Correlated Ohio Academic Content Standards

The lesson plans in this teachers guide fulfill the following Ohio Academic Content Standards.

Benchmarks

Grades 6-8

Physical Sciences

Benchmark B: In simple cases, describe the motion of objects and conceptually describe the effects of forces on an object.

Benchmark D: Describe that energy takes many forms, including kinetic energy and potential energy, and during energy transformations the total amount of energy remains constant.

Scientific Inquiry

Benchmark B: Analyze and interpret data from scientific investigations using appropriate mathematical skills in order to draw valid conclusions.

Scientific Ways of Knowing

Benchmark A: Use skills of scientific inquiry processes (e.g., hypothesis, record keeping, description and explanation).

Benchmark C: Give examples of how thinking scientifically is helpful in daily life.

Grades 9-10

Physical Sciences

Benchmark D: Explain the movement of objects by applying Newton's three laws of motion.

Benchmark E: Demonstrate that energy can be considered to be either kinetic (motion) or potential (stored).

Benchmark F: Explain how energy may change form or be redistributed, but the total quantity of energy is conserved.

Scientific Inquiry

Benchmark A: Participate in and apply the processes of scientific investigation to create models and to design, conduct, evaluate and communicate the results of these investigations.

Scientific Ways of Knowing

Benchmark A: Explain that scientific knowledge must be: based on evidence, predictive, logical, subject to modification and limited to the natural world.

Benchmark B: Explain how scientific inquiry is guided by knowledge, observations, ideas and questions.

Standards

Grade 6

Scientific Inquiry

1. Explain that there are not fixed procedures for guiding scientific investigations; however, the nature of an investigation determines the procedures needed.

3. Distinguish between observation and inference.

4. Explain that a single example can never prove that something is always correct, but sometimes a single example can disprove something.

Scientific Ways of Knowing

1. Identify that hypotheses are valuable even when they are not supported.

2. Describe why it is important to keep clear, thorough and accurate records.

Grade 7

Physical Sciences

2. Describe how an object can have potential energy due to its position or chemical composition and can have kinetic energy due to its motion.

3. Identify different forms of energy (e.g., electrical, mechanical, chemical, thermal, nuclear, radiant and acoustic).

4. Explain how energy can change forms but the total amount of energy remains constant.

Scientific Inquiry

1. Explain that variables and controls can affect the results of an investigation and that ideally one variable should be tested at a time; however, it is not always possible to control all variables.

2. Identify simple independent and dependent variables.

3. Formulate and identify questions to guide scientific investigations that connect to science concepts and that can be answered through scientific investigations.

7. Use graphs, tables and charts to study physical phenomena and infer mathematical relationships between variables (e.g., speed and density).

Scientific Ways of Knowing

1. Show that the reproducibility of results is essential to reduce bias in scientific investigations.

2. Describe how repetition of an experiment may reduce bias.

3. Describe how the work of science requires a variety of human abilities and qualities that are helpful in daily life (e.g., reasoning, creativity, skepticism and openness).

Grade 8

Physical Sciences

1. Describe how the change in the position (motion) of an object is always judged and described in comparison to a reference point.

2. Explain that motion describes the change in the position of an object (characterized by speed and direction) as time changes.

3. Explain that an unbalanced force acting on an object changes that object's speed and/or direction.

Scientific Inquiry

3. Read, construct and interpret data in various forms produced by self and others in both written and oral form (e.g., tables, charts, maps, graphs, diagrams and symbols).

4. Apply appropriate math skills to interpret quantitative data (e.g., mean, median and mode).

Scientific Ways of Knowing

1. Identify the difference between description (e.g., observation and summary) and explanation (e.g., inference, prediction, significance and importance).

2. Explain why it is important to examine data objectively and not let bias affect observations.

Grade 9

Physical Sciences

12. Explain how an object's kinetic energy depends on its mass and its speed (KE=¹/₂mv ²).

17. Demonstrate that thermal energy can be transferred by conduction, convection or radiation (e.g., through materials by the collision of particles or moving air masses, or across empty space by forms of electromagnetic radiation).

21. Demonstrate that motion is a measurable quantity that depends on the observer's frame of reference and describe the object's motion in terms of position, velocity, acceleration and time.

22. Demonstrate that any object does not accelerate (the object remains at rest or maintains a constant speed and direction of motion) unless an unbalanced (net) force acts on it.

23. Explain the change in motion (acceleration) of an object. Demonstrate that the acceleration is proportional to the net force acting on the object and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. (F net=ma. Note that weight is the gravitational force on a mass.)

24. Demonstrate that whenever one object exerts a force on another, an equal amount of force is exerted back on the first object.

25. Demonstrate the ways in which frictional forces constrain the motion of objects (e.g., a car traveling around a curve, a block on an inclined plane, a person running, an airplane in flight).

Scientific Inquiry

1. Distinguish between observations and inferences given a scientific situation.

3. Construct, interpret and apply physical and conceptual models that represent or explain systems, objects, events or concepts.

5. Develop oral and written presentations using clear language; accurate data; appropriate graphs, tables and maps; and available technology.

6. Draw logical conclusions based on scientific knowledge and evidence from investigations.

Scientific Ways of Knowing

1. Comprehend that many scientific investigations require the contributions of women and men from different disciplines in and out of science. These people study different topics, use different techniques and have different standards of evidence but share a common purpose to better understand a portion of our universe.

2. Illustrate that the methods and procedures used to obtain evidence must be clearly reported to enhance opportunities for further investigations.

3. Demonstrate that reliable scientific evidence improves the ability of scientists to offer accurate predictions.

4. Explain how support of ethical practices in science (e.g., individual observations and confirmations, accurate reporting, peer review and publication) are required to reduce bias.

5. Justify that scientific theories are explanations of large bodies of information and/or observations that withstand repeated testing.

Grade 10

Scientific Inquiry

1. Research and apply appropriate safety precautions when designing and conducting scientific investigations (e.g. OSHA, MSDS, eyewash, goggles and ventilation).

2. Present scientific findings using clear language; accurate data; appropriate graphs, tables and maps; and available technology.

4. Draw conclusions from inquiries based on scientific knowledge and principles, the use of logic, and evidence (data) from investigations.

5. Explain how new scientific data can cause any existing scientific explanation to be supported, revised or rejected.

Scientific Ways of Knowing

2. Describe that scientists may disagree about explanations of phenomena, about interpretation of data or about the value of rival theories, but they do agree that questioning, response to criticism and open communication are integral to the process of science.

3. Recognize that science is a systematic method of continuing investigation, based on observation, hypothesis testing, measurement, experimentation and theory building, which leads to more adequate explanations of natural phenomena.

7. Investigate how the knowledge, skills and interests learned in science classes apply to the careers students plan to pursue.