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Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix


Texas Farm Bureau

Lesson Plan

Know Your Nitrogen

Grade Level
9 - 12
Purpose

In this lesson, students will test for plant-available soil nitrogen and learn how farmers use this test to precisely match fertilizer application to meet crop needs and reduce the amount of nitrogen left in the soil. Grades 9-12

Estimated Time
Two 60-minute sessions
Materials Needed

For the class:

  • Two kitchen sponges
  • Two clear bowls
  • Two clear cups
  • Water
  • Food coloring, red
  • Measuring cup
  • Soil core sampling tubes (or use shovels to dig uniform cores from the first 6" of soil)
  • A place to collect soil core samples
  • Electronic scale
  • Food or aquarium grade calcium chloride
  • One gallon of distilled water
    • (add 6 grams of calcium chloride to 1 gallon of distilled water to make up the 0.01 M calcium chloride solution)

For each group:

For each student:

Vocabulary

conservation: the wise use of resources, to conserve them for use by present and future generations

crop rotation: the successive planting of different crops in the same field over a period of years to maintain or improve soil quality and reduce pest problems

fertilizer analysis: the actual composition of a fertilizer as determined in a chemical laboratory using standard methods

leaching: downward movement of materials in solution through the soil

water holding capacity: the amount of water that a soil can hold before nutrients begin to leach out

Background Agricultural Connections

This lesson is part of the series called, Fertilizers, Chemistry, and the Environment.  These lessons introduce students to chemistry and environmental science concepts. Activities are modeled after real-life challenges that modern farmers face while producing our food, fiber, and fuel. Labs are inquiry based and promote critical thinking skills. Other related lessons include:

Whether we are talking about your lawn, flower garden, or the wheat in your pasta dinner, plants need nutrients to grow. When crops are harvested the nutrients they utilized from the soil are removed with them. These nutrients must be replaced back into the soil so it remains fertile and can continue to grow crops in future years. Farmers and home gardeners use a variety of fertilizers to provide plants with essential nutrients. There are many different types of fertilizers that fit the needs of different crops and growing conditions. You may be familiar with fertilizers if you have applied compost, fish emulsion, animal manure, or other pre-packaged fertilizer to your lawn or garden. These fertilizers play an important role in growing beautiful flower gardens, green lawns, and providing affordable and nutritious food.

The use of any type of fertilizer comes with the responsibility to precisely follow instructions for storage, preparation, and application. From farms to home gardens and golf courses, we all must ensure that fertilizers are used correctly. Strict regulations, scientific research, and developments in new technology ensure that modern farming methods involve the selection of the appropriate fertilizer, application method, application timing, and monitoring of nutrients to provide crops with enough nutrients for optimum yield, while also protecting the environment. Applying too much fertilizer to crops can have adverse effects on the environment as well as the crop, and is an unnecessary expense. Replacing nutrients with fertilizer at the right time and in the right amount helps farmers grow enough food for an increasing world population as the amount of available farmland decreases. Achieving optimum yields without applying excessive nutrients is a goal of all farmers.

This lesson provides students with insight into one method farmers use to determine the amount of nitrogen fertilizer their crop may need. Of the primary nutrients, farmers are especially interested in nitrogen for several reasons. Nitrogen is required for plants to form proteins which make up much of their tissues, and nitrogen availability is often limited in the soil. While 78% of our atmosphere is nitrogen gas, most plants cannot use this form of nitrogen. Nitrogen is most available to plants when it is in the nitrate (NO3-) form or when it is in the ammonium (NH4+) form. Nitrogen can be made available in plant-usable forms of nitrogen through the action of nitrogen-fixing microbes found in the soil and the root nodules of some types of plants, such as legumes. These forms of nitrogen can also be supplied to plants through the use of various types of fertilizers.

Before applying fertilizers, farmers test their soil to determine factors such as texture, pH, porosity, organic matter, nutrient content, and more. Farmers also test the tissues of the crops they are growing to compare with the nutrient components from the soil analysis. These factors are important in determining which nutrients to use, how much and when to apply, and how to irrigate. These considerations ensure the best utilization by plants for healthy and efficient crop production.

Throughout the nation, many organizations fund research on new techniques for managing agricultural nitrogen and develops workshops and training programs for farmers and ranchers. State and regional water boards regulate, monitor, and provide financial assistance to protect water resources and achieve water quality objectives. For more information see Answers to Commonly Asked Questions.

Engage
  1. Prior to the lesson, place a slightly damp, but not saturated, kitchen sponge above a clear bowl. The bowl should be small enough so that the sides of the sponge suspend it slightly above the bottom of the bowl. Repeat with a second sponge and clear bowl. Prepare two separate cups of water, one containing ½ cup of water and the other containing one cup of water. Also have one bottle of red food coloring on hand.
  2. Tell students that in this example the sponge represents an agricultural field. Just like a sponge, soil can only hold a certain amount of water. Explain that in this demonstration the red food coloring represents a fertilizer solution.
  3. Ask for two volunteers to come to the front of the room. The volunteers represent farmers who irrigate their crops differently. Instruct each student to place two drops of food coloring in the center of their sponge. Now instruct the student with ½ cup of water to slowly pour the ½ cup of water onto the center of one sponge. Instruct the other student to slowly apply one cup of water to the center of the other sponge. Have students record their visual observations about the process, and the amount of leachate that accumulates under the sponge, in a science journal or notebook.  A class discussion should bring up the following points:
    • The sponge, like soil, can only hold a certain amount of water. The phrase “water holding capacity” describes the ability of a particular type of soil to hold water against the force of gravity. Soil can only hold a limited amount of water.
    • After the sponge reached its water holding capacity, the water moved through the sponge carrying the fertilizer with it. Today's farmers and scientists work together to implement nutrient management practices that protect the environment and apply the precise amount of nutrients and irrigation needed by the crop.
    • Since water carries the fertilizer to the plant roots, it is important to understand how water travels through soil. Regulatory agencies, farmers, ranchers, and educational organizations are constantly working on research and monitoring projects to utilize the best nutrient management practices possible while growing healthy crops.
  4. Explain that in this lab, students will carry out the same nitrate soil test used by farmers to measure soil nitrate levels in order to match fertilizer application rates to the needs of their crops. Students will:
    • test soil samples for available nitrogen; and
    • learn about best management practices to maximize nutrient utilization and environmental stewardship.
Explore and Explain
  1. As a class, read the Summary of 2008-09 Large Scale Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Trials in Lettuce by Michael Cahn and Richard Smith, Farm Advisors, Monterey County (attached in Essential Files). This is a technical document and students may have difficulty understanding the terminology. The reason for including this reading in the lesson is to help students understand that fertilizer application is complex and involves a great deal of science.
  2. As a class, discuss the article. Were students surprised by the precision involved in modern agriculture? Make a concept map on the board of all the things these farmers needed to know about their crop and their soil. What skills would students need to run a lettuce farm like the one described in the article? Add responses to the concept map on the board.
  3. Tell students that they have earned a spot as an intern for the UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in your county: "Your boss has given you an assignment to collect soil core samples from a local lettuce farm. You will need to collect numerous samples from the field and you have decided to enlist your classmates to help collect soil samples. Once you have collected your soil samples, you will return with them to the lab and will follow lab procedures that your boss has printed out for you."
  4. Distribute the handouts for the Know Your Nitrogen lab and Nitrate Quick Test Procedure. Go over lab safety procedures and remind students to carefully read the instructions and gather the necessary materials before starting the lab. During the first day of the lab, demonstrate the correct method for soil sampling and draw a grid on the board to show where each group will sample the field. This will help ensure that a representative sample is collected. Lead students to the designated location to collect soil sample cores.
  5. In addition to collecting soil samples, we are also interested in soil drainage. Soil texture, shallow soil with fractured bedrock, and soils with a water table close to the surface all affect soil drainage. There are precise laboratory methods for determining soil porosity and soil drainage, however, we can do a quick assessment with a shovel and some water.
    • Ask two students to volunteer to dig a hole that is one square foot wide by 12 inches deep, level on the sides and bottom.
    • Once the hole is dug, students should fill it with water and let it soak in for an hour or so. When all the water has drained, the hole should be refilled with water and students should note the amount of time it takes for the water to soak in. If the water drains faster than 4 inches per hour, the soil is highly porous. Soil with low porosity will drain less than one inch per hour.
    • Soil porosity is the amount of pore space occupied by water and gases in the soil. Ask students why farmers would be interested in soil porosity and soil drainage.
  6. On the second day of the lab, students will follow the lab procedures for carrying out the Nitrate Quick Test on their soil samples.
  7. After students have completed the nitrate soil test, ask them to write their nitrate level on the board in their assigned soil grid space. Discuss the class findings and provide any guidance the students may need before moving on to the lab questions.

 

Variations

  • Experiment with drainage in different soil types. Have students collect soil samples and determine the soil texture using a field test, laboratory analysis, or soil map. Allow students to use different soil types in their experimentation. Discuss the role of percolation and the soil's water holding capacity in drainage.

ELL Adaptations

  • Write down key terms so students can see them and connect them to the spoken word. If appropriate, connect a visual to each term introduced.
  • As a class, create a flow chart to illustrate the procedure for the Know Your Nitrogen lab. Address questions that come up during the illustration process and prior to starting the lab.
Elaborate
  • Have students research best management practices used by farmers to protect water quality, including buffer zones, denitrification beds, and conservation tillage. Have student groups make a poster about individual best management practices and present it to the class.

  • Introduce students to the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship—the right source, right rate, right time, and right place. “The Right Way to Grow: 4R Nutrient Stewardship” is an 11-minute video which gives an overview of the 4Rs and explains how stewardship applies to large-scale agriculture producers as well as small farms. The video is divided into Part 1 and Part 2

Evaluate

After conducting these activities, review and summarize the following key concepts:

  • Nitrogen is a macronutrient for the growth of plants. It is required in large quantities for healthy plant growth.
  • Growing plants removes nitrogen and other nutrients from the soil.
  • Nitrogen and other nutrients can be replaced in the soil through organic or inorganic fertilizers.
Acknowledgements

This lesson was funded in 2011 by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP). Chemistry, Fertilizer, and the Environment was designed to reinforce chemistry and environmental science concepts while educating students about the relationships between food, plant nutrients, farmers and the environment.

Executive Director: Judy Culbertson
Illustrator: Erik Davison
Layout and Design: Nina Danner

Author
Mandi Bottoms and Shaney Emerson
Organization
California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom
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State Standards for Texas
Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits: 113.31.d.23

Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others. The student is expected to use problem-solving and decision making processes to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.

  • Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits: 113.31.d.23  -  Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others. The student is expected to use problem-solving and decision-making processes to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.
English I: 110.36.c.1

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking--oral language. The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.

  • English I: 110.36.c.1.A  -  engage in meaningful and respectful discourse by listening actively, responding appropriately, and adjusting communication to audiences and purposes; 
  • English I: 110.36.c.1.B  -  follow and give complex oral instructions to perform specific tasks, answer questions, or solve problems and complex processes;
English I: 110.36.c.4

Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.

  • English I: 110.36.c.4.G  -   evaluate details read to determine key ideas
English II: 110.37.c.4

Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.

  • English II: 110.37.c.4.G  -  evaluate details read to determine key ideas
English II: 110.37.c.1

Developing and sustaining foundation language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking--oral language. The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.

  • English II: 110.37.c.1.A  -  engage in meaningful and respectful discourse when evaluating the clarity and coherence of a speaker's message and critiquing the impact of a speaker's use of diction and syntax
  • English II: 110.37.c.1.B  -  follow and give complex oral instructions to perform specific tasks, answer questions, or solve problems and complex processes
English III: 110.38.c.1

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking--oral language. The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.

  • English III: 110.38.c.1.B  -  follow and give complex instructions, clarify meaning by asking pertinent questions, and respond appropriately
English III: 110.38.c.4

Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.

  • English III: 110.38.c.4.G  -  evaluate details read to understand key ideas
English IV: 110.39.c.1

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking--oral language. The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.

  • English IV: 110.39.c.1.B  -  follow and give complex instructions, clarify meaning by asking pertinent questions, and respond appropriately
English IV: 110.39.c.4

Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.

  • English IV: 110.39.c.4.G  -  evaluate details read to analyze key ideas
English I: 110.36.c.9

Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--writing process. The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and use appropriate conventions.

  • English I: 110.36.c.9.B.i  -  develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing in timed and open-ended situations by using an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, topic, and context
English II: 110.37.c.9

Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--writing process. The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and use appropriate conventions.

  • English II: 110.37.c.9.B.i  -  develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing in timed and open-ended situations by using an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, topic, and context
English III: 110.38.c.9

Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--writing process. The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and use appropriate conventions.

  • English III: 110.38.c.9.B.i  -  develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing in timed and open-ended situations by using strategic organizational structures appropriate to purpose, audience, topic, and context
English IV: 110.39.c.9

Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--writing process. The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and use appropriate conventions.

  • English IV: 110.39.c.9.B.i  -  develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing in timed and open-ended situations by using strategic organizational structures appropriate to purpose, audience, topic, and context
United States History Studies Since 1877: 113.41.d.31

Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others. The student is expected to:

  • United States History Studies Since 1877: 113.41.d.31.B  -  use problem-solving and decision-making processes to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution
Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.1

The student demonstrates professional standards/employability skills as required by business and industry. The student is expected to:

  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.1.B  -  apply competencies related to resources, information, interpersonal skills, and systems of operation in plant systems.
Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.2

The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, conducts laboratory and field investigations using safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices. The student is expected to:

  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.2.B  -  demonstrate an understanding of the use and conservation of resources and the proper disposal or recycling of materials.
Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.3

The student uses scientific methods and equipment during laboratory and field investigations. The student is expected to:

  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.3.B  -  know that hypotheses are tentative and testable statements that must be capable of being supported or not supported by observational evidence. Hypotheses of durable explanatory power that have been tested over a wide variety of conditions are incorporated into theories.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.3.C  -  know scientific theories are based on natural and physical phenomena and are capable of being tested by multiple independent researchers. Unlike hypotheses, scientific theories are well-established and highly-reliable explanations, but they may be subject to change as new areas of science and new technologies are developed.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.3.D  -  distinguish between scientific hypotheses and scientific theories.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.3.E  -  plan and implement descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations, including asking questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting equipment and technology.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.3.F  -  collect and organize qualitative and quantitative data and make measurements with accuracy and precision using tools such as calculators, spreadsheet software, data-collecting probes, computers, standard laboratory glassware, microscopes, various prepared slides, stereoscopes, metric rulers, electronic balances, analysis kits, sieve sets, sieve shakers, soil augers, soil moisture meters, hand lenses, Celsius thermometers, lab notebooks or journals, timing devices, cameras, Petri dishes, lab incubators, dissection equipment, meter sticks, and models, diagrams, or samples of biological specimens or structures.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.3.G  -  analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.3.H  -  communicate valid conclusions supported by the data through methods such as lab reports, labeled drawings, graphic organizers, journals, summaries, oral reports, and technology-based reports.
Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.4

The student uses critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving to make informed decisions within and outside the classroom. The student is expected to:

  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.4.A  -  in all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student.
Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.6

The student analyzes plant and soil science as it relates to plant and soil relationships affecting the production of food, fiber, and other economic crops. The student is expected to:

  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.6.A  -  explain the importance and interrelationship of soil and plants.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.6.B  -  practice soil and plant evaluation as it applies to agricultural and urban settings.
Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.7

The student develops scenarios for advances in plant and soil science. The student is expected to:

  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.7.A  -  design, conduct, and complete research in a laboratory or field investigation to solve problems in plant and soil science.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.7.B  -  use charts, tables, and graphs to prepare written summaries of results and data obtained in a laboratory or field investigation.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.7.C  -  organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data obtained in a laboratory or field investigation.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.7.D  -  communicate valid outcomes and solutions.
World History Studies: 113.42.d.31

Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others. The student is expected to:

  • World History Studies: 113.42.d.31.B  -  use problem-solving and decision-making processes to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution
Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.9

The student analyzes soil science as it relates to food and fiber production. The student is expected to:

  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.9.C  -  recognize the importance of conservation of soil and agencies involved in conservation.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.9.E  -  perform soil management practices such as tillage trials and sustainable soil management practices.
  • Advanced Plant and Soil Science: 130.25.c.9.F  -  practice soil evaluations related to experiential activities such as land judging.
Biology: 112.42.c.1

Scientific and engineering practices. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, asks questions, identifies problems, and plans and safely conducts classroom, laboratory, and field investigations to answer questions, explain phenomena, or design solutions using appropriate tools and models. The student is expected to:

  • Biology: 112.42.c.1.A  -  ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations
  • Biology: 112.42.c.1.B  -  use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems
  • Biology: 112.42.c.1.D  -  use appropriate tools such as microscopes, slides, Petri dishes, laboratory glassware, metric rulers, digital balances, pipets, filter paper, micropipettes, gel electrophoresis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) apparatuses, microcentrifuges, water baths, incubators, thermometers, hot plates, data collection probes, test tube holders, lab notebooks or journals, hand lenses, and models, diagrams, or samples of biological specimens or structures
  • Biology: 112.42.c.1.E  -  collect quantitative data using the International System of Units (SI) and qualitative data as evidence
  • Biology: 112.42.c.1.F  -  organize quantitative and qualitative data using scatter plots, line graphs, bar graphs, charts, data tables, digital tools, diagrams, scientific drawings, and student-prepared models
  • Biology: 112.42.c.1.G  -  develop and use models to represent phenomena, systems, processes, or solutions to engineering problems
Biology: 112.42.c.3

Scientific and engineering practices. The student develops evidence-based explanations and communicates findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions. The student is expected to:

  • Biology: 112.42.c.3.A  -  develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models and consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories
Biology: 112.42.c.4

Scientific and engineering practices. The student knows the contributions of scientists and recognizes the importance of scientific research and innovation on society. The student is expected to:

  • Biology: 112.42.c.4.A  -  analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations and solutions by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student
  • Biology: 112.42.c.4.B  -  relate the impact of past and current research on scientific thought and society, including research methodology, cost-benefit analysis, and contributions of diverse scientists as related to the content
Biology: 112.42.c.13

Science concepts--interdependence within environmental systems. The student knows that interactions at various levels of organization occur within an ecosystem to maintain stability. The student is expected to:

  • Biology: 112.42.c.13.B  -  analyze how ecosystem stability is affected by disruptions to the cycling of matter and flow of energy through trophic levels using models
  • Biology: 112.42.c.13.C  -  explain the significance of the carbon and nitrogen cycles to ecosystem stability and analyze the consequences of disrupting these cycles
  • Biology: 112.42.c.13.D  -  explain how environmental change, including change due to human activity, affects biodiversity and analyze how changes in biodiversity impact ecosystem stability
Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.1

Scientific and engineering practices. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, asks questions, identifies problems, and plans and safely conducts classroom, laboratory, and field investigations to explain phenomena or design solutions using appropriate tools and models. The student is expected to:

  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.1.A  -  ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.1.B  -  apply scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problem
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.1.D  -  use appropriate tools such as meter sticks, metric rulers, pipettes, graduated cylinders, standard laboratory glassware, balances, timing devices, pH meters or probes, various data collecting probes, thermometers, calculators, computers, internet access, turbidity testing devices, hand magnifiers, work and disposable gloves, compasses, first aid kits, binoculars, field guides, water quality test kits or probes, soil test kits or probes, 30 meter tape measures, tarps, shovels, trowels, screens, buckets, rock and mineral samples equipment, air quality testing devices, cameras, flow meters, Global Positioning System (GPS) units, Geographic Information System (GIS) software, computer models, densiometers, spectrophotometers, stereomicroscopes, compound microscopes, clinometers, field journals, various prepared slides, hand lenses, hot plates, Petri dishes, sampling nets, waders, leveling grade rods (Jason sticks), protractors, inclination and height distance calculators, samples of biological specimens or structures, core sampling equipment, and kick nets
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.1.E  -  collect quantitative data using the International System of Units (SI) and qualitative data as evidence;
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.1.F  -  organize quantitative and qualitative data using probeware, spreadsheets, lab notebooks or journals, models, diagrams, graphs paper, computers, or cellphone applications
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.1.G  -  develop and use models to represent phenomena, systems, processes, or solutions to engineering problems
Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.3

Scientific and engineering practices. The student develops evidence-based explanations and communicates findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions. The student is expected to:

  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.3.A  -  develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories
Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.4

Scientific and engineering practices. The student knows the contributions of scientists and recognizes the importance of scientific research and innovation on society. The student is expected to:

  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.4.B  -  relate the impact of past and current research on scientific thought and society, including research methodology, cost-benefit analysis, and contributions of diverse scientists as related to the content
Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.5

Science concepts. The student knows the relationships of biotic and abiotic factors within habitats, ecosystems, and biomes. The student is expected to:

  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.5.A  -  identify native plants and animals within a local ecosystem and compare their roles to those of plants and animals in other biomes, including aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.5.B  -  explain the cycling of water, phosphorus, carbon, silicon, and nitrogen through ecosystems, including sinks, and the human interactions that alter these cycles using tools such as models;
Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.6

Science concepts. The student knows the interrelationships among the resources within the local environmental system. The student is expected to:

  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.6.A  -  compare and contrast land use and management methods and how they affect land attributes such as fertility, productivity, economic value, and ecological stability
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.6.B  -  relate how water sources, management, and conservation affect water uses and quality
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.6.C  -  document the use and conservation of both renewable and non-renewable resources as they pertain to sustainability
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.6.D  -  identify how changes in limiting resources such as water, food, and energy affect local ecosystems
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.6.E  -  analyze and evaluate the economic significance and interdependence of resources within the local environmental system
  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.6.F  -  evaluate the impact of waste management methods such as reduction, reuse, recycling, upcycling, and composting on resource availability in the local environment
Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.7

Science concepts. The student knows the sources and flow of energy through an environmental system. The student is expected to:

  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.7.A  -  describe the interactions between the components of the geosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere
Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.8

Science concepts. The student knows the relationship between carrying capacity and changes in populations and ecosystems. The student is expected to:

  • Environmental Systems: 112.50.c.8.D  -  analyze and make predictions about the impact on populations of geographic locales due to diseases, birth and death rates, urbanization, and natural events such as migration and seasonal changes
Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.1

Scientific and engineering practices. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, asks questions, identifies problems, and plans and safely conducts classroom, laboratory, and field investigations to explain phenomena or design solutions using appropriate tools and models. The student is expected to:

  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.1.A  -  ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations
  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.1.B  -  apply scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems
  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.1.D  -  use appropriate tools such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS), weather balloons, buoys, water testing kits, meter sticks, metric rulers, pipettes, graduated cylinders, standard laboratory glassware, balances, timing devices, pH meters or probes, various data collecting probes, thermometers, calculators, computers, internet access, turbidity testing devices, hand magnifiers, work and disposable gloves, compasses, first aid kits, field guides, water quality test kits or probes, 30-meter tape measures, tarps, ripple tanks, trowels, screens, buckets, sediment samples equipment, cameras, flow meters, cast nets, kick nets, seines, computer models, spectrophotometers, stereomicroscopes, compound microscopes, clinometers, and field journals, various prepared slides, hand lenses, hot plates, Petri dishes, sampling nets, waders, leveling grade rods (Jason sticks), protractors, inclination and height distance calculators, samples of biological specimens or structures, core sampling equipment, fish tanks and associated supplies, and hydrometers
  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.1.F  -  organize quantitative and qualitative data using probeware, spreadsheets, lab notebooks or journals, models, diagrams, graphs paper, computers, or cellphone applications
  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.1.G  -  develop and use models to represent phenomena, systems, processes, or solutions to engineering problems
Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.3

Scientific and engineering practices. The student develops evidence-based explanations and communicates findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions. The student is expected to:

  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.3.A  -  develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories
Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.4

Scientific and engineering practices. The student knows the contributions of scientists and recognizes the importance of scientific research and innovation on society. The student is expected to:

  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.4.A  -  analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations and solutions by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student
  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.4.B  -  relate the impact of past and current research on scientific thought and society, including research methodology, cost-benefit analysis, and contributions of diverse scientists as related to the content
Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.9

The student knows the role of cycles in an aquatic environment. The student is expected to:

  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.9.C  -  explain how tidal cycles influence intertidal ecology
Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.10

The student knows the origin and potential uses of fresh water. The student is expected to:

  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.10.A  -  identify sources of water in a watershed, including rainfall, groundwater, and surface water
  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.10.B  -  identify factors that contribute to how water flows through a watershed
  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.10.C  -  analyze water quantity and quality in a local watershed or aquifer
  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.10.D  -  describe human uses of fresh water and how human freshwater use competes with that of other organisms.
Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.11

The student knows that geological phenomena and fluid dynamics affect aquatic systems. The student is expected to:

  • Aquatic Science: 112.47.c.11.D  -  describe how erosion and deposition in river systems lead to formation of geologic features
Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.1

Scientific and engineering practices. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, asks questions, identifies problems, and plans and safely conducts classroom, laboratory, and field investigations to explain phenomena or design solutions using appropriate tools and models. The student is expected to:

  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.1.A  -  ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations
  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.1.B  -  apply scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems
  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.1.D  -  use appropriate tools such as a drawing compass, magnetic compass, bar magnets, topographical and geological maps, satellite imagery and other remote sensing data, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), hand lenses, and fossil and rock sample kits
  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.1.E  -  collect quantitative data using the International System of Units (SI) and qualitative data as evidence
  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.1.F  -   organize quantitative and qualitative data using scatter plots, line graphs, bar graphs, charts, data tables, digital tools, diagrams, scientific drawings, and student-prepared models
  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.1.G  -  develop and use models to represent phenomena, systems, processes, or solutions to engineering problems
Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.3

Scientific and engineering practices. The student develops evidence-based explanations and communicates findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions. The student is expected to:

  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.3.A  -  develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories;
Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.4

Scientific and engineering practices. The student knows the contributions of scientists and recognizes the importance of scientific research and innovation on society. The student is expected to:

  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.4.A  -  analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations and solutions by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student
  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.4.B  -  relate the impact of past and current research on scientific thought and society, including research methodology, cost-benefit analysis, and contributions of diverse scientists as related to the content
Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.10

Science concepts. The student knows how the physical and chemical properties of the ocean affect its structure and flow of energy. The student is expected to:

  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.10.A  -  describe how the composition and structure of the oceans leads to thermohaline circulation and its periodicity
  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.10.B  -  model and explain how changes to the composition, structure, and circulation of deep oceans affect thermohaline circulation using data on energy flow, ocean basin structure, and changes in polar ice caps and glaciers
Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.11

Science concepts. The student knows that dynamic and complex interactions among Earth's systems produce climate and weather. The student is expected to:

  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.11.C  -   model how greenhouse gases trap thermal energy near Earth's surface
Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.13

Science concepts. The student explores global policies and careers related to the life cycles of Earth's resources. The student is expected to:

  • Earth Systems Science: 112.49.c.13.A  -  analyze the policies related to resources from discovery to disposal, including economics, health, technological advances, resource type, concentration and location, waste disposal and recycling, mitigation efforts, and environmental impacts