LIFE SCIENCE STRAND
PROCESSES
CONCEPTS AND APPLICATIONS
Grades 6, 7, & 8:
 Describe natural phenomena with appropriate scientific terms.
 Explain natural phenomena with scientific concepts.
 Predict future events based on scientific knowledge.
 Apply scientific reasoning and knowledge.
 Interpret and communicate scientific information using words, equations, graphs, and charts.
EXPERIMENTATION
Grades 6, 7, & 8:
 Recognize and define a problem.
 Design appropriate investigations to solve the problem.
 Predict the results of the investigation.
 Conduct investigations, collect data, and record observations.
 Interpret data, draw conclusions and assess their validity.
ECOSYSTEMS
As a result of studying various ecosystems:
Grade 6:
None
Grade 7:
Students understand that while matter is recycled in an ecosystem, there is a oneway flow of energy in ecosystems.
 Describe the oxygen, carbon and nitrogen cycles and explain their significance.
 Explain how carbon dioxide and water are converted into energy-rich foods through
photosynthesis.
 Describe the transfer of energy from the sun to the environment and back to space,
through food webs consisting of producers, consumers and decomposers.
Students can explain how the number and variety of organisms and populations are
dependent on the resources and physical factors of their environment.
 Describe feeding patterns of different organisms in water and land ecosystems.
 Understand how amount of resources, predation, and climatic change can affect the
growth of a population.
 Explain how organisms are adapted to environmental conditions in different biomes.
Grade 8:
None
GENETICS AND EVOLUTION
As a result of studying patterns of heredity and historical changes in life forms:
Grade 6:
None
Grade 7:
Students understand that the basic idea of biological evolution is that the Earth’s
present-day species developed from earlier species.
 Understand that some organisms living on the Earth today are in danger of extinction
and explain the environmental changes that can lead to extinction.
Grade 8:
Students understand how each organism carries a set of instructions (genes
composed of DNA) for specifying the components and functions of the organism.
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LIFE SCIENCE STRAND – (Continued)

Explain how genetic materials are organized in genes and chromosomes in the cells
of living organisms.
 Explain how the process of cell division halves the number of chromosomes in eggs
and sperm cells and how the genetic information from both gametes is mixed in the
fertilized egg to produce an individual with new combinations of genes and traits.
 Explain how genes are related to inherited traits.
Students understand that the basic idea of biological evolution is that the Earth’s
present-day species developed from earlier species.
 Understand how differences between parents and offspring can accumulate in
successive generations so that descendants might be very different from their
ancestors.
 Understand that some organisms living on the Earth today are in danger of extinction
and explain the environmental changes that lead to extinction.
 Understand how fossils and anatomical evidence provide support for the theory of
evolution.
CELLS
As a result of observing and studying cells in single and multiple-celled organisms:
Grade 6:
Students can identify and describe basic cell structures and functions.
 Describe the basic similarities and differences between plant, animal and bacterial
cells.
 Describe the structure and main functions of skin, nerve, muscle, and blood cells.
 Describe how the cell membrane helps the cell to maintain a balance between the
internal and external environments of the cell.
Grade 7:
Students understand that cells divide for growth of the organism, repair and
reproduction.
 Describe the process of cell division (mitosis).
 Describe the process of cell reduction (meiosis).
Students can identify and describe basic cell structures and functions.
Grade 8:
Students understand that cells divide for growth of the organism, repair and
reproduction.
 Understand how the process of mitosis produces cells with identical genetic
information.
 Understand how the process of meiosis produces reproductive cells in females (egg
cells) and males (sperm cells).
HUMAN BIOLOGY
As a result of studying the structure and function of the human body:
Grade 6:
Students understand how the human organism works and what it takes to keep it
healthy.
 Examine the role of nutrition (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) and physical exercise
(cardiovascular strength and endurance) in maintaining health.
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LIFE SCIENCE STRAND – (Continued)
Grade 7:
Students understand how the human organism works and what it takes to keep it
healthy.
 Describe the structure and function of the major human organ systems.
 Explain the role of nutrition (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) and physical exercise
(cardiovascular strength and endurance) in maintaining health.
 Explain the human body’s defense system against infectious diseases and the role of
antibiotics and vaccinations in maintaining health.
Grade 8:
Students understand how the human organism works and what it takes to keep it
healthy.
 Describe the genetic makeup of humans and explain the genetic basis of
chromosome-related birth defects.
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