Is the Decline in Science News a Danger to Us All?

The decline of serious science coverage in primary news media – and what that trend means for our future – was thoughtfully covered in an August 17 article in The Nation magazine entitled “Unpopular Science” by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum. (see: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090817/mooney_kirshenbaum)

Good science coverage should report on immediate topics such as the spread of flu and medical discoveries for better health. It should also cover solid science news about climate change, technology advancement, and energy developments, because the public must understand facts about subjects like these in order to shape national policy and make informed judgments. To avoid accepting news straight off of a press release, we need reporters with the experience and specialized knowledge to separate important facts from “fluff.”

Mooney and Kirshenbaum point out that the decline in the number and size of newspapers has triggered cuts in knowledgeable science reporting. And in television, the proliferation of cable news channels has meant that the major broadcast networks have less of a captive audience and fewer financial resources to cover serious science topic in depth.

They write:

From 1989 to 2005, the number of US papers featuring weekly science-related sections shrank from ninety-five to thirty-four. Many of the remaining sections shifted to softer health, fitness and "news you can use" coverage, reflecting the apparent judgment that more thorough science or science policy coverage just doesn't support itself economically. And the problem isn't confined to newspapers. Just one minute out of every 300 on cable news is devoted to science and technology, or one-third of 1 percent. Late last year CNN cut its entire science, space and technology unit.”

The overall result is that, although there is a great deal of science information available online, we must search for it and use our own critical thinking abilities to discern what is important to know and what is today’s fad. Learning basic science concepts and how they apply to our daily life is an important step toward making sense of science “news’ in the future. Learning critical thinking skills and the discipline of the scientific method for determining facts will serve non-scientists as well as scientists throughout life.

National Science Standards, History and Nature of Science

This post relates to the History and Nature of Science content standards for grades 5 through 8 of the 2005 National Science Education Standards from the National Research Council. We’ll look at how Real Science-4-Kids (RS4K) and Kogs-4-Kids (K4K) texts align with these.

National Science Education Standards; HISTORY & NATURE OF SCIENCE

Science as a Human Endeavor

• Women and men of various social and ethnic backgrounds – and with diverse interests, talents, qualities, and motivations – engage in the activities of science, engineering, and related fields such as the health professions. Some scientists work in teams, and some work alone, but all communicate extensively with others.

• Science requires different abilities, depending on such factors as the field of study and type of inquiry. Science is very much a human endeavor, and the work of science relies on basic human qualities, such as reasoning, insight, energy, skill, and creativity – as well as on the scientific habits of mind, such as intellectual honesty, tolerance of ambiguity, skepticism, and openness to new ideas.

Nature of Science

1. Scientists formulate and test their explanations of nature using observation, experiments, and theoretical and mathematical models. Although all scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change and improvement in principle, for most major ideas in science, there is much experimental and observational confirmation. Those ideas are not likely to change greatly in the future. Scientists do and have changed their ideas about nature when they encounter new experimental evidence that does not match their existing explanations.

2. In areas where active research is being pursued and in which there is not a great deal of experimental or observational evidence and understanding, it is normal for scientists to differ with one another about the interpretation of the evidence or theory being considered. Different scientists might publish conflicting experimental results or might draw different conclusions from the same data. Ideally, scientists acknowledge such conflict and work towards finding evidence that will resolve their disagreement.

3. It is part of scientific inquiry to evaluate the results of scientific investigations, experiments, observations, theoretical models, and the explanations proposed by other scientists. Evaluation includes reviewing the experimental procedures, examining the evidence, identifying faulty reasoning, pointing out statements that go beyond the evidence, and suggesting alternative explanations for the same observations. Although scientists may disagree about explanations of phenomena, about interpretations of data, or about the value of rival theories, they do agree that questioning, response to criticism, and open communication are integral to the process of science. As scientific knowledge evolves, major disagreements are eventually resolved through such interactions between scientists.

History of Science

1. Many individuals have contributed to the traditions of science. Studying some of these individuals provides further understanding of scientific inquiry, science as a human endeavor, the nature of science, and the relationships between science and society.

2. In historical perspective, science has been practiced by different individuals in different cultures. In looking at the history or many peoples, one finds that scientists and engineers of high achievement are considered to be among the most valued contributors to their culture.

3. Tracing the history of science can show how difficult it was for scientific innovators to break through the accepted ideas of their time to reach the conclusions that we currently take for granted.

Real Science-4-Kids meets this standard in the following ways:

The National Standards for “history and nature of science” relate in many ways to the entire content of RS4K and Kogs. Because each level of the RS4K curricula covers subjects in the same order (with more depth added for higher levels), the following alignments are generally true for Pre-Level I and Level II as well as Level I. However, specific examples are taken from Level I texts and workbooks since that age range most closely matches that of the National Standards presented here. Kogs workbooks expand on the subject in the context of the book’s category (philosophy, critical thinking, history, etc.). Because information is built upon with each chapter, many types of knowledge in the standards show up in virtually all chapters. However, the key chapters for each section are shown below.

Science as a Human Endeavor

Inventors and scientists from numerous countries – including Sweden, Russia, Italy, Iran, Greece and the U.S. – are identified specifically throughout both Gravitas’ textbooks and Kogs workbooks. Examples of how discoveries and inventions have benefited societies, and often the inventors personally, are also plentiful. In the Chemistry Connects to History Kog in particular, readers see how early scientists – who often were not known as such but rather had jobs ranging from being king to writing plays to being a lawyer – built upon knowledge and theories to invent the discipline we now call science and further our body of knowlege. Explanations of how various scientists approached a question or problem demonstrate the qualities of good scientists.

Nature of Science

1. In the Chemistry Connects to History Kog students take an entertaining look back at how early scientific theories evolved as experimentation and observation became more sophisticated and accurate. Readers learn that even in ancient times, people came up with the concept that there were a few elements that were the basis for all things. From Aristotle’s idea of air, water, fire and earth to Democritus’ theory of tiny particles he called “atoms,” students see the progression and refinement of science. Examples of important discoveries in a timeline illustrate in many cases just how scientists conducted experiments to prove their hypotheses.

2. Chapter 4 in the Chemistry Connects to Philosophy Kog (How Do We Know What We Know?) deals very specifically with how science has developed by working through differing ideas. The chapter explains terms such as paradigm shifts in science and gives examples such as the story of Svante Arrhenius, who received a low grade on his dissertation about ions from the graduating committee. They did not agree with many of his conclusions. However, he was later proven correct and even received a Nobel Prize for his work.

3. The scientific method is covered in various places in the RS4K and Kogs curricula, such as in the introduction for Physics Level I and in the Chemistry Connects to Philosophy Kog, where the Muslim philosopher Ibn al-Haytham is credited with the development and Roger Bacon with the refinement of the process. Bacon added “verification” to the cycle of observation, hypothesis and experimentation. Throughout the Laboratory Workbooks for each discipline, the importance of the method is stressed and illustrated. Helping students embrace a process to weed out statements not supported by evidence, RS4K builds critical thinking skills with numerous lessons and questions. An outstanding source for learning these skills very specifically is the Chemistry Connects to Critical Thinking Kog. The entire 10 chapters of this workbook are devoted to tools for objectively gathering facts and then using a “critical thinking lens” to make valid conclusions or ask further questions.

History of Science

A. through C. The Chemistry Connects to History Kog was created to specifically address the importance of students understanding the history of science and why the challenges faced along the way are important even today. Important figures and their ideas are often brought to life with brief and colorful explanations of their culture. That workbook even begins with an explanation of what “history” means and the tools used to understand and interpret artifacts. Students begin the workbook by creating their own short history or a history for a family member. Blank timelines that the student completes are used throughout. The Chemistry Connects to Philosophy Kog makes use of plays in which the students portray historical figures in science that are having discussions. The Kogs are more detailed extensions of the philosophy woven throughout the Student Texts, which is that students learn best if scientific concepts and facts are put into context. So several chapters in each subject text include information on the scientists who made certain discoveries and the diversity of their backgrounds and culture.

Americans are knowledgeable about basic scientific facts that affect their health and daily lives, but they are less able to answer questions about more complex science topics, according to a PEW study released in early July. These results support Gravitas’ long-standing philosophy that we learn and retain science information better when it is put into context and associated with our real-world experience.

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society, conducted a general survey of opinions about the state of science and its impact on society. They also asked science knowledge questions in a separate survey of 1,005 adult members of the general public. Quoting from that section of the published report:

Fully 91% know that aspirin is an over-the-counter drug recommended to prevent heart attacks and 82% know that GPS technology relies on satellites. And topics covered in major news stories also are widely understood; 77% correctly identify earthquakes as a cause of tsunamis and 65% can identify CO2 as a gas linked to rising temperatures.

Slightly more than half (54%) knows that antibiotics do not kill viruses along with bacteria, and about the same percentage (52%) knows that what distinguishes stem cells from other cells is that they can develop into many different kinds of cells. And some high-school science knowledge is elusive for most Americans: Fewer than half (46%) know that electrons are smaller than atoms.

There were several other interesting results in the survey of opinions about the state of science and its impact on society, as the report presented points of agreement and disagreement between scientists who were surveyed and the general public.

For example, majorities of both groups point to advances in medicine and life sciences as important achievements of science. About half of the public (52%) cites medicine – including health care, vaccines, and medical cures – when asked to describe ways that science has positively affected society; by comparison, just 7% mention communications and computer technology. Similarly, most scientists (55%) mention a biomedical or health finding when asked about the nation’s greatest scientific achievement of the last 20 years.

The published report (Public Praises Science) also reveals percentages of opinions of the public versus scientists on topics such as natural evolution, belief in climate change from human activity, the relative standing of U.S. science achievements, and more.

Read or download the report at: http://people-press.org/report/528/

This post relates to the science in personal and social perspectives standards for grades 5 through 8 of the 2005 National Science Education Standards from the National Research Council. We’ll look at how Real Science-4-Kids (RS4K) and Kogs-4-Kids (K4K) texts align with these.

National Science Education Standards

PERSONAL HEALTH:

1. Regular exercise is important to the maintenance and improvement of health. The benefits of physical fitness include maintaining healthy weight, having energy and strength for routine activities, good muscle tone, bone strength, strong heart/lung systems, and improved mental health. Personal exercise, especially developing cardiovascular endurance, is the foundation of physical fitness.
2. The potential for accidents and the existence of hazards imposes the need for injury prevention. Safe living involves the development and use of safety precautions and the recognition of risk in personal decisions. Injury prevention has personal and social dimensions.
3. The use of tobacco increases the risk of illness. Students should understand the influence of short-tem social and psychological factors that lead to tobacco use, and the possible long-term detrimental effects of smoking and chewing tobacco.
4. Alcohol and other drugs are often abused substances. Such drugs change how the body functions and can lead to addiction.
5. Food provides energy and nutrients for growth and development. Nutrition requirements vary with body weight, age, sex, activity, and body functioning.
6. Sex drive is a natural human function that requires understanding. Sex is also a prominent means of transmitting diseases. The diseases can be prevented through a variety of precautions.
7. Natural environments may contain substances (for example, radon and lead) that are harmful to human beings. Maintaining environmental health involves establishing or monitoring quality standards related to use of soil, water, and air.

POPULATIONS, RESOURCES, AND ENVIRONMENTS

1. When an area becomes overpopulated, the environment will become degraded due to the increased use of resources.
2. Causes of environmental degradation and resource depletion vary from region to region and from country to country.

NATURAL HAZARDS

1. Internal and external processes of the earth system cause natural hazards, events that change or destroy human and wildlife habitats, damage property, and harm or kill humans. Natural hazards include earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, floods, storms, and even possible impacts of asteroids.
2. Human activities also can induce hazards through resource acquisition, urban growth, land-use decisions, and waste disposal. Such activities can accelerate many natural changes.
3. Natural hazards can present personal and societal challenges because misidentifying the change or incorrectly estimating the rate and scale of change may result in either too little attention and significant human costs or too much cost for unneeded preventive measures.

RISKS AND BENEFITS

1. Risk analysis considers the type of hazard and estimates the number of people that might be exposed and the number likely to suffer the consequences. The results are used to determine the options for reducing or eliminating risks.
2. Students should understand the risks associated with natural hazards (fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions), with chemical hazards (pollutants in air, water, soil, and food), with biological hazards (pollen, viruses, bacterial, and parasites), social hazards (occupational safety and transportation), and with personal hazards (smoking, dieting, and drinking).
3. Individuals can use a systematic approach to thinking critically about risks and benefits. Examples include applying probability estimates to risks and comparing them to estimated personal and social benefits.
4. Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY

1. Science influences society through its knowledge and world view. Scientific knowledge and the procedures used by scientists influence the way many individuals in society think about themselves, others, and the environment. The effect of science on society is neither entirely beneficial nor entirely detrimental.
2. Societal challenges often inspire questions for scientific research, and social priorities often influence research priorities through the availability of funding for research.
3. Technology influences society through its products and processes. Technology influences the quality of life and the ways people act and interact. Technological changes are often accompanied by social, political, and economic changes that can be beneficial or detrimental to individuals and to society. Social needs, attitudes, and values influence the direction of technological development.
4. Science and technology have advanced through contributions of many different people, in different cultures, at different times in history. Science and technology have contributed enormously to economic growth and productivity among societies and groups within societies.
5. Scientists and engineers work in many different settings, including colleges and universities, businesses and industries, specific research institutes, and government agencies.
6. Scientists and engineers have ethical codes requiring that human subjects involved with research be fully informed about risks and benefits associated with the research before the individuals choose to participate. This ethic extends to potential risks to communities and property. In short, prior knowledge and consent are required for research involving human subjects or potential damage to property.
7. Science cannot answer all questions and technology cannot solve all human problems or meet all human needs. Students should understand the difference between scientific and other questions. They should appreciate what science and technology can reasonably contribute to society and what they cannot do. For example, new technologies often will decrease some risks and increase others.

Real Science-4-Kids meets this standard in the following ways:

Because each level of the RS4K curricula covers subjects in the same order (with more depth added for higher levels), the following alignments are generally true for Pre-Level I and Level II as well as Level I. However, specific examples are taken from Level I RS4K texts and Kogs-4-Kids™ workbooks since that age range most closely matches that of the National Standards presented here. Kogs workbooks match the subject matter of each chapter but expand that subject in the context of the book’s category (philosophy, critical thinking, history, etc.). Because information is built upon with each chapter, many types of knowledge in the standards show up in virtually all chapters. However, the key chapters for each section are shown below.

Personal Health

A. through D.:  Human anatomy and human fitness are not specifically covered in the textbooks as of July 2009, but subjects not covered by current books may be addressed in upcoming curricula.

E.: Chapter 8 (Energy Molecules) in Chemistry Level I goes into detail about why humans need to eat and how our bodies obtain fuel to run properly. Specific nutritional requirements are not addressed in the RS4K texts available as of July 2009.

F. Human anatomy and sexual function are not specifically covered in the textbooks as of July 2009, but subjects not covered by current books may be addressed in upcoming curricula.

G. The first RS4K Earth/Space teaching materials will be available in 2010 and may cover such environmental issues.

Populations, Resources, and Environments

A. and B.:  Chapter 10 (Our Balanced World) in Level I Biology discusses in general terms what an ecosystem is and how our food, air and water cycles work. The upcoming Earth/Space series may further address these issues.

Natural Hazards

A. through C.:  These issues may be addressed to varying degrees in the upcoming Earth/Space series.

Risks and Benefits

A., B. and D.: These issues may be addressed to varying degrees in the upcoming Earth/Space series.

C.:  While probability risk analysis is not covered in existing RS4K materials, the process of using critical thinking tools is covered extensively in the Critical Thinking workbook in the Kogs-4-Kids™ series. Critical thinking tools and skills are also explained and promoted in the Laboratory Workbook experiments associated with RS4K chemistry, biology and physics texts. Chapter 1 (What is Physics?) in the Level I Physics Student Text explains the scientific method in detail.

Science and Technology

A. The entire Kogs-4-Kids series of workbooks are designed to illustrate how science has always affected our world and vice versa, with specifics in history, language, arts, philosophy, technology and critical thinking. Benefits and detrimental side effects are discussed as appropriate to each subject. For example, chapter 8 in the chemistry text explains energy molecules. The related Kogs chapter specifically discusses fats as a source of energy. The story of the development of margarine is used to illustrate several points, including the fact that harmful side effects of hydrogenating oil were discovered years after we began using margarine.

B. and C.: The introduction to Chemistry Connects to Technology specifically addresses the reciprocity of science and technology. An example that is used is how the accidental discovery of glass allowed magnification. That ability to magnify, in turn, allowed the use of telescopes in the study of the cosmos, which developed as a branch of science. The later use of curved mirrors demonstrates the progression of technology for even better scientific discoveries. All of the Kogs further delve into how discoveries alter society and vice versa. The effects of learning that Earth revolves around the Sun, and the trials of having that fact become accepted, is an excellent example discussed in the Kogs workbook for philosophy (chapter 4).

D.: Inventors and scientists from numerous countries – including Sweden, Russia, Italy, Iran, Greece and the U.S. – are identified specifically throughout both Gravitas’ textbooks and Kogs workbooks. Examples of how discoveries and inventions have benefited societies, and often the inventors personally, are throughout.

E.: Though the variety of settings for scientific work is not discussed as a subject in itself, the information is contained in the very wide array of examples of where and how inventions and discoveries have been made.

F.: Human testing is not a subject specifically discussed in existing RS4K materials.

G.: Because validation of results and conclusions is a subject covered repeatedly throughout RS4K and Kogs materials, examples are often given of the difference between scientific knowledge and the interpretation of that knowledge. The Kogs workbook on critical thinking is at the heart of this topic. Likewise, the Kogs workbook on philosophy explains the periods in human history when science and philosophy have been closely connected and when they have not.

“Kimberly Kauer was worried about her 6-year-old daughter’s math skills. Her school doesn’t assign homework, and Ms. Kauer wasn’t sure which math concepts her daughter fully understood. To quell her fears, Ms. Kauer started her daughter on an online educational program for young children called DreamBox Learning. DreamBox uses interactive games to teach math and analyzes users’ progress as they complete lessons.”

The above is a quote from a July 22, 2009, article by Joseph De Avila in the Wall Street Journal. The article goes on to discuss several interactive Websites that concerned parents can access (and pay for by subscription) to test or supplement their child’s learning. The sites mentioned in this article include: Dreambox, SmartyCard, Brightstorm, and Grockit.

With a caveat about the effectiveness of these newer sites not being extensively studied, the point is made that this is a growing industry. The end of the article cites some studies suggesting “blended” learning (traditional, face-to-face teaching plus online learning) may be the most effective, at least for older students.

Gravitas Publications this year took its first steps in using online, interactive technology with the introduction of the company’s Club Services. Among the benefits of the subscription service is online testing for each chapter of the publisher’s chemistry, biology and physics textbooks. Textbooks are currently available in all three subjects for kindergarten through third grade level and for fourth grade through sixth grade level. There is also a chemistry text for grades seven through nine. Online tests are graded automatically and results can be printed out. Tests may be retaken as needed, and questions are shuffled each time.

This post relates to the technology and science content standards for grades 5 through 8 of the 2005 National Science Education Standards from the National Research Council. We’ll look at how Real Science-4-Kids (RS4K) and Kogs-4-Kids (K4K) texts align with these.

National Science Education Standards; Technology:  

ALL STUDENTS SHOULD DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ABILITIES OF TECHNOLOGICAL DESIGN

·   Identify appropriate problems for technological design

·   Design a solution or product

·   Implement a proposed design

·   Evaluate completed technological designs or products

·   Communicate the process of technological design

ALL STUDENTS SHOULD DEVELOP UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A.    Scientific inquiry and technological design have similarities and differences. Scientists propose explanations for questions about the natural world, and engineers propose solutions relating to human problems, needs, and aspirations. Technological solutions are temporary; technologies exist within nature and so they cannot contravene physical or biological principles; technological solutions have side effects; and technologies cost, carry risks, and provide benefits.

B.    Many different people in different cultures have made and continue to make contributions to science and technology.

C.   Science and technology are reciprocal. Science helps drive technology, as it addresses questions that demand more sophisticated instruments and provides principles for better instrumentation and technique. Technology is essential to science, because it provides instruments and techniques that enable observations of objects and phenomena that are otherwise unobservable due to factors such as quantity, distance, location, size, and speed. Technology also provides tools for investigations, inquiry, and analysis.

D.   Perfectly designed solutions do not exist. All technological solutions have tradeoffs, such as safety, cost, efficiency, and appearance. Engineers often build in back-up systems to provide safety. Risk is part of living in a highly technological world. Reducing risk often results in new technology.

E.    Technological designs have constraints. Some constraints are unavoidable, for example, properties of materials, or effects of weather and friction; other constraints limit choices in the design, for example, environmental protection, human safety, and aesthetics.

6. Technological solutions have intended benefits and unintended consequences. Some consequences can be predicted, others cannot.

Real Science-4-Kids meets this standard in the following ways:

Because each level of the RS4K curricula covers subjects in the same order (with more depth added for higher levels), the following alignments are generally true for Pre-Level I and Level II as well as Level I. However, specific examples are taken from Level I RS4K texts and Kogs-4-Kids™ workbooks since that age range most closely matches that of the National Standards presented here. Kogs workbooks match the subject matter of each chapter but expand that subject in the context of the book’s category (philosophy, critical thinking, history, etc.). Because information is built upon with each chapter, many types of knowledge in the standards show up in virtually all chapters. However, the key chapters for each section are shown below.

The Gravitas Kogs series has an entire workbook titled Chemistry Connects to Technology. The Kogs series also incorporates many of the knowledge points for Science and Technology in other Kogs workbooks for history, the arts, philosophy, critical thinking and language.

Understanding of the Abilities of Technological Design:

The introduction and 10 chapters of Chemistry Connects to Technology discuss how discoveries and technology design have been interwoven throughout history as technology was invented to address various needs. At the end of each chapter, the student is asked a series of questions encouraging the evaluation of how certain inventions were designed and why. At the end of the introduction, for example, the student is asked to choose one piece of technology he or she uses often, then make a list of the material used for each component. Further questions ask the student to break down one component even further: to think and write about things such as where it was made, who might have designed it, and which scientific principles would have been used in its design process.

Understandings about Science and Technology:

1. In the Kogs-4-Kids workbook Chemistry Connects to Technology, each chapter relates to the science subject in the corresponding Real Science-4-Kids textbook. This allows students to understand how the scientific knowledge is translated into useful technology. Benefits and side effects are discusses as appropriate to each subject. For example, chapter 8 in the chemistry text explains energy molecules. The related Kogs chapter specifically discusses fats as a source of energy. The story of the development of margarine is used to illustrate several points, including that harmful side effects of hydrogenating oil were discovered years later.
2. Inventors and scientists from numerous countries – including Sweden, Russia, Italy, Greece and the U.S. – are identified specifically throughout both Gravitas’ textbooks and Kogs workbooks.
3. The introduction to Chemistry Connects to Technology specifically addresses the reciprocity of science and technology. An example that is used is how the accidental discovery of glass allowed magnification. That magnifcation, in turn, allowed the use of telescopes in the study of the cosmos, which developed as a branch of science. The later use of curved mirrors demonstrates the progression of technology for even better scientific discoveries.
4. Just one of many examples is chapter 4 in the Kogs workbook Chemistry Connects to History. It discusses the ups and downs of developing a way to test acidity: from early glass probes that broke too easily, all the way through the business success of California professor Arnold Beckman, the inventor of the first modern pH meter.
5.  and F. The story of the development of margarine [Chemistry Connects to Technology, chapter 8 (Fats)] is again a good example of how Gravitas books meet this part of the standard. Hydrogenation of oils provided a long list of benefits and harmful side effects were discovered years later. Benefits and drawbacks of dozens of technology inventions are discussed throughout the textbooks and Kogs workbooks. 

Just last month, the University of New Mexico Cancer Center issued a news release announcing that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected a research team at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center to lead the tenth National Center for Systems Biology in the U.S. with a five-year, $14.5 million grant:

“This grant will bring together people from many different disciplines and backgrounds, including biologists, engineers, mathematicians and physicists at UNM, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories,” said Janet Oliver, PhD and principal investigator of the new center, called the New Mexico Spatiotemporal Modeling Center (STMC). “Together, we expect to develop the new tools needed to understand the dynamic biochemical and spatial events that control the behavior of immune and cancer cells.”

It is helpful for home school parents and teachers to be aware of this relatively new method of scientific investigation and medical research. Systems biology is an emerging interdisciplinary field that joins biology, mathematics, engineering and the physical sciences. Using experimental and computational approaches, it builds on existing knowledge of genetic and molecular functions to study and understand biological processes in cells, tissues and organisms.

Readers of Gravitas’ blogs and articles already know that Gravitas promotes “interdisciplinary” approaches to learning. That is why the Kogs-4-Kids™ series links chemistry with other subjects such as history, philosophy and technology. We believe this promotes enhanced critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as better learning by repetition in various contexts and linking facts to real world situations. The announcement of this tenth systems biology center validates that our students need to be versed in interdisciplinary understanding.

The systems perspective brings an engineering paradigm into the science of biology to study the complex design of living things. In many ways, it is a new biology that will add much to our knowledge base, much as quantum physics extended the field of nuclear physics.

This is also a good example for children of how working scientists discover new facts and then put them into practical use, perhaps in this case producing new treatments or even cures for diseases such as cancer.

This is the third in a series of posts relating to the life science content standards for grades 5 through 8 of the 2005 National Science Education Standards from the National Research Council. We’ll look at how Real Science-4-Kids (RS4K) teaching materials align with these.

National Science Education Standards; Life Science 4:

POPULATIONS AND ECOSYSTEMS

A. A population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time. All populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem.

B.    Populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an ecosystem. Plants and some microorganisms are producers – they make their own food. All animals, including humans, are consumers, which obtain food by eating other organisms. Decomposers, primarily bacteria and fungi, are consumers that use waste materials and dead organisms for food. Food webs identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem.

C.   For ecosystems, the major source of energy is sunlight. Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis. That energy then passes from organism to organism in food webs.

D.   The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water, range of temperatures, and soil composition. Given adequate biotic and abiotic resources and no disease or predators, populations (including humans) increase at rapid rates. Lack of resources and other factors, such as predation and climate, limit the growth of populations in specific niches in the ecosystem.

National Science Education Standards; Life Science 5:

DIVERSITY AND ADAPTATIONS OF ORGANISMS

A.    Millions of species of animals, plants, and microorganisms are alive today. Although different species might look dissimilar, the unity among organisms becomes apparent from an analysis of internal structures, the similarity of their chemical processes, and the evidence of common ancestry.

B.    Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations. Species acquire many of their unique characteristics through biological adaptation, which involves the selection of naturally occurring variations in populations. Biological adaptations include changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that enhance survival and reproductive success in a particular environment.

C.   Extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient to allow its survival. Fossils indicate that many organisms that lived long ago are extinct. Extinction of species is common; most of the species that have lived on the earth no longer exist.

 

Real Science-4-Kids meets these standards in the following ways:

The National Standards for “life science” corresponds with the RS4K Biology series. Because each level of the RS4K curricula covers subjects in the same order (with more depth added for higher levels), the following alignments with the national standards are generally true for Pre-Level I as well as Level I. However, specific examples are taken from Level I texts and workbooks since that age range most closely matches that of the National Standards presented here. Because information is built upon with each chapter, many areas of knowledge in the standards show up in virtually all chapters. However, the key chapters for each section are shown below.

Life Science section 4; Populations and Ecosystems:

A.    Chapter 10 (Our Balanced World) discusses ecosystems in terms of the cycles necessary to maintain life, showing how populations and physical conditions work together. Many components of an ecosystem are taught in further detail in chapters 3 (Photosynthesis) through 9 (The Frog Life Cycle). A good specific example in chapter 5 (How a Plant Grows) is the description of how bacteria in the soil can make necessary nitrogen available to plants.

B.    The processes by which producers make their own food are discussed in detail in chapters focused on specific types of life such as chapter 3 (Photosynthesis) and chapter 5 (How a Plant Grows). How some specific consumers fit into the cycle is discussed in chapters 8 (The Butterfly Cycle) and 9 (The Frog Life Cycle). Chapter 10 (Our Balanced World) and the colorful, informative illustrations within it detail how all components work together in an ecosystem.

C.   The entire chapter 3 (Photosynthesis) is devoted to explaining photosynthesis and how this process feeds the ecosystem. Chapter 10 (Our Balanced World) describes the food cycle in words and illustration.

D.   The fact that Earth is a delicately balanced ecosystem that contains innumerable smaller, delicately balanced ecosystems is discussed in general terms in chapter 10 (Our Balanced World). Details of ecosystem limitations are not discussed in this text but may be addressed in either the upcoming Level II Biology materials and/or the “B” series for Pre-Level I and Level I.

Life Science section 5; Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms:

A.    A detailed discussion of how all life forms are classified by their similarities and differences is presented in chapter 1 (Living Creatures). RS4K is careful about using the term “common ancestry,” as it can have multiple meanings. RS4K introduces students to the common features found in all living creatures, such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. Also, Gravitas materials acknowledge a central axiom of biology that “life begets life” and, as such, current living organisms have come from common ancestral organisms. However, how far back the ancestral organisms derive is not clearly known and, therefore, Gravitas materials leave this question open.

B.    Gravitas materials recognize that living creatures evolve – that is, change over time – in that they do and have adapted to influences and conditions over time. For example, we know that today some bacteria can use nylon as a food source. This is an adaptation, because nylon was not available until recent times. However, Gravitas materials are careful not to promote a “historical narrative” extrapolated from such scientific data. It is the position of Gravitas that science must be rigid in admitting that there are things we do not yet know. That is the essence of “open inquiry,” a principle of science wholeheartedly endorsed by Gravitas.

C.   Fossilized evidence of extinct species may be covered in the upcoming Real Science-4-Kids Earth/Space series. 

Recently a very supportive user of Real Science-4-Kids teaching materials wrote to Gravitas with a suggestion. She knows of some home school parents who have strong objections to the use of the word “design” in a few places in the RS4K biology texts.

The Gravitas philosophy is that its materials teach the facts about gathering and using scientific concepts and data but leave how that information is interpreted to each student and teacher. The objection to the word “design” seems to come from the idea that using the word is the same as promoting the science philosophy of “intelligent design” that pertains to the origin of life.

The specific language used to teach is very important, so it is important to be clear that “design” is not a taboo in science, because the word is commonly used in its generic meaning of “to draw up a plan or execute according to a plan.” In the automotive industry, one can design a car. In mathematics, one can design a set of formulas to solve a problem.

Books totally unrelated to the concept of intelligent design can use the term in a title, such as:  An Introduction to Systems Biology: Design Principles of Biological Circuits (Chapman & Hall/Crc Mathematical and Computational Biology)

Here is an array of science articles, again not pertaining to the discussion of intelligent design:

Protein design in biological networks: from manipulating the input to modifying the output. Van der Sloot AM, Kiel C, Serrano L, Stricher F. Protein Eng Des Sel. 2009 Jul 2.

A systematic design method for robust synthetic biology to satisfy design specifications. Chen BS, Wu CH. BMC Syst Biol. 2009 Jun 30;3(1):66.

Synthetic biology: exploring and exploiting genetic modularity through the design of novel biological networks. Agapakis CM, Silver PA. Mol Biosyst. 2009 Jul;5(7):704-13. Epub 2009 May 14.

Common themes in the design and function of bacterial effectors. Galán JE. Cell Host Microbe. 2009 Jun 18;5(6):571-9

This is the second in a series of posts relating to the life science content standards for grades 5 through 8 of the 2005 National Science Education Standards from the National Research Council. We’ll look at how Real Science-4-Kids (RS4K) teaching materials align with these.

National Science Education Standards; Life Science 2:

REPRODUCTION AND HEREDITY

A. Reproduction is a characteristic of all living systems; because no individual organism lives forever, reproduction is essential to the continuation of every species. Some organisms reproduce asexually. Other organisms reproduce sexually.
B. In many species, including humans, females produce eggs and males produce sperm. Plants also reproduce sexually – the egg and sperm are produced in the flowers of flowering plants. An egg and sperm unite to begin development of a new individual. That new individual receives genetic information from its mother (via the egg) and its father (via the sperm). Sexually produced offspring never are identical to either of their parents.
C. Hereditary information is contained in genes, located in the chromosomes of each cell. Each gene carries a single unit of information. An inherited trait of an individual can be determined by one or by many genes, and a single gene can influence more than one trait. A human cell contains many thousands of different genes.
D. The characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of a combination of traits. Some traits are inherited and others result from interactions with the environment.

National Science Education Standards; Life Science 3:

REGULATION AND BEHAVIOR

 A. All organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing external environment.

 B. Regulation of an organism's internal environment involves sensing the internal environment and changing physiological activities to keep conditions within the range required to survive.

 C. Behavior is one kind of response an organism can make to an internal or environmental stimulus. A behavioral response requires coordination and communication at many levels, including cells, organ systems, and whole organisms. Behavioral response is a set of actions determined in part by heredity and in part from experience.

 D. An organism's behavior evolves through adaptation to its environment. How a species moves, obtains food, reproduces, and responds to danger are based in the species' evolutionary history.

Real Science-4-Kids meets these standards in the following ways:

The National Standards for “life science” corresponds with the RS4K Biology series. Because each level of the RS4K curricula covers subjects in the same order (with more depth added for higher levels), the following alignments with the national standards are generally true for Pre-Level I as well as Level I. However, specific examples are taken from Level I texts and workbooks since that age range most closely matches that of the National Standards presented here. Because information is built upon with each chapter, many areas of knowledge in the standards show up in virtually all chapters. However, the key chapters for each section are shown below.

Life Science section 2: Reproduction and Heredity, subsections A-D:

There is a description in Biology Level I chapter 9 (The Frog Life Cycle) about where female frogs lay their eggs and that a male frog fertilizes the eggs. In chapter 4 (Parts of a Plant), the process of pollen fertilizing the eggs is diagramed and described.  However, the topics of asexual and sexual reproduction are not specifically covered in the textbooks as of July 2009. Subjects not covered by current books may be addressed in either the upcoming Level II Biology materials and/or the “B” series for Pre-Level I and Level I.

Life Science section 3: Regulation and Heredity

A. & B.:  The Level I Biology Student Text and corresponding experiments in the Laboratory Workbook provide information relevant to subsections A and B under Regulation and Heredity. Chapter 2 (Cells – The Building Blocks of Life) explains both external and internal influences at the cellular level. Several subsequent chapters examine very specific organism responses to both external and internal environmental changes by explaining in great detail natural processes and life cycles. A very specific example is that chapter 5 (How a Plant Grows) explains how gravity and other factors help a plant seed grow “up” even if the seed is upside down under the soil. Other especially relevant chapters include: chapters 3 (Photosynthesis), 4 (Parts of a Plant), 7 (Protists II), 8 (The Butterfly Cycle), and 9 (The Frog Life Cycle). Chapter 10 (Our Balanced World) relates information on how systems work together in our environment and how humans interact with the cycles of nature.

C & D.:  Behavior responses resulting from internal and external stimuli as a topic are not covered in the Pre-Level I and Level I Biology texts as of July 2009. Heredity and adaptation are also not addressed. However, topics not covered by current books may be addressed in either the upcoming Level II Biology materials and/or the “B” series for Pre-Level I and Level I.