Mission, Vision, Competencies, Standards, and Benchmarks

‣ Investigate fossil records which provide evidence that changes have occurred in
number and types of species.
‣ Understand reproduction is necessary for the continuation of every species.
‣ Explain that characteristics of an organism are a result of inherited traits received
from parent(s).
Physical Science 8
‣ Calculate the amount of change in movement of an object based on the weight of the
object and the amount of force exerted.
‣ Investigate light and sound as forms of energy that behave in predictable ways.
‣ Use various means to investigate that all matter is made up of small particles
called atoms.
‣ Explain changes of states of matter using a model of matter composed of atoms
and/or molecules that are in motion.
‣ Investigate two categories of energy: kinetic and potential.
‣ Describe an object’s motion by its speed and the direction in which it is moving.
‣ Investigate properties of matter determined by the arrangement of atoms.
‣ Describe how energy can be transformed from one form to another or can be
transferred from one location to another, but is never lost.
‣ Investigate how energy can be transferred through a variety of ways.
‣ Investigate how some forces between objects act when the objects are in direct
contact or when they are not touching.
‣ Experiment with force magnitude and direction.
‣ Investigate different types of potential energy.
To complete the minimum science requirement for High School graduation, the student will
work to build the following skills and content understandings:
Scientific Inquiry and Application
‣ Understand and perform scientific inquiry, utilize measuring devices, distinguish
between observation and inference, report data in appropriate units, and evaluate
evidence and make determinations based on evidence.
‣ Evaluate or design scientific investigations to formulate and/or revise scientific
explanations and models.
‣ Evaluate information derived from popular and technical sources to determine its
scientific validity in making evidence-based decisions.
‣ Know and apply safe investigative techniques.
‣ Explain how and why a particular scientific theory or protocol may have changed
over time.
‣ Develop classification systems, formulate scientific models, and evaluate those
models from a historical perspective.
‣ Discuss current social issues using scientific concepts and vocabulary.
Physical Science
‣ Describe matter by various classifications depending upon the characteristics that are
observable with/without magnification such as (a) pure substances vs. mixtures, (b)
heterogeneous vs. homogeneous mixtures, (c) elements vs. compounds, and (d)
atoms vs. molecules
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