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Overview

— Vertical Alignment

Vertical alignment shows student expectations in the same subject area at different grade levels that are related to or build upon one another.

S.3.12.C

describe how natural changes to the environment such as floods and droughts cause some organisms to thrive and others to perish or move to new locations; and

Matter and energy. Students have prior experience with elements in Grade 6 and develop an understanding that compounds are also pure substances in Grade 7. Students investigate the differences between elements and compounds through observations, descriptions of physical properties, and chemical reactions. Students build upon their understanding of solutions by exploring aqueous solutions.

S.8.11.C

describe the carbon cycle.

S.8.12.B

describe how primary and secondary ecological succession affect populations and species diversity after ecosystems are disrupted by natural events or human activity; and

S.8.12.C

describe how biodiversity contributes to the stability and sustainability of an ecosystem and the health of the organisms within the ecosystem.

BIO.13.A

investigate and evaluate how ecological relationships, including predation, parasitism, commensalism, mutualism, and competition, influence ecosystem stability;

BIO.13.C

explain the significance of the carbon and nitrogen cycles to ecosystem stability and analyze the consequences of disrupting these cycles; and

BIO.13.D

explain how environmental change, including change due to human activity, affects biodiversity and analyze how changes in biodiversity impact ecosystem stability.

AQUA.9.A

identify the role of carbon, nitrogen, water, and nutrient cycles in an aquatic environment, including upwellings and turnovers;

ENVIR.6.D

identify how changes in limiting resources such as water, food, and energy affect local ecosystems;

ENVIR.8.A

compare exponential and logistical population growth using graphical representations;

ENVIR.8.B

identify factors that may alter carrying capacity such as disease; natural disaster; available food, water, and livable space; habitat fragmentation; and periodic changes in weather;

ENVIR.8.C

calculate changes in population size in ecosystems; and

ENVIR.9.A

analyze and describe how natural events such as tectonic movement, volcanic events, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, and tsunamis affect natural populations;

ENVIR.9.C

examine how natural processes such as succession and feedback loops can restore habitats and ecosystems;

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