6th Grade Content

Curriculum Frameworks

State required core content for 6th and 7th grade science is described in detail below. See website for 8th grade content. Students can show mastery of much of this content through pre-assessments. Below each framework, you will find possible extensions for each framework. Italicized frameworks have already been covered. Current unit frameworks are in bold.

Structure and Transformation of Matter

SC-M6 1.1.1

Students will explain how or why mixtures can be separated using physical properties. A mixture of substances often can be separated into the original substances by using one or more of its characteristic physical properties. DOK 2

SC-06-1.1.2

Students will identify and describe evidence of chemical and physical changes in matter. In chemical reactions, the total mass is conserved. Substances are often classified into groups if they react in similar ways. The patterns that allow classification can be used to infer or understand real life applications for those substances. DOK 2

SC-07-1.1.1

Students will: (1) classify substances according to their chemical/reactive properties; (2) infer real life applications for substances based on chemical/reactive properties. In chemical reactions, the total mass is conserved. Substances are often classified into groups if they react in similar ways. The patterns, which allow classification, can be used to infer or understand real life applications for those substances. DOK 3

SC-07-1.1.2

Students will: (1) classify elements and compounds according to their properties; (2) compare properties of different combinations of elements. Observations of simple experiments illustrate that the atoms of chemical elements do not break down during normal laboratory reactions such as heating, exposure to electric currents, or reaction with acids. Elements combine in many ways to produce compounds. Common patterns emerge when comparing and contrasting the properties of compounds to the elements from which they are made. Understanding of these patterns allows for evidence- based predictions of new or different combinations of elements/compounds. DOK 2

Extensions: Atomic Structure, Periodic Table Properties and Trends

Energy Transformations

SC-06-4.6.1

Students will describe or explain the cause and effect relationships between oceans and climate. Oceans have a major effect on climate, because water in the oceans holds a large amount of heat. DOK 2

SC-06-4.6.2

Students will describe: (1) the effect of the Suns’ energy on the Earth system; (2) the connection/relationship between the Sun’s energy and seasons.The Sun is the major source of energy for Earth. The water cycle, winds, ocean currents and growth of plants are affected by the Sun’s energy. Seasons result from variations in the amount of the Sun’s energy hitting Earth’s surface. DOK 3

SC-07-4.6.2

Students will: (1) describe the transfer and/or transformations of energy which occur in examples that involve several different forms of energy (e.g., heat, electrical, light, motion of objects and chemical); (2) explain, qualitatively or quantitatively, that heat lost by hot object equals the heat gained by cold object. The transfer and transformation of energy can be examined in a variety of real life examples. Models are an appropriate way to convey the abstract/invisible transfer of energy in a system. Heat energy is the disorderly motion of molecules. Heat can be transferred through materials by the collisions of atoms or across space by radiation. If the material is fluid, currents will be set up in it that aid the transfer of heat. To change something's speed, to bend or stretch things, to heat or cool them, to push things together, to expand or contract them or tear them apart all require transfers (and some transformations) of energy. Heat lost by hot object equals the heat gained by cold object. This is an energy conservation statement. Whenever hot and cold objects are put in contact, heat energy always transfers from the hot object to the cold object and this continues until all the mass is at the same temperature. Students should understand that heat produced by burning comes from the release of chemical energy of the substance. DOK 3

SC-07-4.6.4

Students will describe or represent the flow of energy in ecosystems, using data to draw conclusions about the role of organisms in an ecosystem. For most ecosystems, the major source of energy is sunlight. Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis. That energy then passes from organism in food webs. DOK 3

Extensions: Population Ecology, Global Warming

Earth and the Universe

SC-06-2.3.1

Students will explain and predict phenomena (e.g., day, year, moon phases, eclipses) based on models/representations or data related to the motion of objects in the solar system (e.g., earth, sun, moon). Observations and investigations of patterns indicate that most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. Evaluation of this data explains such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the moon and eclipses. DOK 3

SC-06-2.3.2

Students will explain cause and effect relationships in the Rock cycle. Materials found in the lithosphere and mantle are changed in a continuous process called the rock cycle, which can be investigated using a variety of models. DOK 2

SC-06-2.3.3

Students will compare constructive and destructive forces on Earth in order to make predictions about the nature of landforms. Landforms are a result of a combination of constructive and destructive forces. Collection and analysis of data indicates that constructive forces include crustal deformation, faulting, volcanic eruption and deposition of sediment, while destructive forces include weathering and erosion. DOK 2

SC-07-2.3.1

Students will make inferences and predictions related to changes in the Earth’s surface or atmosphere based on data/evidence. The Earth’s processes we see today, including erosion, movement of lithospheric plates and changes in atmospheric composition, are predictable and similar to those that occurred in the past. Analysis of evidence from Earth’s history substantiates the conclusion that the planet has also been influenced by occasional catastrophes such as the impact of an asteroid or comet. DOK 3

SC-07-2.3.2

Students will explain the layers of the Earth and their interactions. The use of models/diagrams/graphs helps illustrate that the Earth is layered. The lithosphere is the thin crust and the upper part of the mantle. Lithospheric plates move slowly in response to movements in the mantle. There is a dense core at the center of the Earth. DOK 2

SC-07-2.3.3

Students will describe the concept of gravity and the effect of gravitational force between the sun, moon and Earth.  The gravitational pull of the Sun and moon on Earth’s oceans as the major cause of tides can be understood from generalizations based on evidence. DOK 2

Extensions: Isotopes

Interdependence

SC-06-4.7.1

Students will describe the consequences of change in one or more abiotic factors on a population within an ecosystem. The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and abiotic factors (e.g., quantity of light and water, range of temperatures, soil composition). DOK 2

SC-07-4.7.1

Students will compare abiotic and biotic factors in an ecosystem in order to explain consequences of change in one or more factors. The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and abiotic factors (e.g., quantity of light and water, range of temperatures, soil composition). Given adequate biotic and abiotic resources and no diseases or predators, populations (including humans) increase at rapid rates. Lack of resources and other factors, such as predation and climate, limit the growth of populations in specific niches in the ecosystem.  DOK 3

Extensions: Species Interactions

Biological Change

SC-06-3.5.1

Students will explain that biological change over time accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations. Biological adaptations include changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that enhance survival and reproductive success in a particular environment. DOK 2

SC-07-3.5.1

Students will: (1) describe the usefulness of fossil information to make conclusions about past life forms and environmental conditions; (2) explain the cause and effect relationship of the extinction of a species and environmental changes. Extinction of species is common and occurs when the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient to allow its survival. Most of the species that have lived on Earth no longer exist. Fossils provide evidence of how environmental conditions and life have changed. DOK 3

Extensions: Mass Extinction Theories

Unity and Diversity

SC-06-3.4.1

Students will describe the relationship between cells, tissues and organs in order to explain their function in multicellular organisms.  Specialized cells perform specialized functions in multicellular organisms. Groups of specialized cells cooperate to form tissues. Different tissues are, in turn, grouped together to form larger functional units called organs. Examination of cells, tissues and organs reveals that each type has a distinct structure and set of functions that serve the organism. DOK 3

SC-06-3.4.2

Students will make inferences about the factors influencing behavior based on data/evidence of various organism’s behaviors. Behavior is one kind of response an organism may make to an internal or environmental stimulus. Observations of organisms, data collection/analysis, support generalizations/conclusions that a behavioral response is a set of actions determined in part by heredity and in part from experience. A behavioral response requires coordination and communication at many levels including cells, organ systems and organisms. DOK 2

SC-07-3.4.1

Students will: (1) describe the role of genes/chromosomes in the passing of information from one generation to another (heredity); (2) compare inherited and learned traits. Every organism requires a set of instructions for specifying its traits. This information is contained in genes located in the chromosomes of each cell that can be illustrated through the use of models. Heredity is the passage of these instructions from one generation to another and should be distinguished from learned traits. DOK 2

SC-07-3.4.2

Students will describe and compare sexual and asexual reproduction. Reproduction is a characteristic of all living systems and is essential to the continuation of every species as evidenced through observable patterns. A distinction should be made between organisms that reproduce asexually and those that reproduce sexually. In species that reproduce sexually, including humans and plants, male and female sex cells carrying genetic information unite to begin the development of a new individual. DOK 2

Extensions: Mitosis, Genetic Probability, Human Inheritance, Genetic Disease

Motion and Forces

SC-06-1.2.1

Students will describe friction and make inferences about its effects on the motion of an object. When an unbalanced force (friction) acts on an object, the change in speed or direction depends on the size and direction of the force. DOK 3

SC-07-1.2.1

Students will explain the cause and effect relationship between simple observable motion and unbalanced forces. An object remains at rest or maintains a constant speed and direction of motion unless an unbalanced force acts on it (e.g., gravity). When an unbalanced force acts on an object, the change in speed or direction depends on the size and direction of the force. DOK 3

Extensions: Motion, Force, Work, Energy

Printable Version