HCPS Biological Sciences Standards Addressed: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4
Purpose: To familiarize students with the scientific process and how it relates to modern actions inenvironmental management and conservation.
1. Students will understand and be able to explain dynamic equilibrium in organisms, populations, andecosystems, as well as the effect of equilibrium shifts (3.4)
2. Students will understand and be able to explain biogeochemical cycles within ecosystems (3.1)
a. Students will gather information on the cycling of biochemical compounds (water, nitrogen,carbon, oxygen), as well as the relationship between the cycles and the lives of various marineorganisms
3. Students will understand and be able to explain how energy and matter flow through living systemsand the physical environment (3.3)
4. Students will design and safely implement an experiment (1.2)
a. Students will design an experiment that will enable them to collect data on the environmentalconditions of coastal marine environments, as well as the presences of various marineorganisms
5. Students will understand the connection among hypotheses, experimentation, scientific evidence,and conclusions (1.4)
a. Students will draw their own conclusions on the effects of environmental management andconservation actions based on the findings of their study
6. Students will use the appropriate tools and techniques to organize, anaylyze, and validate any datacollected, as well as defend and support conclusions, explanations, and arguments based on logic,scientific knowledge, and evidence from data (1.2 & 1.3)
a. Students will write a lab report documenting their preliminary research, original (and revised) hypotheses, individual goals and objectives, materials, methodology, collected data, dataanalyses, and conclusions
7. Students will communicate the components of a scientific investigation (1.5)
a. Students will present the findings of their study (contents of lab report) to their peers in an oralpresentation using visual and multimedia aids