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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Pre-K to 5th Grade

Understanding about science and technology
Abilities of technology design
Abilities to distinguish between natural objects and objects made by humans

The following benchmarks should be incorporated into the lessons taught during Physical, Life, and Earth units. These benchmarks should not be taught as separate skills.

ALL GRADES	science & technology: understanding about science & technology, abilities of technology design, abilities to distinguish between natural objects and objects made by humans
understandings: The nature of a problem needs to be understood in order to develop a possible solution. Proposals are an important step towards implementation of improvements to existing technology. Proposals for technological improvements must be weighed against the cost, availability of materials, personal abilities of the builder, etc. Designs and improvements to technology must be tested and evaluated. Science has helped people find answers to their questions. Scientists often work in teams, or, if working in isolation, share their findings for evaluation by others. Scientists use tools to help them conduct investigations. Humans have developed the ability to construct many of the things they need to enhance their lives.
essential questions: What is the problem I am trying to solve? How can I share my ideas for improving something and support my opinion? Can I overcome constraints and make the improvements I am proposing? After implementing my design, does it actually work well? Can other people offer me constructive criticism to enhance my design further? What questions do I have that can be answered with the science abilities and skills I have learned? How has working in a group or on a team helped improve my investigations? What tools have I used while conducting investigations and what did these tool help me to observe? What things do I use in my life that are the result of my specie’s ability to develop technology.
benchmarks	clarifying examples and/or vocabulary	best practices and/or lesson ideas	notes
Explain a problem and identify a specific task and solution related to the problem.	Problem, Solution, Task.	Design a way to keep a pencil from rolling off your desktop by changing the surface materials. Students explain how they used an understanding of how things roll or characteristics of materials in their design. Given different distances, students will manipulate the height, and texture of an inclined plane, as well as, the type of balls used so that when a ball is rolled down the ramp it will land on one of three specified targets. Share findings with others and discuss which conditions needed to be manipulated.

Make proposals to build something or get something to work better and share problems, designs, or solutions with others orally, written, or pictorially.	Provide supporting evidence when forming conclusions, devising a plan, or solving a practical problem. Use diagrams of a design to enhance an explanation of how a design is going to help do something.	The students work with the teacher to test methods for increasing speed down a playground slide. Construct a windmill while studying air. Build tower out of simple materials. Conduct a test to determine how to make the tower stronger. Tell how you used the results of a test as evidence to improve the design. The class terrariums are not successful. What is causing the problem of poor plant growth? Create a well designed procedure to investigate this question. Use the data and observations to support conclusions. Construct sundials, test them, and reconstruct them to solve problems such as when they are blown away by the wind.
Describe constraints a possible solution may encounter (e.g., cost, materials, abilities, safety, space, time).	Availability of materials, Cost, Ability to construct ourselves, Safety	Use Planning Talent (Talents Unlimited) Grid/Decision Maker to weigh design and construction options based on these criteria.
Evaluate a product or design.	Peer critiques. self critiques, evaluation forms, criteria.	Students evaluate designs and products they create (e.g., make believe bats, a space game, a solar cooker, a ramp to roll cars, a film can flashlight).
Support how people have always had questions about the world and that science is one way of answering those questions.	Discuss questions that scientists have tried to answer through the ages.	Periodically throughout the school year evaluate the questions students have been able to answer during their research and scince investigations. Imagine what questions people before have asked.
Describe how women and men of all ages, backgrounds, and groups often work in teams when engaging in scientific and technological work.	Research advances in technology to identify those scientists that worked in teams or in isolation.	Discuss how students worked in their groups during investigations.
Give examples of tools that help scientists.	Thermometers, Spring Scales, Balances, Rulers, Stop Watches, Beakers, Microscopes, Telescopes, Meters/Gauges, etc.	Use these during investigations where possible. When not available, try making the instruments with household materials, supporting the Technology Standard further.
Categorize objects that occur in nature and others that have been made by people to solve human problems and enhance the quality of life.	Distinguish between natural objects and objects made by humans.	During investigations using materials classify the materials as made by humans or as natural. How have the human-made materials helped us solve problems?