Benchmarks
Science Standards 4th Edition

Grade 3–5
Knows that scientific investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing the answer to what scientists already know about the world

Knows that scientists use different kinds of investigations (e.g., naturalistic observation of things or events, data collection, controlled experiments), depending on the questions they are trying to answer

Grade 6–8
Knows that there is no fixed procedure called "the scientific method," but that investigations involve systematic observations, carefully collected, relevant evidence, logical reasoning, and some imagination in developing hypotheses and explanations

Knows that the fossil record, through geologic evidence, documents the appearance, diversification, and extinction of many life forms

Grade 9–12
Understands that science involves different types of work in many different disciplines (e.g., scientists in different disciplines ask different questions, use different methods of investigation, and accept different types of evidence to support their explanations; many scientific investigations require the contributions of individuals from different disciplines; new disciplines of science, such as geophysics and biochemistry, often emerge at the interface of older disciplines)

Knows that, when conditions of an investigation cannot be controlled, it may be necessary to discern patterns by observing a wide range of natural occurrences

Knows that conceptual principles and knowledge guide scientific inquiries; historical and current scientific knowledge influence the design and interpretation of investigations and the evaluation of proposed explanations made by other scientists

Understands how variation of traits, reproductive strategies, and environmental pressures impact the survival of organism