1. Systems: The student knows and applies scientific concepts and principles to understand the properties, structures and changes in physical, earth/space, and living systems.
The system concept includes inputs, outputs, and transfers of matter and energy, and information to understand how the natural universe functions. Systems of the Natural World can be understood in terms of the following three components of physical, earth /space and living systems:
1.1 Properties:
Understand how properties are used to identify, describe, and categorize substances, materials, and objects; and how characteristics are used to categorize living things.
1.2 Structures: Understand how components, structures, organizations, and interconnections describe systems.
1.3 Changes: Understand how interactions within and among systems cause changes in matter and energy.
Students develop an understanding of the scientific concepts and principles in the contexts of physical, earth/space, and living systems that can be applied to solve human problems.
2. Inquiry: The student knows and applies the scientific ideas, skills, processes of investigation, and the nature of science.
Inquiry describes the skills necessary to investigate systems and asks students to understand the nature of science which gives integrity to scientific investigations. Inquiry represents the application of science concepts and principles to the scientific investigative processes that aims to answer scientific questions about the natural world. These concepts, principles, and processes are expressed in two components:
2.1 Investigating Systems:
Develop the knowledge and skills necessary to do scientific inquiry.
2.2 Nature of Science: Understand the nature of scientific inquiry
3. Application: The student knows and applies science ideas and inquiry to design and analyze solutions to human problems in societal contexts.
Scientific design process skills are used to develop and evaluate scientific solutions to problems in real world contexts. The application of an understanding of systems and inquiry is comprised of two components:
3.1 Designing Solutions:
Apply knowledge and skills of science and technology to design solutions to human problems or meet challenges.
3.2 Science, Technology and Society: Analyze how science and technology are human endeavors, interrelated to each other, to society, and to the workplace and the environment.