5.5: All students will gain an understanding of the structure, characteristics, and basic needs of organisms and will investigate the diversity of life.

5.5.A: Matter, Energy and Organization in Living Systems

5.5.A.1: Relate the structure of molecules to their function in cellular structure and metabolism.

Cell Structure
Photosynthesis Lab

5.5.A.2: Explain how plants convert light energy to chemical energy.

Cell Energy Cycle
Interdependence of Plants and Animals
Photosynthesis Lab

5.5.A.3: Describe how plants produce substances high in energy content that become the primary source of energy for life.

Cell Energy Cycle
Food Chain
Forest Ecosystem
Photosynthesis Lab
Prairie Ecosystem

5.5.B: Diversity and Biological Evolution

5.5.B.1: Explain that through evolution the Earth's present species developed from earlier distinctly different species.

Evolution: Mutation and Selection
Human Evolution - Skull Analysis

5.5.B.2: Explain how the theory of natural selection accounts for extinction as well as an increase in the proportion of individuals with advantageous characteristics within a species.

Evolution: Mutation and Selection
Natural Selection

5.5.C: Reproduction and Heredity

5.5.C.1: Describe how information is encoded and transmitted in genetic material.

Chicken Genetics
DNA Fingerprint Analysis
Mouse Genetics (One Trait)
Mouse Genetics (Two Traits)

5.5.C.2: Explain how genetic material can be altered by natural and/or artificial means; mutations and new gene combinations may have positive, negative, or no effect on organisms or species.

Evolution: Mutation and Selection

5.5.C.3: Assess the impact of current and emerging technologies on our understanding of inherited human characteristics.

Evolution: Mutation and Selection
Human Karyotyping
Microevolution
Natural Selection

5.6: All students will gain an understanding of the structure and behavior of matter.

5.6.A: Structure and Properties of Matter

5.6.A.1: Know that atoms are made of a positive nucleus surrounded by negative electrons and that the nucleus, a tiny fraction of the volume of an atom, is composed of protons and neutrons, each almost 2,000 times more massive than an electron.

Electron Configuration
Element Builder
Nuclear Decay

5.6.A.2: Know that the number of protons in the nucleus defines the element.

Bohr Model of Hydrogen
Covalent Bonds
Electron Configuration
Element Builder
Ionic Bonds
Nuclear Decay

5.6.A.3: Know that an atom’s electron arrangement, particularly the outermost electrons, determines how the atom can interact with other atoms.

Covalent Bonds
Electron Configuration
Element Builder
Ionic Bonds

5.6.A.4: Explain that atoms form bonds (ionic and covalent) with other atoms by transferring or sharing electrons.

Covalent Bonds
Ionic Bonds

5.6.A.5: Explain how the Periodic Table of Elements reflects the relationship between the properties of elements and their atomic structure.

Electron Configuration

5.6.A.6: Know that many biological, chemical and physical phenomena can be explained by changes in the arrangement and motion of atoms and molecules.

Dehydration Synthesis
Temperature and Particle Motion

5.6.A.7: Recognize that the properties of matter are related to the structure and arrangement of their molecules and atoms, such as in metallic and nonmetallic crystals and carbon compounds.

Covalent Bonds
Dehydration Synthesis
Ionic Bonds

5.6.A.8: Know that different levels of energy are associated with different arrangements of electrons.

Bohr Model of Hydrogen
Bohr Model: Introduction
Electron Configuration

5.6.B: Chemical Reactions

5.6.B.1: Explain that the rate of reactions among atoms and molecules depends on how often they encounter one another and that the rate is affected by nature of reactants, concentration, pressure, temperature, and the presence of a catalyst.

Collision Theory

5.7: All students will gain an understanding of natural laws as they apply to motion, forces, and energy transformations.

5.7.A: Motion and Forces

5.7.A.1: Apply the mathematical relationship between the mass of an object, the net force exerted on it, and the resulting acceleration.

Atwood Machine
Fan Cart Physics
Force and Fan Carts
Freefall Laboratory
Inclined Plane - Sliding Objects
Uniform Circular Motion

5.7.A.2: Explain that whenever one object exerts a force on another, an equal and opposite force is exerted on the first object.

2D Collisions
Air Track
Atwood Machine
Fan Cart Physics
Force and Fan Carts
Gravitational Force
Uniform Circular Motion

5.7.A.3: Recognize gravity as a universal force of attraction between masses and that the force is proportional to the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Gravitational Force

5.7.A.4: Recognize that electrically charged bodies can attract or repel each other with a force that depends upon the size and nature of the charges and the distance between them and know that electric forces play an important role in explaining the structure and properties of matter.

Charge Launcher
Coulomb Force (Static)
Pith Ball Lab

5.7.A.5: Know that there are strong forces that hold the nucleus of an atom together and that significant amounts of energy can be released in nuclear reactions (fission, fusion, and nuclear decay) when these binding forces are disrupted.

Nuclear Decay

5.7.A.6: Explain how electromagnetic, gravitational, and nuclear forces can be used to produce energy by causing chemical, physical, or nuclear changes and relate the amount of energy produced to the nature and relative strength of the force.

Golf Range!
Gravity Pitch
Pith Ball Lab

5.7.B: Energy Transformations

5.7.B.1: Explain how the various forms of energy (heat, electricity, sound, light) move through materials and identify the factors that affect that movement.

Energy Conversions
Photoelectric Effect

5.7.B.2: Explain that while energy can be transformed from one form to another, the total energy of a closed system is constant.

Energy Conversion in a System
Energy Conversions
Energy of a Pendulum
Inclined Plane - Sliding Objects
Period of a Pendulum
Roller Coaster Physics
Simple Harmonic Motion

5.7.B.3: Recognize that whenever mechanical energy is transformed, some heat is dissipated and is therefore unavailable for use.

Energy Conversions
Inclined Plane - Simple Machine

5.7.B.4: Explain the nature of electromagnetic radiation and compare the components of the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays.

Radiation

5.8: All students will gain an understanding of the structure, dynamics, and geophysical systems of the earth.

5.8.B: Atmosphere and Water

5.8.B.1: Describe how weather (in the short term) and climate (in the long term) involve the transfer of energy in and out of the atmosphere.

Coastal Winds and Clouds
Energy Conversions
Seasons Around the World
Seasons in 3D
Seasons: Earth, Moon, and Sun
Seasons: Why do we have them?

5.8.C: Processes that Shape the Earth

5.8.C.1: Use the theory of plate tectonics to explain the relationship among earthquakes, volcanoes, mid-ocean ridges, and deep-sea trenches.

Earthquake - Determination of Epicenter
Earthquake - Recording Station
Plate Tectonics

5.8.C.2: Know that Earth is a system in which chemical elements exist in fixed amounts and move through the solid Earth, oceans, atmosphere, and living things as part of geochemical cycles.

Rock Cycle
Water Cycle

5.8.C.3: Recognize that the evolution of life on Earth has changed the composition of Earth’s atmosphere through time.

Human Evolution - Skull Analysis

5.8.D: How We Study the Earth

5.8.D.1: Analyze the evidence produced by a variety of techniques that is used to understand changes in the Earth that have occurred over time.

5.8.D.1.a: topography

Building Topographical Maps
Reading Topographical Maps

5.8.D.1.b: fossils

Human Evolution - Skull Analysis

5.8.D.1.e: radiometric data

Half-life

5.9: All students will gain an understanding of the origin, evolution, and structure of the universe.

5.9.C: Stars

5.9.C.1: Describe the physical characteristics, stages of development, and the apparent motions of stars.

H-R Diagram
Star Spectra

5.9.D: Galaxies and Universe

5.9.D.1: Describe data gathering and observation technologies and explain how they are used to explore the solar system and beyond.

Solar System Explorer

5.10: All students will develop an understanding of the environment as a system of interdependent components affected by human activity and natural phenomena.

5.10.B: Human Interactions and Impact

5.10.B.1: Assess the impact of human activities on the cycling of matter and the flow of energy through ecosystems.

Forest Ecosystem
Prairie Ecosystem
Rabbit Population by Season
Water Pollution

5.10.B.2: Use scientific, economic, and other data to assess environmental risks and benefits associated with societal activity.

Greenhouse Effect
Rabbit Population by Season
Water Pollution

5.3: All students will integrate mathematics as a tool for problem-solving in science, and as a means of expressing and/or modeling scientific theories.

5.3.B: Geometry and Measurement

5.3.B.1: When performing mathematical operations with measured quantities, express answers to reflect the degree of precision and accuracy of the input data.

Triple Beam Balance

5.3.C: Patterns and Algebra

5.3.C.1: Apply mathematical models that describe physical phenomena to predict real world events.

Determining a Spring Constant

5.3.D: Data Analysis and Probability

5.3.D.1: Construct and interpret graphs of data to represent inverse and non-linear relationships, and statistical distributions.

Determining a Spring Constant
Force and Fan Carts