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PROGRAMS FOR 6th - 8th GRADES
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OHIO'S WILDLIFE - 6th – 8th Grade
LIFE SCIENCES
Benchmark A. Explain that the basic functions of organisms are carried out in cells and groups of specialized cells form tissues and organs; the combination of these cells make up multicellular organisms that have a variety of body plans and internal structures.
Benchmark B. Describe the characteristics of an organism in terms of a combination of inherited traits and recognize reproduction as a characteristic of living organisms essential to the continuation of the species.
Benchmark C. Explain how energy entering the ecosystems as sunlight supports the life of organisms through photosynthesis and the transfer of energy through the interactions of organisms and the environment.
Benchmark D. Explain how extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and its adaptive characteristics are insufficient to allow survival (as seen in evidence of the fossil record).
6TH GRADE
4. Recognize that an individual organism does not live forever; therefore reproduction is necessary for the continuation of every species and traits are passed on to the next generation through reproduction.
7. Recognize that likenesses between parents and offspring (e.g., eye color, flower color) are inherited. Other likenesses, such as table manners are learned.
8. Describe how organisms may interact with one another.
7TH GRADE
1. Investigate the great variety of body plans and internal structures found in multicellular organisms.
2. Investigate how organisms or populations may interact with one another through symbiotic relationships and how some species have become so adapted to each other that neither could survive without the other (e.g., predator-prey, parasitism, mutualism and commensalism).
3. Explain how the number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on adequate biotic (living) resources (e.g., plants, animals) and abiotic (non-living) resources (e.g., light, water and soil).
4. Investigate how overpopulation impacts an ecosystem.
7. Explain that photosynthetic cells convert solar energy into chemical energy that is used to carry on life functions or is transferred to consumers and used to carry on their life functions.
8. Investigate the great diversity among organisms.
8TH GRADE
1. Describe that asexual reproduction limits the spread of detrimental characteristics through a species and allows for genetic continuity.
2. Recognize that in sexual reproduction new combinations of traits are produced which may increase or decrease an organism's chances for survival.
3. Explain how variations in structure, behavior or physiology allow some organisms to enhance their reproductive success and survival in a particular environment.
4. Explain that diversity of species is developed through gradual processes over many generations (e.g., fossil record).
5. Investigate how an organism adapted to a particular environment may become extinct if the environment, as shown by the fossil record, changes.
To TopREPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS - 6th – 8th Grade
LIFE SCIENCES
Benchmark A. Explain that the basic functions of organisms are carried out in cells and groups of specialized cells form tissues and organs; the combination of these cells make up multicellular organisms that have a variety of body plans and internal structures.
Benchmark B. Describe the characteristics of an organism in terms of a combination of inherited traits and recognize reproduction as a characteristic of living organisms essential to the continuation of the species.
Benchmark C. Explain how energy entering the ecosystems as sunlight supports the life of organisms through photosynthesis and the transfer of energy through the interactions of organisms and the environment.
Benchmark D. Explain how extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and its adaptive characteristics are insufficient to allow survival (as seen in evidence of the fossil record).
6TH GRADE
1. Explain that many of the basic functions of organisms are carried out by or within cells and are similar in all organisms.
2. Explain that multicellular organisms have a variety of specialized cells, tissues, organs and organ systems that perform specialized functions.
4. Recognize that an individual organism does not live forever; therefore reproduction is necessary for the continuation of every species and traits are passed on to the next generation through reproduction.
8. Describe how organisms may interact with one another.
7TH GRADE
1. Investigate the great variety of body plans and internal structures found in multicellular organisms.
2. Investigate how organisms or populations may interact with one another through symbiotic relationships and how some species have become so adapted to each other that neither could survive without the other (e.g., predator-prey, parasitism, mutualism and commensalism).
3. Explain how the number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on adequate biotic (living) resources (e.g., plants, animals) and abiotic (non-living) resources (e.g., light, water and soil).
4. Investigate how overpopulation impacts an ecosystem.
8. Investigate the great diversity among organisms.
8TH GRADE
5. Investigate how an organism adapted to a particular environment may become extinct if the environment, as shown by the fossil record, changes.
To TopHABITATS - 6th – 8th Grade
LIFE SCIENCES
Benchmark A. Explain that the basic functions of organisms are carried out in cells and groups of specialized cells form tissues and organs; the combination of these cells make up multicellular organisms that have a variety of body plans and internal structures.
Benchmark B. Describe the characteristics of an organism in terms of a combination of inherited traits and recognize reproduction as a characteristic of living organisms essential to the continuation of the species.
Benchmark C. Explain how energy entering the ecosystems as sunlight supports the life of organisms through photosynthesis and the transfer of energy through the interactions of organisms and the environment.
Benchmark D. Explain how extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and its adaptive characteristics are insufficient to allow survival (as seen in evidence of the fossil record).
6TH GRADE
8. Describe how organisms may interact with one another.
7TH GRADE
1. Investigate the great variety of body plans and internal structures found in multicellular organisms.
2. Investigate how organisms or populations may interact with one another through symbiotic relationships and how some species have become so adapted to each other that neither could survive without the other (e.g., predator-prey, parasitism, mutualism and commensalism).
3. Explain how the number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on adequate biotic (living) resources (e.g., plants, animals) and abiotic (non-living) resources (e.g., light, water and soil).
4. Investigate how overpopulation impacts an ecosystem.
5. Explain that some environmental changes occur slowly while others occur rapidly (e.g., forest and pond succession, fires and decomposition).
6. Summarize the ways that natural occurrences and human activity affect the transfer of energy in Earth's ecosystems (e.g., fire, hurricanes, roads and oil spills).
7. Explain that photosynthetic cells convert solar energy into chemical energy that is used to carry on life functions or is transferred to consumers and used to carry on their life functions.
8. Investigate the great diversity among organisms.
8TH GRADE
3. Explain how variations in structure, behavior or physiology allow some organisms to enhance their reproductive success and survival in a particular environment.
5. Investigate how an organism adapted to a particular environment may become extinct if the environment, as shown by the fossil record, changes.
To TopPREDATOR/PREY - 6th – 8th Grade
LIFE SCIENCES
Benchmark A. Explain that the basic functions of organisms are carried out in cells and groups of specialized cells form tissues and organs; the combination of these cells make up multicellular organisms that have a variety of body plans and internal structures.
Benchmark B. Describe the characteristics of an organism in terms of a combination of inherited traits and recognize reproduction as a characteristic of living organisms essential to the continuation of the species.
Benchmark C. Explain how energy entering the ecosystems as sunlight supports the life of organisms through photosynthesis and the transfer of energy through the interactions of organisms and the environment.
Benchmark D. Explain how extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and its adaptive characteristics are insufficient to allow survival (as seen in evidence of the fossil record).
6TH GRADE
4. Recognize that an individual organism does not live forever; therefore reproduction is necessary for the continuation of every species and traits are passed on to the next generation through reproduction.
8. Describe how organisms may interact with one another.
7TH GRADE
1. Investigate the great variety of body plans and internal structures found in multicellular organisms.
2. Investigate how organisms or populations may interact with one another through symbiotic relationships and how some species have become so adapted to each other that neither could survive without the other (e.g., predator-prey, parasitism, mutualism and commensalism).
3. Explain how the number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on adequate biotic (living) resources (e.g., plants, animals) and abiotic (non-living) resources (e.g., light, water and soil).
4. Investigate how overpopulation impacts an ecosystem.
5. Explain that some environmental changes occur slowly while others occur rapidly (e.g., forest and pond succession, fires and decomposition).
8. Investigate the great diversity among organisms.
8TH GRADE
3. Explain how variations in structure, behavior or physiology allow some organisms to enhance their reproductive success and survival in a particular environment.
4. Explain that diversity of species is developed through gradual processes over many generations (e.g., fossil record).
To TopWEATHER - 6th – 8th Grade
EARTH & SPACE SCIENCES
Benchmark C. Describe interactions of matter and energy throughout the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere (e.g., water cycle, weather and pollution).
7TH GRADE
1. Explain the biogeochemical cycles which move materials between the lithosphere (land), hydrosphere (water) and atmosphere (air).
3. Describe the water cycle and explain the transfer of energy between the atmosphere and hydrosphere.
5. Make simple weather predictions based on the changing cloud types associated with frontal systems.
6. Determine how weather observations and measurements are combined to produce weather maps and that data for a specific location at one point in time can be displayed in a station model.
7. Read a weather map to interpret local, regional and national weather.
8. Describe how temperature and precipitation determine climatic zones (biomes) (e.g., desert, grasslands, forests, tundra and alpine).
9. Describe the connection between the water cycle and weather-related phenomenon (e.g., tornadoes, floods, droughts and hurricanes).
8TH GRADE
1. Describe how objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motions that explain such phenomena as days, years, seasons, eclipses, tides and moon cycles.
2. Explain that gravitational force is the dominant force determining motions in the solar system and in particular keeps the planets in orbit around the sun.
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
Benchmark A. Explain that there are differing sets of procedures for guiding scientific investigations and procedures are determined by the nature of the investigation, safety considerations and appropriate tools.
Benchmark B. Analyze and interpret data from scientific investigations using appropriate mathematical skills in order to draw valid conclusions.
6TH GRADE
1. Explain that there are not fixed procedures for guiding scientific investigations; however, the nature of an investigation determines the procedures needed.
2. Choose the appropriate tools or instruments and use relevant safety procedures to complete scientific investigations.
3. Distinguish between observation and inference.
4. Explain that a single example can never prove that something is always correct, but sometimes a single example can disprove something.
7TH GRADE
3. Formulate and identify questions to guide scientific investigations that connect to science concepts and can be answered through scientific investigations.
4. Choose the appropriate tools and instruments and use relevant safety procedures to complete scientific investigations.
5. Analyze alternative scientific explanations and predictions and recognize that there may be more than one good way to interpret a given set of data.
6. Identify faulty reasoning and statements that go beyond the evidence or misinterpret the evidence.
8TH GRADE
1. Choose the appropriate tools or instruments and use relevant safety procedures to complete scientific investigations.
3. Read, construct and interpret data in various forms produced by self and others in both written and oral form (e.g., tables, charts, maps, graphs, diagrams and symbols).
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