to generalized science standards

Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry

Grades K-4:

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry: [1, 2, 3, 4]
  
• ask a question about objects, organisms and events in the environment; 1, 2, 3, 4
  
• plan and conduct a simple investigation; 1, 2, 4
  
• employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses; 1, 4
  
• use data to construct a reasonable explanation; 1, 3
  
• communicate investigations and explanations;1, 2, 3, 4
• Understanding about scientific inquiry: [1, 2, 4]
  • scientific investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing the answer; 1, 2, 3, 4
  • scientists use different kinds of investigations; 1, 2, 4
  • simple instruments provide more information than using only senses; 4
  • scientists develop explanations using observations and what they already know; 1, 3, 4
  • scientists make the results public; 2, 3, 4
  • scientists review and ask questions about the results of other scientists' work. 2, 4

Grades 5-8:

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry: [1, 2, 3, 4]
  
• identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations; 1, 2, 3, 4
  
• design and conduct a scientific investigation;1, 2, 4
  
• use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data; 1, 2, 3, 4
  
• develop descriptions, explanations, predictions and models using evidence; 3, 4
• think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations; 1, 3
• recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions;
  
• communicate scientific procedures and explanations; 1, 2, 3, 4
• use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry. 1, 2, 3, 4
• Understanding about scientific inquiry [1, 2, 3, 4]
  • different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigation; 1, 2, 3, 4
  • current scientific knowledge and understanding guide investigations; 2, 3
  • mathematics is important in all aspects of scientific inquiry; 1, 3, 4
  • technology used to gather data enhances accuracy and analysis; 4
  • scientific explanations emphasize evidence;1, 3, 4
  • science advances through legitimate skepticism, answering and querying others' work;4
  • scientific investigations can result in new ideas or methods for study;

Grades 9-12:

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry:[1, 2, 3, 4]
  
• identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations; 1, 2, 3, 4
  
• design and conduct a scientific investigation; 1, 2, 4
• use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications; 3, 4
• formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence; 1, 4
• recognize and analyze alternative explanations and models; 1
• communicate and defend a scientific argument; 1, 2
  
• Understanding about scientific inquiry [1, 3, 4]
  • scientists usually inquire about how systems function, concepts guide inquiry, history and knowledge influence design and interpretation; 1
  • scientists conduct investigations for a wide variety of reasons; 1, 4
  • scientists rely on technology to enhance the gathering and manipulation of data; 4
  • mathematics is essential in scientific inquiry; 1, 3, 4
  • scientific explanations must adhere to criteria, including logic, consistency, etc.
  • results of inquiry - new knowledge and methods - emerge from different types of investigations and public communication between scientists; 3

Content Standard C: Life Science

Grades K-4:

• The characteristics of organisms [1, 2]
  • organisms have basic needs, the world has many different environments; 1, 2
  • each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction;1, 2
  • behavior of organisms is influenced by internal and external cues; 1, 2
• Life cycles of organisms [2]
  • Plants and animals have life cycles; 2
  • Plants and animals closely resemble their parents;2
  • many characteristics are inherited, others come from interactions with the environment; 2
• Organisms and environments [2]
  • all animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food;2
  • an organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's environment, when the environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, and others die or move; 2
  • all organisms cause changes in the environment where they live, some are detrimental, some are beneficial;
  • humans depend on their natural and constructed environments, humans change the environment;
    
    

Grades 5-8:

• Structure and function in living systems
  • living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary natures of structure and function;
  • all organisms are composed of cells;
  • cells carry on the many functions need to sustain life;
  • specialized cells perform specialized functions in multicellular organisms;
  • the human organism has systems that interact with each other;
  • disease is a breakdown in structures or functions;
• Reproduction and heredity [1, 2, 3]
  • reproduction is a characteristic of all living systems and is essential to the continuation of every species;2, 3
  • sexual reproduction includes egg and sperm and the transfer of genetic information;
  • every organism requires a set of instructions for specifying its traits;
  • hereditary information is contained in genes;
  • characteristics of an organism are a combination of inherited traits and traits from interactions with the environment; 1
• Regulation and Behavior [1, 2, 3]
  • all organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing environment;1, 2, 3
  • regulation of an organisms internal environment involves sensing it and changing physiological activities;2
  • behavior is one kind of response to an internal or environmental stimulus, it is a set of actions determined by heredity and experience;2
  • behavior evolves through adaptation;2
• Populations and Ecosystems [1, 2, 3, 4]
• a population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time; populations living together compose an ecosystem; 1, 3, 4
• populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an ecosystem;
• sunlight is the major source of energy for ecosystems;
• the number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources;2, 3
  
• Diversity and adaptations of organisms
  • millions of species are alive today, they may look dissimilar, but the unity is apparent from their internal structures; 1
  • biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed over many generations; species acquire many characteristics through biological adaptation;
  • extinction occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient.
  
  
  

Grades 9-12:

• The cell
• Molecular basis of heredity
• Biological evolution [1, 2]
  • species evolve over time;
  • the great diversity of organisms is the result of evolution;
  • millions of different species are related by descent from common ancestors;
  • biological classifications are based on how organisms are related, classification is hierarchical based on similarities; 1, 2
• Interdependence of organisms
  • atoms and molecules cycle in the biosphere;
  • energy flows through ecosystems in one direction; 1, 2
  • organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems, the interrelationships may generate ecosystems stable for hundreds or thousands of years; 1, 2
  • living organisms have the capacity to produce populations of infinite size, but environments and resources are finite; 2, 3
  • human beings live within the world's ecosystems, humans alter habitats and ecosystems could be irreversibly affected;
• Matter, energy, and organization in living systems
  • all matter tends toward more disorganization;
  • energy for life primarily derives from the sun;
  • chemical bonds of food molecules contain energy;
  • complexity and organization of organisms accommodates the need for obtaining, transforming, transporting, releasing and eliminating matter and energy used to sustain the organism; 1, 2
  • distribution and abundance are limited by availability of matter and energy;2
  • as matter and energy flow through living systems, chemical elements are recombined in different ways;
• Behavior of organisms
  
• multicellular animals have nervous systems that generate behavior;
• organisms have behavioral responses to internal changes and to external stimuli, behavior must be flexible to deal with uncertainty and change in the environment;2, 3
• behaviors have evolved through natural selection;
• behavioral biology has implications for humans, as it provides links to psychology, sociology and anthropology.
  
  

Content Standard E: Science and Technology

Grades K-4:

• Abilities of technological design :
  
• identify a simple problem ;
  
• propose a solution;
  
• implementing proposed solutions;
  
• evaluate a product or design;
  
• communicate a problem, design, and solution;
• Understanding about science and technology [3, 4]
  • Science is one way of answering questions and explaining the natural world; [3, 4]
  • people have always had problems and invented tools and techniques to solve them;
  • scientists and engineers often work in teams with different individuals doing different things that contribute to the results;
  • women and men of all ages, backgrounds and groups engage in scientific and technological work;
  • tools help scientists make better observations, measurements, and equipment for investigations; [4]
• Abilities to distinguish between natural objects and objects made by humans
  • some objects occur in nature, others have been designed and made by people to solve human problems and enhance the quality of life;
  • objects can be categorized into two groups, natural and designed;

Grades 5-8:

• Abilities of technological design:
  
• identify appropriate problems for technological design;
  
• design a solution or product;
  
• implement a proposed design;
  
• evaluate completed technological designs or products;
  
• communicate the process of technological design;
• Understandings about science and technology
  • scientific inquiry and technological design have similarities and differences;
  • many different people in different cultures have contributed to science and technology;
  • science and technology are reciprocal;
  • perfectly designed solutions do not exist;
  • technological designs have constraints;
  • technological solutions have intended benefits and unintended consequences;

Grades 9-12:

• Abilities of technological design
  
• identify a problem or design an opportunity;
• propose designs and choose between alternative solutions;
• implement a proposed solution;
• evaluate the solution and its consequences;
• communicate the problem, process, and solution;
  
• Understandings about science and technology
  • scientists in different disciplines ask different questions, use different methods and accept different types of evidence, many investigations require contributions from different disciplines;
  • science often advances with the introduction of new technologies;
  • creativity, imagination and a good knowledge base are all required;
  • science and technology are pursued for different purposes, science tries to understand the world, technology tries to meet human needs;
  • technological knowledge is often not made public because of patents and the financial potential of the idea or invention;

National Math Standards: (see Activities legend)
return to generalized math standards

Number and Operations

Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems: [2, 3, 4]

• preK-2:
  
• count with understanding and recognize "how many" in sets of objects; 2, 3, 4
• use multiple models to develop initial understandings of place value and the base-ten number system;
• develop understanding of the relative position and magnitude of whole numbers and of ordinal and cardinal numbers and their connections;
• develop a sense of whole numbers and represent and use them in flexible ways, including relating, composing, and decomposing numbers;
• connect number words and numerals to the quantities they represent, using various physical models and representations; 3, 4
• understand and represent commonly used fractions, such as 1/4, 1/3, and 1/2.
  
• 3-5:
• understand the place-value structure of the base-ten number system and be able to represent and compare whole numbers and decimals;
• recognize equivalent representations for the same number and generate them by decomposing and composing numbers;
• develop understanding of fractions as parts of unit wholes, as parts of a collections, as locations on number lines, and as divisions of whole numbers;
• use models, benchmarks, and equivalent forms to judge the size of fractions;
• recognize and generate equivalent forms of commonly used fractions, decimals, and percents;
• explore numbers less than 0 by extending the number line and through familiar applications;
• describe classes of numbers according to characteristics such as the nature of their factors;
• 6-8: [3, 4]
• work flexibly with fractions, decimals, and percents to solve problems;
• compare and order fractions, decimals, and percents efficiently and find their approximate locations on a number line;
• develop meaning for percents greater than 100 and less than 1;
• understand and use ratios and proportions to represent quantitative relationships;
• develop an understanding of large numbers and recognize and appropriately use exponential, scientific, and calculator notation;
• use factors, multiples, prime factorization, and relatively prime numbers to solve problems;
• develop meaning for integers and represent and compare quantities with them. [3, 4]
• 9-12:
  • develop a deeper understanding of very large and very small numbers and of various representations of them;
  • compare and contrast the properties of numbers and number systems, including the rational and real numbers, and understand complex numbers as solutions to quadratic equations that do not have real solutions;
  • understand vectors and matrices as systems that have some of the properties of the real-number system;
  • use number-theory arguments to justify relationships involving whole numbers;

 

Algebra

Use mathematical models to represent and understand quantitative relationships: [2 ,3, 4]

• preK-2:
  
• model situations that involve the addition and subtraction of whole numbers, using objects, pictures, and symbols;
  
• 3-5:
• model problem situations with objects and use representations such as graphs, tables, and equations to draw conclusions;2, 3, 4
• 6-8:
• model and solve contextualized problems using various representations, such as graphs, tables, and equations; 2, 3, 4
• 9-12:
  • identify essential quantitative relationships in a situation and determine the class or classes of functions that might model the relationships;
  • use symbolic expressions, including iterative and recursive forms, to represent relationships arising from various contexts;
  • draw reasonable conclusions about a situation being modeled;

Analyze change in various contexts: [2, 3, 4]

• preK-2:
  
• describe qualitative change, such as a student's growing taller; 2, 3, 4
• describe quantitative change, such as a student's growing two inches in one year; 2, 3, 4
  
• 3-5:
• investigate how a change in one variable relates to a change in a second variable; 2, 3, 4
• identify and describe situations with constant or varying rates of change and compare them;
• 6-8:
• use graphs to analyze the nature of changes in quantities in linear relationships;
• 9-12:
  • approximate and interpret rates of change from graphical and numerical data; 3, 4

Data Analysis and Probability

Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them: [1, 2, 3, 4]

• preK-2:
  
• pose questions and gather data about themselves and their surroundings; 2, 3, 4
• sort and classify objects according to their attributes and organize data about the objects; 1
• represent data using concrete objects, pictures, and graphs; 2, 3, 4
  
• 3-5:
• design investigations to address a question and consider how data-collection methods affect the nature of the data set;
• collect data using observations, surveys, and experiments; 4
• represent data using tables and graphs such as line plots, bar graphs, and line graphs; 2, 3
• recognize the differences in representing categorical and numerical data;
• 6-8:
• formulate questions, design studies, and collect data about a characteristic shared by two populations or different characteristics within one population;
• select, create, and use appropriate graphical representations of data, including histograms, box plots, and scatterplots. 2, 3, 4
• 9-12:
  • understand the differences among various kinds of studies and which types of inferences can legitimately be drawn from each;
  • know the characteristics of well-designed studies, including the role of randomization in surveys and experiments;
  • understand the meaning of measurement data and categorical data, of univariate and bivariate data, and of the term variable;
  • understand histograms, parallel box plots, and scatterplots and use them to display data;
  • compute basic statistics and understand the distinction between a statistic and a parameter;

Select and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data: [2, 3, 4]

• preK-2:
  
• describe parts of the data and the set of data as a whole to determine what the data show; 2, 3, 4
  
• 3-5:
• describe the shape and important features of a set of data and compare related data sets, with an emphasis on how the data are distributed; 3, 4
• use measures of center, focusing on the median, and understand what each does and does not indicate about the data set; 3
• compare different representations of the same data and evaluate how well each representation shows important aspects of the data. 3, 4
• 6-8:
• find, use, and interpret measures of center and spread, including mean and interquartile range; 3
• discuss and understand the correspondence between data sets and their graphical representations, especially histograms, stem-and-leaf plots, box plots, and scatterplots; 3
• 9-12:
  • for univariate measurement data, be able to display the distribution, describe its shape, and select and calculate summary statistics; 3
  • for bivariate measurement data, be able to display a scatterplot, describe its shape, and determine regression coefficients, regression equations, and correlation coefficients using technological tools;
  • display and discuss bivariate data where at least one variable is categorical;
  • recognize how linear transformations of univariate data affect shape, center, and spread;
  • identify trends in bivariate data and find functions that model the data or transform the data so that they can be modeled.

Communication

Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication

Communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers and others 3, 4

Analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others

Use the language of mathematics to express mathematical ideas precisely

 

Connections

Recognize and use connections among mathematical ideas

Understand how mathematical ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a coherent whole

Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics 2, 3, 4

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