Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems

Primary School (K-2)

  • Science assumes natural events happen today as they happened in the past.
  • Many events are repeated.

Elementary School (3-5)

  • Science assumes consistent patterns in natural systems.
  • Basic laws of nature are the same everywhere in the universe.

Middle School (6-8)

  • Science assumes that objects and events in natural systems occur in consistent patterns that are understandable through measurement and observation.
  • Science carefully considers and evaluates anomalies in data and evidence.

High School (9-12)

  • Scientific knowledge is based on the assumption that natural laws operate today as they did in the past and they will continue to do so in the future.
  • Science assumes the universe is a vast single system in which basic laws are consistent.

These understandings about the nature of science are found in the crosscutting concepts section of the foundation box on a standards page.

Other Standards That Use This Connection to the Nature of Science: