Maine Science Standards |
A. CLASSIFYING LIFE FORMS Students will understand that there are similarities within the diversity of all living things. Modern classification systems are based on comparisons of the structure, function, life-cycles, and behavior of organisms. Grades 3- 41.Group the same organisms in different ways using different characteristics.NatureWorks Episodes1. Adaptation2. Coloration 4. Migration 6. Marine Communities 7. Fresh Water Communities 8. Terrestrial Communities 9. The Wildlife Web I 10.The Wildlife Web II 11. Decomposers/Scavengers 13. Species Diversity 14. Niche 15. Invasive Species 2.Design and describe a classification system for organisms. NatureWorks Episodes1. Adaptation2. Coloration 4. Migration 6. Marine Communities 7. Fresh Water Communities 8. Terrestrial Communities 9. The Wildlife Web I 10.The Wildlife Web II 11. Decomposers/Scavengers 13. Species Diversity 14. Niche 15. Invasive Species 3.Describe the different living things within a given habitat. NatureWorks Episodes5. Habitat6. Marine Communities 7. Fresh Water Communities 8. Terrestrial Communities 4.Compare and contrast the life cycles, behavior, and structure of different organisms. NatureWorks EpisodesAll EpisodesGrades 5-81.Compare systems of classifying organisms including systems used by scientists. NatureWorks Episodes13. Species Diversity2.Decipher the system for assigning a scientific name to every living thing. NatureWorks Episodes13. Species Diversity3.Describe some structural and behavioral adaptations that allow organisms to survive in a changing environment. NatureWorks Episodes1. Adaptation2. Coloration 3. Natural Communication 4. Migration |
B. ECOLOGY Grades 3- 41.Describe a food web and the relationships within a given ecosystem. NatureWorks Episodes9. The Wildlife Web I10.The Wildlife Web II 11. Decomposers/Scavengers 12. Population Dynamics 2.Explain the difference between producers (e.g., green plants), consumers (e.g., those that eat green plants), and decomposers (e.g., bacteria that break down the "consumers" when they die), and identify examples of each. NatureWorks Episodes9. The Wildlife Web I10.The Wildlife Web II 11. Decomposers/Scavengers 12. Population Dynamics 3.Compare and contrast physical and living components of different biomes - i.e., regions characterized by their climate and plant life - (e.g., tundra, rain forest, ocean, desert). NatureWorks Episodes5. Habitat6. Marine Communities 7. Fresh Water Communities 8. Terrestrial Communities 4.Investigate the connection between major living and nonliving components of a local ecosystem. NatureWorks Episodes5. Habitat6. Marine Communities 7. Fresh Water Communities 8. Terrestrial Communities Grades 5-81.Describe in general terms the chemical processes of photosynthesis and respiration. NatureWorks Episodes9. The Wildlife Web I2.Analyze how the finite resources in an ecosystem limit the types and populations of organisms within it. NatureWorks Episodes12. Population Dynamics3.Describe succession and other ways that ecosystems can change over time. NatureWorks Episodes12. Population Dynamics14. Niche 15. Invasive Species 4.Generate examples of the variety of ways that organisms interact (e.g., competition, predator/prey, parasitism/mutualism). NatureWorks Episodes9. The Wildlife Web I10.The Wildlife Web II 11. Decomposers/Scavengers 5.Describe various mechanisms found in the natural world for transporting living and non-living matter and the results of such movements. D. CONTINUITY AND CHANGE Grades 3- 41.Identify present day organisms that have not always existed, and past life forms that have become extinct. NatureWorks Episodes16. Life at Risk2.Describe how fossils form. 3.Explain how adaptations, in response to change over time, may increase a species' chances of survival. NatureWorks Episodes1. Adaptation2. Coloration 4. Migration 16. Life at Risk 4.Describe ways in which organisms may be similar to and different from their parents and explore the possible reasons for this. Grades 5-81.Describe how fossils can be used by scientists to trace the history of a species. 2.Explain how scientists use fossils to prove that life forms, climate, environment, and geologic features in a certain location are not the same now as they were in the past. 3.Provide examples of the concept of natural and artificial selection and its role in species changes over time. NatureWorks Episodes1. Adaptation2. Coloration 3. Natural Communication 4. Migration 4.Compare how sexually and asexually reproducing species transfer genetic information to offspring.
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