AISL Grade 7 Benchmarks in Science

(Revised June, 2010)

AISL.SCI.01. PHYSICAL SCIENCE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the structure and properties of matter.
AISL.SCI.01.G7.01 Know chemical elements do not break down by normal laboratory reactions like heating, exposure to electric current or reaction with acids
AISL.SCI.01.G7.02 Understand the conservation of mass in physical and chemical change
AISL.SCI.01.G7.03 Know methods used to separate mixtures into their component parts
AISL.SCI.01.G7.04 Know that substances react chemically in characteristic ways with other substances to form new substances (compounds) with different characteristic properties
AISL.SCI.02. PHYSICAL SCIENCE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the sources and properties of energy.
AISL.SCI.02.G7.01 Know that energy is a property of many substances is associated with heat, electricity, light, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and nature of a chemical
AISL.SCI.02.G7.02 Know that heat moves in predictable ways, and flows from warmer materials or regions to cooler ones through conduction, convection, and radiation.
AISL.SCI.02.G7.03 Know that only a narrow range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation can be seen by the human eye; differences of wavelength within that range of visible light are perceived as differences in color
AISL.SCI.03. PHYSICAL SCIENCE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of forces and motion.
AISL.SCI.03.G7.01 Know that just as electric currents can produce magnetic forces, magnets can cause electric currents
AISL.SCI.03.G7.02 Understand effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on an object's motion
AISL.SCI.04. LIFE SCIENCE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the structure and function of living systems.
AISL.SCI.04.G7.01 Know that cells convert energy obtained from food to carry on the many functions needed to sustain life
AISL.SCI.04.G7.02 Know the levels of organization in living systems, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, whole organisms, ecosystems, and the complementary nature of structure and function at each level
AISL.SCI.04.G7.03 Know how an organism's ability to regulate its internal environment enables the organism to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing external environment
AISL.SCI.05. LIFE SCIENCE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the principles of reproduction and heredity
AISL.SCI.05.G7.01 Know that reproduction is a characteristic of all living things and is essential to the continuation of a species
AISL.SCI.05.G7.02 Know the chemical and structural properties of DNA and its role in specifying the characteristics of an organism
AISL.SCI.05.G7.03 Know ways in which genes may be altered and combined to create genetic variation within a species
AISL.SCI.06. LIFE SCIENCE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationships between ecosystems and the organisms that inhabit them.
AISL.SCI.06.G7.01 Know how the interrelationships and interdependencies among organisms generate stable ecosystems that fluctuate around a state of rough equilibrium for hundreds or thousands of years
AISL.SCI.06.G7.02 Know how the amount of life an environment can support is limited by the availability of matter and energy and the ability of the ecosystem to recycle materials
AISL.SCI.06.G7.03 Know that as matter and energy flow through different levels of organization in living systems and between living systems and the physical environment, chemical elements (e.g., carbon, nitrogen) are recombined in different ways.
AISL.SCI.07. LIFE SCIENCE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the diversity and adaptations of organisms
AISL.SCI.07.G7.01 Understand the concept of extinction and its importance in biological evolution
AISL.SCI.07.G7.02 Know ways in which living things can be classified
AISL.SCI.07.G7.03 Know how variation of organisms within a species increases the chance of survival of the species, and how the great diversity of species on Earth increases the chance of survival of life in the event of major global changes
AISL.SCI.08. LIFE SCIENCE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of human body systems and healthy physical growth.
AISL.SCI.08.G7.01 Know that the rate of change during puberty varies with each individual and that people vary widely in size, height, shape, and rate of maturation
AISL.SCI.08.G7.02 Understand how the human body changes as people age
AISL.SCI.08.G7.03 Understand the processes of conception, prenatal development, and birth
AISL.SCI.08.G7.04 Know strategies for coping with concerns and stress related to the changes that occur during adolescence
AISL.SCI.09. EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the earth's composition and structure.
AISL.SCI.09.G7.01 Know components of soil and other factors that influence soil texture, fertility, and resistance to erosion
AISL.SCI.09.G7.02 Know that the Earth's crust is divided into plates that move at extremely slow rates in response to movements in the mantle
AISL.SCI.09.G7.03 Understand the concept of plate tectonics and Know effects of the movement of crustal plates
AISL.SCI.09.G7.04 Know methods used to estimate geologic time
AISL.SCI.10. EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE: Students will understand the processes that shape the earth.
AISL.SCI.10.G7.01 Know the composition and structure of the Earth's atmosphere
AISL.SCI.10.G7.02 Know that most of Earth's surface is covered by water, that most of that water is salt water in oceans, and that fresh water is found in rivers, lakes, underground sources, and glaciers
AISL.SCI.11. EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the composition and structure of the universe and the earth's place in it.
AISL.SCI.11.G7.01 Know that the universe consists of many billions of galaxies separate these galaxies and stars from one another and from the Earth.
AISL.SCI.11.G7.02 Know that although the origin of the universe remains one of the greatest questions in science, current scientific evidence supports the Big Bang theory, which states that between 10 and 20 billion years ago, the entire contents of the universe expanded explosively into existence from a single, hot, dense chaotic mass; our Solar System formed from a nebular cloud of dust and gas about 4.6 billion years ago
AISL.SCI.12. SCIENCE AS INQUIRY: Students will demonstrate the use of the scientific method.
AISL.SCI.12.G7.01 Understand that questioning, response to criticism, and open communication are integral to the process of science
AISL.SCI.12.G7.02 Design and conduct a scientific investigation
AISL.SCI.12.G7.03 Use appropriate tools (including computer hardware and software) and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret scientific data
AISL.SCI.12.G7.04 Establish relationships based on evidence and logical argument
AISL.SCI.13. SCIENCE AS INQUIRY: Students will be able to demonstrate scientific thinking
AISL.SCI.13.G7.01 Know that all scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change and improvement in principle, but for most core ideas in science, there is much experimental and observational confirmation
AISL.SCI.13.G7.02 Know ways in which science distinguishes itself from other ways of knowing and from other bodies of knowledge
AISL.SCI.13.G7.03 Know that scientific explanations must meet certain criteria to be considered valid
AISL.SCI.13.G7.04 Know that the work of science requires a variety of human abilities, qualities, and habits of mind
AISL.SCI.13.G7.05 Understand ethics associated with scientific study