Students understand the nature of scientific ways of thinking. Students understand that scientific investigation grows from the contributions of many people.

READINESS (Kindergarten)

Students know and are able to do the following:

• 2SC-R1. Understand that all people can and do participate in science

PO 1. Give examples of how diverse people (e.g. children, weathermen, cooks, healthcare workers, gardeners) participate in science

FOUNDATIONS (Grades 1-3)

Students know and are able to do all of the above and the following:

• 2SC-F1. Recognize that scientific contributions have been made by all kinds of people everywhere in the world

PO 1. Describe how people and cultures, past and present, have made important contributions to scientific knowledge

• 2SC-F2. Understand that scientific inquiry has produced much knowledge about the world, that much is still unknown, and that some things will always be unknown

PO 1. Describe the results of scientific inquiry in the world (e.g., a timeline of inventions, progression from simple to mechanized tools, understanding weather patterns)

PO 2. Explain how inquiry develops into further exploration of the unknown

• 2SC-F3. Understand that science involves asking and answering questions and comparing the results to what is already known

PO 1. Explain how asking and answering questions are part of the process of a scientific investigation

PO 2. Compare prior knowledge to the results of a scientific investigation

ESSENTIALS (Grades 4-8)

Students know and are able to do all of the above and the following:

• 2SC-E1. Identify major milestones in science that have revolutionized the thinking of the time

PO 1. Describe major scientific contributions

PO 1. Describe the effects of major scientific events on society

PO 2. Describe a recent scientific event that has impacted the quality of life

PO 1. Describe how science has helped technology change over time

PO 2. Describe how technology has helped science change over time

PO 1. Describe a technological discovery that influences science

PO 2. Describe a scientific discovery that influences technology

PO 3. Determine scientific processes involved in a technological advancement

• 2SC-E3. Provide different explanations for a phenomenon; defend and refute the explanations

PO 1. Propose several possible explanations for a scientific phenomenon

PO 2. Provide evidence to defend an explanation for a scientific phenomenon

PO 3. Provide evidence to refute an explanation for a scientific phenomenon

PO 1. Analyze different theories to explain a phenomenon

PO 2. Defend or refute the explanation of a phenomenon

• 2SC-E4. Identify characteristics of scientific ways of thinking

PO 1. Describe a variety of ways scientists generate ideas

PO 1. Describe the following scientific processes: observing, communicating, comparing, organizing, relating, inferring and applying

• 2SC-E5. Explain how scientific theory, hypothesis generation and experimentation are interrelated

PO 1. Explain the role of a hypothesis in scientific inquiry

PO 2. Explain the role of experimentation in scientific inquiry

PO 3. Describe how a scientific theory can be developed and modified

PO 1. Describe the relationship between theory and hypotheses

PO 2. Describe how experimental procedures can be formulated to test a hypothesis

PO 3. Explain how experimental results may affect a hypothesis and a theory

• 2SC-E6. Demonstrate how Science is an ongoing process of gathering and evaluating information, assessing evidence for and against theories and hypotheses, looking for patters, and then devising and testing possible explanations.

PROFICIENCY (Grades 9-12)

Students know and are able to do all of the above and the following:

• 2SC-P1. Identify and describe key factors (e.g., technology, competitiveness, world events, personalities, societal views) that affect the development and acceptance of scientific thought

PO 1. Define key factors that affect the development of scientific thought

PO 2. Describe how different key factors affect the development and acceptance of scientific thought

• 2SC-P2. Explain how scientific innovations can challenge accepted ideas

PO 1. Describe how an accepted idea could be challenged by scientific innovation

• 2SC-P3. Explain the impact on society of major scientific developments (e.g., germ theory, molecular biology, relativity)

PO 1. Describe the benefits, limitations, and consequences of major scientific developments in pure and applied science

PO 2. Explain how major scientific developments in pure and applied science have affected, or could affect, society

• 2SC-P4. Trace the development and consequences of an invention, theory or discovery to demonstrate the dynamic nature of science

PO 1. Trace the development of a selected invention, theory or discovery from its inception to modern day

PO 2. Explain the progression of changes in the invention, theory or discovery

PO 3. Describe the impact of the invention, theory or discovery on further scientific thought

• 2SC-P5. Explain how theory, law and fact are developed in science to answer a specific question

PO 1. Define theory, law and fact

PO 2. Describe the relationships among theories, laws and facts

PO 3. Explain how theories, laws and facts are used to answer specific Questions

• 2SC-P6. Analyze evidence that supports past and current scientific theories about a specific topic

PO 1. Distinguish between evidence which supports a given scientific theory (e.g., model of the atom, plate tectonics, natural selection) and evidence which does not support the theory 

DISTINCTION (Honors)

Students know and are able to do all of the above and the following:

• 2SC-D1. Conduct a detailed case study of the societal response to a major scientific finding or theory (e.g., theories of Einstein, Galileo, Copernicus)