Science Standards Addressed in Jug Bay Programs

Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary

Connecting "Classrooms in the Field" Programs with Maryland's Voluntary State Standards for Science and National Science Content Standards

Maryland Voluntary State Standards

2.0 Earth/Space Science - Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the chemical and physical interactions (i.e., natural forces and cycles, transfer of energy) of the environment, Earth, and the universe that occur over time.

C. Plate Tectonics

Grade 3
1. Identify and describe various natural features found on Earth.
a. Identify and describe some natural features of continents.
o Mountains o Valleys o Rivers o Canyons
b. Describe the natural features in their immediate outdoor environment, and compare the features with those of another region in Maryland.
c. Identify and describe some features of the ocean floor.
o Mountains o Valleys o Canyons d. Recognize and explain that an ocean floor is land covered by water.

E. Interactions of Hydrosphere and Atmosphere

Grade 5
1. Recognize and describe that the amount of water on Earth continues to stay the same even though it may change from one form to another.
a. Describe how water on Earth changes.
o Condensation o Precipitation o Evaporation
b. Explain that the sun is the main source of energy that causes the changes in the water on Earth.
c. Describe the relationship between the amount of energy from the sun and the quantity of water that is changed.
d. Describe the water cycle.

Grade 8
E. Interactions of Hydrosphere and Atmosphere
1. Describe the properties and structure of the hydrosphere and atmosphere.
a. Recognize and describe the water cycle as the distribution and circulation of Earth's water through the glaciers, surface water, groundwater, oceans, and atmosphere.
b. Identify and compare the physical properties of fresh water and salt water.
c. Recognize and describe the function of the layers of Earth's atmosphere.

3.0 Life Science - The students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the dynamic nature of living things, their interactions, and the results from the interactions that occur over time.

A. Diversity of Life

Grade 5
1. Explain the idea that in any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some less well, and some cannot survive at all.
a. Identify and describe features of some of the plants and animals living in and around the school grounds and explain ways that these organisms are well suited to their environment.
b. Based on observations of features and behaviors of animals and plants from very different environments describe reasons that they might not survive if their environment changed or if they were moved from one environment to another.
e. State reasons why certain animals such as whales, salmon, could not survive in the Chesapeake Bay.
f. Research the kind of environment needed by the Maryland blue crab, the sunflower (Maryland's state flower), or another Maryland native organism.
g. Explain that the survival of individual organisms and entire populations can be affected by sudden (flood, Tsunami) or slow (global warming, air pollution) changes in the environment.

E. Flow of Matter and Energy

Grade 7
1. Compare how plants and animals meet the need to obtain and utilize food.
a. Cite evidence from research and observations that food provides molecules that serve as fuel and building materials for all organisms.
b. Cite evidence from research and observations that organisms that eat plants or animals break down what they have consumed (food) to produce the materials and energy they need to survive or stored for later use.
c. Investigate and describe the processes that enable plants to use the energy from light to make sugars (food) from carbon dioxide and water.
d. Provide evidence from research to explain how plants can use the food they make immediately for fuel or stored for later use.
e. Ask and seek answers to questions about the transfer of matter between organisms continues indefinitely because organisms are decomposed after death to return food materials to the environment.
f. Provide evidence that supports the premise "In the flow of matter system the total amount of matter remains constant even though its form and location change." o Water cycle o Nitrogen cycle o Matter cycle

F. Ecology

Grade 4
1. Explain ways that individuals and groups of organisms interact with each other and their environment.
a. Identify and describe the interactions of organisms present in a habitat.
o Competition for space, food, and water
o Beneficial interactions: nesting, pollination, seed dispersal
o Roles within food chains and webs: scavengers, decomposers, etc.
b. Explain that changes in an organism's habitat are sometimes beneficial to it and sometimes harmful.

Grade 6
1. Give reasons supporting the fact that the number of organisms an environment can support depends on the physical conditions and resources available.
a. Explain that populations increase or decrease relative to the availability of resources and the conditions of the environment.
b. Identify and describe factors that could limit populations within any environment, such as disease, introduction of a nonnative species, depletion of resources, etc.
c. Explain that within any environment organisms with similar needs may compete with one another for resources.
d. Cite examples to illustrate that competition is reduced when organisms use different sets of resources, such as birds in a forest eat different kinds and sizes of seeds.

6.0 Environmental Science - Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the interactions of environmental factors (living and nonliving) and analyze their impact from a local to a global perspective.

A. Natural Resources and Human Needs

Grade 5
1. Recognize and explain how renewable and nonrenewable natural resources are used by humans to meet basic needs.
a. Identify and compare renewable resources and nonrenewable resources.
b. Describe how humans use renewable natural resources.
o Plants o Soil o Water o Animals
c. Describe how humans use nonrenewable natural resources.
o Oil o Coal o Natural gas o Minerals, including metals

Grade 6
1. Recognize and compare how different parts of the world have varying amounts and types of natural resources and how the use of those resources impacts environmental quality.
a. Identify and describe natural resources, such as agricultural lands, energy, minerals, water, wildlife, forests, and fisheries.
b. Identify and describe the distribution of natural resources around the Earth
c. Identify and describe how the natural change process may be affected by human activities, such as agriculture, beach preservation, mining, development/construction, and stream/river alteration.
d. Identify and describe problems associated with obtaining, using, and distributing natural resources.
e. Identify possible solutions to problems associated with obtaining, using, and distributing natural resources.

Grade 7
1. Recognize and explain the impact of a changing human population on the use of natural resources and on environmental quality.
a. Identify and describe the positive and negative impacts of an increasing human population on the use of natural resources, such as land, fossil fuels, forests, water, wind, minerals, and wildlife.
b. Recognize and describe the decreasing dependence on local resources due to the impact of available transportation.

B. Environmental Issues

Grade 4
1. Recognize and describe that people depend on, change, and are affected by the environment.
a. Identify and describe that human activities in a community or region are affected by environmental factors, such as presence and quality of water, soil type, temperature, and precipitation.

Grade 5
1. Recognize and explain that decisions influencing the use of natural resources may have benefits, drawbacks, unexpected consequences, and tradeoffs.
a. Identify and describe personal and community behaviors that waste natural resources and/or cause environmental harm and those behaviors that maintain or improve the environment.
b. Identify and describe that individuals and groups assess and manage risk to the environment differently.

2. Recognize and describe that consequences may occur when Earth's natural resources are used.
a. Explain how human activities, such as recycling centers, native plantings in schoolyard habitats, and good farming practices may have positive consequences on the natural environment.
b. Explain how human activities such as damage or destruction done to habitats; air, water, land and/or noise pollution, may have a negative consequence on the natural environment.
c. Identify and describe that an environmental issue affects different individuals and groups.

Grade 6
1. Recognize and explain that human-caused changes have consequences for the immediate environment as well as for other places and future times.
a. Identify and describe a range of local issues that have an impact on people in other places.
b. Recognize and describe how environmental change in one part of the world can have consequences for other parts of the world.
c. Identify and describe that ecosystems can be impacted by human activities, such as resource acquisition and use, land use decisions (agriculture, mining, and development), recycling, and waste disposal.

Grade 7
1. Recognize and describe that environmental changes can have local, regional, and global consequences.
a. Identify and describe a local, regional, or global environmental issue.
b. Identify and describe that different individuals or groups are affected by an issue in different ways.

Grade 8
1. Recognize and explain how human activities can accelerate or magnify many naturally occurring changes.
a. Identify and describe how natural processes, such as natural disasters, cyclic climate change, flooding, volcanic eruptions, drought, soil erosion, sedimentation in watersheds, natural selection, population cycles, extinction, forest fires, and deforestation change the environment.
b. Identify and describe how human activities produce changes in natural processes, such as climate change (acquisition, use, and distribution of energy resources), development (erosion, habitat destruction and fragmentation, and deforestation), extinction (habitat destruction and introduction of nonnative species), and cycling of matter (waste disposal practices).

National Science Content Standards Relevant to the Programs at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary

Content Standards

Grades K-4

Grades 5-8

Grades 9-12

Science as Inquiry

Abilities necessary to do science inquiry

Understanding about science inquiry

Abilities necessary to do science inquiry

Understanding about science inquiry

Abilities necessary to do science inquiry

Understanding about science inquiry

Life Science

The characteristics of organisms

Life cycles

Organisms and environments

Structure and function in living systems

Reproduction and heredity

Regulation and behavior

Population and ecosystems

Diversity and adaptations

Biological evolution

Interdependence of organisms

Behavior of organisms

Matter, energy and organization in living systems

Earth and Space Science

Properties of earth materials

Changes in the earth

Structure of the earth system

Earth's history

Energy in the earth system

Geochemical cycles

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Characteristics and changes in populations

Types of resources

Changes in environments

Science and technology in local challenges

Populations, resources and environments

Natural hazards

Population growth

Natural resources

Environmental quality

Natural and human induced hazards

Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges

History and Nature of Science

Science as a human endeavor

Nature of science

History of science

Science as a human endeavor

Nature of scientific knowledge

Historical perspectives

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