2 - LS2.A (A) - Plant Needs - FINAL (WND 3/4/2014)

Module: Plant Needs

DCI: LS2.A (A) Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems – Plants depend on water and light to grow.

PE: 2-LS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.

[Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to testing one variable at a time.]

The ideas are:

- plants need water and light to grow

Having students plan and conduct an investigation might be hard to do and maintain an appropriate reading level.  This will take some work.  But, we can ask basic questions about what plants need in order to grow. 

Possible Question Starters: 

What could students do to find out if plants need water to grow?

MS - PS4.B (C, D) - Modeling Electromagnetic Waves - ASSIGNED (RC 3/4/2014)

Module: Modeling Electromagnetic Waves

DCI: PS4.B (C) A wave model of light is useful for explaining brightness, color, and the frequency -dependent bending of a light at a surface between media.

DCI: PS4B (D) However, because light can travel through space, it cannot be a matter wave, like sound or water waves.

PE: MS-PS4-2 Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

[Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both light and mechanical waves. Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written descriptions.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to qualitative applications pertaining to light and mechanical waves.]

The ideas in this standard are: 

- the wave model of light can explain brightness, color, and the frequency-dependent bending of light at the surface between media 

- light travels through space, so it is not a matter wave like sound or water waves

We can ask general questions about how the characteristics of the light wave relate to its properties.  (Higher frequency = shorter wavelength, etc.) When a beam of light goes between media, the wavelength changes but the frequency remains the same (causing the light to bend - refraction). Amplitude is related to brightness of the light. They might be beginning to reference the wave-particle duality of light.  But, let's not go there with this batch. We can work the PE in, too, by asking about how a characteristic of a wave might change, or not change, as it is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through materials. 

Possible Question Starters: 

- We can do two diagrams, one with a shorter amplitude and one with a taller amplitude, and we can ask basically, how the first light wave will be different from one point to the next. 

correct answer - brightness

incorrect answer - color, direction

- A question about a prism and/or a rainbow would be a way to get at the idea of frequency-dependent behavior.

- It seems to me that we could ask which characteristic of light (behavior?) provides evidence that it is not matter.
correct answer = moves through space
incorrect answers = can be absorbed, bounces off objects 

MS - LS1.B (0) - Reproduction and Variation - FINAL (WND 3/4/2014)

Module: Reproduction and Variation

DCI: LS1.B (0) Growth and Development of Organisms: Organisms reproduce, either sexually or asexually, and transfer their genetic information to their offspring.

PE: MS-LS3-2 Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.

[Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using models such as Punnett squares, diagrams, and simulations to describe the cause and effect relationship of gene transmission from parent(s) to offspring and resulting genetic variation.]

The ideas in this standard are: 

- organisms reproduce through sexual and asexual reproduction

- through asexual and sexual reproduction, parents transfer genetic information to their offspring

The primary focus of this batch should be distinction between asexual and sexual reproduction, based on the extent of genetic variation in the offspring.  We can have students examine traits of offspring and explain differences, we can ask them to pick which would be a result of sexual or asexual reproduction.  

Possible Question Starters: 

For organisms that reproduce sexually and those that reproduce asexually, the traits of the offspring depends directly on the parent or parents’ –

MS - PS4.B (A) - Properties of Visible Light (ASSIGNED - RC 3/3/2014)

Module: Properties of Electromagnetic Radiation

DCI: PS4.B (A)When light shines on an object, it is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through the object, depending on the object’s material and the frequency (color) of the light.

DCI: PS4B (B) The path that light travels can be traced as straight lines, except at surfaces between different transparent materials (e.g., air and water, air and glass) where the light path bends.

PE: MS-PS4-2 Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

[Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both light and mechanical waves. Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written descriptions.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to qualitative applications pertaining to light and mechanical waves.]

The ideas in this standard are: 

- when light shines on an object, it is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through the object

- what happens to light when it strikes an object depends on the objects material and the frequency of the light

- light travels in straight lines, except when it moves from one transparent material to another (and it bends)

There is plenty of content to write about, although we should avoid low-level vocabulary questions (which might be very tempting).  We can, though, provide scenarios and ask what is happening to the light.  One other word of caution: avoid situations where we limit ourselves to three reasonable answers (reflected, absorbed, transmitted), we can do this by providing descriptions of the light interaction rather than restricting ourselves to a certain one word answer.  

Students can 'model' light interactions by choosing from diagrams, written descriptions, or perhaps even differentiating between types of evidence. 

Possible Question Starters: 

"A student places a pencil in a glass of water and observed that the pencil appeared broken.

Which of these provides the best explanation for why the pencil appears broken?"

correct answer - the light bends as it travels from the air into the water

incorrect answer - the water reflects light away from the pencil 

"The diagram shows four possible behaviors of light as a lightbulb shines on a bowl of water.  Which of the four possibilities shows reflection?"

Correct answer - Z

Of these two questions, we prefer the first one.
The second one only asks for a label to be applied. This is what the TEKS want, but NGSS wants more.

Perhaps we could have some design challenges?
Light beam and target in an image. We ask what can be put at point X to get the beam to the target.

Maybe questions like we had for the sound assessment.

1 - PS4 - Communication ASSIGNED (CJT 3-3-13)

DCI: PS4.C Information Technologies and Instrumentation – People also use a variety of devices to communicate (send and receive information) over long distances.

PE: 1-PS4-4 Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance.

The basic content of the standard seems to be as follows.

People use devices (that use light and sound) to communicate over long distances.

There seems to be nothing in the DCI alone that is worthy of a question. I think we will have to focus on tools.

MS - LS3.B (B) Mutations - FINAL (WND 3/3/2014)

Module: Mutations

DCI: LS3.B (B) In addition to variations that arise from sexual reproduction, genetic information can be altered because of mutations. Though rare, mutations may result in changes to the structure and function of proteins. Some changes are beneficial, others harmful, and some neutral to the organism.

PE: MS-LS3-1 Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism

[Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on conceptual understanding that changes in genetic material may result in making different proteins.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific changes at the molecular level, mechanisms for protein synthesis, or specific types of mutations.]

The ideas are: 

- variations can arise from sexual reproduction, but genetic information can also be altered as a result of a mutation. 

- mutations may result in changes to the structure of proteins 

- some changes are beneficial, others harmful, and some neutral to the organism 

Possible Question Starters: 

In humans, the protein CFTR regulates the components of sweat, digestive fluids, and mucus. Which of the following would provide evidence that a genetic mutation of the CFTR protein could be harmful to humans?

MS - ESS3.C (B) - Consumption of Natural Resources - FINAL (CLF 3/3/3014)

Module: Consumption of Natural Resources

DCI: ESS3.C (B) Typically as human populations and per-capita consumption of natural resources increase, so do the negative impacts on Earth unless the activities and technologies involved are engineered otherwise.

Connections to Nature of Science: Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World: Science knowledge can describe consequences of actions but does not make the decisions that society takes.

PE: MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

PE: MS-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s systems.

[Clarification Statement: Examples of the design process include examining human environmental impacts, assessing the kinds of solutions that are feasible, and designing and evaluating solutions that could reduce that impact. Examples of human impacts can include water usage (such as the withdrawal of water from streams and aquifers or the construction of dams and levees), land usage (such as urban development, agriculture, or the removal of wetlands), and pollution (such as of the air, water, or land).]

[Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence include grade-appropriate databases on human populations and the rates of consumption of food and natural resources (such as freshwater, mineral, and energy). Examples of impacts can include changes to the appearance, composition, and structure of Earth’s systems as well as the rates at which they change. The consequences of increases in human populations and consumption of natural resources are described by science, but science does not make the decisions for the actions society takes.]

The ideas in this standard are: 

- as human populations increase, so do the negative impacts on Earth

- as per-capita consumption of natural resources increase, so do the negative impacts on Earth 

- the negative impacts on Earth will continue to increase unless we engineer activities and technologies to do otherwise

For the first PE, we can have students evaluate  a method, or even choose how to determine if a particular method is efficient.  We might be able to have them pick between four situations and ask which one had the most effective method in place for minimizing human impact. 

For the second PE, we will have to point to evidence that correlates human population to use of natural resources.  Students will have to use that evidence to make some sort of a conclusion about the cause/effect relationship. 

Possible Question Starters: 

"The idea that human populations can have negative impacts on the environment could best be supported by which of the following two types of data?"

correct answer - human population sizes and changes to earth's systems over time

incorrect answer - average human lifespan and annual yearly precipitation