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How to learn High school: Science

Virginia Standards of Learning: Science, High school

0 of 38 concepts ready to learn · Markdown, for your AI

1. Scientific Skills and Processes

  1. Writing Science Reports: Communicate scientific findings in a structured report using appropriate scientific vocabulary, SI units, and standard notation; describe how peer review and replication contribute to the reliability of scientific knowledge

2. The student will analyze how biotic and abiotic factors interact to affect the distribution of species and the diversity of life on Earth. Key concepts include:

  1. How Natural Selection Works: Explain natural selection as the mechanism of evolution: heritable variation + competition for resources + differential survival and reproduction = change in allele frequency over generations
  2. Biodiversity & Resilience: Explain what biodiversity means, why high biodiversity makes ecosystems more resilient, and describe the ways human activity threatens biodiversity (habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, climate change)
  3. Species Distribution & Change: Explain how environmental change (climate change, habitat loss, pollution) affects the distribution of species, including range shifts, local extinction, and invasive species

3. Physics · The student will investigate and understand, through mathematical and experimental processes, that electrical circuits are a system used to transfer energy. Key ideas include

  1. Ohm's Law: voltage, current, resistance: Apply Ohm's Law (V = IR) to calculate current, voltage, or resistance in a simple circuit, and explain that resistance opposes the flow of current
  2. Series vs parallel circuits: Describe and apply the rules for current, voltage, and resistance in series and parallel circuits, and explain the practical uses of each circuit type

4. Physics · The student will investigate and understand, through mathematical and experimental processes, that fields provide a unifying description of force at a distance. Key ideas include

  1. Motors & the Motor Effect: Explain the motor effect as the force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field, and describe how this principle is used in electric motors and loudspeakers

5. Physics · The student will investigate and understand, through mathematical and experimental processes, that optical systems form a variety of images. Key ideas include

  1. Reflection & Refraction: State the law of reflection (angle of incidence = angle of reflection) and explain refraction as the change in speed and direction when light crosses a boundary between two media; apply ray diagrams for plane mirrors and refracting surfaces
  2. Ray Diagrams & Images: Construct ray diagrams to show the formation of images by plane mirrors and converging lenses, identifying whether images are real or virtual, magnified or diminished, upright or inverted

6. Physics · The student will investigate and understand, through mathematical and experimental processes, that waves transmit energy and move in predictable patterns. Key ideas include

  1. Waves & Different Materials: Explain how waves can be absorbed, transmitted, or reflected by different materials, and apply these interactions to explain colour perception, sight, communication technologies, and the effects of different surfaces on wave behaviour

7. Physics · The student will investigate and understand, through mathematical and experimental processes, that conservation laws govern all interactions. Key ideas include

  1. Energy can't be created or destroyed: Explain the principle of conservation of energy (energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred between stores), and describe how energy is dissipated as thermal energy to the surroundings in all real processes

8. Physics · The student will investigate and understand, through mathematical and experimental processes, that there are relationships among force, mass, and acceleration. Key laws include

  1. Newton's First & Second Laws: State and apply Newton's First Law (an object stays at rest or constant velocity unless acted on by a resultant force) and Second Law (force = mass × acceleration), including the relationship between mass, force, and acceleration

9. Earth Science · The student will investigate and understand that Earth's weather and climate are the result of the interaction of the sun's energy with the atmosphere, oceans, and the land. Key ideas

  1. Earth's Atmosphere & CO2: Describe the composition of Earth's atmosphere (mainly nitrogen and oxygen, with small amounts of CO₂ and other gases), explain how human activity increases CO₂, and describe the impact on global climate

10. Earth Science · The student will investigate and understand that many aspects of the history and evolution of Earth and life can be inferred by studying rocks and fossils. Key ideas include

  1. Reading Ancient Climate Records: Explain how ice cores preserve ancient air bubbles, isotope ratios, and volcanic markers allowing reconstruction of temperature and CO2 going back 800,000 years; describe tree rings, ocean sediment cores, coral skeletons, and pollen records as additional climate proxies; explain how climate models are built and validated against the palaeoclimate record; describe the IPCC process of synthesising scientific evidence across thousands of studies to produce consensus assessments

11. Earth Science · The student will investigate and understand that plate tectonic theory explains Earth's internal and external geologic processes. Key ideas include

  1. How Tectonic Plates Move: Understand that convection currents in the molten mantle drive the movement of rigid tectonic plates; distinguish between convergent (collision/subduction), divergent (spreading ridges), and transform (sliding) plate boundaries; explain why volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain chains cluster at boundaries; introduce the Wilson cycle of supercontinent assembly and breakup

12. Earth Science · The student will investigate and understand that resource use is complex. Key ideas include

  1. Finite Resources & Recycling: Explain that many raw materials (metals, fossil fuels, minerals) are finite resources, describe the environmental costs of extraction, and evaluate the benefits of recycling and the circular economy

13. Earth Science · The student will investigate and understand that igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks can transform. Key ideas include

  1. The Rock Cycle: Explain the rock cycle: how igneous rocks form from magma, sedimentary rocks from compressed sediment, and metamorphic rocks from heat and pressure, and how all rock types can transform into one another over geological time

14. Earth Science · The student will demonstrate an understanding that there are scientific concepts related to the origin and evolution of the universe. Key ideas include

  1. The solar system (age 11+): Describe the detailed structure of the solar system, including moons, asteroids, and comets, compare orbital periods and distances of the planets, and distinguish between planets, dwarf planets, and other bodies

15. Chemistry · The student will investigate and understand that thermodynamics explains the relationship between matter and energy. Key ideas include

  1. Reactions That Release or Absorb Heat: Distinguish between exothermic reactions (release energy, temperature rises) and endothermic reactions (absorb energy, temperature falls), with everyday and industrial examples
  2. Body Temperature Regulation: Explain how the human body detects and responds to environmental changes including temperature, including the role of the skin in temperature regulation (sweating, shivering, vasodilation, vasoconstriction)

16. Chemistry · The student will investigate and understand that atoms are conserved in chemical reactions. Knowledge of chemical properties of the elements can be used to describe and predict chemical in

  1. Physical vs Chemical Changes: Distinguish between physical changes (reversible, no new substances formed) and chemical changes (new substances formed, often irreversible), using conservation of mass to understand both types

17. Chemistry · The student will investigate and understand that elements have properties based on their atomic structure. The periodic table is an organizational tool for elements based on these properti

  1. The Periodic Table: Describe the organisation of the periodic table into periods and groups, explain the contribution of Mendeleev, and use the table to identify metals, non-metals, and predict patterns in reactivity

18. Biology · The student will investigate and understand that populations change through time. Key ideas include

  1. Evidence for Evolution: Describe the main types of evidence for evolution: the fossil record (change over time), comparative anatomy (homologous structures), and the geographic distribution of related species

19. Biology · The student will investigate and understand that modern classification systems can be used as organizational tools for scientists in the study of organisms. Key ideas include

  1. Grouping Species Using DNA: Explain cladistics: organisms are grouped by shared derived characters, not just similarity; how phylogenetic trees are built using molecular data (DNA sequence alignment) and the molecular clock; explain why birds are technically a group within dinosaurs (crown Avemetatarsalia); distinguish convergent evolution (unrelated species evolving similar traits) from parallel evolution; introduce horizontal gene transfer and why the tree of life is more accurately a web; explain why classification systems keep changing as new data emerge

20. Biology · The student will investigate and understand that there are common mechanisms for inheritance. Key ideas include

  1. DNA & Genes: Describe the double helix structure of DNA (base pairs, complementarity), explain how genes are sections of DNA that code for proteins, introduce the central dogma (DNA → mRNA → protein) conceptually, and discuss the ethical implications of CRISPR gene editing — including potential benefits (genetic disease treatment) and concerns (germline editing, 'designer babies')

21. Biology · The student will investigate and understand that bacteria and viruses have an effect on living systems. Key ideas include

  1. Pathogens & the Immune System: Explain how pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) cause disease and describe how the immune system responds, including the roles of white blood cells (phagocytosis, antibody production) and the concept of immunity

22. Biology · The student will investigate and understand that cells have structure and function. Key ideas include

  1. Cells Under the Microscope: Understand that all living organisms are made of cells and use a light microscope to observe, interpret, and record cell structure
  2. Parts of Plant and Animal Cells: Describe the functions of the main components of plant and animal cells: cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, vacuole, mitochondria, ribosomes, and chloroplasts
  3. How the Body Stays in Balance: Explain homeostasis as the process of maintaining a stable internal environment; describe the main feedback loop systems (negative feedback) using blood glucose regulation (insulin/glucagon) and body temperature as concrete examples; and connect the endocrine system (hormone-secreting glands) to the nervous system as two complementary communication systems with different speeds and durations

23. Biology · The student will investigate and understand that chemical and biochemical processes are essential for life. Key ideas include

  1. The Carbon Cycle: Describe the carbon cycle, tracing carbon through photosynthesis, respiration, feeding, decomposition, and combustion, and explain the role of each process
  2. Digestion & Enzymes: Describe the organs of the human digestive system and how food is physically and chemically digested, including the role of enzymes as biological catalysts

24. Veterinary Science 1 (8088) · Understanding Animal Nutrition

  1. Nutrients in a Healthy Diet: Identify the seven components of a healthy diet — carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, and water — and explain the role of each in the body
  2. Calculating Dietary Energy: Calculate and evaluate energy intake and requirements in a healthy daily diet, interpreting food labels and nutritional data

25. Veterinary Science 1 (8088) · Understanding Anatomy and Physiology

  1. Human Reproduction: Describe the structure and function of the male and female human reproductive systems, and explain the processes of fertilisation, gestation, and birth including the role of the placenta
  2. Cells to Organ Systems: Describe the hierarchical organisation of multicellular organisms: cells → tissues → organs → organ systems → organism

26. Veterinary Science 2 (8089) · Understanding Genetics and Breeding

  1. Chromosomes, Genes & DNA: Describe the relationship between chromosomes, genes, and DNA in heredity, including the double helix structure of DNA and the historical roles of Watson, Crick, Franklin, and Wilkins

27. Weather - Demonstrate application of changes and patterns related to weather.

  1. Hurricanes, Tornadoes & Monsoons: Explain how hurricanes form and intensify over warm ocean water (latent heat release, low-pressure spiral); describe tornado formation within supercell thunderstorms; explain monsoon mechanics driven by temperature differences between land and sea; introduce attribution science — how scientists use climate models to calculate whether and by how much climate change increased the probability or intensity of a specific extreme weather event

28. The student will investigate and understand that many aspects of the history and evolution of Earth and life can be inferred by studying rocks and fossils.

  1. Radiometric Dating: Explain how radiometric dating works — radioactive isotopes decay at a known rate (half-life), so measuring the ratio of parent to daughter isotope in a rock or fossil gives an absolute age; distinguish between carbon-14 (useful up to ~50,000 years) and uranium-lead (useful for millions to billions of years)