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TEST SPECIFICATION
STANDARD 5.10 (ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE): for Grades 2 and 4

NOTE: This test specification encompasses all strands of standards 5.10.2 and 5.10.4.
Sample Question
I

Macro statement:
The environment is a system of independent components affected by human activity and natural phenomena.
II

Knowledge statement (delineated for each strand):

A.

Natural systems and Interactions

  1. Identify the basic needs of plants and animals and recognize how they meet these needs within their surroundings.
  2. Animals need air, food, and water to live.
  3. Plants need water, light, air, and certain nutrients.
  4. Plants and animals need ways to dispose of wastes.
  5. Natural resources are not always renewable, e.g., fossil fuels and metals.
  6. Some natural resources are renewable, e.g., air, water, trees.
B.

Human interactions: an Input

  1. Humans are able to control some conditions around them to meet their needs. For example:
    1. Humans increase the amount of food produced by providing favorable conditions for its growth, that is, by farming.
    2. Humans can compensate for difficulties or disabilities by controlling their environment.
  2. Human needs impact the environment in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental.
    1. Humans depend on other organisms. For example:
      1. Humans make clothing from parts of other animals.
      2. Humans make pets of some animals for enjoyment, protection, and assistance in compensating for disabilities.
      3. Humans use some animals to perform work and to provide recreation.
  3. Recognize through reading, observing, and/or analyzing data, the interdependence of living things and their environment.
  4. Infer through reading, observing, and/or analyzing data, how meeting human needs affects the environment.
  5. Create flow charts/concept maps to show how humans impact the environment.
III

Skill statements for strands:
In order to demonstrate an understanding of the principles of environmental studies, students must use the scientific skills delineated in standards 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4.