The content standards presented in this chapter describe what students need to know, understand and be able to do in the natural sciences. Content standards are a comprehensive set of results for students; they do not prescribe a program. These standards have been designed and developed as part of the overall vision of science education presented in national science education standards and will be most effective when used in conjunction with all the standards described in this book. In addition, implementation of content standards can not succeed if only one subset of content standards is used (for example, applying only domain standards for the physical, life and Earth sciences) .
The eight categories of content standards are:
1. Unification of scientific concepts and processes.
2. Science as an investigation.
3. physical sciences.
4. Life sciences.
5. Earth and Space Science.
6. Science and technology.
7. Science in personal and social perspectives.
8. History and nature of science.
The standard for unifying concepts and processes is presented for grades K-12, as the understanding and abilities associated with the main conceptual and procedural schemas must be developed across an entire education, and the unifying concepts and processes transcend disciplinary boundaries. The following seven categories are grouped together for classes K-4, 5-8 and 9-12. These groups were selected on the basis of a combination of factors, including cognitive development theory, classroom teacher experience, school organization, and other disciplinary norms. Additional reading references for all content standards are presented at the end of Chapter 6.
The sequence of the seven content standards is not arbitrary: each standard encompasses the knowledge and skills acquired by other standards. Students’ understanding and abilities are based on research experience, which is the foundation for developing the understanding and capabilities of other content standards. The personal and social aspects of science are increasingly emphasized as science advances as a standard of investigation into the history and nature of scientific norms. Students must have a solid knowledge and understanding of the physical sciences, life and earth sciences and space to be able to apply science.
Multidisciplinary perspectives also move from norms of subject to standard on the history and nature of science, offering many opportunities for integrated approaches to science education.
1. Unified standard of concepts and processes:
Conceptual and procedural schemas unite scientific disciplines and provide students with powerful ideas to help them understand the natural world. Because of the underlying principles in this standard, the understandings and capabilities described here are repeated in other content standards. The unifying concepts and processes include:
I. Systems, order and organization.
ii. Evidence, models and explanations.
iii. Change, consistency and measurement.
iv. Evolution and balance.
v. Form and function.
This standard describes some of the integration schemes that can bring together the many science-based experiences of students in grades K-12. Standard unifying concepts and processes can be taught at any grade level but must always be closely related to results aligned with other content standards.
At the very beginning of instruction, instruction should establish the meaning and use of unifying concepts and processes – for example, what it means to measure and how to use measurement tools. At higher levels, the standard should facilitate and enhance learning of scientific concepts and principles by providing students with an overview of scientific ideas – for example, the importance of measurement in all scientific activities.
2. Science as a standard of inquiry:
In the vision presented by standards, inquiry is a step forward in “science as a process” in which students acquire skills, such as observation, deduction and experimentation. The new vision includes the “processes of science” and requires They combine processes and scientific knowledge using scientific reasoning and critical thinking to develop their understanding of science.