| January 2008 | ||
| PK–3 | Acrobat 168k | Ms Word 310k |
| 3–8 | Acrobat 206k | Ms Word 445k |
| View Glossary - Highlighted Assessment Limits | ||
Standard 1.0 Skills and Processes
Topic
A.
Indicator
- 1. Gather and question data from many different forms of scientific investigations which include reviewing appropriate print resources, observing what things are like or what is happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments.
Objectives
- Support investigative findings with data found in books, articles, and databases, and identify the sources used and expect others to do the same.
- Select and use appropriate tools hand lens or microscope (magnifiers), centimeter ruler (length), spring scale (weight), balance (mass), Celsius thermometer (temperature), graduated cylinder (liquid volume), and stopwatch (elapsed time) to augment observations of objects, events, and processes.
- Explain that comparisons of data might not be fair because some conditions are not kept the same.
- Recognize that the results of scientific investigations are seldom exactly the same, and when the differences are large, it is important to try to figure out why.
- Identify possible reasons for differences in results from investigations including unexpected differences in the methods used or in the circumstances in which the investigation is carried out, and sometimes just because of uncertainties in observations.
- Judge whether measurements and computations of quantities are reasonable in a familiar context by comparing them to typical values when measured to the nearest:
- Millimeter - length
- Square centimeter - area
- Milliliter - volume
- Newton - weight
- Gram - mass
- Second - time
- Degree C - temperature
Topic
B.
Indicator
- 1. Seek better reasons for believing something than "Everybody knows that..." or "I just know" and discount such reasons when given by others.
Objectives
- Develop explanations using knowledge possessed and evidence from observations, reliable print resources, and investigations.
- Offer reasons for their findings and consider reasons suggested by others.
- Review different explanations for the same set of observations and make more observations to resolve the differences.
- Keep a notebook that describes observations made, carefully distinguishes actual observations from ideas and speculations about what was observed, and is understandable weeks or months later.
Topic
C.
Indicator
- 1. Recognize that clear communication is an essential part of doing science because it enables scientists to inform others about their work, expose their ideas to criticism by other scientists, and stay informed about scientific discoveries around the world.
Objectives
- Avoid choosing and reporting only the data that show what is expected by the person doing the choosing.
- Submit work to the critique of others which involves discussing findings, posing questions, and challenging statements to clarify ideas.
- Construct and share reasonable explanations for questions asked.
- Recognize that doing science involves many different kinds of work and engages men and women of all ages and backgrounds.
Topic
D.
Indicator
Objectives
- Choose appropriate common materials for making simple mechanical constructions and repairing things.
- Realize that there is no perfect design and that usually some features have to be sacrificed to get others, for example, designs that are best in one respect (safety or ease of use) may be inferior in other ways (cost or appearance).
- Identify factors that must be considered in any technological design-cost, safety, environmental impact, and what will happen if the solution fails.
Indicator
- 1. DESIGNED SYSTEMS: Investigate a variety of mechanical systems and analyze the relationship among the parts.
Objectives
- Realize that in something that consists of many parts, the parts usually influence one another.
- Explain that something may not work as well (or at all) if a part of it is missing, broken, worn out, mismatched, or misconnected.
Indicator
- 1. MAKING MODELS: Examine and modify models and discuss their limitations.
Objectives
- Explain that models, such as geometric figures, number sequences, graphs, diagrams, sketches, number lines, maps, and stories can be used to represent objects, events, and processes in the real world, although such representations can never be exact in every detail.
- Realize that one way to make sense of something is to think how it is like something more familiar.
Standard 2.0 Earth/Space Science
Topic
C.
Indicator
- 1. Gather information and provide evidence about the physical environment, becoming familiar with the details of geological features, observing and mapping locations of hills, valleys, rivers, and canyons.
Objectives
- Identify and describe some natural features of continents.
- Mountains
- Valleys
- Rivers
- Canyons
- Describe the natural features in their immediate outdoor environment, and compare the features with those of another region in Maryland.
- Identify and describe some features of the ocean floor.
- Mountains
- Valleys
- Canyons
- Recognize and explain that an ocean floor is land covered by water.
Topic
E.
Indicator
- 1. Recognize and describe that water can be found as a liquid or a solid on the Earth's surface and as a gas in the Earth's atmosphere.
Objectives
Standard 3.0 Life Science
Topic
B.
Indicator
- 1. Explore the world of minute living things to describe what they look like, how they live, and how they interact with their environment.
Objectives
- Describe any observable activity displayed by these organisms.
- Provide reasons that support the conclusion that these organisms are alive.
Topic
E.
Indicator
- 1. Recognize that materials continue to exist even though they change from one form to another.
Objectives
- Identify and compile a list of materials that can be recycled.
- Identify what happens to materials when they are recycled.
- Observe and record the sequence of changes that occur to plants and animals that die and decay.
- Ask and develop possible answers to questions about what happens to the materials that living things are made of when they die.
Standard 4.0 Chemistry
Topic
A.
Indicator
- 1. Identify ways to classify objects using supporting evidence from investigations of observable properties.
Objectives
- Classify objects based on their observable properties.
- Provide reasons for placing the objects into groups.
- Compare classifications with those of others.
Indicator
- 2. Identify and describe structures of objects too small to be seen clearly with the unaided eye.
Objectives
- Identify and describe minute objects, such as grains of sand and crystals of salt after examining them with a magnifying instrument.
- Identify and describe the minute features of objects, such as the lines (grain) in a piece of wood and the fibers in a paper napkin after examining with a magnifying instrument.
Topic
C.
Indicator
- 1. Provide evidence from investigations to describe the effect that changes in temperature have on the properties of materials.
Objectives
- Based on data gathered from investigations, identify and describe the changes that occur to the observable properties of materials when different degrees of heat is applied to them, such as melting chocolate pieces, boiling an egg.
- Observe and describe the changes cooling causes to the observable properties of materials when they are cooled, such as freezing water in a straw, milk in an ice cream maker.
- Cite examples of similar changes that heating and cooling have on the observable properties of various other materials.
Standard 5.0 Physics
Topic
A.
Indicator
Objectives
- Describe the position of an object by locating it relative to another object or to its background.
- Using information from multiple trials, compare the speeds (faster or slower) of objects that travel the same distance in different amounts of time.
- Using information from multiple trials, compare the distances that objects moving at different speeds travel in the same amount of time.
Indicator
- 2. Explain that changes in the ways objects move are caused by forces.
Objectives
- Describe changes in the motion of objects as they move across different textured surfaces and suggest possible causes for the change.
Topic
B.
Indicator
- 1. Recognize and describe that heat is transferred between objects that are at different temperatures.
Objectives
- Recognize and describe that the temperature of an object increases when heat is added and decreases when heat is removed.
- Recognize and describe that heat will flow between object at different temperatures until they reach the same temperature.
Topic
D.
Indicator
- 2. Identify and describe the relationship between a sound and the vibrations that produce it.
Note: Highlighting identifies assessment limits. All highlighted Indicators will be tested on the Grades 5 and 8 MSA. The highlighted Objectives under each highlighted Indicator identify the limit to which MSA items can be written. Although all content standards are tested on MSA, not all Indicators and Objectives are tested. Objectives that are not highlighted will not be tested on MSA, however are an integral part of Instruction.
January 2008
