Grades K - 4
Educational experiences in Grades K - 4 will assure that students:
- list features (in Grades K-2) which distinguish living, nonliving
and once-living things from one another;
- discuss (in Grades K-2) basic life functions, such as respiration,
movement, elimination, responding to stimuli, taking in food,
and reproduction;
- use instruments (in Grades K-2), such as magnifying glasses,
to observe living and nonliving things more clearly;
- know that living things are composed of cells, which are the
fundamental units of life;
- differentiate between unicellular and multi-cellular organisms;
- compare and group living and nonliving materials for similarities
and differences;
- identify and describe basic cell structure; and
- recognize that all living things, from simple cells to multi-cellular
organisms, share basic characteristics and requirements.
Grades 5 - 8
Educational experiences in Grades 5 - 8 will assure that students:
- identify similarities and differences that characterize different
types of cells (e.g., plant, animal muscle, nerve, bone);
- recognize that basic life processes, such as photo-synthesis
and respiration, occur at the cellular level;
- recognize that tissues and organs in multi-cellular organisms
are made of specialized groups of cells which work together
to perform specific functions;
- understand that cells divide for growth, re-placement, repair
and reproduction; and
- understand that, while most living things are composed of
cells, there are other things such as viruses that are difficult
to identify as living or non-living.
Grades 9 - 12
Educational experiences in Grades 9 - 12 will assure that students:
- understand the role of the cell membrane in control-ling materials
entering and leaving the cell;
- understand that there are specialized structures in the cell
used for energy capture and release;
- explain that the structure and function of cells depends on
proteins, which are made of specific sequences of amino acids
coded by the DNA, that are unique to each individual;
- know that cell behavior can be influenced by other cells,
chemicals or other organisms;
- describe the processes and results of mitosis and meiosis;
- know that cells function in a narrow range of physical conditions,
such as temperature and pH, to carry out life functions that
help them maintain themselves (homeostasis);
- understand that continual solar energy input and the fixing
of solar energy by photosynthetic organisms is necessary for
most life;
- recognize that while viruses lack the standard cellular structure,
they have the genetic material to invade living cells; and
- understand that the matter making up living things is the
same matter found in the physical world.
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The following GEMS guides support this Standard:
Ant Homes Under the Ground
Grades PreK-1
Eggs Eggs Everywhere
Grades PreK-1
Ladybugs
Grades PreK-1
Mother Opossum and Her Babies
Grades PreK-1
Penguins and Their Young
Grades PreK-1
Buzzing A Hive Grades K-3
Terrarium Habitats
Grades K-6
On Sandy Shores Grades 2-4
Aquatic Habitats Grades 2-6
Schoolyard Ecology
Grades 3-6
Microscopic Explorations
Grades 4-8
Environmental Detectives
Grades 5-8
Acid Rain
Grades 6-8
Global Warming & the Greenhouse Effect
Grades 7-8
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