High School Science Nebraska Standards

Space Systems

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence to defend that the universe changes over time.

Use a model based on evidence to illustrate how the stages of stars and the role of nuclear fusion in a star’s core releases energy that reaches Earth in the form of radiation.

Construct an explanation of the Big Bang theory based on astronomical evidence of light spectra, motion of distant galaxies, and composition of matter in the universe.

Communicate scientific ideas about the way stars, throughout their stellar stages, produce elements.

Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system.

Weather and Climate

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence to support that Earth’s climate and weather are influenced by energy flow through Earth systems.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the sun’s energy moves among Earth’s systems.

Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.

Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate and scale of global or regional climate changes.

Evaluate the validity and reliability of past and present models of Earth conditions to make projections of future climate trends and their impacts.

Earth’s Systems

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence to defend the position that Earth’s systems are interconnected and impact one another.

Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.

Develop a model based on evidence of Earth’s interior to describe the cycling of matter.

Construct an argument based on evidence to explain the multiple processes that cause Earth’s plates to move.

Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and their effects on Earth materials, surface processes, and groundwater systems.

Develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon and other nutrients among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere, today and in the geological past.

History of Earth

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence to interpret Earth’s history.

Evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust and the theory of plate tectonics to explain the differences in age, structure, and composition of crustal and sedimentary rocks.

Apply scientific reasoning and evidence from ancient Earth materials, meteorites, and other planetary surfaces to reconstruct Earth’s formation and early history.

Develop a model to illustrate how Earth’s internal and surface processes operate over time to form, modify, and recycle continental and ocean floor features.

Construct an argument based on evidence to validate coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth.

Sustainability

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence to describe the interactions between society, environment, and economy.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.

Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.

Use a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.

Evaluate or refine a technological solution that increases positive impacts of human activities on natural systems.

Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and tradeoffs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and the degree to which those relationships are being modified due to human activity.

Forces and Interactions

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of forces and interactions.

Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s Second Law of Motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.

Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system.

Apply science and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.

Use mathematical representations of Newton’s Law of Gravitation and Coulomb’s Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that an electrical current can produce a magnetic field and that a changing magnetic field can produce an electrical current.

Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the interactions of waves.

Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.

Evaluate claims about the advantages of digital transmission and storage of information.

Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be described either by a wave model or a particle model, and that for some situations one model is more useful than the other.

Evaluate the validity and reliability of claims in published materials of the effects that different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation have when absorbed by matter.

Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.

Structure and Properties of Matter

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the structure, properties, and interactions of matter.

Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.

Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the macro scale to infer the strength of electrical forces between particles.

Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.

Communicate scientific and technical information about why the molecular-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.

Energy

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the interactions of energy.

Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.

Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motion of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative positions of particles (objects).

Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.

Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).

Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electrical or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.

Chemical Reactions

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of chemical reactions.

Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.

Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends on the changes in total bond energy.

Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.

Refine the design of a chemical system by specifying a change in conditions that would produce increased amounts of products at equilibrium.

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

Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.

Biological Evolution

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of biological evolution.

Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.

Construct an explanation based on evidence that natural selection primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.

Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.

Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.

Structure and Function

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the relationship between structure and function in living things.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins which carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells.

Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis.

Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms.

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of interdependent relationships in ecosystems.

Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.

Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.

Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.

Evaluate the evidence for how group behavior has evolved because membership can increase the chances of survival for individuals and their genetic relatives.

Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for increasing the positive impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the flow of energy and cycling of matter in organisms and ecosystems.

Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.

Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine with other molecules to form the four basic macromolecules.

Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules are broken and bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy.

Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem.

Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the inheritance and variation of traits.

Develop and use a model to explain the relationships between the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.

Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from: (1) new genetic combinations through meiosis, (2) viable errors occurring during replication, and/or (3) mutations caused by environmental factors.

Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.

Engineering in Health Sciences

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the connection between health science careers and engineering.

Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information related to health science careers and the various roles they fulfill within the health care system.

Design a solution to a complex, real-world problem affecting body systems that can be solved through engineering.

Evaluate a solution to a complex, real-world human health problem based on prioritized criteria constraints that account for interactions within and between systems.

Body Systems

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the connections between body systems.

Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy within and between body systems.

Develop and use models to explain the interactions between body systems.

Structure and Function: Anatomy & Physiology

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the integumentary system.

Plan and conduct and investigation to identify patterns of organization in the integumentary system.

Ask questions to clarify the role of various structures in integumentary system function.

Develop and use a model to identify and describe the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the integumentary system.

Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence that feedback mechanisms in the integumentary system help maintain homeostasis.

Engage in arguments from evidence for the role of cell division in integumentary system dysfunction.

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the skeletal system.

Plan and conduct an investigation to identify patterns of organization in the skeletal system.

Develop and use a model to identify and describe the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the skeletal system.

Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information that feedback mechanisms in the skeletal system help maintain homeostasis.

Develop and use a model to explain the order of events necessary for bone formation.

Engage in arguments from evidence to support claims about the causes of dysfunction in the skeletal system.

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the muscular system.

Plan and conduct an investigation to identify patterns of organization in the muscular system.

Develop and use a model to identify and describe the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the muscular system.

Engage in arguments from evidence that muscle contraction is the result of biochemical reactions.

Obtain, evaluate, and communicate that feedback mechanisms in the muscular system help maintain homeostasis.

Engage in arguments from evidence to support claims about the causes of dysfunction in the muscular system.

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the nervous system.

Plan and conduct an investigation to identify patterns of organization in the nervous system.

Develop and use a model to identify and describe the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the nervous system.

Engage in arguments from evidence that production of a nerve impulse is the result of biochemical reactions.

Obtain, evaluate, and communicate evidence that feedback mechanisms in the nervous system help maintain homeostasis.

Engage in arguments from evidence to support claims about the causes of dysfunction in the nervous system.

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the cardiovascular/respiratory systems.

Plan and conduct an investigation to identify patterns of organization in the cardiovascular/respiratory systems.

Develop and use a model to identify and describe the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the cardiovascular/respiratory systems.

Obtain, evaluate and communicate evidence that feedback mechanisms in the cardiovascular/respiratory systems help maintain homeostasis.

Engage in arguments from evidence to support claims about the causes of dysfunction in the cardiovascular/ respiratory systems.

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the digestive system.

Plan and conduct an investigation to identify patterns of organization in the digestive system.

Develop and use a model to identify and describe the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the digestive system.

Obtain, evaluate and communicate evidence that feedback mechanisms in the digestive system help maintain homeostasis.

Engage in arguments from evidence to support claims about the causes of dysfunction in the digestive system.

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the urinary system.

Plan and conduct an investigation to identify patterns of organization in the urinary system.

Develop and use a model to identify and describe the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the urinary system.

Obtain, evaluate and communicate evidence that feedback mechanisms in the urinary system help maintain homeostasis.

Engage in arguments from evidence to support claims about the causes of dysfunction in the urinary system.

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the reproductive system.

Plan and conduct an investigation to identify patterns of organization in the reproductive system.

Develop and use a model to identify and describe the relationship between the structures and physiological processes of the reproductive system.

Obtain, evaluate and communicate evidence that feedback mechanisms in the reproductive system help maintain homeostasis.

Engage in arguments from evidence to support claims about the causes of dysfunction in the reproductive system.

Biological Evolution

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of biological evolution.

Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.

Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.

Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.

Evaluate evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.

Develop and use models to illustrate patterns in the evolutionary history of biological diversity.

Structure and Function

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the relationship between structure and function in living things.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the sequence of DNA determines the structure of proteins which carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells.

Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis.

Use a model to illustrate the role of cells in producing signals which maintain cellular function within organisms.

Construct an explanation based on evidence that plants have structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Construct an explanation based on evidence that animals have structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms.

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of interdependent relationships in ecosystems.

Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.

Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.

Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning related to the principle that complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.

Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for increasing the positive impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

Create or revise a solution to mitigate the impacts of human activity on biodiversity.

Evaluate evidence for the role of behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce.

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the flow of energy and cycling of matter in organisms and ecosystems.

Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.

Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine with other molecules to form amino acids and/or other large carbon-based molecules.

Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy.

Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem.

Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.

Use models to illustrate how atomic structure and bonding impact the properties of water and their influence on biological systems.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how ATP powers cellular work and for how enzymes affect the rate of and the amount of energy needed for metabolic reactions.

Inheritance and Variation of Traits

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the inheritance and variation of traits.

Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.

Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from: (1) new genetic combinations through meiosis, (2) viable errors occurring during replication, and/or (3) mutations caused by environmental factors.

Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.

Evaluate evidence supporting claims that gene regulation can explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for the role of biotechnology in the research and understanding of biological systems.

Structure and Properties of Matter

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the structure, properties, and interactions of matter.

Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.

Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the macro scale to infer the strength of electrical forces between particles.

Develop and use models to predict and explain forces that are in and between molecules.

Evaluate a solution to a complex, real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and tradeoffs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.

Develop and use models to describe and predict mechanisms of the quantum mechanical model of the atom.

Evaluate the evidence supporting claims about how atoms absorb and emit energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

Use mathematical representations to quantify matter through the analysis of patterns in chemical compounds at different scales.

Energy: Chemistry

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the interactions of energy.

Use statistical and mathematical techniques to describe qualitative and quantitative thermodynamic relationships.

Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence of how the Kinetic Molecular Theory and gas laws are related.

Analyze and interpret data to explain changes in energy within a system and/or energy flows in and out of a system.

Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.

Chemical Reactions

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of chemical reactions.

Plan and conduct an investigation to generate evidence that answers scientific questions related to changes in solution chemistry.

Use a model to identify electron transfer and balance a redox reaction.

Use mathematical and/or computational representations to predict and explain relationships within chemical systems.

Use mathematical representations to analyze the proportion and quantity of particles in solution.

Plan and conduct an investigation to predict the outcome of a chemical reaction based on patterns of chemical properties.

Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.

Forces, Interactions, and Motion

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of forces, interactions, and motion.

Generate and interpret mathematical and graphical representations to describe the relationships between position, velocity, acceleration and time.

Use mathematical and pictorial models as applied to Newton’s second law of motion describing the relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.

Use mathematical representations of momentum to predict the outcome of a collision.

Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.

Use mathematical representations of Newton’s Law of Gravitation and Coulomb’s Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.

Electricity and Magnetism

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of electricity and magnetism.

Use mathematical representations of field forces to describe and predict forces at a distance between objects.

Use models to visualize and describe gravitational, magnetic and electrical fields and predict resulting forces on nearby objects.

Use mathematical representations to provide evidence that describes and predicts relationships between power, current, voltage, and resistance.

Evaluate competing design solutions for construction and use of electrical consumer products accounting for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

Obtain and communicate technical information about how some technological devices use alternating current and others use direct current.

Design a solution to a problem using the fact that an electric current can produce a magnetic field and/or that a changing magnetic field can produce an electric current.

Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.

Waves, Electromagnetic Radiation, and Optics

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the interactions of waves and optics.

Use mathematical representations to describe the relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.

Develop and use models to predict interactions of longitudinal and transverse waves in various media.

Develop and use models to describe the behavior of light at the boundary of various media.

Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be described either by a wave model or a particle model, and that for some situations one model is more useful than the other

Use evidence to support explanations for causes of emission and absorption spectra of electromagnetic radiation.

Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.

Energy: Physics

Gather, analyze, and communicate evidence of the interactions of energy.

Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.

Plan and conduct an investigation to rate the power and efficiency used in performing work on a system.

Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.

Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence for the transfer of thermal energy within a system based on the Laws of Thermodynamics.

Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through gravitational, electric, or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.