The exhibition and the activities in this Educator's Guide are correlated to the National Science Education Standards, the New York City Performance Standards, and the New York City Department of Education Draft Middle School Scope and Sequence.

National Science Education Standards

Grades K-4

Standard A: Science as Inquiry

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
• Understandings about scientific inquiry

Standard C: Life Science

• Characteristics of organisms
• Life Cycles of organisms
• Organisms and environments

Grades 5-8

Standard A: Science as Inquiry

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
• Understandings about scientific inquiry

Standard C: Life Science

• Structure and function
• Reproduction and heredity
• Regulation and behavior
• Populations and ecosystems
• Diversity and adaptations of organisms

Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

• Populations, Resources and Environments

Grades 9-12

Standard A: Science as Inquiry

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
• Understandings about scientific inquiry

Standard C: Life Science

• Biological Evolution
• Interdependence of organisms
• matter, energy and organization in living systems
• Behavior of organisms

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New York City Performance Standards

Grades K-4

S2 - Life Sciences Concepts

• S2a Demonstrates understanding of characteristics of organisms
• S2b Demonstrates understanding of life cycles of organisms
• S2c Demonstrates understanding of organisms and environments
• S2d Demonstrates understanding of change over time

S4 - Scientific Connections and Applications

• S4a Demonstrates understanding of big ideas and unifying concepts
• S4d Demonstrates understanding of science as a human endeavor

Grades 5-8

S2 - Life Sciences Concepts

• S2a Demonstrates understanding of structure and function in living systems
• S2b Demonstrates understanding of reproduction and heredity and the role of genes and environment on trait expression
• S2c Demonstrates understanding of regulation and behavior and response to environmental stimuli
• S2e Demonstrates understanding of evolution, diversity, and adaptation of organisms

S4 - Scientific Connections and Applications

• S4a Demonstrate understanding of big ideas and unifying concepts
• S4d Demonstrate understanding of impact of technology
• S4e Demonstrate understanding of impact of science

S8 - Scientific Investigation

• S8b Demonstrates scientific competence by completing fieldwork

Grades 9-12

S2 - Life Sciences Concepts

• S2b Demonstrate understanding of biological evolution
• S2c Demonstrate understanding of interdependence of organisms
• S2d Demonstrate understanding of matter, energy, and organization in living systems
• S2e Demonstrate understanding of evolution, diversity, and adaptation of organisms
• S2f Demonstrate understanding of behavior of organism

S4 - Scientific Connections and Applications

• S4a Demonstrate understanding of big ideas and unifying concepts
• S4d Demonstrate understanding of impact of technology
• S4e Demonstrate understanding of impact of science

S8 - Scientific Investigation

• S8b Demonstrates scientific competence by completing fieldwork

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NYC DoE Draft Middle School Scope and Sequence

Grade 6

Unit 3: Biodiversity

Kingdoms of life

• Biological Classification Systems

Food chains and Food Webs

• Flow of energy and matter through food chains and food webs
• method of obtaining nutrients
• Role of consumers: idea of respiration/recycling, herbivores/carnivores/omnivores

Living Environment Skills (From NYS Core Curriculum)

6. Classifying living things according to a studnet-generated scheme and an established scheme.
7. Interpret and/or illustrate the energy flowin a food chain, energy pyramid, or food web.
9. Identify structure and function relationships in organisms

Unit 4: Interdependence

Climate and Biomes

• Biomes: Tundra, Tropical Rainforest, Temperate Forests, Grasslands, Desert Ecosystems and Interdependence
• Populations and definition of species

Adaptation for Survival

• Thermoregulation in plants and animals
• Locomotion

Living Environment Skills (From NYS Core Curriculum)

6. Classifying living things according to a studnet-generated scheme and an established scheme.
9. Identify structure and function relationships in organisms

Grade 7

Unit 1: Geology

Fossils and Earth's History

• the importance of the fossil record

Unit 4: Dynamic Equilibrium: Other Organisms

Other Animals

• Animal structures and systems
• Obtaining Energy
• Obtaining nutrients
• Regulation of the internal environment
• Metabolism
• Responding to the external environment

General Skills (From NYS Core Curriculum)

5. Classify objects according to an established scheme and a student-generated scheme

Living Environment Skills (From NYS Core Curriculum)

6. Classifying living things according to a student-generated scheme and an established scheme.
9. Identify structure and function relationships in organisms

Grade 8

Unit 1: Reproduction, Heredity and Evolution

Reproductive Patterns and the Continuity of Life

• Compare and contrast results, contexts, advantages and disadvantages of each method (asexual and sexual reproduction)

Patterns of Development and the Continuity of Life

• Patterns of development in animals

Heredity

• Genes and DNA

Natural Selection: The Driving Mechanism Behind Evolution

• Sources of variation in organisms
• Adaptations
• Competition
• Extinction
• Evidence for evolution

Unit 2: Humans and their Environment: Needs and Tradeoffs

Natural Resources and Energy

• Environmental Concerns: Land use. Impact on other organisms

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