Unpacked Content
Scientific and Engineering Practices
Developing and Using Models
Crosscutting Concepts
Energy and Matter
Knowledge
Students know:
- The pathways by which nitrogen, phosphorus, and water move through the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. Students know:
- How to use mathematical computations to solve for the motion of an object.
- How to analyze both linear and nonlinear graphs of motion.
- Laboratory safety procedures.
- Appropriate units of measure.
- Basic trigonometric functions of sine, cosine and tangent.
- How to determine area under a curve on a graph.
- How to use mathematical computations to solve for the motion of an object.
- How to analyze both linear and nonlinear graphs of motion.
- Laboratory safety procedures.
- Appropriate units of measure.
- Basic trigonometric functions of sine, cosine and tangent.
- How to determine area under a curve on a graph.
Skills
Students are able to:
- Model biogeochemical cycles that include the cycling of water, nitrogen, and phosphorus through the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere (including humans).
- Use simulations to obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about biogeochemical cycles.
- Use simulations to analyze and interpret data related to how matters moves through biogeochemical cycles.
- Synthesize, develop, and use models to show relationships between systems and their components in the natural and designed world(s).
Understanding
Students understand that:
- As matter flows through the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere, chemical elements are recombined in different ways to form different products.
- The total amount of matter in closed systems is conserved.
Vocabulary
- nitrogen cycle — nitrates, nitrites, nitrification, denitrification, ammonia, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, nitrogen fixation, ammonification
- carbon cycle — photosynthesis, respiration, combustion, sedimentation, erosion, hydrologic cycle, evaporation, transpiration, evapotranspiration, precipitation, condensation, sublimation, percolation
- phosphorus cycle — phosphates, decomposition
- diffusion
- acid precipitation
- mental model
- conceptual model
- functional model
- analogy
