Q Expedition

2013 – 2014 School Year

Field Trip Guide

What’s Inside?

Welcome to Q?rius

Field Trip Logistics

Getting the Most from Q?rius

Class Overview

Connections to Curriculum Standards

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Welcome to Q?rius

Welcome to a New Kind of Trip

Thank you for choosing Q?rius at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History as your field trip destination! We think of Q?rius as both a place and an experience. We are excited to offer your students the chance to explore science, nature, and culture in a whole new way while supporting your curriculum needs. We share your passion for learning! We have designed this Q?rius field trip to stimulate your students’ curiosity and to inspire them to better understand the world and their place in it.

The Q?rius Learning Lab Q?rius is a first-of-its-kind interactive and experimental environment - part lab, part collections vault, part DIY garage, part hangout, and all fun and inspiring. We call it Q?rius because it is designed to inspire curiosity in a whole new way in the next generation of scientists and science-minded citizens. It is an exhibit-sized interactive space filled with resources that are available only to your students at the world’s largest natural history museum. The lab includes:

A collection of 6,000 objects – fossils, bones, insects, cultural artifacts, pressed plants, and more – all accessible for investigations, carefully selected to support learning goals connected to curriculum for your specific class experience

A suite of digital tools, including videos, virtual objects, and references, that maximize hands-on learning from objects and link objects to core science ideas and the people who study them

Scientific tools integrated with all school experiences

Student materials to guide the Q?rius experience that are based on scientists’ field books

The Q?rius Approach

All classes and self-guided experiences:

Feature the work and amazing discoveries of Smithsonian scientists

Link real-world research of Smithsonian scientists to curriculum standards for a unique approach to inspiring your students

Use inquiry-based, team-oriented approaches to key questions similar to those addressed by Smithsonian scientists

Reflect the input of teens and teachers with whom we partnered so that we could guarantee program appeal for students and relevance for teachers

Integrate objects, data, scientific equipment, and digital assets to investigate core ideas

Questions? Please feel free to contact us at (202) 633-4039 or NMNHSchoolPrograms@si.edu.

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We look forward to your visit to Q?rius. The logistical information provided below will help you prepare for your visit and ensure a smooth arrival. Please see page 5 for information on introducing your students to field trip content.

Getting Ready: Carefully review your confirmation letter. To make any changes to your reservation, access the Student Group Registration system at

https://evansvol.si.edu/custom/508/client/. Review all information in this packet so that you know what you can

expect from your visit. Contact us at NMNHeducation@si.edu if you have questions or concerns.

Prior to arriving at the Museum, please divide students into expedition teams of 3 individuals who will pursue the class investigation together.

Arrange for the proper number of chaperones (see below) and distribute the Chaperone Guide to them.

Arrival and Departure: Address: 10th Street NW and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20013 Hours: School groups can enter the Museum any time after 10:00 a.m. Groups scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. class may enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance beginning at 10:00 a.m. Entrances: The best entrance for school groups is at 10th Street and Constitution Ave., NW, which is also accessible to wheelchair users. You also may choose to enter through the main doors on the National Mall. Closest Metro Stations: Federal Triangle or Smithsonian on the Blue or Orange Lines. Navy-Archives on the Green or Yellow Lines. Bus Drop-off Lane: Beginning at 9:30 a.m., Monday-Friday, the curb lane of Constitution Avenue adjacent to the Museum is reserved for school bus drop-off. Student Pick-up Lane for Buses: Please board buses on Madison Drive NW (the Museum exit on the Mall side). Security: For the safety of your students, all bags will be inspected upon entry to the Museum. We encourage students to leave their backpacks/bags on the bus or at school to speed up the entry process.

Restrooms and Lunch:

Restrooms are located near Q?rius on the Ground floor in the Constitution Avenue Lobby and also on the First floor, just off the Sant Ocean Hall. Lunch: The Atrium Café is open to groups and individuals who purchase their lunch at the Museum. If your students bring their own lunches, they are welcome to eat outside the Museum on the National Mall.

Chaperones: Chaperones are crucial to a successful Museum visit and a rewarding Q?rius Expedition. They can not only help maximize student learning but also guide students as they struggle together with the problems they are trying to solve, just like scientists! We suggest that one chaperone accompany each team of 3 students during the Q?rius Expedition. Please share the Chaperone Guide and Map with chaperones to ensure that they are prepared to facilitate the students’ experience.

Field Trip Logistics

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An Invitation to Experience Science This Q?rius Expedition will engage your students in an immersive 60-minute program facilitated by highly experienced Museum staff. Students will use objects, data, scientific equipment, and digital assets to investigate core ideas of natural history science and gain skills in the practices of science. The inquiry approach to investigate science questions models questions investigated by Smithsonian scientists in their work. Student guides are available. Teachers may also register students for teacher-controlled digital accounts.

In School: Starting the Experience

Research shows that students who are oriented to the logistics of a field trip typically learn more from their experience than those who are not. Be sure to discuss schedule, lunch plans, restroom availability, and – most importantly – your expectations for students before arrival.

Collaboration and communication are central components of science. You can prepare your students for collaboration by assigning them to teams of 3 individuals in advance and asking them to brainstorm ways in which they will work as a team, learn as a team, and achieve consensus.

Before your visit, go to Q?rius online at qrius.si.edu and check out fun and intriguing virtual self-guided activities and science stories.

Invite your students to practice their scientific inquiry skills by completing some of our online activities. These activities will introduce them to the types of investigations they will do on their field trip and get them exploring even before they arrive at the Museum.

Remind students in advance that they will be working with valuable scientific equipment and collections, just like Museum scientists behind the scenes. These are important resources for learning more about the world and our place in it, and we ask that students treat equipment and collections with care and respect, just as our scientists do.

In Q?rius: Behind-the-Scenes Access

Experienced Museum staff orient students and provide guidance during the Expedition to help students make it through the tricky spots.

Please become familiar with all that Q?rius offers inquiring young minds. The Q?rius map identifies areas and topics so you can guide your students to topics you know they are curious about.

Help chaperones engage students by encouraging them to ask questions about what the students are doing, assist students as they move through the procedures, and help students process what they are experiencing.

Just like scientists, students will work together in teams of 3 individuals to complete an investigation, using real museum specimens and sophisticated equipment.

Equipment and objects are more accessible in Q?rius than anywhere else in the museum. Students may need gentle reminders to treat objects and equipment carefully while investigating!

To keep clutter to a minimum, personal items such as backpacks, lunches, and outerwear should be stored away from work tables.

Getting the Most from Q?rius

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Q?rius Expedition:

Hidden Worlds

Class Description:

Students will collaborate with classmates to complete activities inspired by the amazing discoveries and work of Smithsonian scientists. Students will divide into small groups of 3 individuals and explore Q?rius activities, with the assistance of a teacher or chaperone. Students will select activities from topics they are curious about that invite them to investigate. The theme for the Q?rius Expedition is Hidden Worlds. Students will explore how natural history science helps reveal hidden worlds across the science curriculum. They will select from activities that invite them to investigate evidence of water on Mars, zoom in on the patterns of bees’ wings, find minerals in rocks, identify new species in coral reefs, discover the material content of ancient pottery, reveal the identity of a mystery human skull, or hear insect sounds. Students will explore patterns across nature, recording their observations in scientific field books just as Smithsonian scientists do.

Summary of Student Experience:

First, students will be introduced to Q?rius and will review the practices of scientists that they, as explorers, will utilize: working as a team, being curious, and exploring answers to questions using scientific tools. Then, students will complete activities using collections and a suite of digital tools, including videos, virtual objects, and references. Students are encouraged to complete two activities in the Basecamp, one activity in the Field, and one Browser Card in the Collection Zone, and to record their experiences on an Expedition Data Sheet. Once students have had an opportunity to explore the different areas of Q?rius, they will gather together to share their experiences. They then can continue their explorations in the exhibit galleries, in the classroom, and online.

Grade Range: Duration of Program:

Grades 6 - 12 60 Minutes

Scientists Focus:

Eminent scientists, specimens, books and papers, microscopes, and sophisticated computer

systems: welcome to the realm of NMNH Research and Collections. In this university-like

atmosphere, scientists delve deep into the history of our planet and study the processes and peoples

that shape it today. Enduring curiosity has led these Museum explorers to the four corners of the

earth. They travel to ocean depths, the peaks of the Andes, Africa's Rift Valley, the rainforests of

South America, the deserts of Central Asia, and perhaps even to a field site or research institution in

your own state, territory, or country.

Wherever they go, researchers collect specimens: fossils, minerals and rocks, plants and animals,

tools and cultural artifacts. Collections care professionals have meticulously preserved, labeled,

Class Overview

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catalogued, and organized such items for more than 150 years. Taken together, the NMNH

collections form the largest and most comprehensive natural history collection in the world. By

comparing items gathered in different eras and regions, scientists learn how our world has varied

across time and space. Such collections-based research then provides the essential building blocks

for answering broader questions about our future. NMNH scientists and their colleagues worldwide

seek the puzzle pieces that will form detailed pictures of vital topics such as evolutionary

relationships of organisms, biodiversity loss, and global climate change.

Goals & Outcomes: Overall Goal: Students use the tools of scientists to explore the world around them, develop practices and techniques of scientists and engineers, and work in teams in order to make links to issues impacting today’s world. Students will sample content from these disciplinary core ideas: biology, earth science, and human culture. Student Objectives: In this Expedition, students will:

Survey the myriad natural history topics studied at the Museum

Use skills and experiences to explore their interests

Understand that their 5 senses are the basic tools for exploring natural history

Make links to issues impacting today’s world

Describe science careers or activities that scientists are engaged in Student Outcomes: Students who demonstrate understanding can:

Use the tools of natural history science to explore the world

Develop observation and analytical practices

Work in teams

Central Questions

What innovations, applications and technological solutions do scientists utilize to explore the world?

What real-world issues are studied by Smithsonian scientists?

What is the importance of collecting and analyzing data?

What is the role of curiosity in science?

Program Format Arrival: The entrance to Q?rius is in the Constitution Avenue lobby on the Ground Floor of the Museum. If your Expedition begins at 10:30 a.m., please enter the Museum through the entrance at Constitution Avenue and 10th Street beginning at 10:00 a.m. If you will be exploring the Museum before your Q?rius class, please bring your students to the Constitution Avenue lobby 15 minutes prior to your class’ 12:00 Noon start time.

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Upon arrival, a Museum educator will meet your group at the entrance of Q?rius, just inside the Constitution Avenue and 10th Street entrance of the Museum, and escort you into the space. Introduction (5 minutes): Upon entering Q?rius, students will be introduced to the self-directed learning opportunities that await them during the Q?rius Expedition. They will learn proper techniques for handling objects, just as curators and collection managers at the Museum would. They will familiarize themselves with the tools available and will understand the expectations for their work in Q?rius. Each team will receive a Q?rius Expedition Data Sheet to record their observations and other evidence that they collect. Investigation (25 minute exploration of each section, 50 minutes total): Students will start in one area of Q?rius and then switch to another area to complete activities. Experienced Museum staff and volunteer facilitators will serve as guides during the program, managing the time, providing an overall orientation to each section of Q?rius, and assisting the teams of students during their explorations. We invite chaperones and teachers to join in, working with small groups of students during the program. Please see the Chaperone Guide for a Q?rius Expedition for suggestions on facilitating student exploration.

A) In the Base Camp and Field sections of Q?rius, student teams are encouraged to complete at least one multi-step activity in the Field (Reefs Unleashed or Decoding Mars) and two single-step activities in Base Camp (Zoom In: Look closely and discover hidden worlds of Bees and Minerals in Rocks; Senses - a series of short activities that encourage the student to engage their sense in exploring a single natural history topic such as Touch Mystery Skulls, Feel Ancient Potter, Hear Insect Karaoke). On the Q?rius Expedition Data Sheet, students will record notes from their experience that they can share in the classroom after their visit.

B) The Collection Zone includes 6,000 objects, all accessible for investigations. Each team of students will receive an activity on a Browser Card, which describes a theme and assigns them to work in one of the Museum’s departments: Anthropology, Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, Paleobiology, Mineral Sciences, or Vertebrate Zoology. After reviewing their Browser Card instructions, students will agree upon a strategy to find 3 - 6 objects to start a collection of their own that meets the theme. Like curators and collections managers at the Museum, students will follow particular protocols for handling special and sometimes delicate objects. Students will justify and explain their choice of objects in recorded notes. We encourage teachers to take a photo of each team’s collection for classroom discussion.

Discussion and Conclusion (5 minutes): The Museum educator will bring the group together to discuss what their experience has been, what they have discovered, and how they can pursue further curiosities through tools available online at the Q?rius website.

Digital Field Books for Student Records and Assessment:

During a Q?rius Expedition, students may use a digital Field book to store objects gathered into collections (just as a curator would) or results from completed investigations (just as a Smithsonian researcher would).

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In order for students to use digital Field Books, teachers must register them for teacher-controlled digital accounts. Parent or guardian permission is required for students under the age of 13. Just as scientists record observations, students may record their experiences with activities and collections online at Qrius.si.edu. After visiting Q?rius, students aged 13 and over – or those with adult permission – can set up their own accounts at home, with a personal user id and password, in order to create personal digital field books and earn badges.

Before Your Visit: Scientific Terms

The Q?rius Expedition will use these terms in the context of natural history scientific exploration. Please review the terms with students before arrival.

Biodiversity Classification Observation Coral reef ecosystem Insect stridulation

Meteorites Species DNA Barcode Museum collection Ore Plate tectonics

Tectonic forces Layer Cross-section Process

Preparation Questions:

1. How do you create questions based on your interests and observations that can be explored and answered with scientific tools?

2. What information is needed in order to construct an explanation about natural phenomena? 3. What real-world problems or complex questions can natural history investigations address? 4. What scientific ideas, principles and, evidence can you or scientists gather to explain natural

phenomena? 5. How do you design investigations that provide information for constructing explanations about

natural phenomena?

Related Resources: Permanent Exhibits at the National Museum of Natural History:

The Sant Ocean Hall is a one-of-a-kind interpretive exhibit that uses marine specimens and models, high definition video experiences, one-of-a kind exhibits, and the newest technology to reveal the ocean as a global system essential to all life on Earth. Extraordinary in scale, the exhibit presents the global ocean from a cross-disciplinary perspective, highlighting the biological, geological, and anthropological expertise and unparalleled scientific collections of the Museum, as well as ongoing research in marine science.

Suggested Activity: A Teacher’s Guide is available online to help prepare your students (grades 4-12) for a visit to the Sant Ocean Hall and engage them in a search for evidence that addresses the questions they come up with. http://www.mnh.si.edu/education/exhibitions/OH_Educators_Guide.pdf

To use the Field Book, please do the following prior to your visit:

Let us know if you plan to use the Field Book during your visit. We’ll have Q Cards waiting.

Before your field trip, set up a user ID and password for each team of 3 students.

Student teams will receive Q Cards upon arrival, with instructions on how to begin.

You won’t need the Q cards once you return to your classroom, but you are more than welcome to take them with you.

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The Egyptian Mummies exhibit provides another application of forensic anthropology skills and practices.

Suggested Activity: In the exhibit, students may gather examples of cases for post-visit classroom discussion.

The Bones exhibit displays a skeletal collection of representatives from all animal groups.

Suggested Activity: In the exhibition, students can complete a comparative anatomy observation lab examining the similarities and differences of skeleton structures between different classes of animals.

The Hall of Geology, Gems, & Minerals includes four major galleries presenting 3,500 specimens from the Museum's collection of gems, minerals, rocks and meteorites: Plate Tectonics; Rocks; Moon, Meteorites, and the Solar System; and Gems. Two dozen interactive computer presentations and videos, large panels of stunning artwork, and a real-time display of global earthquake data provide explanations of geologic concepts. The Plate Tectonics gallery uses rock specimens, interactive, and real-time data to explain forces and resulting geologic features.

Suggested Activity: In the exhibit, students can reinforce their understanding of plate tectonics by examining real-time data and rock specimens that demonstrate tectonic forces. You can follow up in the classroom by viewing the This Dynamic Planet map at http://nhb-arcims.si.edu/ThisDynamicPlanet/index.html

The Rocks gallery presents processes that act upon rocks (water and forces) and applications of rocks for human’s use.

Suggested Activity: While exploring this exhibit, ask students to gather information on spectacular rock samples that they view. Learn more about the rock specimens by looking them up online at http://collections.mnh.si.edu/search/ms/

The Moon, Meteorites, and the Solar System gallery lets students explore similarities and differences between the Earth, the Moon, and other neighbors in space. Temporary Exhibits at the National Museum of Natural History: The Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code is a temporary exhibit open through September 1, 2014. The exhibit provides a basic introduction to genomics and considers the impact of exponential growth in sequencing technology. Scientists have identified thousands of genes that contribute to disease and have begun to unlock the secrets of cancer, opening the way to more personalized healthcare.

Suggested Activity: In the exhibit, students may complete the interactive sections of this exhibit to gather information for a post-visit. Check the Calendar to join the Scientist is In: The Genome Zone. These timed experiences feature a scientist presenting images, documents, specimens, or objects (including some under the microscope and/or shown on a monitor) and talking with visitors about his or her work.

The Written in Bone exhibit leads visitors through a forensic investigation of human skeletons and provides intriguing information about people and events from America's past. No other inanimate

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objects make us feel the same passionate curiosity as the remains of once-living, breathing individuals like us. This exhibition examines history through 17th-century bone biographies, including those of colonists teetering on the edge of survival at Jamestown, Virginia and those of wealthy, well-established individuals of St. Mary’s City, Maryland. An educator’s guide is available at http://www.mnh.si.edu/education/lessonplans.html. Please note – the Written in Bone exhibit will close on January 6, 2014.

Suggested Activity: In the exhibit, students may gather examples of the practices and skills of forensic anthropologists, applied to specific cases, for post-visit classroom discussion.

Back in School: Curiosity Continues The Q?rius website at qrius.si.edu offers five different follow-up opportunities. Students can conduct an investigation with an online activity, jump into science stories, create a digital field book, complete a natural history badge challenge, or explore science in action.

Participate in Live Webcasts: Smithsonian Science Now delivers real-world science into classrooms through free, interactive, live webcasts and supporting classroom resources. The 25-minute programs feature the research and personalities of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, providing your students with positive STEM role models, information about science careers and pathways, and connections to current research. Every webcast includes a package of standards-aligned lessons, activities, and other resources that highlight science content and practice.

Do an Activity: Are your students predisposed to the super science skill of pattern recogniton? In the "Decoding Mars" activity, students can look for geologic features that indicate evidence of water on Mars. Other online activities invite students to measure coral reef diversity in Bali and examine human bones.

Jump into Science Stories: Delve into the same topics being explored by Smithsonian scientists, such as volcanoes, genomics, extinction, and human evolution. Read about the cutting-edge work and adventures of Smithsonian scientists, watch videos of them in action, hear them talk about what inspires their curiosity, and manipulate digital objects similar to the ones they use.

Create a Digital Fieldbook: Just like a scientist records their observations, students ages 13 and over may record the results from their experiences with Q?rius activities and collections online. Create an account to save objects, stories, images, and notes to a Digital Field Book.

Earn a Natural History Badge: Field Book accounts also enable students over age 13 to earn points for their activities online that they can share through their own social media networks. Complete multiple activities online or while exploring Q?rius on subsequent visits, get enough points, and earn a digital badge that you can share through social media.

Explore Science in Action: Watch videos of real-life scientists explaining their work, how they got started in their careers, and how they balance and integrate their work, passions, and everyday lives.

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Keep Exploring Science: Even more Web-based science learning activities can be accessed through the Museum's main webpages, including a forensic mystery webcomic and interactive maps. Activities cover topics such as the Earth and solar system, human culture and diversity, and life's diversity.

Recommended Resources from Smithsonian Scientists

The Encyclopedia of Life This free, online resource provides information about all life on Earth in text, images, video, sounds, maps, classifications, and more. It is a database with unlimited applications for investigating the living world. http://eol.org/ Lesson Plans: Geologic Time http://paleobiology.si.edu/geotime/ Travel through 4.6 billion years of life on Earth and get a sense of the interplay between Earth and life processes. The National Museum of Natural History’s Ocean Portal Educators’ Corner provides activities, lesson plans for grades 3 – 12, and educational resources to bring the ocean to life for students. The Portal links to resources from collaborators in order to provide teacher-tested ocean science materials

for your classroom. Learn more at http://ocean.si.edu/for-educators. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution Archives developed a joint initiative called the Field Book Project. Scientists regularly seek to review the original field research materials of other scientists. This initiative aims to create one online location for scholars to visit when searching for field books and other field research materials. This new effort by the Smithsonian will lay the foundation for an online Field Book Registry comprised of content contributed by museums and research institutions across the country. Learn more at Field Book Project website.

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Curriculum Standard Links

Standards Grades 6 - 8 Grades 9 - 12

Next Generation Science Standards Crosscutting Concepts:

Crosscutting Concepts Patterns

Recognize that macroscopic patterns are related to the nature of microscopic structure Use patterns to identify cause and effect relationships Scale, Proportion and Quantity

Observe time, space and energy phenomena in various scales using models Structure and Function

Analyze complex natural and designed structures to determine how they function

Crosscutting Concepts Patterns

Observe patterns in systems at different scales (and cite patterns as empirical evidence for causality in supporting their explanations of phenomena – assessment) Scale, Proportion and Quantity

Recognize patterns observable at one scale may not be observable or exist at other scales Structure and Function

Investigate systems and their interconnections to reveal the system’s function and/or solve a problem Infer functions and properties of natural and designed objects Stability and Change

Science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and remain stable Some changes are irreversible

Next Generation Science Standards Science and Engineering Practices:

Science and Engineering Practices Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Specifying relationships between variables, and clarifying arguments and models Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena

Consider limitations of data analysis

Analyze and interpret data to determine similarities and differences in findings

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Apply scientific ideas, principles and evidence to construct an explanation for real-world phenomena or events

Apply scientific reasoning to show why the evidence is adequate for the conclusion

Engaging in Argument from Evidence Respectfully provide and receive

critiques from peers about an explanation by citing relevant evidence and posing specific questions

Science and Engineering Practices Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Formulating, refining, and evaluating empirically testable questions and design problems using models and simulations Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Apply scientific ideas, principles and evidence to construct an explanation of phenomena

Apply scientific reasoning to link evidence to the claims to assess the extent to which the reasoning and data support the conclusion

Engaging in Argument from Evidence Respectfully provide and receive

critiques from peers about an explanation by citing relevant evidence and posing specific questions

Make and defend a claim based on evidence about the effectiveness of a design solution that reflects scientific knowledge and student-generated evidence

Curriculum Links

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Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas:

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems. Ecosystems have carrying

capacities, which are limits to the numbers of organisms and populations they can support. Students who demonstrate understanding can: MS-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to

provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem. MS-LS2-2. Construct an explanation that

predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems. MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to

design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment. ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems Human activities have

significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things. ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions When evaluating solutions it is

important to take into account a range of constraints including cost, safety, reliability and aesthetics and to consider social, cultural and environmental impacts. ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things. Students who demonstrate understanding can: MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to

design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems. Ecosystems have carrying

capacities, which are limits to the numbers of organisms and populations they can support. Students who demonstrate understanding can: HS-LS2-1. Use mathematical and/or

computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales. HS-LS2-2. Use mathematical

representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales. LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience Moreover,

anthropogenic changes (induced by human activity) in the environment can disrupt an ecosystem and threaten the survival of some species. LS4.C: Adaptation Changes in the

physical environment, whether naturally occurring or human induced, have thus contributed to the expansion of some species, the emergence of new distinct species as populations diverge under different conditions, and the decline–and sometimes the extinction–of some species. Students who demonstrate understanding can: HS-LS4-5. 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. HS-LS4-6. Create or revise a simulation

to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on biodiversity. LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans

Biodiversity is increased by the formation of new species (speciation) and decreased by the loss of species (extinction). ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

When evaluating solutions, it is important to take into account a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, and to consider social, cultural, and environmental impacts

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District of Columbia Public Schools:

Scientific Investigation and Inquiry

6.1 Asking questions 6.7 Draw conclusions Standards and Learning Activities

6.1. Broad Concept: Scientific progress is made by asking relevant questions and conducting careful investigations. 7. Draw conclusions based on scientific evidence Resources

6.6. Sources of materials differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness, and the time required for their formation. 3. Recognize that the Earth’s resources for humans, such as fresh water, air, arable soil, and trees, are finite. Grade 7 Standards and Learning Activities Biological Classification

7.3. Similarities are used to classify organisms because they may be used to infer the degree of relatedness among organisms. 2. Recognize and describe that biological classifications are based on how organisms are related: Organisms are classified into a hierarchy of groups and subgroups, with species as the most fundamental unit. Ecology

7.8. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the physical environment. 7. Describe how, as any population of organisms grows, it is held in check by one or more environmental constraints

High School Biology Standards

9 Biodiversity Students should understand Biodiversity as the result of genetic changes. 11 Environmental Impact on Evolution Students should appreciate Evolution as the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly changing environments. B.11.1. Explain how a large diversity of species increases the chance that at least some living things will survive in the face of large or even catastrophic changes in the environment. 16 Classification of Systems Students should understand classification in systems. 18 Stability of Dynamic Systems Students should understand Stability in ecosystems as a specific example of stability in Systems of dynamic equilibrium. B.18. 2. Explain that ecosystems tend to have cyclic fluctuations around a state of rough equilibrium, and change results from shifts in climate, natural causes, human activity, or when a new species or non-native species appears. 19 Pollution Students should understand the effects of Pollution and other environmental challenges and their longer term consequences. Environmental Science Standards and Learning Activities: Scientific Investigation and Inquiry

E.1. Scientific progress is made by asking relevant questions and conducting careful investigations. 12. Analyze situations and solve problems that require combining concepts from more than one topic area of science and applying these concepts. 14. Observe natural phenomena and analyze their location, sequence, or time intervals Environmental Systems

E.2. The environment is a system of interdependent components affected by natural phenomena and human activity. 1. Understand and explain that human beings are part of Earth’s ecosystems, and that human activities can, deliberately or inadvertently, alter ecosystems. Ecosystems

E.3. Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects. 1. Explain that biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms in a given ecological community or system, and is affected by alterations of habitats. 5. Know that organisms may interact in a

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competitive or cooperative relationship 11. Describe how adaptations in physical Populations

E.4. The amount of life any environment can support is limited by the available energy, water, oxygen, and minerals, and by the ability of ecosystems to recycle organic materials from the remains of dead organisms. 1. Explain the concept of carrying capacity

Maryland Common Core State Curriculum:

1.0 Skills and Processes C. Communicating Scientific Information

1. Develop explanations that explicitly link data from investigations conducted, selected readings and when appropriate, contributions from historical discoveries. e) Explain how different models can be used to represent the same thing. D. Technology

1. Analyze the value and the limitations of different types of models in explaining real things and processes. 3.0 Life Science

A. Diversity of Life Grade 7 1. Compile evidence to verify the claim of biologists that the features of organisms connect or differentiate them. b) Identify general distinctions among organisms that support classifying D. Evolution Grade 6 1. Explain that any particular environment, the growth and survival of organisms and species depend on the physical conditions. e) Describe ways in which changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms and entire species. Grade 8 1. Recognize and describe that evolutionary change in species over time occurs as a result of natural variation in organisms and environmental changes. a) Recognize and describe that gradual and sudden changes in environmental conditions affect the survival of organisms and populations. c) Identify and describe the processes that form metamorphic rocks. 6.0 Environmental Science B. Environmental Issues

Grade 6 1. Recognize and explain that human-caused changes have consequences for Maryland’s environment as well as for other places and future times. Grade 7 1. Recognize and describe that environmental changes can have local,

Goal 1: Skills and Processes

1.1 The student will explain why curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism are highly regarded in science. 1.3 The student will carry out scientific investigations effectively and employ the instruments, systems of measurement, and materials of science appropriately. 1.4 The student will demonstrate that data analysis is a vital aspect of the process of scientific inquiry and communication. 1.4.6 The student will describe trends revealed by data. 1.5 The student will use appropriate methods for communicating in writing and orally the processes and results of scientific investigation 1.6 The student will use mathematical processes. Goal 3: Concepts of Biology Expectation

Expectation 3.5 The student will investigate the interdependence of diverse living organisms and their interactions with the components of the biosphere. 3.5.2 The student will analyze the interrelationships and interdependencies among different organisms and explain how these relationships contribute to the stability of the ecosystem.

• Diversity • Niche

3.5.3 The student will investigate how natural and man-made changes in environmental conditions will affect individual organisms and the dynamics of populations. 3.5.4 The student will illustrate how all organisms are part of and depend on two major global food webs that are positively or negatively influenced by human activity and technology.

Q?rius at the National Museum of Natural History qrius.si.edu

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regional, and global consequences. Grade 8 1. Recognize and explain how human activities can accelerate or magnify many naturally occurring changes. Social Studies 3.0 Geography D. Modifying and Adapting to the Environment

Grade 6 1. Analyze why and how people modify their natural environment and the impact of those modifications Grade 7 1. Analyze why and how people in contemporary world regions modify their natural environment and the impact of those modifications c. Identify and explain land use issues that illustrate the conflict between economic growth, deforestation, mining, and burning fossil fuels Grade 8 1. Analyze why and how people in the United States modify their natural environment and the impact of those modifications b. Explain the consequences of modifying the natural environment, such as soil erosion, loss of soil fertility and over-fishing

Maryland STEM Standards of Practice

2.A. Analyze interdisciplinary connections 3.B. Apply appropriate vocabulary when communicating 3.E. Develop an evidenced-base argument 4.A. Ask questions 5.A. Engage in critical thinking 6. Collaborate as a STEM team

Virginia Standards of Learning:

Grade 6 Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic 6.1 The student will demonstrate an

understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature of science by planning and conducting investigations in which a) observations are made involving fine discrimination between similar objects and organisms; and j) current applications are used to reinforce science concepts. Earth Resources 6.9 The student will investigate and

understand public policy decisions relating to the environment. a) management of renewable resources; b) management of nonrenewable resources; c) the mitigation of land-use and environmental hazards through preventive measures; and d) cost/benefit tradeoffs in conservation policies.

Biology BIO.1 The student will demonstrate an

understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature of science by planning and conducting investigations in which a) observations of living organisms are recorded in the lab and in the field; BIO.6 The student will investigate and

understand bases for modern classification systems. Key concepts include: a) structural similarities among organisms BIO.7 The student will investigate and

understand how populations change through time. Key concepts include: c) how natural selection leads to adaptations BIO.8 The student will investigate and

understand dynamic equilibria within populations, communities, and ecosystems. Key concepts include: a) interactions within and among populations including carrying capacities and limiting factors Life Science

Q?rius at the National Museum of Natural History qrius.si.edu

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LS.4 The student will investigate and

understand how organisms can be classified. Key concepts include: b) the distinguishing characteristics of kingdoms of organisms; and c) the distinguishing characteristics of major animal phyla and plant divisions; and LS.11 The student will investigate and

understand the relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity. Key concepts include: b) change in habitat size, quality, or structure; and c) change in species competition; LS.10 The student will investigate and

understand that ecosystems, communities, populations, and organisms are dynamic, change over time, and respond to daily, seasonal, and long-term changes in their environment. Key concepts include: b) factors that increase or decrease population size; and c) climate changes and catastrophic disturbances. LS.13 The student will investigate and

understand that populations of organisms change over time. Key concepts include: c) how environmental influences, as well as genetic variation, can lead to diversity of organisms. Earth Science ES.10 The student will investigate and

understand that oceans are complex, interactive physical, chemical, and biological systems and are subject to long- and short-term variations. Key concepts include: b) importance of environmental and geologic implications; c) systems interactions; d features of the sea floor as reflections of tectonic processes; and e) economic and public policy issues concerning the oceans and the coastal zone

21st Century Skills Global

Awareness – Understand and address global issues Environmental Literacy – Investigate and analyze environmental issues Learning and Innovation Skills - Work creatively with others Critical Thinking and Problem Solving – Use systems thinking, Solve problems Communication and Collaboration - Communicate clearly, Collaborate with others Information Literacy - Access and Evaluate Information Initiative and Self-Direction - Manage goals and time, Be self-directed learners