Discovery Lessons:
Pennsylvania State Standards
The grids below provide overviews of which Pennsylvania State Standards the Discovery Lessons either meet or exceed in the areas of Science and Technology and Environment and Ecology. Elaborations for these standards are presented below the grids.
The paw print 
indicates that live animals are used in the lesson.
| Discovery Lesson | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fur, Feathers and Scales |
X | X | |||
| Meet the Dinosaurs | X | X | |||
| Cold-blooded Critters |
X | X | |||
| Animal Senses |
X | X | |||
| Watery Worlds |
X | X | |||
| Animal Habitats |
X | X | |||
| Bugs to Butterflies |
X | X | |||
| Unearthing the Past | X | X | |||
| Butterfly Adaptations |
|||||
| Water, Water Everywhere | X | X | |||
| Discovering Your World |
X | X | |||
| Geology Really Rocks | X | ||||
| Extreme Environments |
X | X | |||
| Dinosaurs: Eat or Be Eaten! | X | X | X | X | |
| Animals with Bad Reputations |
|||||
| Evolution: Survival of the Fittest | X | X | X | X | |
| Endangered Species: Going, Going, Gone! | X | X | |||
| What's Your Watershed Address? | X | X | X |
| Discovery Lesson | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fur, Feathers and Scales |
X | |||||||
| Meet the Dinosaurs | X | |||||||
| Cold-blooded Critters |
X | X | ||||||
| Animal Senses |
X | |||||||
| Watery Worlds |
X | X | ||||||
| Animal Habitats |
X | X | X | |||||
| Bugs to Butterflies |
X | X | X | |||||
| Unearthing the Past | X | |||||||
| Butterfly Adaptations |
X | X | ||||||
| Water, Water Everywhere | X | X | X | |||||
| Discovering Your World |
X | |||||||
| Geology Really Rocks | X | |||||||
| Extreme Environments |
X | X | X | |||||
| Dinosaurs: Eat or Be Eaten! | X | X | ||||||
| Animals with Bad Reputations |
X | X | X | |||||
| Evolution: Survival of the Fittest | X | X | ||||||
| Endangered Species: Going, Going, Gone! | X | X | X | X | X | |||
| What's Your Watershed Address? | X | X |
PA Academic Standards in Science and Technology
3.1. Unifying Themes of Science
- 3.1.7.A Explain the parts of a simple system and their relationship to each other.
- 3.1.7.C Identify patterns as repeated processes or recurring elements in science and technology.
- 3.1.7.E Identify change as a variable in describing natural and physical systems.
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3.2. Inquiry and Design
- 3.2.4.A - Identify and use the nature of scientific and technological knowledge.
- 3.2.4.B - Describe objects in the world using the five senses.
- 3.2.4.C - Recognize and use the elements of scientific inquiry to solve problems.
- 3.2.7.A - Explain and apply scientific and technological knowledge.
- 3.2.7.B - Apply process knowledge to make and interpret observations.
- 3.2.7.C - Identify and use the elements of scientific inquiry to solve problems.
- 3.2.10.A - Apply knowledge and understanding about the nature of scientific and technological knowledge.
- 3.2.10.B - Apply process knowledge and organize scientific and technological phenomena in varied ways.
- 3.2.10.C - Apply the elements of scientific inquiry to solve problems.
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3.3. Biological Sciences
- 3.3.4.A - Know the similarities and differences of living things.
- 3.3.4.B - Know that living things are made up of parts that have specific functions.
- 3.3.4.C - Know that characteristics are inherited and, thus, offspring closely resemble their parents.
- 3.3.4.D - Identify changes in living things over time.
- 3.3.7.A - Describe the similarities and differences that characterize diverse living things.
- 3.3.7.C - Know that every organism has a set of genetic instructions that determines its inherited traits.
- 3.3.7.D - Explain basic concepts of natural selection.
- 3.3.10.A - Explain the structural and functional similarities and differences found among living things.
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3.5. Earth Sciences
- 3.5.4.A - Know basic landforms and earth history.
- 3.5.4.B - Know types and uses of earth materials.
- 3.5.4.C - Know basic weather elements.
- 3.5.4.D - Recognize the earth's different water resources.
- 3.5.7.A - Describe earth features and processes.
- 3.5.7.B - Recognize earth resources and how they affect everyday life.
- 3.5.7.D - Explain the behavior and impact of the earth's water systems.
- 3.5.10.D - Assess the value of water as a resource.
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3.8. Science, Technology and Human Endeavors
- 3.8.10.A - Analyze the relationship between societal demands and scientific and technological enterprises.
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PA Academic Standards in Environment and Ecology
4.1. Watersheds and Wetlands
- 4.1.4.A. - Identify various types of water environments.
- 4.1.4.B. - Explain the differences between moving and still water.
- 4.1.4.C. - Identify living things found in water environments.
- 4.1.4.E. - Recognize the impact of watersheds on animals and plants.
- 4.1.7.A. - Explain the role of the water cycle within a watershed.
- 4.1.7.B. - Understand the role of the watershed.
- 4.1.7.C. - Explain the effects of water on the life of organisms in a watershed.
- 4.1.7.E. - Describe the impact of watersheds on people.
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4.2. Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
- 4.2.4.A - Identify needs of people.
- 4.2.4.B - Identify products derived from natural resources.
- 4.2.4.C - Know that some natural resources have limited life spans.
- 4.2.7.A - Know that raw materials come from natural resources.
- 4.2.7.B - Examine the renewability of resources.
- 4.2.7.C - Explain natural resource distribution.
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4.3. Environmental Health
- 4.3.4.A - Know that plants, animals and humans are dependent on air and water.
- 4.3.4.B - Identify how human actions affect environmental health.
- 4.3.4.C - Understand that the elements of natural systems are interdependent.
- 4.3.7.B - Describe how human actions affect the health of the environment.
- 4.3.7.C - Explain biological diversity.
- 4.3.10.B - Explain how multiple variables determine the effects of pollution on environmental health, natural processes and human practices.
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4.4. Agriculture and Society
- 4.4.7.A - Explain society's standard of living in relation to agriculture.
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4.5. Integrated Pest Management
- 4.5.4.A - Know types of pests.
- 4.5.7.A - Explain benefits and harmful effects of pests.
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4.6. Ecosystems and their Interactions
- 4.6.4.A - Understand that living things are dependent on nonliving things in the environment for survival.
- 4.6.4.B - Understand the concept of cycles.
- 4.6.7.A - Explain the flows of energy and matter from organism to organism within an ecosystem.
- 4.6.7.B - Explain the concepts of cycles.
- 4.6.7.C - Explain how ecosystems change over time.
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4.7. Threatened, Endangered and Extinct Species
- 4.7.4.A - Identify differences in living things.
- 4.7.4.B - Know that adaptations are important for survival.
- 4.7.4.C - Define and understand extinction.
- 4.7.7.A - Describe diversity of plants and animals in ecosystems.
- 4.7.7.B - Explain how species of living organisms adapt to their environment.
- 4.7.7.C - Explain natural or human actions in relation to the loss of species.
- 4.7.10.A - Explain the significance of diversity in ecosystems.
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4.8. Humans and the Environment
- 4.8.7.C - Explain how human activities may affect local, regional and national environments.
- 4.8.7.D - Explain the importance of maintaining the natural resources at the local, state and national levels.
- 4.8.10.D - Explain how the concept of supply and demand affects the environment.
4.9. Environmental Laws and Regulations
- 4.9.7.A - Explain the role of environmental laws and regulations.
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For details on these and other Pennsylvania state standards, go to the PA Department of Education's webpage on Academic Standards. www.pde.state.pa.us/stateboard_ed/cwp/view.asp?
a=3&Q=76716&stateboard_edNav=|5467|&pde_internetNav=|
Discovery Lessons can also be browsed by the following educational standards:
