GLE-SciLS
COLORADO MODEL CONTENT
Three Life Science units are described. These can all be taught in one year or they can be distributed across years, depending on the preference of a district.
STANDARD 1:
Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations.
By the end the year, students will be able to:
1b. Use examples to demonstrate that scientific ideas are used to explain previous observations and to predict future events
●describe how an understanding of genes allows us to predict some traits of offspring
1c. Ask questions and state predictions
●restate the question or describe the problem they are answering by doing an investigation
●state a prediction and support it based on prior experiences and/or science knowledge (for example, “I predict _____ because _______.”)
●explain that the more supporting evidence, the better the prediction
1d. Create a written plan for an investigation
●follow multiple-step written directions
●propose possible ways to find the answer to a question they are investigating
1e. Use appropriate tools, technologies, and measurement units to gather and organize data
●use tools (for example, hand lens, microscope, hot plate) typical of science to gather data
●do multiple trials or observations when appropriate and explain the reason for doing so
●find means (showing work)
●set up a bar or line graph labeling the axes with words and numbers when each axis is identified
●answer questions and describe general trends using their graph
●make drawing to illustrate key characteristics of an object or organism and label
1f. Interpret and evaluate data in order to formulate conclusions
●use evidence to generate explanations
●compare results with prediction and answer the question they are investigating
●identify things that could cause their results to differ from the rest of the class (sources of error)
1g. Communicate results of their investigations
●share results and explanations with other students
1h. Use metric units in measuring, calculating, and reporting results
●estimate length using millimeters, centimeters and meters
●label units (mm, cm, m, km)
1i. Explain that scientific investigations sometimes result in unexpected findings that lead to new questions and more investigations
●generate questions during and after an investigation based on their observations, data, or variables
●suggest a simple investigation to answer one of the questions they generate
STANDARD 2:
Physical Science: Students know and understand common properties, forms, and changes in matter and energy.
Note: This standard is not addressed in this model of assigning expectations. All of the physical science benchmarks are described under the heading, “Physical Science.”
STANDARD 3:
Life Science: Students know and understand the characteristics and structure of living things, the processes of life, and how living things interact with each other and their environment.
ADAPTATIONS AND INTERACTIONS
In this unit, students study ways that organisms interact with each other and with their environment. Over time, some of these interactions result in adaptations.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
3.1a. Construct and use classification systems based on the structure of organisms
●list physical characteristics of a plant and/or animal that could be useful for identification
●select and use one characteristic to sort a group of plants or animals
3.1b. Describe the importance of plant and animal adaptations, including local examples
●explain how a characteristic of an organism might be important for the survival
of that organism
●use a local plant or animal to explain how a characteristic improves its chances of survival in its habitat
3.1c. Create and interpret food chains and food webs (see also, 3.2b)
●create a food web based on the information in a reading or from a video and explain the flow of matter and/or energy through it
●describe the flow of matter and/or energy through a particular ecosystem based on the information provided in a food web
3.1d. Explain the interaction and interdependence of nonliving and living components within ecosystems
●name examples of nonliving components of an ecosystem
●describe at least five examples of nonliving characteristics of the local environment
●explain how one of the nonliving characteristics of the local environment has affected the types of plants and animals that live there
3.1e. Describe how an environment's ability to provide food, water, space, and essential nutrients determines carrying capacity
●explain what is meant by the term carrying capacity
●list several factors that could limit the size of an animal population
●graph and interpret data that shows the change in population size over time
●use an example to describe factors that limited the population of a particular plant or animal species
3.2a. Describe the basic processes of photosynthesis and its importance to life
●explain the relationship between the needs of a plant (light, air, water, and the right environmental conditions) and the raw materials of photosynthesis
●describe what happens to a plant when it doesn’t get light
●provide evidence that plants don’t use soil for food
3.2b. Compare and contrast food webs within and between different ecosystems and predict the consequences of disrupting one of the organisms in a food web
●predict at least four consequences of adding or removing one organism from a food web
●describe a particular situation where one type of organism was changed and it affected other populations
3.4e. Describe the role of organisms in the decomposition and recycling of dead organisms
●describe how the appearance of an object (for example, leaf, apple, banana peel, grasshopper carcass) changes as it decomposes
●sort materials into two categories, those that decompose fairly quickly and those that are likely to take much longer to decompose
●list examples of organisms that play a role in decomposition
●describe several factors that affect the rate of decomposition
●explain what is meant by the term decomposition
FROM SYSTEMS TO CELLS
In this unit, students learn how body systems allow an organism to meet the needs of all its cells. Students are encouraged to think in terms of cells and carbon.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
3.2a. Describe the basic processes of photosynthesis and respiration and their importance to life
●know that all cells need a source of matter and energy
●know that plant cells use the carbon in carbon dioxide as their source of matter to produce leaves, roots, and all the other parts of a plant
●know that when cells take apart food, the carbon is released as carbon dioxide
●identify where carbon dioxide is produced
3.2c. Describe ways that multicellular organisms get food and other matter to their cells
●describe why carbon is in all the food an animal eats
●identify capillaries as being where nutrients and gases are exchanged between cells and the blood
●describe the role of the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems in getting food, water, and oxygen to cells
●compare how these three systems work in humans with that of another mammal (for example, a pig)
3.2d. Explain the recycling of materials by describing the transfer of carbon
●explain the source of the carbon dioxide in the air we exhale
●describe how carbon moves back and forth between plants and animals
3.3a. Describe the observable components and functions of a cell
●identify cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus, cytoplasm, and chloroplasts on a drawing of a cell
●list at least three things a particular cell type does or that go on inside the cell
●explain that all living things are made up of cells (this is one way to distinguish living from nonliving)
●estimate the length of a cell viewed through a microscope
●provide evidence that some things can pass through a cell membrane
3.3b. Compare and contrast the basic structures and functions of different types of cells
●list two ways that plant cells generally differ from animal cells and explain the reason for these differences
●explain how the general shape of a specialized cell type (muscle, nerve, red blood cell, sperm, egg, bone) correlates with its function
3.3d. Describe the structures and functions of human body systems
●name the main organs that make up the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous, and reproductive systems (and recall the names of the main organs that make up the digestive and respiratory systems)
●create a visual that shows the relationship between cells, tissues, organs, and systems using a specific system as an example
●provide evidence that the organs of the body are made up of cells
●explain how the structure of a particular organ reflects its function
●describe why the skin is important for protection
●provide several examples of ways that body systems interact
●explain the relationship between the needs of human, needs of cells, and functions of body systems
3.3e. Describe and give examples of communicable and non-communicable diseases
●sort common health problems into two groups—communicable and non-communicable
●describe several ways that communicable diseases can be passed from one person to another
●identify bacteria and viruses as being two types of microorganisms that cause communicable disease
REPRODUCTION AND HEREDITY
In this unit, students learn about the continuity of life, how the characteristics of a species are passed from one generation to the next.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
3.3c. Describe the growth and development of humans
●describe the changes that take place in an ovary and uterus during a menstrual cycle
●give examples of changes that take place throughout the life span of a human—from birth through death
3.4a. Describe the purpose of body cell division and sex cell division
●sketch the chromosomes in the new cells that form when the parent cell divides by either body cell division or by sex cell division
●list several examples of tissues where body cell division takes place
●describe three reasons why the body needs to be able to produce more cells
●explain what would happen to chromosome number if egg and sperm formed by body cell division instead of by sex cell division
3.4b. Describe the role of chromosomes and genes in heredity
●describe why a child inherits half its genes from one parent and half from the other
●predict the sex of an unborn baby when the sex of the siblings is known
●explain why there is a 50% probability with any pregnancy that the child will be a girl (or a boy)
●draw or use a model to show the relationship between cells, chromosomes, and genes
●predict the possible outcomes of a cross when the parents’ gene pairs are known
June 20, 2001 44 Colorado Grade Level Expectations
●predict the parents’ gene pairs when the offspring’s characteristics are known
●use an example to show why it is possible for an offspring to look different from either parent for a particular trait
STANDARD 4:
Earth and Space Science: Students know and understand the processes and interactions of Earth’s systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space.
Note: This standard is not addressed in this model of assigning expectations. All of the earth and space science benchmarks are described under the heading, “Earth and Space Science.”
STANDARD 5:
Students know and understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world.
Note: This standard is not addressed as a separate unit; rather, it is integrated into many of the units at each grade level.
By the end of the year, students will be able to:
5a. Investigate and describe the extent of human uses of renewable and nonrenewable resources
●describe the appearance of coal and wood before and after burning
●summarize where coal and wood come from
●realize that the burning of coal and wood releases carbon dioxide
5d. Describe how people use science and technology in their professions
●explain that doctors and other health professionals use tools such as microscopes, x-rays, and stethoscopes to learn things about the body that they can’t see using only their senses
STANDARD 6:
Students understand that science involves a particular way of knowing and understand common connections among scientific disciplines.
Note: This standard is not addressed as a separate unit; rather, it should be integrated where appropriate into the units at each grade level.
By the end of the year, students will be able to:
6b. Give examples of how scientific knowledge changes as new knowledge is acquired and previous ideas are modified
●describe how Jean van Helmont’s experiment with a willow tree changed our understanding of where the mass of a plant comes from
6c. Describe contributions to the advancement of science made by people in different cultures and at different times in history
●describe Robert Hooke’s contribution to our understanding of the structure of living things
●know when and where Robert Hooke lived
6d. Identify variables and conditions related to change
●identify variables that are likely to affect the size of a population
6e. Identify and illustrate natural cycles within systems
●explain why the term carbon cycle is used to explain the movement of carbon within an ecosystem
6f. Use a model to understand a process
●use models of sex chromosomes to show why the sex ratio is 50/50
●use a model to show how offspring inherit traits from their parents
