Maine State Standards for Science: Grade 11

ME.A. Classifying Life Forms: Students will understand that there are similarities within the diversity of all living things.

A.1. Students will be able to explain the role of DNA in resolving questions of relationship and evolutionary change.

A.2. Students will be able to describe similarities and differences among organisms within each level of the taxonomic system for classifying organisms (kingdom through species).

A.3. Students will be able to analyze the basic characteristics of living things, including their need for food, water, and gases and the ability to reproduce.

ME.B. Ecology: Students will understand how living things depend on one another and on non-living aspects of the environment.

B.1. Students will be able to illustrate the cycles of matter in the environment and explain their interrelationships.

B.2. Students will be able to compare the process of photosynthesis and respiration, and describe the factors that effect them.

B.3. Students will be able to analyze the factors that affect population size (e.g., reproductive and survival rates).

B.4. Students will be able to analyze the impact of human and other activities on the type and pace of change in ecosystems.

ME.C. Cells: Students will understand that cells are the basic units of life.

C.1. Students will be able to relate the parts of a cell to its function.

C.2. Students will be able to illustrate how cells replicate and transmit information, including the roles of DNA and RNA.

C.3. Students will be able to discuss the function of the important 'molecules of life' - proteins (including enzymes and hormones), carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.

C.4. Students will be able to explain how the human body protects itself against disease and how the body might lose that ability.

C.5. Students will be able to analyze and debate basic principles of genetic engineering: how it is done, its uses, and some ethical implications.

ME.D. Continuity and Change: Students will understand the basis for all life and that all living things change over time.

D.1. Students will be able to explain how mutations can be caused by gene mutation or chromosomal alteration and describe the possible results of such mutations on individuals or populations.

D.2. Students will be able to describe why the offspring of sexually reproducing species have different survival rates than those of asexually reproducing species under a variety of conditions. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each.

D.3. Students will be able to explain and document the importance of relatively short-term changes (e.g., one generation) on a species' survival.

D.4. Students will be able to describe how genetic manipulation can cause unusually rapid changes in species.

D.5. Students will be able to compare and contrast fertilization, zygote formation, and embryo development in humans and other species.

D.6. Students will be able to analyze a theory scientists use to explain the origin of life.

D.7. Students will be able to explain both the evidence used to develop the geologic time scale and why an awareness of geologic time is important to an understanding of the process of change in the universe as well as on earth.

ME.E. Structure of Matter: Students will understand the structure of matter and the changes it can undergo.

E.1. Students will be able to trace the development of models of the atom to the present and describe how each model reflects the scientific understanding of their time.

E.2. Students will be able to analyze how matter is affected by changes in temperature, pressure, and volume.

E.3. Students will be able to describe the characteristics and behavior of acids and bases.

E.4. Students will be able to describe an application of the Law of Conservation of Matter.

E.5. Students will be able to describe how atoms are joined by chemical bonding.

E.6. Students will be able to compare the physical and chemical characteristics of elements.

E.7. Students will be able to describe nuclear reactions, including fusion, fission, and decay, their occurrences in nature, and how they can be used by humans.

ME.F. The Earth: Students will gain knowledge about the earth and the processes that change it.

F.1. Students will be able to describe how air pressure, temperature, and moisture interact to cause changes in the weather.

F.2. Students will be able to analyze potential effects of changes in the earth's oceans and atmosphere.

F.3. Students will be able to describe the impact of plate movement and erosion on the rock cycle.

F.4. Students will be able to describe ways that scientists measure long periods of time and determine the age of very old objects.

F.5. Students will be able to demonstrate how rocks and minerals are used to determine geologic history.

F.6. Students will be able to analyze the changes in continental position and the evidence that supports the concept of tectonic plates.

ME.G. The Universe: Students will gain knowledge about the universe and how humans have learned about it, and about the principles upon which it operates.

G.1. Students will be able to describe how scientists gather data about the universe.

G.2. Students will be able to research current explanations for phenomena such as black holes and quasars.

G.3. Students will be able to explain how astronomers measure interstellar distances.

ME.H. Energy: Students will understand concepts of energy.

H.1. Students will be able to analyze the evidence that leads scientists to conclude that light behaves somewhat like a wave and somewhat like a particle.

H.2. Students will be able to examine and describe how light is reflected and refracted (deflected) by mirrors and lenses.

H.3. Students will be able to explain or demonstrate how sound waves travel.

H.4. Students will be able to analyze the relationship between the kinetic and potential energy of a falling object.

H.5. Students will be able to use mathematics to describe the work and power in a system.

H.6. Students will be able to describe the relationship between matter and energy and how matter releases energy through the processes of nuclear fission and fusion.

H.7. Students will be able to use mathematics to describe and predict electrical and magnetic activity (e.g., current, resistance, voltage).

H.8. Students will be able to compare and contrast how conductors, semiconductors, and superconductors work and describe their present and potential uses.

H.9. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding that energy can be found in chemical bonds and can be used when it is released from those bonds.

ME.I. Motion: Students will understand the motion of objects and how forces can change that motion.

I.1. Students will be able to use mathematics to describe the law of conservation of momentum.

I.2. Students will be able to explain some current theories of gravitational force.

I.3. Students will be able to use Newton's Laws to qualitatively and quantitatively describe the motion of objects.

I.4. Students will be able to describe how forces affect fluids (e.g., air and water).

I.5. Students will be able to explain the relationship between temperature, heat, and molecular motion.

I.6. Students will be able to describe how forces within and between atoms affect their behavior and the properties of matter.

ME.J. Inquiry and Problem Solving: Students will apply inquiry and problem-solving approaches in science and technology.

J.1. Students will be able to make accurate observations using appropriate tools and units of measure.

J.2. Students will be able to verify, evaluate, and use results in a purposeful way. This includes analyzing and interpreting data, making predictions based on observed patterns, testing solutions against the original problem conditions, and formulating additional questions.

J.3. Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to use scientific inquiry and technological method with short term and long-term investigations, recognizing that there is more than one way to solve a problem. Demonstrate knowledge of when to try different strategies.

J.4. Students will be able to design and construct a device to perform a specific function, then redesign for improvement (e.g., performance, cost).

ME.K. Scientific Reasoning: Students will learn to formulate and justify ideas and to make informed decisions.

K.1. Students will be able to judge the accuracy of alternative explanations by identifying the evidence necessary to support them.

K.2. Students will be able to explain why agreement among people does not make an argument valid.

K.3. Students will be able to develop generalizations based on observations.

K.4. Students will be able to determine when there is a need to revise studies in order to improve their validity through better sampling, controls or data analysis techniques.

K.5. Students will be able to produce inductive and deductive arguments to support conjecture.

K.6. Students will be able to analyze situations where more than one logical conclusion can be drawn.

ME.L. Communication: Students will communicate effectively in the application of science and technology.

L.1. Students will be able to analyze research or other literature for accuracy in the design and findings of experiments.

L.2. Students will be able to use journals and self-assessment to describe and analyze scientific and technological experiences and to reflect on problem-solving processes.

L.3. Students will be able to make and use appropriate symbols, pictures, diagrams, scale drawings, and models to represent and simplify real-life situations and to solve problems.

L.4. Students will be able to employ graphs, tables, and maps in making arguments and drawing conclusions.

L.5. Students will be able to critique models, stating how they do and do not effectively represent the real phenomenon.

L.6. Students will be able to evaluate the communication capabilities of new kinds of media (e.g., cameras with computer disks instead of film).

L.7. Students will be able to use computers to organize data, generate models, and do research for problem solving.

L.8. Students will be able to engage in a debate, on a scientific issue, where both points of view are based on the same set of information.

ME.M. Implications of Science and Technology: Students will understand the historical, social, economic, environmental, and ethical implications of science and technology.

M.1. Students will be able to examine the impact of political decisions on science and technology.

M.2. Students will be able to demonstrate the importance of resource management, controlling environmental impacts, and maintaining natural ecosystems.

M.3. Students will be able to evaluate the ethical use or introduction of new scientific or technological developments.

M.4. Students will be able to analyze the impacts of various scientific and technological developments.

M.5. Students will be able to examine the historical relationships between prevailing cultural beliefs and breakthroughs in science and technology.

M.6. Students will be able to research issues that illustrate the effects of technological imbalances and suggest some solutions.