Course: Earth and Physical Sciences

Evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust and the theory of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Develop a model to illustrate how Earth's internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form continental and ocean-floor features.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth's systems and life on Earth.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the bulk scale to infer the strength of electrical forces between particles.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends upon the changes in total bond energy.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Analyze data to support the claim that Newton's second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that an electric current can produce a magnetic field and that a changing magnetic field can produce an electric current.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Communicate scientific and technical information about why the molecular-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative position of particles (objects).
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science

Evaluate questions about the advantages of using a digital transmission and storage of information.
Education Level: 12
Subject: science