I. RATIONALE, DESCRIPTION, AND PURPOSE · I. RATIONALE, DESCRIPTION, AND PURPOSE ... problems of our past, present, and future. ... in changes of state or phase changes • Various

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Mendham Borough Public Schools

Mendham, New Jersey

Curriculum and Instruction

Course of Study

Science: Grade 8 June 2011

I. RATIONALE, DESCRIPTION, AND PURPOSE

The future of our planet, no less, the human race, depends on our collective ability to navigate and sustain the natural world. Since

the beginning of civilization, humans have attempted and succeeded in controlling their environment. As we have learned more

about the impact our actions have had on this planet, future implications for our every decision must be carefully considered. It is

our children who must be prepared in this way, as they will be accompanying the Earth and its inhabitants into the future.

Every student who passes through Mendham Borough Schools will be faced with decisions necessitating scientific knowledge and

scientific ways of thinking. As educators we must prepare our students with a strong understanding of science inquiry as it applies

to the environmental problems of our past, present, and future. From the local to the national level, they must be able to

understand scientific processes that impact how we manage our natural resources. Our students must also be able to interpret and

apply scientific knowledge across the vast collection of career possibilities that continue to emerge in the future.

The goal in science education in the middle grades is to engage students in science as inquiry through development of their own

investigations. Our middle level learners will pose a question, and through detailed inquiry will be able to answer and

communicate their findings. As they gain experience questioning the natural world around them, our students will develop the

ability to recognize the relationship between the explanation for a natural phenomenon and evidence of its existence.

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II. DISTRICT OBJECTIVES

The district adopts the objectives for science and health education established in the National Science Education Standards and the

National Health Education Standards according to the developmental needs of eighth grade students.

The district adopts the objectives for science education established in the National Science Education Standards according to the

developmental needs of kindergarten students.

Through the practice of scientific inquiry, students will be able to:

• Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.

• Design and conduct a scientific investigation.

• 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 relationship between evidence and explanations

• Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions

• Communicate scientific procedures and explanations

• Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry

Through the study of physical science, students will understand

• Properties and changes of properties in matter

• Motion and forces

• Transfer of energy

Through the study of life science, students will understand

• Structure and function in living systems

• Reproduction and heredity

• Regulation and behavior

• Populations and ecosystems

• Diversity and adaptations of organisms

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Through the study of Earth and space science, students will understand

• Structure of the earth system

• Earth’s history

• Earth in the solar system

Through the study of science and technology, students will develop

• Abilities of technological design

• Understanding about science and technology

Through the study of science in personal and social perspectives, students will understand

• Personal health

• Populations, resources, and environments

• Natural hazards

• Risks and benefits

• Science and technology in society

Through the study of history and nature of science, students will understand

• Science as a human endeavor

• Nature of science

• History of science

SOURCE: National Science Education Standards, National Academy Press (2005)

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III. ALIGNMENT TO STANDARDS

Science education in kindergarten aligns with the following 2009 NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards:

NJCCCS 5.1.8 Science Practices

A. Understand Scientific Explanations

B. Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations

C. Reflect on Scientific Knowledge

D. Participate Productively in Science

NJCCCS 5.2.8 Physical Science

A. Properties of Matter

B. Changes in Matter

C. Forms of Energy

D. Energy Transformation and Conservation

E. Forces and Motion

NJCCCS 5.3.8 Life Science

A. Organization and Development

B. Matter and Energy Transformations

C. Interdependence

D. Heredity and Reproduction

E. Evolution and Diversity

NJCCCS 5.4.8 Earth Systems Science

A. Objects in the Universe

B. History of Earth

C. Properties of Earth Materials

D. Tectonics

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E. Energy in Earth Systems

F. Climate and Weather

G. Biochemical Cycles

SOURCE: NJCCCS for Science, 2009

IV. CONTENT, SCOPE AND SEQUENCE, LEARNING OUTCOMES

A. Science Skills

As an anchor for the study of science, specific practices will be revisited and applied throughout the year. All students will

understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually

extends, refines, and revises knowledge. These practices encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must

acquire to be proficient in science. The following reflect those skills outlined in the New Jersey Curriculum Core Content

Standards for Science, 2009.

1. Understand Scientific Explanations: Students understand core concepts and principles of science and use measurement

and observation tools to assist in categorizing, representing, and interpreting the natural and designed world.

•••• Demonstrate understanding and use interrelationships among central scientific concepts to revise explanations and to

consider alternative explanations.

•••• Use mathematical, physical, and computational tools to build conceptual-based models and to pose theories.

•••• Use scientific principles and models to frame and synthesize scientific arguments and pose theories.

2. Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations: Students master the conceptual, mathematical, physical,

and computational tools that need to be applied when constructing and evaluating claims.

• Design investigations and use scientific instrumentation to collect, analyze, and evaluate evidence as part of building

and revising models and explanations.

• Gather, evaluate, and represent evidence using scientific tools, technologies, and computational strategies.

• Use qualitative and quantitative evidence to develop evidence-based arguments.

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• Use quality controls to examine data sets and to examine evidence as a means of generating and reviewing

explanations.

3. Reflect on Scientific Knowledge: Scientific knowledge builds on itself over time.

• Monitor one’s own thinking as understandings of scientific concepts are refined.

• Revise predictions or explanations on the basis of discovering new evidence, learning new information, or using

models.

• Generate new and productive questions to evaluate and refine core explanations.

4. Participate Productively in Science: The growth of scientific knowledge involves critique and communication, which are

social practices that are governed by a core set of values and norms.

• Engage in multiple forms of discussion in order to process, make sense of, and learn from others’ ideas, observations,

and experiences.

• Engage in productive scientific discussion practices during conversations with peers, both face-to-face and virtually,

in the context of scientific investigations and model-building.

• Demonstrate how to safely use tools, instruments, and supplies.

• Handle and treat organisms humanely, responsibly, and ethically.

B. Scope and Sequence

Grade level benchmarks in eighth grade Science are built into the following units of study:

1. Properties of Matter

In Unit 1, students will know

• All matter is made of atoms

• Matter made of only one type of atom is called an element

• All substances are composed of one or more of approximately 100 elements

• The Periodic Table organizes the elements into families or groups of elements with similar properties

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• Matter can be described in terms of specific and general properties

• Matter is classified by its physical and chemical properties

• Physical properties of matter can be observed without changing the identity of the matter

• Conductivity, phase of matter, malleability, ductility, solubility and density are examples of physical properties

• Properties of solids, liquids and gases are explained by model of matter composed of tiny particles in motion

• Chemical properties describe matter and its ability to change into new matter

• Reactivity and flammability are examples of chemical properties

• Reactivity is the ability of two or more substances to combine and form one or more substances

• Flammability is the ability of a substance to burn

• Metals are a class of elements that exhibit physical properties, such as conductivity, and chemical properties, such as

producing salts when combined with nonmetals

• Matter is composed of atoms that may join together to form compounds and molecules

• Elements are a class of substances composed of a single kind of atom

• Compounds are substances that are chemically formed and have physical and chemical properties that differ from the

reacting substances

• Mixtures are formed when two or more substances combine physically

• Solutions are types of mixtures

• Solutions have the same properties throughout which contain a solvent and at least one solute

• Concentration of a solution is determined by the amount of solute dissolved in a certain amount of solvent

• Solubility is the measure of how much solute can dissolve in a solvent at a given temperature

• Solubility is affected by various factors such as pressure, type of solvent, type of solute, and temperature

• Acids and bases are substances with different physical and chemical properties

• Ions are charged particles

• pH scale is a measure of hydrogen ions in a solution

• Neutralization occurs when an acid and base are combined to form a salt and water

In Unit 1, students will understand

• The structures of materials determine their properties.

• When materials interact within a closed system, the total mass of the system remains the same.

• There are several ways in which elements and/or compounds react to form new substances and each reaction involves

energy.

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• Energy takes many forms and these forms can be grouped into types of energy that are associated with the motion of mass

(kinetic energy), and types of energy associated with the position of mass and with energy fields (potential energy).

• Changes take place in matter because of the transfer of energy.

• Energy is transferred to matter through the action of forces.

• Different forces are responsible for the transfer of the different forms of energy.

• Fundamental ideas about matter can be used to explain the physical world.

In Unit 1, students will be able to

• Identify the class of matter that an object belongs to

• Illustrate why it is more useful to classify matter according to makeup than according to its phase

• Describe matter in terms of specific properties (color, texture, phase, etc.)

• Identify and describe the general properties of matter (mass, weight, volume and density)

• Illustrate why the mass of an object is constant whereas weight can change

• Illustrate the relationship between mass and inertia

• Illustrate matter in terms of its mass and volume

• Compare densities of various objects

• Identify the properties of a substance as being either physical or chemical

• Predict the physical and chemical properties of elements based on their positions on the Periodic Table(metals, nonmetals

and metalloids)

• Differentiate between the properties of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids

• Compare and contrast the properties of elements, compounds and mixtures

• Identify the solute and solvent of various solutions

• Illustrate the differences in the characteristics of solutions, colloids and suspensions

• Identify ways in which solutes affect the freezing point and boiling points of a solution

• Predict how certain factors affect solubility of certain substances

• Calculate the concentration of a solution

• Use physical and chemical properties to identify a liquid as an acids or base

• Determine the relative acidity and reactivity of acids and bases

• Demonstrate how acids and bases react with various chemical indicators

• Interpret the pH scale and explain what pH tells you about a solution

• Illustrate a neutralization reaction

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• Illustrate how common salts are formed from neutralization reactions

2. Changes in Matter:


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• Physical changes do not form new substances. Its identity stays the same

• Freezing, cutting, bending dissolving and melting are examples of physical changes

• Energy is involved in changes of state or phase changes

• Various factors affect gas behavior

• Chemical change occurs when one or more substances are changed into new substances that have new and different

properties(composition and makeup)

• Atoms form bonds when they share or transfer valence electrons

• Chemical changes occur when bonds break and new bonds form using energy (endothermic and exothermic reactions)

• Types of chemical bonds and their characteristics

• Properties of covalent and ionic compounds

• Importance of organic compounds

• Principle of Conservation of Mass

• Chemical reactions are written as balanced chemical equations

• Reactants and products are part of a balanced chemical equation

• Types of chemical reactions and the factors that control the rates of reactions


• The structures of materials determine their properties.



energy.





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• Determine examples of physical changes of matter

• Determine examples chemical changes of matter

• Distinguish between a physical change and a chemical change

• Differentiate between the three states of matter and how energy is involved in phase changes such as melting, freezing,

condensation, evaporation, and sublimation

• Describe three factors (temperature, volume, and pressure) that affect how gases behave

• Predict how a change in pressure or temperature will affect the volume of a gas

• Practice gas law problems utilizing Boyle’s law and Charles’s law

• Describe chemical bonding and that it is an interaction that holds two atoms together

• Determine valence electrons of an atom and identify how they are involved in chemical bonding to form molecules and

compounds

• Recognize that chemical bonding occurs when atoms gain, lose or share electrons

• Predict whether an atom is likely to form bonds

• Differentiate types of bonds (ionic, covalent, metallic)

• Describe the properties of ionic and covalent compounds

• Illustrate reasons for the abundance of organic compounds

• Differentiate between saturated, unsaturated and aromatic hydrocarbons

• Describe the characteristics and importance of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids in the human body

• Illustrate changes in chemical bonds during chemical reactions

• Interpret and write chemical formulas

• Write and balance chemical equations

• Identify different types of evidence of chemical reactions

• Differentiate between endothermic and exothermic reactions

• Describe chemical reactions and identify the information a chemical equation contains

• Recognize that the principle of conservation of mass explains a balanced chemical equation

• Distinguish between different categories of chemical reactions

• Determine how various factors affect chemical reactions.(temperature, concentration, surface area, inhibitors, and

catalysts)

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3. Energy Transfer and Conservation:


• The relationship between energy, work, and power are related

• The relationship between potential energy and kinetic energy

• Factors affecting kinetic energy

• Forms of energy including thermal, electrical, chemical, nuclear, electromagnetic

• A change from one form of energy to another is called an energy transformation

• Common energy transformations – between potential and kinetic energy

• Friction is a force that opposes motion between two surfaces

• Not all potential energy changes into kinetic energy and not all kinetic energy transforms into potential energy

• Energy conservation occurs within a closed system

• Energy transformations occur between the objects in a closed system

• When energy conversions take place some of the original energy changes into thermal energy

• An energy resource is a natural resource that can be converted into other forms of energy

• Energy resources can be either renewable or nonrenewable.

• Fossil fuels, a nonrenewable resource, are formed from the buried remains of plants and animals that lived millions of

years ago

• Plants stored energy from the sun by photosynthesis and animals used and stored this energy by eating the plants

• Fossil fuels are concentrated forms of the sun’s energy

• Fossil fuels produce oil and petroleum when the sediment is crushed and heated

• Everyday uses of some fossil fuels

• When fossil fuels are burned, energy is released and converted into other kinds of energy




energy.

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• All organisms transfer matter and convert energy from one from form to another.


• Illustrate the relationship between energy, work and power

• Calculate kinetic energy utilizing the object’s mass and object’s speed

• Calculate potential energy of an object utilizing the object’s weight and height

• Calculate the mechanical energy (total energy of motion and position) of an object

• Evaluate sources of energy as renewable or non-renewable resources

• Illustrate the formation of fossil fuels

• Develop a flow chart demonstrating the conversion of fossil fuels into chemical energy and electrical energy

4. Forces and Motion


• The motion of an object is described by the position of the object in relation to a reference point

• Speed is dependent on distance and time

• Velocity is the speed of an object in a particular direction

• Acceleration is the rate at which velocity changes over time

• An object can accelerate by changing speed, direction or both

• Newton’s Laws of Motion

I. An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line

unless acted on by an unbalanced force

II. The acceleration of an object depends on the mass of the object and the amount of force applied

III. Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the

first

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• Identify the two factors that determine speed

• Calculate the speed of an object

• Illustrate the difference between speed and velocity

• Analyze the relationship between velocity and acceleration

• Calculate the acceleration of an object

• Graph and evaluate the motion (speed and acceleration) of an object

• Classify changes in motion according to Newton’s Laws of Motion

• Relate friction, inertia and mass to Newton’s First Law

• Illustrate the relationship between, force, mass and acceleration in Newton’s Second Law of Motion

V. INTEGRATED SKILLS

The following interdisciplinary content and skills will be addressed in an integrated fashion:

A. TECHNOLOGY

In grades 5-8, students expand their capacity to use operations and applications, apply information-literacy skills, and select the

appropriate tools and resources to accomplish a variety of tasks, as they develop digital citizenship. As students participate in

online learning communities, collaborating in the design of products that address local and global issues across the curriculum,

they build understanding of the perspectives of learners from other countries. Students at this level can apply the design

process in the development of products; understand impact constraints, trade-offs, and resource selection; and solve a design

challenge and/or build a prototype using the design process. Students can explain why human-designed systems, products, and

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environments need to be monitored, maintained, and improved, and they recognize the interdependence of subsystems as parts

of a system.

1. Educational Technology (NJCCCS 8.1)

Throughout the science curriculum, students will use digital tools to access, manage, evaluate, and synthesize information

in order to solve problems individually and collaboratively and to create and communicate knowledge. The following

areas are addressed:

a. Technology Operations and Concepts

• Create professional documents (e.g., newsletter, personalized learning plan, business letter or flyer) using

advanced features of a word processing program.

• Plan and create a simple database, define fields, input data, and produce a report using sort and query.

• Create a multimedia presentation including sound and images.

• Generate a spreadsheet to calculate, graph, and present information.

• Select and use appropriate tools and digital resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and to solve problems.

b. Creativity and Innovation

• Synthesize and publish information about a local or global issue or event on a collaborative, web-based service

(also known as a shared hosted service).

c. Communication and Collaboration

• Participate in an online learning community with learners from other countries to understand their perspectives

on a global problem or issue, and propose possible solutions.

d. Digital Citizenship

• Model appropriate online behaviors related to cyber safety, cyber bullying, cyber security, and cyber ethics.

• Summarize the application of fair use and Creative Commons guidelines.

• Demonstrate how information on a controversial issue may be biased.

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e. Research and Information Literacy

• Gather and analyze findings using data collection technology to produce a possible solution for a content-

related or real-world problem.

f. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision-Making

• Use an electronic authoring tool in collaboration with learners from other countries to evaluate and summarize

the perspectives of other cultures about a current event or contemporary figure.

Integrated learning activities: [LIST]

2. Technology Education, Engineering, and Design (NJCCCS 8.2)

Throughout the science curriculum, students will develop an understanding of the nature and impact of technology,

engineering, technological design, and the designed world, as they relate to the individual, global society, and the

environment. The following areas are addressed:

a. Nature of Technology: Creativity and Innovation

• Explain the impact of globalization on the development of a technological system over time.

b. Design: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision-Making

• Design and create a product that addresses a real-world problem using the design process and working with

specific criteria and constraints.

• Identify the design constraints and trade-offs involved in designing a prototype (e.g., how the prototype might

fail and how it might be improved) by completing a design problem and reporting results in a multimedia

presentation.

• Solve a science-based design challenge and build a prototype using science and math principles throughout the

design process.

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.

c. Technological Citizenship, Ethics, and Society

• Explain the need for patents and the process of registering one.

• Compare and contrast current and past incidences of ethical and unethical use of labor in the United States or

another country and present results in a media-rich presentation.

d. Research and Information Fluency

• Evaluate the role of ethics and bias on trend analysis and prediction in the development of a product that

impacts communities in the United States and/or other countries

e. Communication and Collaboration

• Work in collaboration with peers and experts in the field to develop a product using the design process, data

analysis, and trends, and maintain a digital log with annotated sketches to record the development cycle.

f. Resources for a Technical World

• Explain the impact of resource selection and processing in the development of a common technological product

or system.

• Explain how the resources and processes used in the production of a current technological product can be

modified to have a more positive impact on the environment (e.g., by using recycled metals, alternate energy

sources) and the economy..

g. The Designed World

• Explain why human-designed systems, products, and environments need to be constantly monitored,

maintained, and improved.

• Explain the interdependence of a subsystem that operates as part of a system.

B. 21st –Century Life & Career Skills

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In grades 6-8, students continue to develop 21st-century life skills and personal financial literacy, while also exploring careers

that support their academic and personal interests and aptitudes. As they prepare for the transition to high school, students are

provided with opportunities to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to real or simulated career challenges.

1. 21st-Century Life & Career Skills (NJCCCS 9.1)

Throughout the science curriculum, students will demonstrate the creative, critical thinking, collaboration, and

problem-solving skills needed to function successfully as both global citizens and workers in diverse ethnic and

organizational cultures. The following areas are addressed:

a. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

• Develop strategies to reinforce positive attitudes and productive behaviors that impact critical thinking and

problem-solving skills.

• Implement problem-solving strategies to solve a problem in school or the community.

• Summarize strategies used by various organizations and agencies to solve problems that impact communities,

and compare them with strategies used by similar organizations in another state or country.

• Design and implement a project management plan using one or more problem-solving strategies.

b. Creativity and Innovation

• Use multiple points of view to create alternative solutions.

• Assess data gathered to solve a problem for which there are varying perspectives (e.g., cross-cultural, gender-

specific, generational), and determine how the data can best be used to design multiple solutions..

c. Collaboration, Teamwork, and Leadership

• Determine an individual’s responsibility for personal actions and contributions to group activities.

• Demonstrate the use of compromise, consensus, and community building strategies for carrying out different

tasks, assignments, and projects.

• Model leadership skills during classroom and extra-curricular activities.

d. Cross-Cultural Understanding and Interpersonal Communication

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• Employ appropriate conflict resolution strategies.

• Demonstrate the ability to understand inferences.

• Use effective communication skills in face-to-face and online interactions with peers and adults from home and

from diverse cultures.

• Compare and contrast nuances in verbal and nonverbal communication in different cultures that may result in

misinterpretation and misunderstanding.

• Justify the need for greater cross-cultural understanding due to globalization.

e. Communication and Media Fluency

• Explain how technology has strengthened the role of digital media in the global society.

• Analyze the role of digital media in sales and marketing and in delivering cultural, political, and other societal

messages.

• Differentiate between explicit and implicit digital media messages, and discuss the impact on individuals,

groups, and society as a whole.

• Determine the undesired consequences of unethical uses of media.

• Compare and contrast ways governments regulate media advertising to protect children and adults in the United

States and in other countries.

f. Differentiate between explicit and implicit digital media messages, and discuss the impact on individuals,

groups, and society as a whole Accountability, Productivity, and Ethics

• Demonstrate how productivity and accountability contribute to realizing individual or group work goals within

or outside the classroom.

• Explain how rules, laws, and safety practices protect individual rights in the global workplace.

• Relate the use of new technologies at home, in the workplace, and in other settings to incidences of ethical

and/or unethical behavior.


2. Personal Financial Literacy (NJCCCS 9.2)

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Throughout the science curriculum, students will develop skills and strategies that promote personal and financial

responsibility related to financial planning, savings, investment, and charitable giving in the global economy. The

following areas are addressed:

a. Income and Careers

• Relate how career choices, education choices, skills, entrepreneurship, and economic conditions affect income.

• Differentiate among ways that workers can improve earning power through the acquisition of new knowledge

and skills.

• Relate earning power to quality of life across cultures.

• Relate how the demand for certain skills determines an individual’s earning power.

• Explain the difference between “earned income” and “unearned income” (e.g., gifts) and why earned income is

important.

• Examine how labor market trends and the cost of living can affect real income, spending decisions, and

lifestyle.

• Explain the purpose of the payroll deduction process, taxable income, and employee benefits.

• Differentiate among the types of taxes and employee benefits.

• Differentiate between taxable and nontaxable income.

b. Money Management

• Construct a simple personal savings and spending plan based on various sources of income.

• Justify the concept of “paying yourself first” as a financial savings strategy.

• Relate the concept of deferred gratification to investment, meeting financial goals, and building wealth.

• Analyze the effect of the economy on personal income, individual and family security, and consumer decisions.

• Evaluate the relationship of cultural traditions and historical influences on financial practice.

• Construct a budget to save for long-term, short-term, and charitable goals.

• Develop a system for keeping and using financial records.

• Explain the concept of cash flow and construct cash flow statements.

• Create debit and credit balance sheets and income and cash statements.

• Determine the most appropriate use of various financial products and services (e.g., ATM, debit cards, credit

cards, checkbooks).

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• Justify safeguarding personal information when using credit cards, banking electronically, or filing forms.

• Evaluate the appropriate financial institutions to assist with meeting various personal financial needs and goals.

c. Credit and Debt Management

• Compare and contrast the financial products and services offered by different types of financial institutions

• Compare and contrast debt and credit management strategies.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the terminology associated with different types of credit (e.g., credit cards,

installment loans, mortgages) and compare the interest rates associated with each.

• Calculate the cost of borrowing various amounts of money using different types of credit (e.g., credit cards,

installment loans, mortgages).

• Determine ways to leverage debt beneficially.

• Determine potential consequences of using “easy access” credit (e.g., using a line of credit vs. obtaining a loan

for a specific purpose).

• Explain the meaning and possible consequences of “predatory lending practices.”

• Explain the purpose of a credit score and credit record, and summarize borrowers’ credit report rights.

• Summarize the causes and consequences of personal bankruptcy.

• Determine when there is a need to seek credit counseling and appropriate times to utilize it.

d. Planning, Saving, and Investing

• Determine how saving contributes to financial well-being.

• Differentiate among various savings tools and how to use them most effectively.

• Differentiate among various investment options.

• Distinguish between income and investment growth.

• Explain the economic principle of supply and demand.

• Relate saving and investing decisions to successful entrepreneurship.

• Calculate short- and long-term returns on various investments (e.g., stocks, bonds, mutual funds, IRAs, deferred

pension plans, and so on).

• Assess the impact of inflation on economic decisions and lifestyles.

e. Becoming a Critical Consumer

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• Prioritize personal wants and needs when making purchases.

• Analyze interest rates and fees associated with financial services, credit cards, debit cards, and gift cards

• Evaluate the appropriateness of different types of monetary transactions (e.g., electronic transfer, check,

certified check, money order, gift card, barter) for various situations.

• Compare the value of goods or services from different sellers when purchasing large quantities and small

quantities.

• Identify the components of written and verbal contracts and the inherent responsibilities of the contracting

parties.

• Evaluate how fraudulent activities impact consumers, and justify the creation of consumer protection laws.

• Recognize the techniques and effects of deceptive advertising.

f. Civic Financial Responsibility

• Explain how the economic system of production and consumption may be a means to achieve significant

societal goals.

• Examine the implications of legal and ethical behaviors when making financial decisions.

• Relate the impact of business, government, and consumer fiscal responsibility to the economy and to personal

finance.

• Calculate appropriate amounts of charitable giving based on current financial status.

• Determine opportunities for micro-financing of global charities and causes.

g. Risk Management and Insurance

• Compare the impact of losses associated with different types of financial risk.

• Explain why it is important to develop plans for protecting current and future personal assets against loss.

• Explain the purpose and importance of health, disability, life, and consumer insurance protection.

• Determine criteria for deciding the amount of insurance protection needed.

• Analyze the need for and value of different types of insurance and the impact of deductibles.

• Evaluate the need for different types of extended warranties.

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3. Career Awareness, Exploration, and Preparation (NJCCCS 9.3)

Throughout the science curriculum, students will apply knowledge about and engage in the process of career

awareness, exploration, and preparation in order to navigate the globally competitive work environment of the

information age. The following areas are addressed:

a. Career Awareness

• Develop a Personalized Student Learning Plan that includes information about career areas of interest with

the assistance of adult mentors.

• Identify common knowledge, skills, and abilities needed within the federal 16 Career Clusters.

• Evaluate personal abilities, interests, and motivations and discuss how they might influence job and career

selection

• Identify high school and county career and technical school courses and programs that support career or

occupational areas of interest.

• Use workplace readiness skills and career information learned from job shadowing, high school visits,

speakers, volunteering, or other career exploration activities to assist with career exploration.

• Evaluate communication, collaboration, and leadership skills and how they might be further developed in

preparation for a future career through involvement in school, home, work, and extracurricular activities.

• Explain what is meant by “jobs” and “careers,” and examine how each tends to be distributed regionally,

nationally, and globally.

• Compare and contrast how traditional and nontraditional occupational roles have changed or remained the

same regionally, nationally, and globally.

• Inventory the requirements for entering different career areas of interest using online job information, such

as the federal Occupational Information Network (O*NET) or the New Jersey State Career Development

Website, and determine why those requirements are needed for success in a chosen career.

• Evaluate employment trends (including job outlook and wage trends) in areas of career interest using online

resources, such as the federal Occupational Information Network (O*NET) or the New Jersey State Career

Development Website.

• Prepare a sample résumé and cover letter as part of an application for part-time or summer employment.

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• Explain how personal behavior, dress, attitudes, and other choices can impact the success or failure of a job

applicant.

• Locate information about working papers, including what is required to obtain them and who must sign

them.

o Use online state and federal agency resources to identify jobs that are permitted or prohibited for minors.

o Analyze a past or current local, national, or international incident that violated professional, legal, and/or

ethical responsibilities in an employment setting, and explain the impact of the incident on employees and

others.

o Relate academic achievement, as represented by high school diplomas, college degrees, and industry

credentials, to employability and to potential level of income.

V. INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUES

Science education relies on a variety of instructional techniques to meet the continuum of learners’ interests, learning profiles and

readiness levels. Differentiation is the commitment and mechanism through which the developmental needs of a range of readiness

levels are met. Differentiated instruction is accomplished through pre-assessment and ongoing formative assessment.

Differentiation in content, product and/or process addresses the needs of exceptionally able students, and scaffolding of varying

degree is provided to support less ready students in meeting worthy and appropriately rigorous learning outcomes. Instructional

objectives, strategies and materials emphasize relevance, authenticity, and student-centered learning. In addition, cross curricular

learning experiences are an important part of the transfer of knowledge and skills and will be incorporated when possible.

Instructional techniques in science education include the following:

• Whole class instruction and modeling

• Demonstration of scientific techniques

• Small group strategy lessons

• Individual or group conferencing

• Inquiry based laboratory experiences

• Use of scientific tools and technology

VI. ASSESSMENT

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Assessment in science instruction is anchored by formative and summative assessment that provides both timely and relevant

feedback to students and staff. Best practices in the science classroom are numerous and may include:

• Pre-assessment of skills, knowledge, and understandings

• Formative (ongoing) assessment through regular checks

• Periodic teacher-student conferences to assess development of skills, knowledge, and understandings

• Teachers’ observation of students’ independent inquiry skills

• Teachers’ observation of students’ independent problem solving

• Interactive Science Notebook and/or Lab Notebook entries

• Performance assessments that require students to apply concepts, skills, and problem-solving strategies to real-world

problem-based scenarios

• Written responses to unit questions

• Summative assessments such as quizzes, tests, projects, or lab reports

Board of Education approval: ________________________

Documents

I. RATIONALE, DESCRIPTION, AND PURPOSE · I. RATIONALE, DESCRIPTION, AND PURPOSE ... problems of our past, present, and future. ... in changes of state or phase changes • Various