NGSS Standards/Lesson Objectives​

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 LS1.A: Structure and Function ​

• HS-LS1-2. I can develop and use a model to illustrate the complex organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms. 

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ETS1: Engineering Design

• HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.

 

NGSS Cross-Cutting Concepts​

• Patterns: Observed patterns in nature guide organization and classification and prompt questions about relationships and causes underlying them.

  • Different patterns may be observed at each of the scales at which a system is studied and can provide evidence for causality in explanations of phenomena.

  • Patterns of performance of designed systems can be analyzed and interpreted to reengineer and improve the system.

  • Empirical evidence is needed to identify patterns.

• Cause and Effect: Mechanism and Prediction: Events have causes, sometimes simple, sometimes multifaceted. Deciphering causal relationships, and the mechanisms by which they are mediated, is a major activity of science and engineering.

  • Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects.

  • Cause and effect relationships can be suggested and predicted for complex natural and human designed systems by examining what is known about smaller scale mechanisms within the system.

  • Systems can be designed to cause a desired effect

• Scale, Proportion, and Quantity: In considering phenomena, it is critical to recognize what is relevant at different size, time, and energy scales, and to recognize proportional relationships between different quantities as scales change.

  • Some systems can only be studied indirectly as they are too small, too large, too fast, or too slow to observe directly.

  • Patterns observable at one scale may not be observable or exist at other scales.

• Systems and System Models: A system is an organized group of related objects or components; models can be used for understanding and predicting the behavior of systems.

  • Systems can be designed to do specific tasks.

  • When investigating or describing a system, the boundaries and initial conditions of the system need to be defined and their inputs and outputs analyzed and described using models.

  • Models (e.g., physical, mathematical, computer models) can be used to simulate systems and interactions—including energy, matter, and information flows—within and between systems at different scales.

  • Models can be used to predict the behavior of a system, but these predictions have limited precision and reliability due to the assumptions and approximations inherent in models.

• Structure and Function: The way an object is shaped or structured determines many of its properties and functions.

  • Investigating or designing new systems or structures requires a detailed examination of the properties of different materials, the structures of different components, and connections of components to reveal its function and/or solve a problem.
     

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