GRADE

CATEGORY

SUB-CATEGORY

STANDARD

EXAMPLE SUPPORTING STANDARD

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Design and conduct a scientific investigation.

In the Sunscreens, SPF, and UV Rays activity, students investigate how effective different sunscreens are using UV beads.

In the Cover Up activity, students investigate how well different fabrics, sunglasses, and shade protect against UV radiation using UV beads.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.

In the Sunscreens, SPF, and UV Rays and Cover Up activities, students use
UV beads to gather
UV exposure data.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.

In the Sunscreens, SPF, and UV Rays activity, students use evidence to explain differences in SPF ratings.

In the Cover Up activity, students use evidence to explain and predict what types of protections are most effective.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.

In the Sunscreens, SPF, and UV Rays activity, students use evidence to explain differences in SPF ratings.

In the Cover Up activity, students use evidence to explain and predict what types of protections are most effective.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Understandings about Scientific Inquiry

Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events; some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects and phenomena; and some involve making models.

In the Sunscreens, SPF, and UV Rays and Cover Up activities, students are involved experiments that include observation.

5–8

Physical Science

Transfer of energy

In most chemical and nuclear reactions, energy is transferred into or out of a system. Heat, light, mechanical motion, or electricity might all be involved in such transfers.

In the Sun Protection reading, students describes how the chemicals in sunscreens react with UV radiation which is then converted to heat energy.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Personal health

The potential for accidents and the existence of hazards imposes the need for injury prevention. Safe living involves the development and use of safety precautions and the recognition of risk in personal decisions. Injury prevention has personal and social dimensions.

In the A Little Lighter…A Little Darker reading, students discuss use of skin bleaching products, risks associated with them, and social reason why individuals may continue to use them.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Risks and benefits

Students should understand the risks associated with natural hazards (fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions), with chemical hazards (pollutants in air, water, soil, and food), with biological hazards (pollen, viruses, bacterial, and parasites), social hazards (occupational safety and transportation), and with personal hazards (smoking, dieting, and drinking).

In the A Little Lighter…A Little Darker reading, students address the controversy and risks associated with bleaching skin.

GRADE

CATEGORY

SUB-CATEGORY

STANDARD

EXAMPLE SUPPORTING STANDARD

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.

In the UV Where You Live activity, students interpret graphed data to determine how long a person with their skin type can be in the sun before risking skin damage.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Understandings about Scientific Inquiry

Mathematics is important in all aspects of scientific inquiry.

In the UV Where You Live activity, students interpret a complex graph of the UV Index and minutes to skin damage.

5–8

Physical Science

Properties and changes of properties in matter

Substances react chemically in characteristic ways with other substances to form new substances (compounds) with different characteristic properties. In chemical reactions, the total mass is conserved. Substances often are placed in categories or groups if they react in similar ways; metals is an example of such a group.

In the Understanding UV Radiation reading, students learn that an enzyme helps to produce melanin from several other chemicals present in the body.

5–8

Physical Science

Transfer of energy

Light interacts with matter by transmission (including refraction), absorption, or scattering (including reflection). To see an object, light from that object--emitted by or scattered from it--must enter the eye.

In the Understanding UV Radiation reading, students learn that UV radiation from the sun can be absorbed or reflected by the atmosphere or it may pass through the atmosphere to reach the earth’s surface.

5–8

Physical Science

Transfer of energy

The sun is a major source of energy for changes on the earth's surface. The sun loses energy by emitting light. A tiny fraction of that light reaches the earth, transferring energy from the sun to the earth. The sun's energy arrives as light with a range of wavelengths, consisting of visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet radiation.

In the Understanding UV Radiation reading, students learn that the sun produces a lot of UV radiation, including UVA, UVB, and UVC.

5–8

Life Science

Structure and function in living systems

Disease is a breakdown in structures or functions of an organism. Some diseases are the result of intrinsic failures of the system. Others are the result of damage by infection by other organisms.

In the Understanding UV Radiation reading, students learn that UV radiation from the sun damages the DNA in some skin cells.

5–8

Life Science

Reproduction and heredity

The characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of a combination of traits. Some traits are inherited and others result from interactions with the environment.

In the UV Where You Live activity, students learn that their risk of skin damage or skin cancer from exposure to UV radiation depends on their skin phototype and the amount of UV radiation they’re exposed to.

5–8

Earth and Space Science

Earth in the solar system

The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earth's surface, such as growth of plants, winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle. Seasons result from variations in the amount of the sun's energy hitting the surface, due to the tilt of the earth's rotation on its axis and the length of the day.

In the Understanding UV Radiation reading, students learn about the types of UV radiation produced by the sun, including UVA, UVB, and UVC.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Personal health

The potential for accidents and the existence of hazards imposes the need for injury prevention. Safe living involves the development and use of safety precautions and the recognition of risk in personal decisions. Injury prevention has personal and social dimensions.

In the Understanding UV Radiation reading, students learn about ways to prevent damage from UV radiation.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Risks and benefits

Risk analysis considers the type of hazard and estimates the number of people that might be exposed and the number likely to suffer consequences. The results are used to determine the options for reducing or eliminating risks.

In the UV Where You Live activity, students determine their risk of skin damage or skin cancer based on their skin phototype and the UV Index.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Risks and benefits

Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.

Students weigh the benefits of sunbathing given the inherent risks of skin damage and skin cancer.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Science and technology in society

Science cannot answer all questions and technology cannot solve all human problems or meet all human needs. Students should understand the difference between scientific and other questions. They should appreciate what science and technology can reasonably contribute to society and what they cannot do. For example, new technologies often will decrease some risks and increase others.

In this challenge, students learn that while sunscreen reduces the risk of skin damage, it does not completely eliminate this risk.

GRADE

CATEGORY

SUB-CATEGORY

STANDARD

EXAMPLE SUPPORTING STANDARD

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.

In the Destructive Power of Bleach activity, students investigate the destructive effects of bleach on various fabrics, keeping careful track of products and fabrics tested and recording results in a data table. They are asked to group their observations in terms of least and most damage incurred.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Understandings about Scientific Inquiry

Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events; some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects and phenomena; and some involve making models.

In the Destructive Power of Bleach activity, students observe the effects of different bleach products on different fabrics and describe their observations in a data table.

5–8

Physical Science

Properties and changes of properties in matter

A substance has characteristic properties, such as density, a boiling point, and solubility, all of which are independent of the amount of the sample. A mixture of substances often can be separated into the original substances using one or more of the characteristic properties.

The Destructive Power of Bleach activity shows that some chemicals can bleach pigments.

5–8

Life Science

Structure and function in living systems

Disease is a breakdown in structures or functions of an organism. Some diseases are the result of intrinsic failures of the system. Others are the result of damage by infection by other organisms.

In the Doing Damage… The Price of Skin Lightening reading, students learn that some skin bleaching products can cause severe acne, permanent skin darkening, weakening of the skin, and more serious health conditions.

5–8

Science and Technology

Abilities of technological design

Evaluate completed technological designs or products: Students should use criteria relevant to the original purpose or need, consider a variety of factors that might affect acceptability and suitability for intended users or beneficiaries, and develop measures of quality with respect to such criteria and factors; they should also suggest improvements and, for their own products, try proposed modifications.

In the Doing Damage… The Price of Skin Lightening reading, students learn about the risks associated with skin-bleaching products, and especially of the risks of using these products in a manner other than directed.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Risks and benefits

Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.

In Doing Damage… The Price of Skin Lightening, students learn that many cultures place a high value on a fair complexion and many individuals are willing to take serious risks to achieve lighter skin.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Science and technology in society

Societal challenges often inspire questions for scientific research, and social priorities often influence research priorities through the availability of funding for research.

In the Doing Damage… The Price of Skin Lightening reading, students learn that skin damage from bleaching is an expensive public health issue in many countries.

GRADE

CATEGORY

SUB-CATEGORY

STANDARD

EXAMPLE SUPPORTING STANDARD

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.

In the Exposure! activity, students calculate health risks of various activities for hypothetical individuals.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Understandings about Scientific Inquiry

Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events; some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects and phenomena; and some involve making models.

In the Exposure! activity, students model UV exposure and skin cancer risk for various hypothetical individuals and gain understanding of the relationship between environmental exposure and genetic factors.

5–8

Life Science

Structure and function in living systems

Disease is a breakdown in structures or functions of an organism. Some diseases are the result of intrinsic failures of the system. Others are the result of damage by infection by other organisms.

In the Risks and Skin Cancer reading, students learn about the level of risk for some diseases and learn about the types of skin cancer.

5–8

Life Science

Reproduction and heredity

The characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of a combination of traits. Some traits are inherited and others result from interactions with the environment.

In the Risks and Skin Cancer reading, students learn that their complexion, or skin phototype, is based on their individual genetic makeup. This phototype helps determine an individual’s risk factor for skin cancer.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Personal health

The potential for accidents and the existence of hazards imposes the need for injury prevention. Safe living involves the development and use of safety precautions and the recognition of risk in personal decisions. Injury prevention has personal and social dimensions.

In the Know Your Risk activity, students guess what the top causes of death are for young people and then check their answers. They also guess what the risk factors for skin cancer are and check their answers in the Risks and Skin Cancer reading.

In the Risks and Skin Cancer reading, students learn about the level of risk for some diseases and about specific risk factors for skin cancer.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Personal health

The potential for accidents and the existence of hazards imposes the need for injury prevention. Safe living involves the development and use of safety precautions and the recognition of risk in personal decisions. Injury prevention has personal and social dimensions.

In the Know Your Risk activity, students guess what the top causes of death are for young people and then check their answers. They also guess what the risk factors for skin cancer are and check their answers in the Risks and Skin Cancer reading.

In the Risks and Skin Cancer reading, students learn about the level of risk for some diseases and about specific risk factors for skin cancer.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Risks and benefits

Risk analysis considers the type of hazard and estimates the number of people that might be exposed and the number likely to suffer consequences. The results are used to determine the options for reducing or eliminating risks.

In the Know Your Risk activity, students learn about the top causes of death for young people.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Risks and benefits

Individuals can use a systematic approach to thinking critically about risks and benefits. Examples include applying probability estimates to risks and comparing them to estimated personal and social benefits.

In the Exposure! activity, students calculate health risks of various activities for hypothetical individuals.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Risks and benefits

Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.

In the Risks and Skin Cancer reading, students learn that avoiding excessive sun exposure can greatly reduce their risk of skin cancer.

5–8

History and Nature of Science

Nature of science

Scientists formulate and test their explanations of nature using observation, experiments, and theoretical and mathematical models. Although all scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change and improvement in principle, for most major ideas in science, there is much experimental and observational confirmation. Those ideas are not likely to change greatly in the future. Scientists do and have changed their ideas about nature when they encounter new experimental evidence that does not match their existing explanations.

In the Risks and Skin Cancer reading, students learn that scientists are still debating whether certain risk factors apply to all types of skin cancer or only to some.

5–8

History and Nature of Science

Nature of science

In areas where active research is being pursued and in which there is not a great deal of experimental or observational evidence and understanding, it is normal for scientists to differ with one another about the interpretation of the evidence or theory being considered. Different scientists might publish conflicting experimental results or might draw different conclusions from the same data. Ideally, scientists acknowledge such conflict and work towards finding evidence that will resolve their disagreement.

In the Risks and Skin Cancer reading, students learn that some studies show conflicting results about the causes of skin cancer.

GRADE

CATEGORY

SUB-CATEGORY

STANDARD

EXAMPLE SUPPORTING STANDARD

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.

In the Tanning Beds: Critical Thinking activity, students learn to think critically about information presented in scholarly and popular articles and form their own conclusions.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.

In the Tanning Beds: Pros and Cons reading, students read and evaluate opposing viewpoints on the safety of tanning beds.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Understandings about Scientific Inquiry

Science advances through legitimate skepticism. Asking questions and querying other scientists' explanations is part of scientific inquiry. Scientists evaluate the explanations proposed by other scientists by examining evidence, comparing evidence, identifying faulty reasoning, pointing out statements that go beyond the evidence, and suggesting alternative explanations for the same observations.

In the Tanning Beds: Critical Thinking activity, students learn to evaluate evidence presented in an article.

5–8

Science and Technology

Abilities of technological design

Evaluate completed technological designs or products: Students should use criteria relevant to the original purpose or need, consider a variety of factors that might affect acceptability and suitability for intended users or beneficiaries, and develop measures of quality with respect to such criteria and factors; they should also suggest improvements and, for their own products, try proposed modifications.

Students do research to form their own opinions on the safety of tanning bed technology.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Personal health

The potential for accidents and the existence of hazards imposes the need for injury prevention. Safe living involves the development and use of safety precautions and the recognition of risk in personal decisions. Injury prevention has personal and social dimensions.

In this challenge, students learn about the risks associated with tanning beds and use this information to form their own conclusions about the safety of tanning beds.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Risks and benefits

Risk analysis considers the type of hazard and estimates the number of people that might be exposed and the number likely to suffer consequences. The results are used to determine the options for reducing or eliminating risks.

This challenge involves students in assessing the risks associated with tanning bed use.

GRADE

CATEGORY

SUB-CATEGORY

STANDARD

EXAMPLE SUPPORTING STANDARD

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.

In the Suntan in a Bottle activity, students investigate the effects of a sunless tanner on various fabrics, keeping careful track of fabrics tested and recording results in a data table. They are asked to group their observations in terms of color change observed.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Understandings about Scientific Inquiry

Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events; some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects and phenomena; and some involve making models.

In the Suntan in a Bottle activity, students observe the effects of a sunless tanner on different fabrics and describe their observations in a data table.

5–8

Physical Science

Properties and changes of properties in matter

Substances react chemically in characteristic ways with other substances to form new substances (compounds) with different characteristic properties. In chemical reactions, the total mass is conserved. Substances often are placed in categories or groups if they react in similar ways; metals is an example of such a group.

In the Suntan in a Bottle activity, students learn that the DHA in sunless tanners reacts with proteins, found both in skin and in some types of fabrics.

5–8

Science and Technology

Abilities of technological design

Evaluate completed technological designs or products: Students should use criteria relevant to the original purpose or need, consider a variety of factors that might affect acceptability and suitability for intended users or beneficiaries, and develop measures of quality with respect to such criteria and factors; they should also suggest improvements and, for their own products, try proposed modifications.

In the Suntan in a Bottle activity, Students evaluate the effect of a sunless tanner.

5–8

Science and Technology

Abilities of technological design

Communicate the process of technological design: Students should review and describe any completed piece of work and identify the stages of problem identification, solution design, implementation, and evaluation.

In the Sunless Tanning reading, students learn about the limitations of early sunless tanning products and the benefits of new technologies in sunless tanning solutions and application systems.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Personal health

The potential for accidents and the existence of hazards imposes the need for injury prevention. Safe living involves the development and use of safety precautions and the recognition of risk in personal decisions. Injury prevention has personal and social dimensions.

In the Sunless Tanning reading, students learn about the risks associated with various sunless tanning options.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Risks and benefits

Individuals can use a systematic approach to thinking critically about risks and benefits. Examples include applying probability estimates to risks and comparing them to estimated personal and social benefits.

In the Tanning Pills: Critical Thinking activity, students learn to evaluate product claims based on a series of critical thinking questions.

5–8

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Risks and benefits

Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.

In this challenge, students are encouraged to use what they’ve learned to make informed decisions about sunless tanning options.

GRADE

CATEGORY

SUB-CATEGORY

STANDARD

EXAMPLE SUPPORTING STANDARD

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.

In the Designer Genes activity, students use a simple probability activity to begin to understand the basics of genetics.

5–8

Science as Inquiry

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.

In the Sort Yourselves activity, students find that people who are grouped together for one trait are sometimes not together for another trait. They are guided to the conclusion that these results indicate that most human traits are inherited independently of one another.

5–8

Physical Science

Understandings about Scientific Inquiry

Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events; some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects and phenomena; and some involve making models.

In the Designer Genes activity, coin tossing is used to generate probabilities for a simple genetics model.

5–8

Life Science

Structure and function in living systems

Specialized cells perform specialized functions in multicellular organisms. Groups of specialized cells cooperate to form a tissue, such as a muscle. Different tissues are in turn grouped together to form larger functional units, called organs. Each type of cell, tissue, and organ has a distinct structure and set of functions that serve the organism as a whole.

In the That Stuff Called Melanin reading, students learn about specialized cells in the skin including keratinocytes and melanocytes.

5–8

Life Science

Reproduction and heredity

Every organism requires a set of instructions for specifying its traits. Heredity is the passage of these instructions from one generation to another.

In the Designer Genes activity, students learn about some key concepts in genetic inheritance.

5–8

Life Science

Reproduction and heredity

Hereditary information is contained in genes, located in the chromosomes of each cell. Each gene carries a single unit of information. An inherited trait of an individual can be determined by one or by many genes, and a single gene can influence more than one trait. A human cell contains many thousands of different genes.

In the That Stuff Called Melanin reading, students learn that their skin color is inherited from their biological parents. They learn that skin color is believed to be the result of several genes working together in complex combinations.

5–8

Life Science

Reproduction and heredity

The characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of a combination of traits. Some traits are inherited and others result from interactions with the environment.

In the Sort Yourselves activity, students sort individuals into groups based on various inherited traits.

5–8

Life Science

Diversity and adaptations of organisms

Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations. Species acquire many of their unique characteristics through biological adaptation, which involves the selection of naturally occurring variations in populations. Biological adaptations include changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that enhance survival and reproductive success in a particular environment.

In the That Stuff Called Melanin reading, students learn that traits such as skin color, which are the result of several genes working together, have continuous variation.

5–8

History and Nature of Science

History of science

Tracing the history of science can show how difficult it was for scientific innovators to break through the accepted ideas of their time to reach the conclusions that we currently take for granted.

In the Designer Genes activity, students learn that the simple genetics concepts presented were a major scientific breakthrough in their day and that these concepts serve as a cornerstone of our modern science of genetics.