This resource has 56 correlations with the National Standards.  
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• Physical Science
  • Properties and changes of properties in matter
    • A substance has characteristic properties, such as density, a boiling point, and solubility. (5-8)
  • Transfer of Energy
    • Energy is a property of many substances and is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and the nature of a chemical. (5-8)
    • Heat moves in predictable ways, flowing from warmer objects to cooler ones, until both reach the same temperature. (5-8)

• Life Science
  • The characteristics of organisms
    • The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different types of organisms. (K-4)
  • Organisms and environments
    • An organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's environment, including the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the physical characteristics of the environment.
    • When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations.
    • All organisms cause changes in the environment where they live. Some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are beneficial.
    • Humans depend on their natural and constructed environments. Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental for themselves and other organisms.
  • Populations and ecosystems
    • A population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time. (5-8)
    • All populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem. (5-8)
    • Populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an ecosystem. (5-8)
    • Plants and some micro-organisms are producers--they make their own food. (5-8)
    • All animals, including humans, are consumers, which obtain food by eating other organisms. (5-8)
    • Decomposers, primarily bacteria and fungi, are consumers that use waste materials and dead organisms for food. (5-8)
    • Food webs identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem. (5-8)
    • For ecosystems, the major source of energy is sunlight. (5-8)
    • Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis. (5-8)
    • Energy passes from organism to organism in food webs (5-8)
    • Biotic parts of an ecosystem include animals, plants, and microorganisms. (5-8)
    • The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water, range of temperatures, and soil composition.
    • Given adequate biotic and abiotic resources and no disease or predators, populations (including humans) increase at rapid rates. (5-8)
    • Healthy ecosystems ensure a healthy biosphere by regulating the flow of energy and the cycling of nutrients.
    • Lack of resources and other factors, such as predation and climate, limit the growth of populations in specific niches in the ecosystem. (5-8)
  • Diversity and adaptations of organisms
    • Millions of species of animals, plants, and microorganisms are alive today. (5-8)

• Earth Science
  • Properties of earth materials
    • Earth materials are solid rocks and soils, water, and the gases of the atmosphere.
    • The varied Earth materials have different physical and chemical properties, which make them useful in different ways, for example, as building materials, as sources of fuel, or for growing the plants we use as food.
    • Earth materials provide many of the resources that humans use.
    • Soils have properties of color and texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants, including those in our food supply.
  • Structure of the earth system
    • Destructive forces include weathering and erosion. (5-8)
    • Soil consists of weathered rocks and decomposed organic material from dead plants, animals, and bacteria. (5-8)
    • Soils are often found in layers, with each having a different chemical composition and texture. (5-8)
    • Water, which covers the majority of the earth's surface, circulates through the crust, oceans, and atmosphere in what is known as the "water cycle." (5-8)
    • Water evaporates from the earth's surface, rises and cools as it moves to higher elevations, condenses as rain or snow, and falls to the surface where it collects in lakes, oceans, soil, and in rocks underground. (5-8)
    • A watershed is entire areas of land that are drained by a river.
    • Water is a solvent. As it passes through the water cycle it dissolves minerals and gases and carries them to the oceans. (5-8)

• Science as Inquiry
  • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
    • Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. (K-4)
    • Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.
    • Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.
    • Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.
    • Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.
    • Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.
  • Understandings about scientific inquiry
    • Types of investigations include describing objects, events, and organisms; classifying them; and doing a fair test (experimenting).
    • Scientists develop explanations using observations (evidence) and what they already know about the world (scientific knowledge). Good explanations are based on evidence from investigations. (K-4)

• Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
  • Types of resources
    • Resources are things that we get from the living and nonliving environment to meet the needs and wants of a population.
    • Some resources are basic materials, such as air, water, and soil.
    • Some resources are produced from basic resources, such as food, fuel, and building materials.
    • The supply of many resources is limited.
  • Changes in environments
    • Pollution is a change in the environment that can influence the health, survival, or activities of organisms, including humans.
    • Students should understand the different consequences of changing environments in small increments over long periods as compared with changing environments in large increments over short periods.

• Process Standards for Professional Development
  • Design
    • Introduce teachers to scientific literature, media, and technological resources that expand their science knowledge and their ability to access further knowledge. (NSES)
    • Uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal. (NSDC)
  • Learning
    • Build on the teacher's current science understanding, ability, and attitudes. (NSES)

• Content Standards
  • Quality Teaching
    • Deepens educators’ content knowledge, provides them with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately. (NSDC)

• Teaching Standards
  • Teachers of science plan an inquiry-based science program for their students.
    • Select science content and adapt and design curricula to meet the interests, knowledge, understanding, abilities, and experiences of students.
    • Select teaching and assessment strategies that support the development of student understanding and nurture a community of science learners.
  • Teachers provide students with the time, space, and resources needed to learn science.
    • Create a setting for student work that is flexible and supportive of science inquiry.