Alabama State Standards for Science: Grade 11
AL.1. Physical Science Core - Students will:
1.1. Recognize periodic trends of elements, including the number of valence electrons, atomic size, and reactivity.
1.1.a. Additional Minimum Content: Categorizing elements as metals, nonmetals, metalloids, and noble gases
1.1.b. Additional Minimum Content: Differentiating between families and periods
1.1.c. Additional Minimum Content: Using atomic number and mass number to identify isotopes
1.2. Identify solutions in terms of components, solubility, concentration, and conductivity.
1.2.a. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing saturated, unsaturated, and supersaturated solutions
1.2.b. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing characteristics of electrolytes and nonelectrolytes
1.2.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing factors that affect solubility and rate of solution, including nature of solute and solvent, temperature, agitation, surface area, and pressure on gases
1.3. Contrast the formation of ionic and covalent bonds based on the transfer or sharing of valence electrons.
1.3.a. Additional Minimum Content: Demonstrating the formation of positive and negative monatomic ions by using electron dot diagrams
1.4. Use nomenclature and chemical formulas to write balanced chemical equations.
1.4.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining the law of conservation of matter
1.4.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying chemical reactions as composition, decomposition, single replacement, or double replacement
1.4.c. Additional Minimum Content: Defining the role of electrons in chemical reactions
1.5. Describe physical and chemical changes in terms of endothermic and exothermic processes.
1.6. Identify characteristics of gravitational, electromagnetic, and nuclear forces.
1.7. Relate velocity, acceleration, and kinetic energy to mass, distance, force, and time.
1.7.a. Additional Minimum Content: Interpreting graphic representations of velocity versus time and distance versus time
1.7.b. Additional Minimum Content: Solving problems for velocity, acceleration, force, work, and power
1.7.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing action and reaction forces, inertia, acceleration, momentum, and friction in terms of Newton's three laws of motion
1.7.d. Additional Minimum Content: Determining the resultant of collinear forces acting on a body. Example: solving problems involving the effect of a tailwind or headwind on an airplane
1.7.e. Additional Minimum Content: Solving problems for efficiency and mechanical advantage of simple machines
1.8. Relate the law of conservation of energy to transformations of potential energy, kinetic energy, and thermal energy.
1.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying the relationship between thermal energy and the temperature of a sample of matter
1.8.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the flow of thermal energy between two samples of matter
1.8.c. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining how thermal energy is transferred by radiation, conduction, and convection
1.8.d. Additional Minimum Content: Relating simple formulas to the calculation of potential energy, kinetic energy, and work
1.9. Compare methods of energy transfer by mechanical and electromagnetic waves.
1.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Distinguishing between transverse and longitudinal mechanical waves
1.9.b. Additional Minimum Content: Relating physical properties of sound and light to wave characteristics. Examples: loudness to amplitude, pitch to frequency, color to wavelength and frequency
1.10. Explain the relationship between electricity and magnetism. Example: using a moving charge to create a magnetic field and using a moving magnetic field to induce a current in a closed wire loop
1.10.a. Additional Minimum Content: Differentiating between induction and conduction
1.10.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying mechanical, magnetic, and chemical methods used to create an electrical charge. Examples: mechanical - rubbing materials together, magnetic - moving a closed loop of wire across a magnetic field, chemical - using batteries
1.10.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing electrical circuits in terms of Ohm's law
1.11. Describe the nuclear composition of unstable isotopes and the resulting changes to their nuclear composition.
1.11.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying types of nuclear emissions, including alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma radiation
1.11.b. Additional Minimum Content: Differentiating between fission and fusion
1.11.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying uses and possible negative side effects of nuclear technology. Examples: uses - nuclear power generation, medical applications, space travel; negative effects - radioactive contamination, nuclear fuel waste and waste storage
1.12. Identify metric units for mass, distance, time, temperature, velocity, acceleration, density, force, energy, and power.
AL.2. Biology Core - Students will:
2.1. Select appropriate laboratory glassware, balances, time measuring equipment, and optical instruments to conduct an experiment.
2.1.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the steps of the scientific method
2.1.b. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing controls, dependent variables, and independent variables
2.1.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying safe laboratory procedures when handling chemicals and using Bunsen burners and laboratory glassware
2.1.d. Additional Minimum Content: Using appropriate SI units for measuring length, volume, and mass
2.2. Describe cell processes necessary for achieving homeostasis, including active and passive transport, osmosis, diffusion, exocytosis, and endocytosis.
2.2.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying functions of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids in cellular activities
2.2.b. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing the reaction of plant and animal cells in isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic solutions
2.2.c. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining how surface area, cell size, temperature, light, and pH affect cellular activities
2.2.d. Additional Minimum Content: Applying the concept of fluid pressure to biological systems. Examples: blood pressure, turgor pressure, bends, strokes
2.3. Identify reactants and products associated with photosynthesis and cellular respiration and the purposes of these two processes.
2.4. Describe similarities and differences of cell organelles, using diagrams and tables.
2.4.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying scientists who contributed to the cell theory. Examples: Hooke, Schleiden, Schwann, Virchow, van Leeuwenhoek
2.4.b. Additional Minimum Content: Distinguishing between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
2.4.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying various technologies used to observe cells. Examples: light microscope, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope
2.5. Identify cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems as levels of organization in the biosphere.
2.5.a. Additional Minimum Content: Recognizing that cells differentiate to perform specific functions. Examples: ciliated cells to produce movement, nerve cells to conduct electrical charges
2.6. Describe the roles of mitotic and meiotic divisions during reproduction, growth, and repair of cells.
2.6.a. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing sperm and egg formation in terms of ploidy. Example: ploidy - haploid, diploid
2.6.b. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing sexual and asexual reproduction
2.7. Apply Mendel's law to determine phenotypic and genotypic probabilities of offspring.
2.7.a. Additional Minimum Content: Defining important genetic terms, including dihybrid cross, monohybrid cross, phenotype, genotype, homozygous, heterozygous, dominant trait, recessive trait, incomplete dominance, codominance, and allele
2.7.b. Additional Minimum Content: Interpreting inheritance patterns shown in graphs and charts
2.7.c. Additional Minimum Content: Calculating genotypic and phenotypic percentages and ratios using a Punnett square
2.8. Identify the structure and function of DNA, RNA, and protein.
2.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining relationships among DNA, genes, and chromosomes
2.8.b. Additional Minimum Content: Listing significant contributions of biotechnology to society, including agricultural and medical practices. Examples: DNA fingerprinting, insulin, growth hormone
2.8.c. Additional Minimum Content: Relating normal patterns of genetic inheritance to genetic variation. Example: crossing-over
2.8.d. Additional Minimum Content: Relating ways chance, mutagens, and genetic engineering increase diversity. Examples: insertion, deletion, translocation, inversion, recombinant DNA
2.8.e. Additional Minimum Content: Relating genetic disorders and disease to patterns of genetic inheritance. Examples: hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, Down's syndrome, Tay-Sachs disease, cystic fibrosis, color blindness, phenylketonuria (PKU)
2.9. Differentiate between the previous five-kingdom and current six-kingdom classification systems.
2.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Sequencing taxa from most inclusive to least inclusive in the classification of living things
2.9.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying organisms using a dichotomous key
2.9.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying ways in which organisms from the Monera, Protista, and Fungi kingdoms are beneficial and harmful. Examples: beneficial - decomposers, harmful - diseases
2.9.d. Additional Minimum Content: Justifying the grouping of viruses in a category separate from living things
2.9.e. Additional Minimum Content: Writing scientific names accurately by using binomial nomenclature
2.10. Distinguish between monocots and dicots, angiosperms and gymnosperms, and vascular and nonvascular plants.
2.10.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the histology of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers
2.10.b. Additional Minimum Content: Recognizing chemical and physical adaptations of plants. Examples: chemical - foul odor, bitter taste, toxicity; physical - spines, needles, broad leaves
2.11. Classify animals according to type of skeletal structure, method of fertilization and reproduction, body symmetry, body coverings, and locomotion. Examples: skeletal structure - vertebrates, invertebrates; fertilization - external, internal; reproduction - sexual, asexual; body symmetry - bilateral, radial, asymmetrical; body coverings - feathers, scales, fur; locomotion - cilia, flagella, pseudopodia
2.12. Describe protective adaptations of animals, including mimicry, camouflage, beak type, migration, and hibernation.
2.12.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying ways in which the theory of evolution explains the nature and diversity of organisms
2.12.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing natural selection, survival of the fittest, geographic isolation, and fossil record
2.13. Trace the flow of energy as it decreases through the trophic levels from producers to the quaternary level in food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids.
2.13.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the interdependence of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem. Examples: effects of humidity on stomata size, effects of dissolved oxygen on fish respiration
2.13.b. Additional Minimum Content: Contrasting autotrophs and heterotrophs
2.13.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the niche of decomposers
2.13.d. Additional Minimum Content: Using the ten percent law to explain the decreasing availability of energy through the trophic levels
2.14. Trace biogeochemical cycles through the environment, including water, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen.
2.14.a. Additional Minimum Content: Relating natural disasters, climate changes, nonnative species, and human activity to the dynamic equilibrium of ecosystems. Examples: natural disasters - habitat destruction resulting from tornadoes; climate changes - changes in migratory patterns of birds; nonnative species - exponential growth of kudzu and Zebra mussels due to absence of natural controls; human activity - habitat destruction resulting in reduction of biodiversity, conservation resulting in preservation of biodiversity
2.14.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the process of ecological succession
2.15. Identify biomes based on environmental factors and native organisms. Example: tundra - permafrost, low humidity, lichens, polar bears
2.16. Identify density-dependent and density-independent limiting factors that affect populations in an ecosystem. Examples: density-dependent - disease, predator-prey relationships, availability of food and water; density-independent - natural disasters, climate
2.16.a. Additional Minimum Content: Discriminating among symbiotic relationships, including mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism
AL.3. Chemistry Core - Students will:
3.1. Differentiate among pure substances, mixtures, elements, and compounds.
3.1.a. Additional Minimum Content: Distinguishing between intensive and extensive properties of matter
3.1.b. Additional Minimum Content: Contrasting properties of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids
3.1.c. Additional Minimum Content: Distinguishing between homogeneous and heterogeneous forms of matter
3.2. Describe the structure of carbon chains, branched chains, and rings.
3.3. Use the periodic table to identify periodic trends, including atomic radii, ionization energy, electronegativity, and energy levels.
3.3.a. Additional Minimum Content: Utilizing electron configurations, Lewis dot structures, and orbital notations to write chemical formulas
3.3.b. Additional Minimum Content: Calculating the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an isotope
3.3.c. Additional Minimum Content: Utilizing benchmark discoveries to describe the historical development of atomic structure, including photoelectric effect, absorption, and emission spectra of elements. Example: Thompson's cathode ray, Rutherford's gold foil, Millikan's oil drop, and Bohr's bright line spectra experiments
3.4. Describe solubility in terms of energy changes associated with the solution process.
3.4.a. Additional Minimum Content: Using solubility curves to interpret saturation levels
3.4.b. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining the conductivity of electrolytic solutions
3.4.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing acids and bases in terms of strength, concentration, pH, and neutralization reactions
3.4.d. Additional Minimum Content: Describing factors that affect the rate of solution
3.4.e. Additional Minimum Content: Solving problems involving molarity, including solution preparation and dilution
3.5. Use the kinetic theory to explain states of matter, phase changes, solubility, and chemical reactions. Example: water at 25 degrees Celsius remains in the liquid state because of the strong attraction between water molecules while kinetic energy allows the sliding of molecules past one another
3.6. Solve stoichiometric problems involving relationships among the number of particles, moles, and masses of reactants and products in a chemical reaction.
3.6.a. Additional Minimum Content: Predicting ionic and covalent bond types and products given known reactants
3.6.b. Additional Minimum Content: Assigning oxidation numbers for individual atoms of monatomic and polyatomic ions
3.6.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying the nomenclature of ionic compounds, binary compounds, and acids
3.6.d. Additional Minimum Content: Classifying chemical reactions as composition, decomposition, single replacement, or double replacement
3.6.e. Additional Minimum Content: Determining the empirical or molecular formula for a compound using percent composition data
3.7. Explain the behavior of ideal gases in terms of pressure, volume, temperature, and number of particles using Charles's law, Boyle's law, Gay-Lussac's law, the combined gas law, and the ideal gas law.
3.8. Distinguish among endothermic and exothermic physical and chemical changes. Examples: endothermic physical - phase change from ice to water, endothermic chemical - reaction between citric acid solution and baking soda, exothermic physical - phase change from water vapor to water, exothermic chemical - formation of water from combustion of hydrogen and oxygen
3.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Calculating temperature change by using specific heat
3.8.b. Additional Minimum Content: Using Le Chatelier's principle to explain changes in physical and chemical equilibrium
3.9. Distinguish between chemical and nuclear reactions.
3.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying atomic and subatomic particles, including mesons, quarks, tachyons, and baryons
3.9.b. Additional Minimum Content: Calculating the half-life of selective radioactive isotopes
3.9.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying types of radiation and their properties
3.9.d. Additional Minimum Content: Contrasting fission and fusion
3.9.e. Additional Minimum Content: Describing carbon-14 decay as a dating method
AL.4. Physics Core - Students will:
4.1. Explain linear, uniform circular, and projectile motions using one- and two-dimensional vectors.
4.1.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining the significance of slope and area under a curve when graphing distance-time or velocity-time data. Example: slope and area of a velocity-time curve giving acceleration and distance traveled
4.1.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing forces that act on an object. Example: drawing a free-body diagram showing all forces acting on an object and resultant effects of friction, gravity, and normal force on an object sliding down an inclined plane
4.2. Define the law of conservation of momentum.
4.2.a. Additional Minimum Content: Calculating the momentum of a single object
4.2.b. Additional Minimum Content: Calculating momenta of two objects before and after collision in one-dimensional motion
4.3. Explain planetary motion and navigation in space in terms of Kepler's and Newton's laws.
4.4. Describe quantitative relationships for velocity, acceleration, force, work, power, potential energy, and kinetic energy.
4.5. Explain the concept of entropy as it relates to heating and cooling, using the laws of thermodynamics.
4.5.a. Additional Minimum Content: Using qualitative and quantitative methods to show the relationship between changes in heat energy and changes in temperature
4.6. Describe wave behavior in terms of reflection, refraction, diffraction, constructive and destructive wave interference, and the Doppler effect.
4.6.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining reasons for differences in speed, frequency, and wavelength of a propagating wave in varying materials
4.6.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing uses of different components of the electromagnetic spectrum, including radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X rays, and gamma radiation
4.6.c. Additional Minimum Content: Demonstrating particle and wave duality
4.6.d. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the change of wave speed in different media
4.7. Describe properties of reflection, refraction, and diffraction. Examples: tracing the path of a reflected light ray, predicting the formation of reflected images through tracing of rays
4.7.a. Additional Minimum Content: Demonstrating the path of light through mirrors, lenses, and prisms. Example: tracing the path of a refracted light ray through prisms using Snell's law
4.7.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the effect of filters and polarization on the transmission of light
4.8. Summarize similarities in the calculation of electrical, magnetic, and gravitational forces between objects.
4.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Determining the force on charged particles using Coulomb's law
4.9. Describe quantitative relationships among charge, current, electrical potential energy, potential difference, resistance, and electrical power for simple series, parallel, or combination direct current (DC) circuits.
AL.5. Aquascience Elective Core - Students will:
5.1. Differentiate among freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater ecosystems.
5.1.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying chemical, geological, and physical features of aquatic ecosystems
5.2. Relate geological and hydrological phenomena and fluid dynamics to aquatic systems.
5.3. Explain the importance of biogeochemical cycles in an aquatic environment.
5.4. Determine important properties and content of water as related to aquaculture. Examples: turbidity, pH, pollutants, dissolved oxygen, high specific heat, density, temperature
5.4.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the influence of water quality on aquaculture. Examples: aquatic plant control, water quality management, recognition and correction of oxygen deficiency, pH control
5.4.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying sources of aquatic pollution. Examples: point and nonpoint pollution, volcanic ash, waste disposal
5.4.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing methods of reclaiming waste water and polluted water. Examples: settling ponds; hydroponics; irrigation water; chemical additives; mechanical, biological, and chemical filtering systems
5.5. Identify the genotype and phenotype for specific characteristics in aquatic animals resulting from selective breeding. Examples: disease-resistant fish, rapid maturation rates
5.5.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining the importance of anatomy and physiology in aquaculture. Examples: body systems, internal and external anatomy of a fish, basic structure of an oyster
5.6. Describe adaptations that allow organisms to exist in specific aquatic environments.
5.7. Describe processes and environmental characteristics that affect growth rates of aquatic animals. Examples: reproductive habits, feeding habits, interdependence of organisms, overcrowding, seasonal changes
5.8. Determine effects of the fishing industry on the aquatic environment. Examples: aquaculture, overfishing
5.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing basic principles involved in fish production
5.8.b. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining various methods of pond preparation, predator control, and species management
5.8.c. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining harvesting techniques and methods of transporting fish to market
5.9. Describe various structures and equipment used in growing aquacrops. Examples: open ponds, cages, raceways, tanks, silos
5.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Determining the suitability of habitat construction for aquaculture
5.9.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying biological concerns in a recirculating or closed system
5.10. Describe the control of disease and pests in aquatic environments. Examples: pathogenic microspecies, parasites, predators, trash fish
AL.6. Botany Elective Core - Students will:
6.1. Identify the twelve plant kingdom divisions.
6.1.a. Additional Minimum Content: Classifying native Alabama plants using dichotomous keys
6.2. Describe phylogenetic relationships between plants and other organisms.
6.2.a. Additional Minimum Content: Classifying plants as vascular or nonvascular
6.2.b. Additional Minimum Content: Classifying seed-bearing and spore-bearing plants
6.2.c. Additional Minimum Content: Classifying plants as gymnosperms or angiosperms
6.2.d. Additional Minimum Content: Contrasting monocots and dicots
6.2.e. Additional Minimum Content: Describing mutualism among algae and fungi in lichens
6.3. List plant adaptations required for life on land.
6.3.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the alternation of generations in plants
6.3.b. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing characteristics of algae and plants
6.4. Identify major types of plant tissues found in roots, stems, and leaves. Examples: parenchyma, sclerenchyma, collenchyma
6.5. Identify types of roots, stems, and leaves. Examples: roots - tap, fibrous; stems - herbaceous, woody; leaves - simple, compound
6.6. Explain the importance of soil type, texture, and nutrients to plant growth.
6.6.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing water and mineral absorption in plants
6.6.b. Additional Minimum Content: Analyzing the roles of capillarity and turgor pressure
6.7. Explain plant cell processes, including light dependent and light independent reactions of photosynthesis, glycolysis, aerobic and anaerobic respiration, and transport.
6.8. Describe plant responses to various stimuli.
6.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying effects of hormones on plant growth. Examples: gibberellin, cytokinin, auxin
6.8.b. Additional Minimum Content: Differentiating among phototropism, gravitropism, and thigmotropism
6.9. Identify life cycles of mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.
6.10. Describe the structure and function of flower parts.
6.10.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing seed germination, development, and dispersal
6.11. Describe various natural and artificial methods of vegetative propagation. Examples: natural - stem runners, rhizomes, bulbs, tubers; artificial - cutting, grafting, layering
6.12. Describe the ecological and economic importance of plants. Examples: ecological - algae-producing oxygen, bioremediation, soil preservation; economic - food, medication, timber, fossil fuels, clothing
6.12.a. Additional Minimum Content: Analyzing effects of human activity on the plant world
6.13. Identify viral, fungal, and bacterial plant diseases and their effects. Examples: viral - tobacco mosaic, Rembrandt tulips; fungal - mildew, rust; bacterial - black rot
AL.7. Earth and Space Science Elective Core - Students will:
7.1. Describe sources of energy, including solar, gravitational, geothermal, and nuclear.
7.2. Describe effects on weather of energy transfer within and among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere.
7.2.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the energy transfer related to condensation in clouds, precipitation, winds, and ocean currents
7.2.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing characteristics of the El Nino and La Nina phenomena
7.2.c. Additional Minimum Content: Using data to analyze global weather patterns. Examples: temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction
7.3. Explain how weather patterns affect climate.
7.3.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining characteristics of various weather systems, including high and low pressure areas or fronts
7.3.b. Additional Minimum Content: Interpreting weather maps and symbols to predict changing weather conditions
7.3.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying technologies used to obtain meteorological data
7.4. Describe the production and transfer of stellar energies.
7.4.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the relationship between life cycles and nuclear reactions of stars
7.4.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing how the reception of solar radiation is affected by atmospheric and lithospheric conditions. Example: volcanic eruptions and greenhouse gases affecting reflection and absorption of solar radiation
7.5. Discuss various theories for the origin, formation, and changing nature of the universe and our solar system.
7.5.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining the nebular hypothesis for formation of planets, the big bang theory, and the steady state theory
7.5.b. Additional Minimum Content: Relating Hubble's law to the concept of an ever-expanding universe
7.5.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the impact of meteor, asteroid, and comet bombardment on planetary and lunar development
7.6. Explain the length of a day and of a year in terms of the motion of Earth.
7.6.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining the relationship of the seasons to the tilt of Earth's axis and its revolution about the sun
7.7. Explain techniques for determining the age and composition of Earth and the universe.
7.7.a. Additional Minimum Content: Using radiometric age methods to compute the age of Earth
7.7.b. Additional Minimum Content: Using expanding universe measurements to determine the age of the universe
7.7.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying techniques for evaluating the composition of objects in space
7.8. Explain the terms astronomical unit and light year.
7.9. Relate the life cycle of stars to the H-R diagram.
7.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining indicators of motion by the stars and sun in terms of the Doppler effect and red and blue shifts
7.9.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the relationship of star color, brightness, and evolution to the balance between gravitational collapse and nuclear fusion
7.10. Identify scientists and their findings relative to Earth and space, including Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Einstein.
7.10.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying classical instruments used to extend the senses and increase knowledge of the universe, including optical telescopes, radio telescopes, spectroscopes, and cameras
7.11. Describe pulsars, quasars, black holes, and galaxies.
7.12. Describe challenges and required technologies for space exploration.
7.12.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying long-term human space travel needs, including life support
7.12.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying applications of propulsion technologies for space travel
7.12.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying new instrumentation and communication technologies needed for space information gathering. Examples: Mars Exploration Rover, Cassini spacecraft and Huygens probe, Gravity Probe B
7.12.d. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying benefits to the quality of life that have been achieved through space advances. Examples: cellular telephone, GPS
7.12.e. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying new technology used to gather information, including spacecraft, observatories, space-based telescopes, and probes
AL.8. Environmental Science Elective Core - Students will:
8.1. Identify the influence of human population, technology, and cultural and industrial changes on the environment.
8.1.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the relationship between carrying capacity and population size
8.2. Evaluate various fossil fuels for their effectiveness as energy resources.
8.2.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the formation and use of nonrenewable fossil fuels
8.2.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying by-products of the combustion of fossil fuels, including particulates, mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide
8.2.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying chemical equations associated with the combustion of fossil fuels
8.2.d. Additional Minimum Content: Describing benefits of abundant, affordable energy to mankind
8.2.e. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying effects of fossil fuel by-products on the environment, including ozone depletion; formation of acid rain, brown haze, and greenhouse gases; and concentration of particulates and heavy metals
8.3. Evaluate other sources of energy for their effectiveness as alternatives to fossil fuels.
8.3.a. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing nuclear fission and nuclear fusion reactions in the production of energy
8.3.b. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing energy production and waste output in generating nuclear energy
8.3.c. Additional Minimum Content: Differentiating between renewable and nonrenewable energy resources
8.3.d. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying local energy sources. Examples: landfill gas, wind, water, sun
8.3.e. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying ways the law of conservation of energy relates to fuel consumption. Examples: development of hybrid cars, construction of energy-efficient homes
8.4. Identify the impact of pollutants on the atmosphere.
8.4.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying layers of the atmosphere and the composition of air
8.4.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the formation of primary, secondary, and indoor air pollutants
8.4.c. Additional Minimum Content: Relating pollutants to smog and thermal inversions
8.4.d. Additional Minimum Content: Investigating the impact of air quality on the environment
8.4.e. Additional Minimum Content: Interpreting social, political, and economic influences on air quality
8.5. Describe properties of water that make it a universal solvent.
8.6. Identify sources of local drinking water.
8.6.a. Additional Minimum Content: Determining the quality of fresh water using chemical testing and bioassessment
8.6.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the use of chemicals and microorganisms in water treatment
8.6.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing water conservation methods
8.6.d. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the process of underground water accumulation, including the formation of aquifers
8.6.e. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying major residential, industrial, and agricultural water consumers
8.6.f. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying principal uses of water
8.7. Identify reasons coastal waters serve as an important resource. Examples: economic stability, biodiversity, recreation
8.7.a. Additional Minimum Content: Classifying biota of estuaries, marshes, tidal pools, wetlands, beaches, and inlets
8.7.b. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing components of marine water to components of inland bodies of water
8.8. Identify major contaminants in water resulting from natural phenomena, homes, industry, and agriculture.
8.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the eutrophication of water by industrial effluents and agricultural runoffs
8.8.b. Additional Minimum Content: Classifying sources of water pollution as point and nonpoint
8.9. Describe land-use practices that promote sustainability and economic growth. Examples: no-till planting, crop rotation
8.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Defining various types and sources of waste and their impact on the soil. Examples: types - biodegradeable, nonbiodegradeable, organic, radioactive, nonradioactive; sources - pesticides, herbicides
8.9.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying ways to manage waste, including composting, recycling, reusing, and reclaiming
8.10. Describe the composition of soil profiles and soil samples of varying climates.
8.10.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying various processes and activities that promote soil formation. Examples: weathering, decomposition, deposition
8.10.b. Additional Minimum Content: Relating particle size to soil texture and type of sand, silt, or clay
8.11. Describe agents of erosion, including moving water, gravity, glaciers, and wind.
8.11.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing methods for preventing soil erosion. Examples: planting vegetation, constructing terraces, providing barriers
8.12. Identify positive and negative effects of human activities on biodiversity.
8.12.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying endangered and extinct species locally, regionally, and worldwide
8.12.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying causes for species extinction locally, regionally, and worldwide
AL.9. Forensic Science Elective Core - Students will:
9.1. Describe responsibilities of various personnel involved in crime scene investigations. Examples: police, detectives, laboratory specialists, medical examiners
9.1.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining how to search, sketch, and record data from a crime scene
9.2. Explain ways to collect and preserve evidence from a crime scene.
9.2.a. Additional Minimum Content: Distinguishing between physical evidence and witness evidence
9.2.b. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing the three main pattern types that combine to form an individual's unique fingerprint
9.2.c. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining different methods of latent fingerprint development
9.2.d. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying origins of impressions, including footwear and tire treads
9.2.e. Additional Minimum Content: Describing ways to identify hair, fiber, and blood evidence
9.3. Distinguish between class and individual characteristics of firearms. Examples: toolmark, caliber, scatter pattern
9.4. Describe presumptive and confirmatory tests. Examples: blood type comparison, DNA testing
9.5. Describe the importance of genetic information to forensics.
9.5.a. Additional Minimum Content: Using the process of gel electrophoresis to identify patterns in DNA
9.6. Describe the decomposition process.
9.6.a. Additional Minimum Content: Using rigor mortis to determine corpse position
9.6.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying decomposition by-products to determine cause of death
9.6.c. Additional Minimum Content: Using entomological life cycles to determine time of death
9.7. Identify the importance of skeletal remains in forensics.
9.7.a. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing bones and skulls based on age, sex, and race
9.7.b. Additional Minimum Content: Using forensic dentistry to establish identity
9.8. Describe general categories of drugs and poisons and their effects on humans.
9.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining ways poisons are detected at autopsy
9.9. Use laws of physics to explain forensic evidence.
9.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Analyzing blood splatter patterns in relation to speed, height, and direction
9.9.b. Additional Minimum Content: Tracking trajectories of collected evidence
9.10. Describe techniques used to determine the validity of documents. Examples: fiber and handwriting analyses, ink chromatography
AL.10. Genetic Elective Core - Students will:
10.1. Explain how the Hardy-Weinberg principle provides a baseline for recognizing evolutionary changes in gene frequency due to genetic drift, gene flow, nonrandom mating, mutation, and natural selection.
10.2. Describe factors such as radiation, chemicals, and chance that cause mutations in populations.
10.2.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing effects of genetic variability on adaptations
10.3. Describe the significance of Mendel's work to the development of the modern science of genetics, including the laws of segregation and independent assortment.
10.4. Describe the process of meiosis and the cell cycle, including the hereditary significance of each.
10.4.a. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing spermatogenesis and oogenesis using charts
10.5. Describe inheritance patterns based on gene interactions.
10.5.a. Additional Minimum Content: Predicting patterns of heredity using pedigree analysis
10.5.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying incomplete dominance, codominance, and multiple allelism
10.6. Describe occurrences and effects of sex linkage, autosomal linkage, crossover, multiple alleles, and polygenes.
10.7. Describe the structure and function of DNA, including replication, translation, and transcription.
10.7.a. Additional Minimum Content: Applying the genetic code to predict amino acid sequence
10.7.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing methods cells use to regulate gene expression
10.7.c. Additional Minimum Content: Defining the role of RNA in protein synthesis
10.8. Explain the structure of eukaryotic chromosomes, including transposons, introns, and exons.
10.9. Differentiate among major areas in modern biotechnology, including plant, animal, microbial, forensic, and marine. Examples: hybridization, cloning, insulin production, DNA profiling, bioremediation
10.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing techniques used with recombinant DNA. Examples: DNA sequencing, isolation of DNA segments, polymerase chain reaction, gel electrophoresis
10.10. Explain the development and purpose of the Human Genome Project.
10.10.a. Additional Minimum Content: Analyzing results of the Human Genome Project to predict ethical, social, and legal implications
10.10.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing medical uses of gene therapy, including vaccines and tissue and antibody engineering
10.11. Describe the replication of DNA and RNA viruses, including lytic and lysogenic cycles, using diagrams.
AL.11. Geology Elective Core - Students will:
11.1. Describe Earth's layers, including the lithosphere, asthenosphere, outer core, and inner core.
11.1.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying methods for determining the composition of Earth's lithosphere. Example: collection and analysis of rocks and minerals
11.1.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the composition of Earth's lithosphere. Example: granitic and basaltic rocks
11.1.c. Additional Minimum Content: Relating the types of lithosphere to tectonic plates. Examples: granitic lithosphere with continental plates, basaltic lithosphere with oceanic plates
11.1.d. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing the temperature, density, and composition of Earth's crust to that of the mantle and outer and inner cores
11.2. Relate the concept of equilibrium to geological processes, including plate tectonics and stream flow. Examples: stream channel on a slope, movement of tectonic plates, convection within Earth
11.3. Explain natural phenomena that shape the surface of Earth, including rock cycles, plate motions and interactions, erosion and deposition, volcanism, earthquakes, weathering, and tides.
11.4. Describe the topography of the sea floor and the continents.
11.4.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the formation of continental shelves
11.4.b. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining changes of continental topography caused by erosion and uplift. Example: formation of southern Appalachian Mountains in Alabama
11.5. Classify rocks as sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic.
11.5.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying characteristics of extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks
11.5.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing mineral composition and chemical elements of rocks
11.5.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing characteristics of clastic, organic, and chemical sedimentary rocks
11.5.d. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining texture and composition of rocks
11.6. Explain the concept of geological time within the framework of the geologic time scale.
11.6.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing how sedimentary rocks provide a record of evolutionary change
11.6.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing the role of fossils in determining the age of strata
11.6.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying geological time scales, including eon, era, period, and epoch
11.6.d. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying relative and absolute dating methods
11.7. Describe processes of rock formation. Examples: cooling, deposition
11.7.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining factors that control texture and composition of rocks. Examples: formation depth, formation size, chemical composition
11.7.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing processes of fossil formation
11.8. Explain interactions among topography, climate, organic activity, time, and parent material through which soils are created.
11.9. Describe the movement and storage of water in terms of watersheds, rainfall, surface runoff, aquifers, and surface water reservoirs.
11.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying major regional and national watersheds
11.10. Explain the mechanism of plate tectonics.
11.10.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining processes that cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
11.10.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying Earth's main tectonic plates
11.10.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing faults and folds and their relationships to tectonic forces
11.10.d. Additional Minimum Content: Describing technologies used to measure and forecast earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
11.11. Identify mass movements, including topples, slides, spreads, and flows.
11.12. Identify natural subsurface openings, including lava tubes, solution cavities, and caves.
11.12.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining the process that leads to sinkholes in karst development
11.13. Describe the formation and characteristics of river systems.
11.13.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining the formation of alluvial fans
11.13.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying natural events and man-made structures that affect rivers. Examples: natural events - weather, construction of dams by beavers; man-made structures - levees, dams
11.14. Explain the interaction of the continuous processes of waves, tides, and winds with the coastal environment.
11.14.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying the impact of periodic weather phenomena on coastal regions. Examples: hurricanes destroying sand dunes, El Nino or La Nina redefining shorelines
11.14.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying the positive and negative impact of humans on coastal regions. Examples: positive - shoreline protection, negative - buildings replacing protective dunes and barriers
11.15. Identify geological regions in Alabama and the southeastern United States.
11.15.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying geological ages of Alabama rocks
11.15.b. Additional Minimum Content: Describing characteristics of geological regions within Alabama
11.15.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying earthquake zones in Alabama
11.15.d. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying types of rocks in Alabama
11.15.e. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying areas of Alabama that have sinkholes and caves
11.15.f. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying varying seasonal rainfall patterns throughout Alabama
AL.12. Human Anatomy and Physiology Elective Core - Students will:
12.1. Use appropriate anatomical terminology. Examples: proximal, superficial, medial, supine, superior, inferior, anterior, posterior
12.2. Identify anatomical body planes, body cavities, and abdominopelvic regions of the human body.
12.3. Classify major types of cells, including squamous, cuboidal, columnar, simple, and stratified.
12.4. Classify tissues as connective, muscular, nervous, or epithelial.
12.5. Identify anatomical structures and functions of the integumentary system.
12.5.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying accessory organs
12.5.b. Additional Minimum Content: Recognizing diseases and disorders of the integumentary system. Examples: decubitus ulcer, melanoma, psoriasis
12.6. Identify bones that compose the skeletal system.
12.6.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying functions of the skeletal system
12.6.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying subdivisions of the skeleton as axial and appendicular skeletons
12.6.c. Additional Minimum Content: Classifying types of joints according to their movement
12.6.d. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying the four bone types
12.6.e. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying various types of skeletal system disorders. Examples: fractures, arthritis
12.7. Identify major muscles, including origins, insertions, and actions.
12.7.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing common types of body movements, including flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction
12.7.b. Additional Minimum Content: Classifying muscles based on functions in the body, including prime movers, antagonists, synergists, and fixators
12.7.c. Additional Minimum Content: Comparing skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles based on their microscopic anatomy
12.7.d. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying diseases and disorders of the muscular system. Examples: muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, strain
12.8. Identify structures of the nervous system.
12.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Explaining differences in the function of the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system
12.8.b. Additional Minimum Content: Labeling parts of sensory organs, including the eye, ear, tongue, and skin receptors
12.8.c. Additional Minimum Content: Recognizing diseases and disorders of the nervous system. Examples: Parkinson's disease, meningitis
12.9. Identify structures and functions of the cardiovascular system.
12.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Tracing the flow of blood through the body
12.9.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying components of blood
12.9.c. Additional Minimum Content: Describing blood cell formation
12.9.d. Additional Minimum Content: Distinguishing among human blood groups
12.9.e. Additional Minimum Content: Describing common cardiovascular diseases and disorders. Examples: myocardial infarction, mitral valve prolapse, varicose veins, arteriosclerosis
12.10. Identify structures and functions of the digestive system.
12.10.a. Additional Minimum Content: Tracing the pathway of digestion from the mouth to the anus using diagrams
12.10.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying disorders affecting the digestive system. Examples: ulcers, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis
12.11. Identify structures and functions of the respiratory system.
12.11.a. Additional Minimum Content: Tracing the pathway of the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange
12.11.b. Additional Minimum Content: Recognizing common disorders of the respiratory system. Examples: asthma, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis
12.12. Identify structures and functions of the reproductive system.
12.12.a. Additional Minimum Content: Differentiating between male and female reproductive systems
12.12.b. Additional Minimum Content: Recognizing stages of pregnancy and fetal development
12.12.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying disorders of the reproductive system. Examples: endometriosis, sexually transmitted diseases, prostate cancer
12.13. Identify structures and functions of the urinary system.
12.13.a. Additional Minimum Content: Tracing the filtration of blood from the kidneys to the urethra
12.13.b. Additional Minimum Content: Recognizing diseases and disorders of the urinary system. Examples: kidney stones, urinary tract infections
12.14. Identify the endocrine glands and their functions.
12.14.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing effects of hormones produced by the endocrine glands
12.14.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying common disorders of the endocrine system. Examples: diabetes, goiter, hyperthyroidism
12.15. Identify physiological effects and components of the immune system.
12.15.a. Additional Minimum Content: Contrasting active and passive immunity
12.15.b. Additional Minimum Content: Evaluating the importance of vaccines
12.15.c. Additional Minimum Content: Recognizing disorders and diseases of the immune system. Examples: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), acute lymphocytic leukemia
AL.13. Marine Science Elective Core - Students will:
13.1. Select appropriate equipment for scientific field investigations in marine environments.
13.1.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying patterns and relationships determined from collected data
13.1.b. Additional Minimum Content: Solving for unknown quantities by manipulating variables
13.2. Differentiate among freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater.
13.3. Describe physical characteristics of oceans, including topography of the ocean floor, plate tectonics, wave motion, depth, and pressure.
13.4. Recognize interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean.
13.4.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing how waves, ocean currents, and tides are generated
13.5. Discuss physical and chemical properties of saltwater. Examples: physical - turbidity, temperature, density; chemical - salinity, pH, dissolved gases
13.6. Describe components of major marine ecosystems, including estuaries, coral reefs, benthic communities, and open-ocean communities.
13.7. Identify patterns and interrelationships among producers, consumers, scavengers, and decomposers in a marine ecosystem.
13.8. Describe characteristics of marine plant and algae divisions.
13.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Describing commercial, economical, and medicinal values of marine plants and algae
13.9. Arrange various forms of marine life from most simple to most complex.
13.9.a. Additional Minimum Content: Classifying marine organisms using binomial nomenclature
13.9.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying characteristics of ocean-drifting organisms. Examples: phytoplankton, zooplankton
13.9.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying characteristics of marine invertebrates. Examples: Protozoa, Porifera, Coelenterata, Arthropoda
13.9.d. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying characteristics of marine vertebrates. Examples: fishes, reptiles, birds, mammals
13.9.e. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying characteristics of marine plants. Examples: algae, seaweed
13.9.f. Additional Minimum Content: Describing adaptations in the marine environment
13.10. Describe the anatomy and physiology of representative aquatic organisms.
13.10.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying different aquatic species using dichotomous keys
13.11. Describe positive and negative effects of human influence on marine environments. Examples: positive - reef restoration, protection of endangered species; negative - pollution, overfishing
13.12. Identify various careers related to marine science.
AL.14. Zoology Elective Core - Students will:
14.1. Define basic anatomical terminology associated with the study of animals. Examples: dorsal, superior, plantar, caudal, aboral
14.2. Distinguish among the acoelomate, pseudocoelomate, and coelomate body plans.
14.3. Identify the body symmetry of animals as radial, bilateral, or asymmetrical.
14.4. Use taxonomic groupings to differentiate the structure and physiology of invertebrates with dichotomous keys.
14.4.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples and characteristics of Porifera
14.4.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples and characteristics of Cnidaria
14.4.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples and characteristics of Mollusca
14.4.d. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples and characteristics of worms, including Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, and Annelida
14.4.e. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples, characteristics, and life cycles of Arthropoda
14.4.f. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples and characteristics of Echinodermata
14.5. Use taxonomic groupings to differentiate structure and physiology of vertebrates with dichotomous keys.
14.5.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples and characteristics of the three classes of fish
14.5.b. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples and characteristics of Amphibia
14.5.c. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples and characteristics of Reptilia
14.5.d. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples and characteristics of Aves
14.5.e. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying examples and characteristics of Mammalia
14.6. Identify factors used to distinguish species, including behavioral differences and reproductive isolation.
14.7. Explain how species adapt to changing environments to enhance survival and reproductive success, including changes in structure, behavior, or physiology. Examples: aestivation, thicker fur, diurnal activity
14.8. Differentiate among organisms that are threatened, endangered, and extinct. Examples: threatened - bald eagle, endangered - California condor, extinct - dodo
14.8.a. Additional Minimum Content: Identifying causative factors of decreasing population size. Examples: overcrowding resulting in greater incidence of disease, fire destroying habitat and food sources
14.9. Analyze a field study of animal behavior patterns to determine the relationship of these patterns to an animal's niche.