National Academy of Science Standards

The Unifying Concepts of Science

Conceptual and procedural schemes unify science disciplines and provide students with powerful ideas to help them understand the natural world. Because of the underlying principles embodied in this standard, the understandings and abilities described here are repeated in the other content standards. Unifying concepts and processes include:

• Systems, order, and organization.
• Evidence, models, and explanation.
• Change, constancy, and measurement.
• Evolution and equilibrium.
• Form and function.