sci 227 test two

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

A set of educational standards structured around three dimensions to support student learning in science.

Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs)

Describes what scientists and engineers do in research, investigation, and development, including skills such as asking questions and analyzing data.

Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs)

Overarching themes in science that help students see connections between different disciplines, such as patterns and cause and effect.

Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs)

Fundamental concepts in various scientific disciplines that provide foundational knowledge to understand scientific principles.

Nature of Science

Key characteristics of scientific knowledge, including tentativeness, empirical evidence, and logical reasoning, as outlined by McComas.

Tentativeness

The characteristic of scientific knowledge being subject to change as new evidence emerges.

Empirical Evidence

Observable and measurable evidence that science relies on.

Theoretical Framework

Conceptual models and theories that connect empirical evidence in scientific explanations.

Logical Reasoning

Employing logical thinking to develop explanations and conclusions based on evidence.

Collaboration

The process through which scientific inquiry is often conducted by groups of scientists.

BSCS 5E Instructional Model

A teaching model that emphasizes five phases: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with their physical environment.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area, affected by environmental factors.

Trophic Interaction

The relationships between species in an ecosystem based on feeding habits, including predator-prey dynamics.

Engineering Design Process

A series of steps engineers follow to develop solutions, including defining the problem, researching, generating ideas, and testing solutions.

pH

A measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution, ranging from 0 (acidic) to 14 (basic), with 7 being neutral.

Absorbent Materials

Materials used to soak up or contain substances, especially in the context of cleaning up spills.

Producer

Organisms that produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, forming the base of food webs.

Consumer

Organisms that cannot produce their food and rely on consuming other organisms for energy.

Decomposer

Organisms that break down dead organic material, returning nutrients to the ecosystem.

Geologic Time Scale

A timeline that categorizes Earth's history into distinct eras based on significant geological and biological events.

Earthquake Magnitude

A measurement of the energy released during an earthquake, typically assessed using a logarithmic scale.

Elastic Rebound Theory

A theory explaining how stress builds up in geological faults and is released, resulting in earthquakes.

P-waves

Waves that are compressional and travel through solids, liquids, and gases, and are the fastest of the seismic waves.

S-waves

Secondary seismic waves that are shear waves, slower than P-waves, and can only travel through solids.

Ring of Fire

A major area in the Pacific Ocean basin where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

Volcano Types

Classifications of volcanoes including shield, composite (stratovolcanoes), cinder cones, and calderas, distinguished by size, slope, and materials.

Pyroclasts

Solid materials ejected during a volcanic eruption, classified by size into blocks, bombs, lapilli, pumice, and ash.

Hazard Level of Volcanoes

Descriptions of the risk associated with different types of volcanoes, ranging from low hazards in shield volcanoes to very high hazards in calderas.