LAB-AIDS CORRELATIONS TO
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SCIENCE STANDARDS1
GRADES 6 – 8
With Assessment Guidelines Information
Materials from the Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP) are
developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science, at the University of California, Berkeley, and
distributed nationally by LAB-AIDS, Inc. SEPUP materials are supported by grants from
the National Science Foundation. All other materials developed by LAB-AIDS. This
correlation is intended to show selected locations in SEPUP, 2nd Edition and LAB-AIDS
programs that support the DCPS Science Standards. It is not an exhaustive list; other
locations may exist that are not listed here.
This document was prepared by, Oralia Gil, LAB-AIDS Curriculum Specialist, and Mark
Koker, Ph D, Director of Curriculum and Training at LAB-AIDS. For more information
about this correlation or for questions about review copies, presentations, or any
matters related to sales or service, please contact Nicole Young, Regional Sales
Manager, at 609.707.4244 or by email [email protected]. You may also visit us on
the web at www.lab-aids.com.
1
http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/In+the+Classroom/What+Students+Are+Learning/Learning+Standards
+for+Grades+Pre-K-8
Key to SEPUP Core Science Programs:
SEPUP programs are available as full year courses, or separately, as units, each taking 39 weeks to complete, as listed below.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Issues and Earth Science, Second Edition (IAES)
Unit Title
Studying Soil Scientifically
Rocks and Minerals
Erosion and Deposition
Plate Tectonics
Weather and Atmosphere
The Earth in Space
Exploring Space
Activity Number
1-11
12-23
24-35
36-49
50-70
71-84
85-98
Issues and Life Science, Second Edition (IALS)
Unit Title
Experimental Design: Studying People Scientifically
Body Works
Cell Biology and Disease
Genetics
Ecology
Evolution
Bioengineering
Activity Number
1-10
11-29
30-53
54-71
72-88
89-101
102-109
Issues and Physical Science, Second Edition (IAPS)
Unit Title
Studying Materials Scientifically
The Chemistry of Materials
Water
Energy
Force and Motion
Waves
Activity Number
1-11
12-29
30-52
53-72
73-88
89-99
Each of the full year programs begins with a “starter” unit sequence on the scientific
method in the context of each particular discipline. For example, the Issues and Life
Science (IALS) course contains a ten- activity unit called “Experimental Design: Studying
People Scientifically,” which uses the science behind clinical trials on human subjects, to
frame the study of the life sciences. These are listed first in each course.
2
SEPUP Course/Activity Numbers
IAES Issues and Earth Science
Studying Soils Scientifically, 1-11
Rocks and Minerals, 12-23
Main Unit Issue
Why don’t plants grow in the school garden?
How do diamonds made in a lab compare to
diamonds mined from the earth?
Where should Boomtown construct the new
buildings?
Which site would you recommend for storing
nuclear waste?
Is the growth of Sunbeam City affecting its
weather, atmosphere, and water availability?
Why are there many different calendars?
What kinds of future space missions should we
conduct?
Erosion and Deposition, 24-35
Plate Tectonics, 36-49
Weather and Atmosphere, 50-70
The Earth in Space, 71-84
Earth and the Solar System, 85-98
IALS Issues and Life Science
Studying People Scientifically, 1-10
Which proposals have an experimental design
worth funding?
How can you convince people to make choices that
reduce their level of heart disease risk?
How is an emerging disease spread? What can you
do to stop it?
What are the ethical issues involved in using
genetic information?
What are the trade-offs of introducing a species
into a new environment?
What are the trade-offs in deciding whether to
save an endangered species or to re-create an
extinct one?
How are new solutions to problems in life science
developed?
Body Works, 11-29
Cell Biology and Disease, 30-53
Genetics, 54-71
Ecology, 72-88
Evolution, 89-101
Bioengineering, 102-108
IAPS Issues and Physical Science
Studying Materials Scientifically, 1-11
The Chemistry of Materials, 12-29
How should unidentified materials be handled?
When you buy a new product, do you think about
what materials it is made of? What will happen to
it when you no longer have a use for it?
What does your community do to make its water
safe to drink? Whose responsibility is it?
Can you help a family decide what energy
improvements they should invest in?
Should noncommercial vehicles be more alike?
Are there situations in which some waves are
harmful to your health?
Water, 30 - 52
Energy, 53-72
Force and Motion, 73-88
Waves, 89-99
3
Key to SEPUP Assessment System:
SEPUP materials include research-based assessment system developed by SEPUP and
the Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research Group (BEAR) in the University of
California Graduate School of Education. Forming the core of the SEPUP Assessment
System are the assessment variables (content and process skills to be assessed),
assessment questions or tasks used to gather evidence and scoring guides for
interpreting students’ responses (correspond to assessment variables).
The seven assessment variables are:
Designing Investigations (DI)
Organizing Data (OD)
Analyzing Data (AD)
Understanding Concepts (UC)
Evidence and Trade-offs (ET)
Communication Skills (CS)
Group Interaction (GI)
Types of assessment:
Quick Checks ( ) present opportunities for informal formative assessment and may be
used prior to instruction to find out what students know or think. They may also be
used to help teachers track students’ knowledge of key information or progress in
understanding a concept.
Some embedded questions and tasks and all item bank questions are all suitable for
summative assessment. Analysis questions are included at the end of each activity.
Citations included in the correlation document are as follows:
IAES 40, 41, 42
40 Q1, 3, 4
IALS 2, 3, 37
41 Q3 UC; [IB] D2
IAPS 1, 2, 3
42 [IB] D4, 6, 8-10, 16
IAES 40, 41, 42
40 Q1, 3, 4
41 Q3 UC; [IB] D2
42 [IB] D4, 6, 8-10, 16
means that the standard or benchmark may be assessed using Issues and Earth Science
Activity 40 Analysis Question 1, 3 and 4, IAES Activity 43 Analysis Question 3 using
Understanding Concepts scoring guide and Item Bank Question D2 from Unit D Plate
Tectonics.
For more information on program assessment and using SEPUP rubrics, consult the
Teacher’s Guide, TR part III Assessment section.
4
SEPUP Support for Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Frameworks (NGSF) notes that science and engineering are
somewhat parallel practices and have many similar elements. Scientists ask questions,
make observations, and collect and analyze data, in an attempt to make sense of the
natural world. Similarly, engineers create, test, and redesign as they respond with
solutions to human needs. And just as we use scaffolds in teaching of scientific inquiry
to improve student learning and practice, so do we use scaffolds in teaching about
engineering for our students. The NGSF emphasizes three major phases of the
engineering design process.
 DESIGN: Creates design, prototype or plan, noting constraints of proposed use
 TEST: Tests design, prototype or plan, collecting qualitative or quantitative data
 REDESIGN: Evaluates prototype, design or plan, suggests further changes as
needed
In addition, the NGSF emphasizes the role of design in solving human problems, and of
designers in developing criteria for solutions, evaluating solutions, and determining the
tradeoffs involved in a design or solution.
The table below shows SEPUP activities that support major elements of engineering
design. Some support the initial stages of design, criteria development, and evaluation
that precede the full design cycle by suggesting or evaluating scientific or technological
solutions to real-world problems. Others involve students in one or all steps of the
design cycle as they build, test, and/or redesign prototypes.
Engineering and Design Practices in SEPUP
Course activity with description
Students suggest or
evaluate a solution
Students engage in the
engineering process
Design
Test
Redesign
IAES 32: Design a coastal
breakwater
X
X
X
IAES 35: Recommend a site plan
for housing development
X
X
X
IAES11: Recommend a soil
improvement plan
X
IAES 49: Evaluate sites for nuclear
waste disposal
X
IAES 67: Design/build wind vane/
anemometer
X
IAES 98: Recommend a space
X
5
mission
IALS 48: Design an improved handwashing procedure
X
IALS 88: Suggest a plan for
preventing zebra mussel spread
X
X
X
IALS 104: Design artificial heart
valve
X
IALS 105: Design an artificial bone
X
X
X
IALS 107: Design an energy bar
X
X
X
IALS 108: Design a prosthetic limb
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
IAPS 12: Recommend a material
for a drink container
X
IAPS 13: Construct a product life
cycle for a drink container
X
IAPS 29: Evaluate options to
recommend a “green” computer
X
IAPS 60: Design an ice
preservation chamber
IAPS 63: Improve a calorimeter
design
IAPS 69: Design a better solar
collector
X
IAPS 70: Design a warm & cool
home
X
IAPS 72: Recommend an energyimprovement plan for a home
X
X
IAPS 73: Evaluate vehicle safety
features
X
IAPS 85: Design a crash test
dummy
X
6
GRADE 6
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
SCIENTIFIC THINKING AND INQUIRY
6.1. Broad Concept: Scientific progress is made by asking relevant questions and
conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to
address the content in this grade, students should develop their own questions and
perform investigations.
Students:
1. Give examples of different ways scientists
IAES 40, 41, 42
investigate natural phenomena, and identify
processes all scientists use, such as collection of IALS 2, 3, 37
relevant evidence, the use of reasoning, the
IAPS 1, 2, 3
development and testing of hypotheses, and the
use and construction of theory to make sense of
the evidence.
40 Q1, 3, 4
41 Q3 UC; [IB] D2
42 [IB] D4, 6, 8-10,
16
2 Q2b ET; Q4 UC;
Q5 ET
3 Q1 ET; Q4 UC;
[IB] A3, A7, A17
37 Proc UC; [IB]
C14
2 Q2 UC
3 Proc DI
2. Plan and conduct simple investigations based
on student-developed questions that pertain to
the content under study, and write instructions
others can follow in carrying out the
investigations.
IAES 16, 55
IALS 5, 8
IAPS 3, 10
16 Q3 RE; [IB] B710
55 Proc DI
5 Q7 DI, SI; [IB]
A11-14
8 Proc DI, OD; [IB]
A11-16
3 Proc DI; [IB] A16
10 Q1 AD; Proc DI;
7
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
[IB] A10-12
3. Identify dependent and independent
variables in those investigations that have
controls. If no controls are used, explain why.
IAPS 74, 76, 77
IAES 72, 77
IALS 5, 8, 10
74 Proc DI; [IB] E12, E5-6
76 [IB] E2
72 [IB] F17
77 [IB] F10-12
5 [IB] A11-14
10 Proc UC; Q3 ET;
[IB] A18-20
4. Recognize and explain that hypotheses are
IAPS 2, 8
valuable even if they turn out not to be true, but
IAES 2, 6
that many investigations are not hypothesisdriven.
IALS 21, 27
2 Q2 UC
5. Write a report of an investigation that
includes the problem to be solved, the methods
employed, the tests conducted, the data
collected or evidence examined, and the
conclusions drawn.
IAES 67, 69
67 Proc DI
IALS 39, 63
69 Proc CS; [IB]
E14
IAPS 3, 10
2 Q3 RE
21 [IB] B19
39 Q2 DCI; [IB] C6
63 [IB] D1, D2- 5,
D8-11, D18,
D22-24
3 Proc DI; [IB] A16
10 Q1 AD,
Proc DI; [IB] A10 12
16 Q3
6. Locate information in reference books, back
issues of newspapers and magazines, CD-ROMs,
and online databases.
8
IAES 7, 15, 30
7 [IB] A9
IALS 26-29, 73
15 [IB] B1-3
IAPS 13, 15, 16
26 Q 4 UC; [IB]
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
B30-31
27 [IB] B32
73 Proc DI, UC, CS
13 Proc RE, GI; [IB]
B2-3
15 Q5 UC; [IB]
B7-11
7. Draw conclusions based on scientific
evidence, and indicate whether further
information is needed to support a specific
conclusion or to discriminate among several
possible conclusions.
IAES 38, 40, 41,
44
38 Q5 UC; [IB] D1,
D15
IALS 2-4, 7-10, 14, 41 Q3 UC; [IB] D2
19
2 Q2b ET; Q4 UC;
IAPS 77, 78
Q5 ET
3 Q1 ET; Q4 UC;
[IB] A3, A7, A17
77 Proc DI
78 [IB] E2-3, E8
8. Record and organize information in simple
tables and graphs, and identify relationships
they reveal. Use tables and graphs as examples
of evidence for explanations when writing
essays or writing about lab work, fieldwork, etc.
Read simple tables and graphs produced by
others, and describe in words what they show.
IAES 71-73, 7577, 79-82,
IALS 59, 62, 64
IAPS 10, 12, 74,
75
71 [IB] F17
72 [IB] F17
59 Q5 UC; [IB] D2
62 Q4a UC
10 Q1 AD; Proc DI;
[IB] A10-12
74 Proc DI; [IB] E12, E5-6
75 Q2 UC; [IB] E2,
E4-7, E14
See TR 291-294
9. Read a topographic map and a geologic map
9
IAES 25, 26 28-30, 25 [IB] C4-6
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
for evidence provided on the maps.
32
28 Proc GI; [IB] C2,
C7
29 AQ2 UC; [IB]
C1, C3
30 [IB] C2, C10
32 Proc GI; [IB]
C11, C12
10. Construct and interpret a simple map.
IAES 25
25 [IB] C4-6
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
6.2. Broad Concept: Although each of the human enterprises of science and technology
has a character and history of its own, each is dependent on and reinforces the other. As
a basis for understanding this concept,
Students:
1. Explain that computers have become valuable
in science because they speed up and extend
people’s ability to collect, store, compile, and
analyze data; prepare research reports; and
share data and ideas with investigators all over
the world.
IAES 51, 68
51 Proc OD
IALS 3, 5
3 Q1 E; Q4 UC; [IB]
A3, A7, A17
IAPS 74, 82
74 Proc DI; [IB] E12, E5-6
Note: these
82 Q3 RE; [IB] E3,
locations indicate E9, E12
examples where
students actually
collect, store and
compile
information, not
just state that it is
important to do
so
2. Explain that technology is essential to science
for such purposes as measurement, data
collection, graphing and storage, computation,
communication and assessment of information,
and access to outer space and other remote
locations.
10
IAES 93, 94
93 [IB] G5
IALS 35, 36
36 Q3 SI
IAPS 72 85
72 Q1 ET; [IB] D17
85 Proc CS; [IB]
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
Note: these
E16
locations indicate
examples where
students actually
measure, graph,
and communicate
information, not
just state that it is
important to do
so
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
6.3. Broad Concept: Astronomy and planetary exploration reveal the structure and scale
of the solar system. As a basis for understanding this concept,
Students:
1. Recognize that the solar system consists of
the Earth, moon, sun, eight generally recognized
other planets that orbit the sun and their
satellites, and smaller objects, such as asteroids
and comets.
IAES 76-82,
76 Q4 AD
84, 86
77 [IB] F10-12
78 Q2 UC
79 [IB] F10-12,
F14-16
80 [IB] F4-9
81 Q5 UC; [IB] F5,
F8
82 Q5 UC; [IB] F5,
F8
84 [IB] F13
2. Describe how the planets move around the
sun in elliptical orbits, and explain how the near
coplanarity of the orbits, along with the
principle of conservation of momentum, is
evidence essential to our understanding of how
the solar system was originally formed.
IAES 84, 86, 90,
95
84 [IB] F13
86 Q3
90 [IB] G9, G16,
G18
95 Q4 AD; [IB]
G10, 12
11
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
3. Explain that the moon is Earth’s only natural
satellite, but several of the other planets have
natural satellites as well. Understand Earth also
has many artificial satellites and that all of these
satellites, artificial and natural, are in elliptical
orbits around their primaries.
IAES 86, 88-94
86 Q3
88 Q2 UC; [IB] G3,
G13, G17
89 Proc RE; [IB]
G6, G14
90 [IB] G9, G16,
G18
91 Q4 UC
92 [IB] G2, G11
93 [IB] G5
94 Q2
4. Explain that large numbers of chunks of rock
and ice (asteroids and comets), much smaller
than planets, orbit the sun.
IAES 86, 88
5. Describe, as seen from Earth, how planets
change their position relative to the background
of stars.
Not covered
86 Q3
88 Q2 UC; [IB] G3,
G13, G17
6. Construct models or drawings to explain that IAES 71-75, 77-78
the seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth’s
axis relative to the plane of its orbit and its
revolution around the sun. Explain how this
results in uneven heating of the various parts of
Earth’s surface that varies over the course of the
year.
71 [IB] F17
72 [IB] F17
73 Q1 UC
74 [IB] F1-2
75 Q1-5
77 [IB] F10-12
78 Q2 UC
7. Describe that as spring turns to summer at a
particular place on Earth, the days grow longer
and the sun moves higher in the sky, resulting in
more intense heating. In fall and winter, the
opposite occurs. Explain how this variation in
12
IAES 71-75, 77-78
71 [IB] F17
72 [IB] F17
73 Q1 UC
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
heating results in the seasons.
WHERE ASSESSED
74 [IB] F1-2
75 Q1-5
77 [IB] F10-12
78 Q2 UC
8. Recognize and describe the sun as a midsize
star located near the edge of a disk-shaped
galaxy of stars called the Milky Way. Recognize
that the universe contains many billions of
galaxies, and each galaxy contains many billions
of stars.
IAES 86, 88-89, 92 86 Q3
88 Q2 UC; [IB] G3,
G13, G17
89 Proc RE; [IB]
G6, G14
92 [IB] G2, G11
9. Recognize that the sun-to-Earth distance is
such that it takes about eight minutes for light
from the sun to reach Earth. Know that the next
nearest star is many thousands of times farther
from Earth, and its light takes about four years
to reach Earth.
IAES 90, 92
10. Explain that gravity is a force of attraction
that every mass in the universe exerts on every
other mass, and everything on or anywhere
near Earth is attracted toward and attracts
Earth’s center by a gravitational force.
IAES 95, 96
11. Describe that the sun’s gravitational
attraction holds Earth and the other planets in
their orbits, just as the planets’ gravitational
attraction keeps their moons in orbit around
them.
IAES 95, 96
90 [IB] G9, G16,
G18
92 [IB] G2, G11
95 Q4 AD; [IB]
G10, 12
96 [IB] G4, G7,
G19
95 Q4 AD; [IB]
G10, G12
96 [IB] G4, G7,
G19
HEAT (THERMAL ENERGY)
6.4. Broad Concept: The transfer of energy through radiation and convection currents
affects many phenomena on the Earth’s surface. As a basis for understanding this
concept,
Students:
1. Explain the meaning of radiation, convection,
13
IAPS 56-61
56 Q3
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
and conduction (three mechanisms by which
heat is transferred to, through, and out of the
Earth’s system).
WHERE ASSESSED
57 Q3 UC; [IB] D23
58 Q2 UC; [IB] D45, D8
59 Q3-5
60 Q3-4
61 [IB] D10
2. Describe that the heat from the sun falls on
Earth unevenly because of its spherical shape.
Describe that regions close to the equator
receive more concentrated solar energy than
those closer to the poles.
IAPS 73-77
73 Q1 UC
74 [IB] F1-2
75 Q1-5
77 [IB] F10-12
3. Observe and explain how uneven heating sets
up convective cells in the atmosphere and
oceans that distribute heat away from the
equator.
IAPS 55-58
55 Proc DI
56 Proc GI
57 [IB] E10
58 [IB] E6
4. Explain that much of the heat from the sun is
absorbed by the land and oceans and then is
released into the atmosphere.
IAPS 55-57
55 Proc DI
56 Proc GI
57 [IB] E10
5. Recognize that, compared to other
substances such as rock and soil, a given mass of
water requires a greater input or output of heat
energy to change its temperature by a given
amount.
IAPS 55
55 Proc DI
6. Describe why ocean temperatures, therefore,
tend to vary seasonally less than land areas and
why coastal areas tend to have cooler summers
and warmer winters than inland areas at a
similar distance from the poles.
IAPS 55-58
55 Proc DI
56 Proc GI
57 [IB] E10
58 [IB] E6
14
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
WEATHER AND CLIMATE
6.5. Broad Concept: Weather (in the short run) and climate (in the long run) involve the
transfer of energy in and out of the atmosphere. As a basis for understanding this
concept,
Students:
1. Explain how different regions receive
different amounts of solar heating because of
their latitude, clouds, surface water ice, and
other variables. Understand that this results in
large-scale convective air flow and weather
patterns.
IAES 56-58, 76
2. Recognize and describe that the currents in
the air and ocean distribute heat energy.
IAES 55-58
56 Proc GI
57 [IB] E10
58 [IB] E6
76 Q4 AD
55 Proc DI
56 Proc GI
57 [IB] E10
58 [IB] E6
3. Explain that a great deal of heat energy is
absorbed when water evaporates and is
released when it condenses. Illustrate that this
cycling of water and heat in and out of the
atmosphere plays a critical role in climatic
patterns.
IAES 57-58, 60
4. Explain how mountain ranges and other
major geographical features affect the climate
(e.g., mountains produce rain shadows, land
masses interrupt ocean currents).
IAES 57-58
5. Describe how climates may have changed
abruptly in the past as a result of changes in
Earth’s crust, such as gas and dust from volcanic
eruptions or impacts of meteorites, asteroids,
and comets from space.
IAES 65
58 [IB] E6
60 [IB] E3, E8-9
57 [IB] E10
58 [IB] E6
6. Describe how the Earth’s atmosphere exerts a IAES 64
pressure that decreases with distance above sea
level and, at every point, is the same in all
directions.
15
57 [IB] E10
65 Q1-3
64 [IB] E5
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
EARTH RESOURCES
6.6. Broad Concept: Sources of materials differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness, and
the time required for their formation. As a basis for understanding this concept,
Students:
1. Explain that fresh water is limited in supply
and uneven in distribution; describe why it is
essential for life as we know it and also for most
human activities, including industrial processes.
IAES 60-62
2. Recognize that fresh water is a resource that
can be depleted or polluted, making it
unavailable or unsuitable for humans.
IAES 60, 62
60 [IB] E3, E8-9
62 Q4 SI; [IB] E3,
E9, E11, E15
60 [IB] E3, E8- 9
62 Q4 SI; [IB] E3,
E9, E11, E15
3. Recognize that the Earth’s resources for
IAES 60, 62
humans, such as fresh water, air, arable soil, and
trees, are finite.
60 [IB] E3, E8-9
4. Explain that the atmosphere and the oceans
have a limited capacity to absorb wastes and
recycle materials naturally.
IAES 62
62 Q4 SI; [IB] E3,
E9, E11, E15
5. Investigate and describe how pollutants can
affect weather and the atmosphere.
IAES 65
65 Q1-3
6. Explain that recycling, reuse, and the
development of substitutes can reduce the rate
of depletion of many minerals.
IAPS 12, 13, 27,
28
12 Q5 ET; [IB] B1
62 Q4 SI; [IB] E3,
E9, E11, E15
13 Proc RE, GI;
[IB] B2-3
27 Q2 CS; Q3 ET
7. Describe that most rainwater that falls in
Washington, DC, will eventually drain into the
Chesapeake Bay.
Not covered
(local issue)
8. Explain the important role of the water cycle
within a watershed.
IAES 60-62
16
60 [IB] E3, E8-9
62 Q4 SI; [IB] E3,
E9, E11, E15
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
THE ROCK CYCLE
6.7. Broad Concept: Rock materials are continuously recycled in the rock cycle. As a basis
for understanding this concept,
Students:
1. Recognize minerals are naturally occurring
crystalline solids with definite chemical
compositions, and identify common minerals
using a key to their diagnostic properties.
IAES 13-17
13 Q2
14 Q5 RE
16 Q3 RE; [IB] B710
17 [IB] B9, B10
2. Examine and recognize most rocks are made
of one or more minerals.
IAES 15-17
16 Q3 RE; [IB]
B7-10
17 [IB] B9, B10
3. Describe how igneous rocks are formed when
older rocks are melted and then re-crystallized.
Understand they may be cooled deep in the
Earth or at or near the surface as part of
volcanic systems.
IAES 19, 22
4. Explain how metamorphic rocks are formed
when older rocks are heated (short of melting)
and/or subjected to increased pressure.
IAES 19, 22
5. Describe how sedimentary rocks are formed
when older rocks are subjected to weathering
into sediments, and those sediments are
eroded, transported, deposited, then
compacted and cemented.
IAES 19, 21, 22
22 Q7 UC; [IB] B46, B11
19 Q1, 4, 5
22 Q7 UC; [IB] B46, B11
6. Observe and describe common igneous,
IAES 20
metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, including
granite, obsidian, pumice (igneous); slate, schist,
marble (metamorphic); sandstone, shale, and
limestone (sedimentary).
17
19 Q1, 4, 5
19 Q1, 4, 5
21 Q3, 5
22 Q7 UC; [IB] B46, B11
20 Proc GI; [IB] B6
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
PLATE TECTONICS
6.8. Broad Concept: Plate tectonics explain important features of the Earth’s surface and
major geologic events. As the basis for understanding this concept,
Students:
1. Describe the solid lithosphere of Earth,
including both the continents and the ocean
basins, and how it is broken into several plates
that ride on a denser, hot, and gradually
deformable layer in the mantle called the
asthenosphere (weak sphere).
IAES 38, 46-48
38 Q5 UC; [IB] D1,
D15
2. Explain why the Earth has a hot interior.
IAES 38
38 Q5 UC; [IB] D1,
D15
3. Explain how lithosphere plates move very
slowly, pressing against one another in some
places, pulling apart in other places, and sliding
past one another in others.
IAES 44-46
44 [IB] D7, D16
4. Compare and contrast oceanic plates and
continental plates.
IAES 45, 47, 48
47 [IB] D16
48 Q4 UC; [IB]
D14, D16
45 [IB] D3, D11-12,
D16
45 [IB] D3, D11-12,
D16
47 [IB] D16
48 Q4 UC; [IB]
D14, D16
5. Explain the process in which plates push
against one another; one of them may be dense
enough to sink under the other, a process called
subduction. Explain that oceanic lithosphere
may sink under continental or oceanic
lithosphere, but continental lithosphere does
not subduct.
IAES 44, 47, 48
6. Describe that subducting plates may partially
melt and form magma, which rises to the
surface as lava to feed volcanoes and form
volcanic mountain chains associated with deepsea trenches.
IAES 44, 45, 48
18
44 [IB] D7, D16
47 [IB] D16
48 Q4 UC; [IB]
D14, D16
44 [IB] D7, D16
45 [IB] D3, D11-12,
D16
48 Q4 UC; [IB]
D14, D16
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
7. Explain when plates push against each other
and neither is dense enough to subduct (both
continental), the plates will crumple and fold
and form large mountain chains.
IAES 45, 48
45 [IB] D3, D11-12,
D16
8. Explain that earthquakes are sudden motions
along breaks in the crust called faults, and
volcanoes/fissures are locations where magma
reaches the surface as lava.
IAES 37, 42, 43
9. Describe how earthquakes and volcanoes
often, but not always, occur along the
boundaries between plates.
IAES 44, 45
48 Q4 UC; [IB]
D14, D16
42 [IB] D4, D6, D810, D16
43 Proc GI
44 [IB] D7, D16
45 [IB] D3, D11-12,
D16
EARTH AND LIFE HISTORY
6.9. Broad Concept: Evidence from rocks allows us to understand the evolution of life on
Earth. As the basis for understanding this concept,
Students:
1. Explain how the Earth’s surface is built up and
broken down by natural processes, including
deposition of sediments, rock formation,
erosion, and weathering.
IAES 28, 29, 31-33 28 Proc GI; [IB]
C2, C7
29 Q2 UC; [IB] C1,
C3
32 Proc GI; [IB]
C11, C12
31 [IB] C12
32 Proc GI; [IB]
C11, C12
33 Q3-4
2. Describe that the history of life on Earth has
been disrupted by major catastrophic events,
such as major volcanic eruptions or the impact
of asteroids.
IALS 89, 98
3. Explain that although weathered rock is the
basic component of soil, the composition and
IAES 5-7
19
89 Q4 ET; [IB] F14, F29
98 [IB] F32-33
5 Q5 UC; [IB] A3-4
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
texture of soil and its fertility and resistance to
erosion are greatly influenced by plant roots and
debris, bacteria, fungi, worms, insects, and
other organisms.
4. Explain how thousands of layers of rock
confirm the long history of the changing surface
of Earth.
WHERE ASSESSED
6 Q3 AD; [IB] A8-9
7 [IB] A9
9 [IB] A6
IAES 21
21 Q3, 5
IALS 90, 91, 93
90 Q3 CM; [IB] F5
91 Q4 UC; [IB]
F12-14
93 Q4 UC; [IB] F811
5. Illustrate and describe that remains of
changing life forms are found in successive
layers, although the youngest layers are not
always found on top because of the folding,
breaking, and uplifting of layers.
IALS 93
6. Recognize that evidence from geologic layers
and radioactive dating indicates that Earth is
approximately 4.6 billion years old and life on
this planet has existed for more than 3 billion
years.
IALS 92
7. Observe and explain that fossils provide
evidence of how life and environmental
conditions have changed.
IALS 90-93
93 Q4 UC; [IB] F811
90 Q3 CM; [IB] F5
91 Q4 UC; [IB]
F12-14
93 Q4 UC; [IB] F811
20
GRADE 7
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
SCIENTIFIC THINKING AND INQUIRY
7.1. Broad Concept: Scientific progress is made by asking relevant questions and
conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to
address the content in this grade, students should develop their own questions and
perform investigations.
Students:
1. Explain that when similar investigations give
different results, further studies may help to
show whether the differences are significant.
IAPS 2, 6-11
IAES 2, 6, 7
IALS 2-4
6 Q1 AD; [IB] A3,
A4
7 Q 1 AD; Q1 UC;
[IB] A5, A7, A8
2 Q3 RE
6 Q3 AD; [IB] A8-9
3 Q1 ET; A4
UC; [IB] A3, A7,
A17
4 Q5 UC; [IB] A17
2. Explain why it is important in science to keep
honest, clear, and accurate records.
Throughout
SEPUP
3. Explain why research involving human
subjects requires that potential subjects be fully
informed about the risks and benefits
associated with the research and that they have
the right to refuse to participate.
IALS 2-10
2 Q2b RE; Q4 UC;
Q5 ET
3 Q1 RE; Q4
UC; [IB] A3, A7,
A17
4 Q8 UC; [IB]
A17
5 [IB] A11-14
8 [IB] A11-16
21
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
9 Q3 RE, ET
10 Q3 RE, ET
4. Recognize testable hypotheses in
investigations that pertain to the content under
study, and write instructions that others can
follow in carrying out the investigation.
IAES 55
55 Proc DI
IALS 5, 8
5 [IB] A11-14
IAPS 10, 51
8 [IB] A11-16
10 Q1 AD; Proc DI;
[IB] A10-12
51 Q4 DI
5. Communicate the steps and results from an
investigation in written reports and verbal
presentations.
IAES 69, 98
69 Proc CS; [IB] E14
IALS 88, 98
98 Q2 ET, CS; [IB]
G16, G20
IAPS 27, 85
88 Proc GI, CS, SI;
Q2 AD; Q3 ET
98 Q2 ET, CS; [IB]
G16, G20
27 Q2 CS; Q3 ET
85 Proc CS; [IB] E16
6. Incorporate circle charts, bar and line graphs,
diagrams, scatter plots, and symbols into
writing, such as lab or research reports, to serve
as visual displays of evidence for claims and/or
conclusions.
IAES 71-73, 7577, 79-82,
IALS 59, 62, 64
IAPS 10, 12, 74,
75
71 [IB] F17
72 [IB] F17
59 Q5 UC; [IB] D2
62 Q4a UC
10 Q1 AD; Proc DI;
[IB] A10-12
74 Proc DI; [IB] E1 2, 5-6
75 Q2 UC; [IB] E2,
E4-7, E14
See TR 291-294
22
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
7. Recognize whether evidence is consistent
IAES 2, 6, 7
with a proposed explanation. Know that
different explanations can be given for the same IALS 2, 3, 4
evidence, and that partial evidence may be
IAPS 2, 6-11
exploited for reasons other than truth seeking.
WHERE ASSESSED
6 Q1 AD; [IB] A3,
A4
2 Q2b ET; Q4 UC;
Q5 ET
3 Q1 ET; Q4 UC;
[IB] A3, A7, A17
6 Q3 AD; [IB] A8-9
8. Question claims based on vague attributes or
on authority, such as “leading doctors say,” or
based on statements made by celebrities or
others outside the area of their particular
expertise.
IAES 2, 23, 35
2 Q3 RE
IALS 3, 10, 33
23 Q2-3
IAPS 11, 29, 52
35 Q1 ET; [IB] C13
3 Q1 ET; Q4 UC;
[IB] A3, A7, A17
10 Proc UC; Q3 ET;
[IB] A18-20
33 [IB] C9, C11,
C32
11 Q1 ET; [IB] A17
29 Q1 ET; [IB] B2223
52 Proc CS; Q1 ET
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
7.2. Broad Concept: Although each of the human enterprises of science and technology
has a character and history of its own, each is dependent on and reinforces the other. As
a basis for understanding this concept,
Students:
1. Explain types of technology that are
developed and in use, such as in agriculture,
manufacturing, sanitation, medicine, warfare,
transportation, information processing, and
communication.
23
IALS 37, 60, 94
IAES 41, 42
IAPS 16, 80
37 Proc UC; [IB]
C14
41 Q3 UC; [IB] D2
16 [IB] B7-11
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
2. Know how technologies having to do with
food production, sanitation, and disease
prevention have dramatically changed how
people live and work, and have resulted in
changes in factors that affect the growth of
human population.
IALS 37, 50, 51
37 Proc UC; [IB]
IAPS 85
C14
51 Proc OD; AQ1
AD; Q4 UC
85 Proc CS; [IB]
E16
BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION
7.3. Broad Concept: Similarities are used to classify organisms because they may be used
to infer the degree of relatedness among organisms. As a basis for understanding this
concept,
Students:
1. Recognize and describe that a key distinction
among organisms is between autotrophs, such
as green plants (which use energy from sunlight
to make their own food), and heterotrophs,
such as animals and fungi (which consume
other organisms as food and harvest energy
from them).
IALS 78-82
78 [IB] E7-10, E16
79 Q1 UC; [IB] E23, E7-11, E16, E35
80 [IB] E2-3, E710, E15, E16, E25
81 Q5 UC; [IB] E2,
3, E5, E13-14
82 Q5 UC; [IB] F5,
F8
2. Recognize and describe that biological
classifications are based on how organisms are
related: Organisms are classified into a
hierarchy of groups and subgroups, with species
as the most fundamental unit.
IALS 75, 76
3. Recognize and describe the definition of a
species as a group or population of organisms
closely resembling one another that can mate
and breed to produce fertile offspring.
IALS 95-96, 98-99
75 [IB] E4, E36
76 Q 1-2
95 [IB] F18-21
96 Q2 DI
98 [IB] F32-33
99 Q2 UC; [IB] 3436
24
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
4. Describe how similarities among organisms
are found in external and internal anatomical
features, including specific characteristics at the
cellular level, such as the number of
chromosomes.
IALS 42, 89, 99
42 [IB] D3, D7,
D16-10, C23
89 Q4 ET; [IB] F1-4,
F29
99 Q2 UC
CELL BIOLOGY
7.4. Broad Concept: All living things are composed of cells, from just one to many
quadrillions, whose details usually are visible only through a microscope. As a basis for
understanding this concept, Students:
1. Investigate and explain that all living things
are composed of one or more cells, that cells
are organisms’ basic units of structure and
function, and that cells come only from existing
cells (Theodor Schwann’s and Matthias
Schleiden’s cell theory).
IALS 37, 38
2. Describe that the way in which cells function
is similar in all living organisms.
IALS 38-42
37 Proc UC, GI CS;
[IB] C14
38 Q1-6
38 Q1-6
39 Q2 DI; [IB] C6
40 Q3 DI; [IB] C15,
C18
41 Q5 UC
42 [IB] D3, D7,
D16-10, C23
3. Explain that in those cells that contain a
nucleus (eukaryotic plant and animal cells), the
nucleus is the main repository for genetic
information.
IALS 38, 42-45
38 Q5 UC; [IB] D1,
D15
42 [IB] D3, D7,
D16-10, C23
43 Q2 CS; Q5 UC;
[IB] C12, C21-22
12, C21-22
44 Act GI; [IB] C2,
C35
25
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
45 Q5 UC; [IB] C2,
C4, C29
4. Identify cells such as bacteria and blue-green
algae as prokaryotes. Explain that prokaryotic
cells differ from eukaryotic cells most
prominently in that they don’t have a
membrane-bound nucleus. Know their genetic
information is in a threadlike mass, often a very
long loop of DNA.
IALS 38, 42
5. Know intracellular bodies with specific
functions are called organelles. Describe the
important organelles among them, such as
mitochondria, which liberate energy for the
work that cells do, and chloroplasts, which
capture sunlight energy for photosynthesis.
IALS 38, 40, 4245, 82
38 Q5 UC; [IB] D1,
D15
42 [IB] D3, D7,
D16-10, C23
38 Q1-6
40 Q3 DI; [IB] C15,
C18
42 [IB] D3, D7,
D16-10, C23
43 Q2 CS; Q5 UC;
[IB] C12, C21-22
44 Proc GI; [IB] C2,
C35
45 Q5 UC; [IB] C2,
C4, C29
82 [IB] E5, E13-14,
E17
6. Describe that plant cells have chloroplasts
and a cellulose cell wall and that animal cells do
not.
IALS 38, 42, 43,
82
38 Q1-6
42 [IB] D3, D7, D16
10, C23
43 Q2 CS; Q5 UC;
[IB] C12, C21-22
82 [IB] E5, E13-14,
E17
7. Observe and explain that about two-thirds of
the mass of a typical cell is accounted for by
water and that water gives cells many of their
properties.
26
IALS 40, 41
40 Q3 DI; [IB] C15,
C18
41 Q5 UC
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
8. Describe how the most basic chemical
functions of organisms, such as extracting
energy from food and getting rid of wastes, are
started or carried out completely within the
cell.
IALS 39-42
39 Q2 DI; [IB] C6
40 Q3 DI; [IB] C15,
C18
41 Q5 UC
42 [IB] D3, D7,
D16-10, C23
9. Explain how cells in multicellular organisms
IALS 15, 17, 57
continually divide to make more cells for growth
and repair, and how various organs and tissues
function to serve the needs of cells for food, air,
and waste removal.
15 Q3 UC; [IB] B2,
B5,
10. Recognize that many organisms are singlecelled (e.g., bacteria, yeasts), and explain how
this one cell must carry out all of the basic
functions of life.
IALS 38, 39, 43
39 Proc OD; Q2 AD,
SI
11. Construct a chart and describe that
multicellular organisms are organized
hierarchically from cells to tissues to organs to
organ systems to organisms.
IALS 12-18, 21-24
17 [IB] B1, B8, B21
43 Q5 UC
12 Q3-4
13 Q1, 2
14 Q2, 3, 5
15 Q1-5
17 Q2-4, 6
18 Q1-5
21 [IB] B19
22 Q1-4; Act GI,
[IB] B4, B10-11,
B20
23 Q1-3; Q3 UC;
[IB] B23
24 Q2
27
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
GENETICS
7.5. Broad Concept: Every organism requires information in the form of a set of
instructions that specifies its traits. Those traits may be modified by environmental
influences. As a basis for understanding this concept,
Students:
1. Describe that heredity is the passage of
information for developing and maintaining the
organism’s body from one generation to
another, and that genes are the basic units of
heredity; genes are made of DNA, consisting of
very long molecules located in the
chromosomes of each cell.
IALS 54-55, 5859, 62
54 Proc DI; [IB] D2
2. Explain how, in asexual reproduction,
offspring are an almost identical copy of the
mother cell.
IALS 57
57 Q1-2
3. Explain how, in sexual reproduction, a single
reproductive cell from a female (female
gamete, egg, or ovum) merges with a
specialized cell from a male (male gamete or
spermatozoon) to make a fertilized egg
(zygote). This carries genetic information from
both parental gametes and multiplies to form
the complete organism.
IALS 57, 58, 60
57 Q1-2
4. Recognize and describe that new varieties of
cultivated plants, such as corn and apples, and
domestic animals, such as dogs and horses,
have resulted from selective breeding, over
multiple generations, for particular traits.
IALS 57, 63, 65,
66 (concept is
introduced, not
taught to
mastery)
55 Q2 UC
58 Q2
62 Q4a UC
58 Q2
60 Q1 DI; [IB] D2
63 [IB] D1, D2-5,
D8-11, D18, D2224
65 Q8 UC
66 [IB] D7, D21,
D25
5. Explain how the use of genetic-engineering
techniques can speed the process of creating
new varieties and introduce characteristics not
easily available by selective breeding, and can
make possible more precise modifications
involving the manipulation of just one or a few
genes.
28
IALS 56, 57, 64,
67, 69-71
56 Q3 UC; [IB] D7,
D2, D25
64 Q 1 DI
67 Q2 UC; Q3, ET;
[IB] D20
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
7.6. Broad Concept: Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed
through gradual processes over many generations. As a basis for understanding this
concept,
Students:
1. Describe that biological variation (phenotype
variation) is the raw material on which natural
selection operates.
IALS 95-97,
95 [IB] F18-21
2. Explain how Darwin’s research and that of his
followers supported a concept of differential
survival in terms of fitness (i.e., given the
potential exponential increase of offspring and
the only linear potential increase of resources,
favorable variations that aid individual
organisms in their survival in a given
environment will confer on those organisms a
greater reproductive success for that variety).
IALS 94-99, 101
94 Q3 UC; [IB] F16,
F26
3. Describe how biological evolution results
primarily from the action of natural selection on
the available variation in a population of
organisms.
IALS 95-97
95 [IB] F18-21
4. Explain how independent lines of evidence
drawn from geology, fossils, comparative
anatomy, and molecular biology provide the
firm basis of evolutionary theory.
IALS 90, 93, 98100
90 Q3 SI
95 [IB] F18-21
98 [IB] F32-33
99 Q2 UC; [IB] 3436
101 Q5b ET
93 Q4 UC; [IB] F811
98 [IB] F32-33
99 Q2 UC; [IB] 3436
5. Using specific examples, explain that
extinction of a species is a result of mismatch of
adaptation and the environment.
29
IALS 95-97, 101
95 [IB] F18-21
101 Q5b ET
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
THE HUMAN BODY
7.7. Broad Concept: Human beings have body systems for obtaining and providing energy,
defense, reproduction, and the coordination of body functions. As a basis for
understanding this concept,
Students:
1. Describe the specific functions and roles of
each major human body system, including the
digestive, respiratory, excretory, reproductive,
circulatory, nervous, endocrine,
musculoskeletal, and immune systems.
IALS 5, 6, 11-
5 [IB] A11-14
18, 21-24, 27,
11 Q2 ET
28
21 [IB] B19
27 [IB] B32
2. Explain that human beings have many
similarities and differences, and the similarities
make it possible for human beings to donate
blood and organs to one another.
IALS 7, 11, 12, 46
3. Explain how the amount of food energy
(usually measured in calories) that a person
requires varies with body weight, age, sex,
activity level, and metabolic rate.
IALS 15, 107
4. Research and explain that regular exercise is
important to maintain a healthy heart/lung
(cardiovascular) system, good muscle tone, and
strong bone structure.
IALS 19, 22, 29
5. Identify specific examples of how viruses,
bacteria, fungi, and more complex parasites
may infect the human body and interfere with
normal body functions.
IALS 33, 34, 44,
45
45 Q7 UC
6. Explain how white blood cells engulf invaders
or produce antibodies that attack invaders or
mark the invaders for killing by other white
blood cells. Know that these white cells are part
of a larger system that produces “immunity” or
the capacity to resist disease due to pathogens.
IALS 46, 49
46 Proc OD; Q1 UC
7. Know that antibodies produced in response
to an invader can remain for long periods in the
IALS 49
30
12 [IB] B12, B15
46 Proc OD; Q2 AD;
Q3 SI
15 Q3 UC
107 Q4 ET
19 Q4 OD; Q3b AD
22 Q2 AD; Q3 AD
29 Proc UC, CS; Q2
ET
49 Q6 ET
49 Q6 ET
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
system and can fight off subsequent invaders of
the same kind.
8. Recognize that the environment may contain IAES 36
dangerous levels of substances that are harmful
to human beings. Therefore, the good health of IAPS 29, 52
individuals requires monitoring the soil, air, and
water, as well as taking steps to keep them safe.
36 Q2 ET
29 Q1 ET; [IB]
B22-23
52 Q1 ET
9. Research and explain the contributions of key
scientists that have studied infection by disease
organisms (germs), including Anton van
Leeuwenhoek, Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister,
Robert Koch, Dimitri Iwanowski, and Alexander
Fleming.
IALS 37, 50
10. Explain how fundamental changes in health
practices have resulted from the establishment
of the germ theory of disease.
IALS 47-50
37 Proc UC, CS
(Iwanoski not
covered, others
are)
47 Proc OD; Q2 AD;
Q2 SI
48 Proc DI; Q4 UC
49 Q6 ET
ECOLOGY
7.8. Broad Concept: Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among
themselves and with the physical environment. As a basis for understanding this concept,
Students:
1. Recognize that in all environments, such as
freshwater, marine, forest, desert, grassland,
mountain, farms, cities, and others, organisms
with similar needs and living strategies compete
with one another for resources, including food,
space, water, air, and shelter.
IALS 72, 77, 79,
83-87
72 Q5 UC; [IB] E2,
3, E5, E13-14
77 Q4 DI; Q7 DI
79 Q1 UC; [IB] E23, E7-11, E16, E35
83 Q3 DI
84 [IB] E19-20,
E26-27, E34
85 Q1 UC; [IB] E2123
31
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
86 Q1 CM
87 Q1 ET
2. Describe how two types of organisms may
interact in a competitive or cooperative
relationship, such as producer/consumer,
predator/prey, parasite/hosts, or as symbionts.
IALS 78-81, 83, 86 78 [IB] E7-10, E16
79 Q1 UC; [IB] E23, E7-11, E16, E35
80 [IB] E2-3, E7-10,
E15, E16, E25
81 Q5 UC; [IB] E2,
3, E5, E13-14
83 Q3 DI
86 Q1 CM
3. Illustrate and explain how plants use the
energy from light to make simple sugars, and
more complex molecules, from carbon dioxide
and water through a process called
photosynthesis. Understand how this produces
food that can be used immediately or stored for
later use.
IALS 81-82
81 Q5 UC; [IB] E2,
3, E5, E13-14
4. Create a food web to explain how energy and
matter are transferred between producers,
primary consumers, and secondary consumers.
IALS 78-81; 84, 86 78 [IB] E7-10, E16
82 [IB] E5, E13-14,
E17
79 Q1 UC; [IB] E23, E7-11, E16, E35
80 [IB] E2-3, E7-10,
E15, E16, E25
81 Q5 UC; [IB] E2,
3, E5, E13-14
84 [IB] E19-20,
E26-27, E34
86 Q1 CM
5. Describe how organisms that eat plants break IALS 78, 79, 81,
down the plant structures to produce the
82
materials and energy that they need to survive,
32
78 [IB] E7-10, E16
79 Q1 UC; [IB] E23, E7-11, E16, E35
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
and in turn, other organisms consume them.
WHERE ASSESSED
81 Q5 UC; [IB] E2,
3, E5, E13-14
82 [IB] E5, E13-14,
E17
6. Explain how dead plants and animals, broken
down by other living organisms (especially
microorganisms and fungi), contribute to the
cycling of matter through the system as a
whole.
IALS 78, 80
78 [IB] E7-10, E16
80 [IB] E2-3, E7-10,
E15, E16, E25
7. Describe how, as any population of organisms IALS 84-88
grows, it is held in check by one or more
environmental constraints (e.g., depletion of
food or nesting sites, increased numbers of
predators or parasites).
84 [IB] E19-20,
E26-27, E34
85 Q1 UC; [IB] E2123
86 Q1 CM
87 Q1 ET
88 Q3 ET; [IB] E2832
8. Explain why in urban environments a species
(mostly human beings) settles in dense
concentrations.
IALS 86, 101
9. Describe that all organisms, including the
human species, are part of and depend on two
main interconnected global food webs: the
ocean food web and the land food web.
IALS 78, 83
(concept is
introduced, not
taught to
mastery)
78 [IB] E7-10, E16
10. Recognize that entire species may prosper
in spite of the poor survivability or bad fortune
of individuals.
IALS 84, 95, 96
84 [IB] E19-20,
E26-27, E34
33
86 Q1 CM
101 Q5b ET
83 Q3 DI
95 [IB] F18-21
GRADE 8
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
IALS 37, 60, 94
37 Proc UC; [IB]
IAES 41, 42
C14
IAPS 16, 80
41 Q3 UC; [IB] D2
STRAND 1
SCIENTIFIC THINKING AND INQUIRY
Standard 1 Scientific Process
Students at this level should be honing their
skills in the Scientific Process.
Students should be able to:
8.1. 1. Describe how scientific knowledge is
subject to modification and refinement as new
information challenges prevailing theories.
16 [IB] B7-11
8.1. 2. Test hypotheses that pertain to the
content under study.
IAES 3, 10
3 [IB] A2
IAES 16, 20
10 Proc GI
IALS 5, 8
16 [IB] B7-11
5 [IB] A11-14
8 [IB] A11-16
8.1. 3. Restate or summarize accurately what
others have said, asking for clarification or
elaboration, and expressing alternative
positions.
IAPS 6, 7, 9-11
6 Q3 AD; [IB] A8-9
IAES 6, 9, 11
6 Q1 AD; [IB] A3,
A4
IALS 2, 3. 4
2 Q2b ET; Q4 UC;
Q5 ET
3 Q1 ET; Q4 UC;
[IB] A3, A7, A17
8.1. 4. Identify and criticize the reasoning in
arguments in which fact and opinion are
intermingled or the conclusions do not follow
logically from the evidence given, an analogy is
not apt, no mention is made of whether the
34
IAES 32, 82, 98
IAPS 76-77, 88
IALS 30, 32, 55,
32 Proc GI; [IB]
C11, C12
82 Q5 UC; [IB]
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
control group is very much like the
experimental group, or all members of a group
are implied to have nearly identical
characteristics that differ from those of other
groups.
62, 76, 81, 83, 87, F5, F8
98
98 Q2 ET, CS; [IB]
G16, G20
76 [IB] E2
77 Proc DI
30 Q1a DI; [IB] C1,
C30-31
32 Q4 ET; [IB] C9
55 Q2 UC
Standard 2 Experimental Design
Students at this level should be honing their skills in Experimental Design. Students should
be able to:
8.2.1. Describe how if more than one variable
changes at the same time in an experiment, the
outcome of the experiment may not be
attributable to a change in any single variable.
IAES 32, 47, 48
8, 14, 39
IAPS 27, 38, 82
32 Proc GI; [IB]
C11, C12
47 [IB] D16
48 Q4 UC; [IB] D14,
D16
8 [IB] A11-16
14 [IB] B16
39 Q2 DI; [IB] C6
27 Q2 CS; AQ3 ET
38 Q 1-3 AD; [IB]
C2
82 Q3 RE; [IB] E3,
E9, E12
8.2.2. Write clear step-by-step instructions
(procedural summaries) for conducting
investigations.
35
IAES 16, 55
16 Proc DI
IALS 77, 81
55 Proc DI
IAPS 66, 68
77 Proc DI
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
81 Q5 UC; [IB] E2,
3, E5, E13-14
83 Q3 DCI
66 Proc DI; [IB] D16
68 PROC DI; [IB]
D18
8.2.3. Use tables, charts, and graphs in making
arguments and claims in presentations about
lab work.
IALS 77
77 Q4 DI; Q7 DI
IAPS 18-19, 25,
75-76, 81-83
18 Q3 AD; [IB] B1921
IAES 32, 55, 75
19 [IB] B12-14
25 Q2-3
75 Q2 UC; [IB] E2,
E4-6, E7, E14
76 [IB] E2
81 [IB] E3, 13, 15
83 Q6 AD; [IB] E3,
E12
32 Proc GI; [IB]
C11, C12
55 Proc DI
75 Q1-5
8.2.4. Read analog and digital meters on
instruments used to make direct measurements
of length, volume, weight, elapsed time, rates,
or temperatures, and choose appropriate units.
Explain how to interpolate on analog scales.
Not covered
8.2.5. Explain why arguments may be invalid if
based on very small samples of data, biased
samples, or experiments in which there was no
control sample.
IAPS 9, 10, 14
36
IAES 72, 93
IALS 81, 83
9 Q3 UC; [IB] A1012
10 Q1 AD; Proc DI;
[IB] A10-12
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
14 [IB] B4-6
72 [IB] F17
81 Q5 UC; [IB] E2,
3, E5, E13-14
Strand 2
MATTER AND REACTIONS
Standard 3 Structure of Matter
Students at this level will be refining their understandings around concepts of Structure of
Matter. Students should be able to:
8.3. 1. Explain that all matter is made up of
atoms that are far too small to see directly
through an optical microscope.
IAPS 15, 16
15 Q5 UC; [IB] B711
16 [IB] B7-11
8.3. 2. Construct a model of an atom and know
IAPS 16, 17, 36
the atom is composed of protons, neutrons, and (Note: atomic
electrons.
models are used
to construct
molecules)
16 [IB] B7-11
8.3.3. Explain that an object can be electrically
charged either positively or negatively; objects
with like charges repel each other, or objects
with unlike charges attract each other.
IAPS 15-16
15 Q5 UC [IB]
8.3.4. Know that density is mass per unit
volume.
IAPS 8-9
8.3.5. Explain that equal volumes of different
substances usually have different masses and,
therefore, different densities.
IAPS 8-10, 14, 18
17 Q6 UC
36 Q8 UC
B7-11
16 [IB] B7-11
8 Q6 UC; [IB] A9
9 Q3 UC; [IB] A1012
8 Q6 UC; [IB] A9
9 Q3 UC; [IB] A1012
10 Q1 AD; Proc DI;
[IB] A10-12
18 Q3 AD; [IB] B19-
37
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
21
8.3.6. Determine the density of substances
(regular and irregular solids, and liquids) from
direct measurements of mass and volume, or of
volume by water displacement.
IAPS 8-10, 14, 18
8 Q6 UC; [IB] A9
9 Q3 UC; [IB] A1012
10 Q1 AD; Proc DI;
[IB] A10-12
18 Q3 AD; [IB] B1921
Standard 4
CLASSIFICATION AND THE PERIODIC TABLE
Students should begin to understand the importance of Classification in science and
should be exposed to using the primary classification toll of Chemistry, the Periodic Table.
Students should be able to:
8.4.1. Using a periodic chart, explain that the
atoms of any element are similar to each other,
but they are different from atoms of other
elements. Know that the atoms of a given
isotope are identical to each other.
IAPS 15, 16
16 IB B-11, B12,
B14
8.4.2. Describe how elements can be classified,
based on similar properties, into categories,
including highly reactive metals, less reactive
metals, highly reactive nonmetals, less reactive
nonmetals, and some almost completely nonreactive (noble) gases.
IAPS 15, 16
16 IB B-11, B12,
B14
Standard 5
BONDING
Students should be developing concepts around the nature of chemical Bonding and its
impact on physical properties of matter. Students should be able to:
8.5.1. Diagram and describe how atoms may
combine (bond) into molecules or into large
crystalline arrays.
IAPS 16, 17, 36
16 [IB] B7-11
17 Q6 UC
36 Q8 UC
38
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
8.5.2. Know that there are more than 100
elements that combine in a multitude of ways
to produce compounds that make up all the
living and nonliving things in the universe.
IAPS 16, 17, 1921
16 [IB] B7-11
17 Q6 UC
19 [IB] B12-14
20 Q3-5
21 Q1-3
8.5.3. Understand how an ion is an atom or
group of atoms (molecule) that has acquired an
electric charge by losing or gaining one or more
electrons.
IAPS 50
50 Q5 UC
Standard 6
KINETIC THEORY OF MATTER
Students will be able to relate the Kinetic Theory of Matter to the structure and behavior
of matter. Specifically Students should be able to:
8.6.1. Describe how the atoms, molecules, or
ions comprising an object are in constant
individual motion, and explain how their
average motional (kinetic) energy determines
the temperature of the object, and how the
strength of the forces between them
determines the state of matter at that
temperature.
IAPS 34, 39, 59,
62
34 Q1 UC
39 Q7 SI; [IB] C3-4
50 Q5 UC; [IB] C23
62 Q4 SI; [IB] E3,
E9, E11, E15
8.6.2. Explain that the melting and boiling
IAPS 59-61 (Note: 59 Q3-5
temperatures of a substance (element or
boiling point not
60 Q3-4
compound) depend on pressure and are
addressed)
independent of the amount of the sample.
61 [IB] D10
(Some materials do not melt and others do not
boil because they decompose as the
temperature is raised; other materials do not
have a sharp melting point because they are not
homogeneous.)
Standard 7
CONSERVATION OF MASS
Students will be introduced to the Law of Conservation of Mass and its application to
39
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
understanding chemical and physical changes. Specifically Students should be able to:
8.7.1. Describe Law of Conservation of Matter,
using the idea that when materials react with
each other, many changes can take place, but
that in every case the total amount of matter
afterward is the same as before.
IAPS 25
25 Q2-3
8.7.2. Explain how the idea of atoms explains
the conservation of matter: In chemical
reactions, the number of atoms stays the same
no matter how they are arranged, and the mass
of atoms does not change significantly in
chemical reactions, so their total mass stays the
same.
IAPS 25-28
25 Q2-3
27 Q2 CS; Q3 ET
28 Q3 ET
Standard 8
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
Students will be introduced to concepts of Chemical Reactions. This includes concepts of
reactions at the atomic level and the observable level. Students will also be introduced to
indicators and measures of reactants and reactions. Specifically Students should be able
to:
8.8.1. Explain how elements and compounds
(reactants) react with each other to form
products with different properties.
IAPS 18-19, 23,
25
18 Q3 AD, [IB]
B19-21
19 IB B-11-12, B14
23 Q2-3
25 Q2-3
8.8.2. Explain how during endothermic chemical
reactions heat energy is absorbed from the
surroundings, and in exothermic reactions heat
energy is released to the surroundings.
IAPS 19
8.8.3. Explain that reactions occur at different
Not covered
rates, slow to fast, and that reaction rates can
be changed by changing the concentration of
reactants, the temperature, the surface areas of
40
19 IB B-11-12, B14
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
8.8.4. Recognize that solutions can be acidic,
basic, or neutral, depending on the
concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution.
Understand that because this concentration can
vary over a very large range, the logarithmic pH
scale is used to describe how acidic or basic a
solution is (each increase of one in the pH scale
is an increase of 10 times in concentration).
IAPS 46-50
46 Proc OD, GI; [IB]
C9
8.8.5. Recognize that indicators of chemical
changes include temperature change, the
production of a gas, the production of a
precipitate, or a color change.
IAPS 14, 19, 27
solids, and by using a catalyst.
49 [IB] C14-18, C21
50 Q5 UC; [IB] C23
14 [IB] B4-6
19 [IB] B12-14
27 Q2 CS; Q3 ET
Standard 9
ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
Students will begin to make concepts of Electricity and Magnetism operational.
Specifically Students should be able to:
8.9.1. Explain that when an electric current
IAPS 65A
flows there is always a magnetic field associated
with it.
65 Q3
8.9.2. Describe the role that electromagnets
play in electric motors, electric generators, and
simple devices such as doorbells and
earphones.
IAPS 56A
56A Q1
8.9.3. Explain how electrical circuits provide a
means of transferring electrical energy from
sources such as generators to devices in which
heat, light, sound, and chemical changes are
produced.
IAPS 64-66
64 Q3 ET; Q4 AD;
[IB] D7
65 Proc DI; D13
66 Proc DI; [IB] D16
Strand 3
FORCES:
STANDARD 10 SPECIAL FORCES
Students will be introduced to the phenomena of Special Forces (gravitation, weight, and
41
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
buoyancy) including how these forces are measured and manipulated. Specifically
Students should be able to:
8.10.1. Explain that every object exerts an
attractive gravitational force on every other
object.
IAES 95-96
95 Q4 AD; [IB]
G10, G12
96 [IB] G4, G7, G19
8.10.2. Demonstrate that the mass of an object
is a measure of the quantity of matter it
contains (measured in kg or g), and that its
weight (measured in N) is the magnitude of the
gravitational force exerted between Earth and
that much mass.
IAES 95
8.10.3. Determine and explain that the buoyant
force on an object in a fluid is an upward force
equal to the weight of the fluid the object has
displaced; this principle can be used to predict
whether an object will float or sink in a given
fluid.
Not covered
95 Q4 AD; [IB]
G10, G12
Standard 11
FORCES AND MOTION
Students will be introduced to the relationship between Forces and Motion. Students will
also explore the mathematical relationships between Forces and Motion as well as the
graphical representation of these relationships. Specifically Students should be able to:
8.11. 1. Recognize that a force has both
magnitude and direction.
IAPS 81-83
81 [IB] E3, E13, E15
82 Q3 RE; [IB] E3,
E9, E12
83 Q6 AD, [IB] E3,
E12
8.11. 2. Observe and explain that when the
IAPS 81
forces on an object are balanced (equal and
opposite forces that add up to zero), the motion
42
81 [IB] E3, E13, E15
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
8.11. 3. Explain why an unbalanced force acting
on an object changes the object’s speed or
direction of motion or both.
IAPS 80, 81
80 Q2; [IB] E2-3,
E11, E20
8.11.4. Know that the greater the mass of an
object, the more force is needed to change its
motion.
IAPS 77, 78
8.11.5. Apply simple mathematical models to
problems (e.g., formulas such as F = ma, d = st).
IAPS 74-76, 78,
of the object does not change.
81 [IB] E3, E13, E15
77 Proc DI
78 [IB] E2-3, E8
74 Proc DI; [IB] E12, E5-6
75 Q2 UC; [IB] E2,
E4-7, E14
76 [IB] E2
78 [IB] E2-3, E8
8.11. 6. Explain that if the net force acting on an
object always acts toward the same center as
the object moves, the object’s path is a curve
about the force center. (Motion in a circular
orbit is the simplest example of this concept.)
IAPS 79
79 [IB] E10
8.11. 7. Plot and interpret distance versus time
graphs for constant speed.
IAPS 75, 78, 83
75 Q2 UC; [IB] E2,
E4-7, E14
78 [IB] E2-3, E8
83 Q6 AD; [IB] E3,
E12
Strand 4
ENERGY AND WAVES
Standard 12 Forms of Energy
Students will increase their knowledge and understanding of Sources and Forms of Energy
and how they are inter-related. Specifically,
Students should be able to:
8.12. 1. Explain how energy is the ability to do
43
Not covered
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
work and is measured in joules (J).
8.12. 2. Describe kinetic energy as the energy of IAPS 54, 55
motion (e.g., a rolling ball), and potential energy
as the energy of position or configuration (e.g.,
a raised object or a compressed spring).
54 Proc DI; [IB] D1
8.12.3. Recognize and describe that energy is a
property of many systems and can take the
forms of mechanical motion, gravitational
energy, the energy of electrostatic and
magnetic fields, sound, heat, and light
(electromagnetic field energy).
IAPS 56A, 58, 65,
66
58 Q2 UC, [IB] D45, D8
8.12.4. Describe that energy may be stored as
potential energy in many ways, including
chemical bonds and in the nucleus of atoms.
IAPS 16, 17, 36,
64
55 Q1 UC; [IB] D1
65 Proc DI; D13
66 Proc DI; [IB] D16
16 [IB] B7-11
17 Q6 UC
36 Q8 UC
64 Q3 ET, Q4 AD;
[IB] D7
8.12.5. Explain that the sun emits energy in the IAES 55
form of light and other radiation, and only a tiny
IAPS 68-70
fraction of that energy is intercepted by the
Earth.
55 Proc DI, GI
68 PROC DI; [IB]
D18
69 [IB] D11, D15,
D18
70 Proc GI; [IB]
D12, D-15
8.12.6. Know that the sun’s radiation consists of
a wide range of wavelengths, mainly visible
light, infrared, and ultraviolet radiation.
IAPS 94, 96
96 Q3
Standard 13
TYPES OF WAVES
Students will be introduced to Types of Waves, mechanical and electromagnet.
Specifically Students should be able to:
8.13.1. Explain how a mechanical wave is a
IAPS 90
44
90 Q1
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
8.13.2. Explain how electromagnetic waves
differ from mechanical waves in that they do
not need a medium for propagation;
nevertheless, they can be described by many of
the same quantities: amplitude, wavelength,
frequency (or period), and wave speed.
IAPS 93, 96
93 Q1-3
8.13.3. Recognize that human eyes respond to a
narrow range of wavelengths of the
electromagnetic spectrum (red through violet)
called visible light.
IAPS 94
94 Q6 AD
disturbance that propagates through a medium.
8.13.4. Summarize how something can be
IAPS 89-99
“seen” when light waves emitted or reflected by
an object enter the eye, just as something can
be “heard” when sound waves from an object
enter the ear.
Standard 14 Wave Properties
Students will be introduced to the analysis and description of Wave Properties especially
properties related to propagation and energy descriptors. Specifically Students should be
able to:
8.14. 1. Observe and explain how waves carry
energy from one place to another.
IAPS 90
8.14.2. Explain how sound in a fluid (e.g., air) is
a longitudinal wave whose speed depends on
the properties of the fluid in which it
propagates.
IAPS 92, 93
8.14.3. Explain how light waves, sound waves,
and other waves move at different speeds in
different materials.
IAPS 93
8.14.4. Demonstrate that vibrations in materials
set up wave disturbances, such as sound and
earthquake waves, which spread away from the
source.
IAPS 91
8.14.5. Explain that waves obey the
superposition principle: Many waves can pass
Not covered
45
90 Q1
93 Q2, Q3 UC
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
through the same point at once, and the wave
amplitude at that point is the sum of the
amplitudes of the individual waves.
Standard 15
ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Students will be introduced to the analysis and description of Energy Transfer and
Transformation. Specifically Students should be able to:
8.15.1. Explain how kinetic energy can be
transformed into potential energy, and vice
versa (e.g., in a bouncing ball).
IAPS 54, 55
8.15.2. Explain that heat energy is a common
product of an energy transformation, such as in
biological growth, the operation of machines,
the operation of a light bulb, and the motion of
people.
IAPS 55-57
8.15.3. Explain how electrical energy can be
generated using a variety of energy sources and
can be transformed into almost any other form
of energy, such as mechanical motion, light,
sound, or heat.
IAPS 58, 64, 66
54 Proc DI; [IB] D1
55 Q1 UC [IB] D1
55 Q1 UC [IB] D1
56 Q3
57 Q3 UC; [IB] D2-3
58 Q2 UC; [IB] D45, D8
64 Q3 ET, Q4
AD; [IB] D7
66 Proc DI; [IB] D16
8.15.4. Compare and contrast how heat energy
can be transferred through radiation,
convection, or conduction.
IAPS 59, 70
8.15. 5. Know that power is energy per unit of
time, expressed in watts, W, and 1 W = 1 J/s.
Explain that devices are rated according to their
power capacity or consumption
Not covered
Standard 16
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY
46
59 Q3-5
(Note: convection 70 Proc GI; [IB]
covered in IAES
D12, D15
46)
46 [IB] D16
DCPS SCIENCE STANDARD
SEPUP LOCATION
WHERE ASSESSED
Students will be introduced to the Law of Conservation of Energy.
Specifically Students should be able to:
8.16.1. Explain that in processes at the scale of
atomic size or greater, energy cannot be
created or destroyed but only changed from
one form into another.
47
IAPS 57
57 Q3 UC; [IB] D2-3