Grade 6 : Embedded Inquiry
Conceptual Strand
Understandings about scientific inquiry and the ability to conduct inquiry are essential for living in
the 21st century.
Guiding Question
What tools, skills, knowledge, and dispositions are needed to conduct scientific inquiry?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
GLE 0607.Inq.1 Design and conduct open-
ended scientific investigations.
GLE 0607.Inq.2 Use appropriate tools and
techniques to gather, organize, analyze, and
interpret data.
GLE 0607.Inq.3 Synthesize information to
determine cause and effect relationships between
evidence and explanations.
GLE 0607.Inq.4 Recognize possible sources of
bias and error, alternative explanations, and
questions for further exploration.
GLE 0607.Inq.5 Communicate scientific
understanding using descriptions, explanations,
and models.
0607.Inq.1 Design and conduct an
open-ended scientific investigation to
answer a question that includes a
control and appropriate variables.
0607.Inq.2 Identify tools and
techniques needed to gather, organize,
analyze, and interpret data collected
from a moderately complex scientific
investigation.
0607.Inq.3 Use evidence from a
dataset to determine cause and effect
relationships that explain a
phenomenon.
0607.Inq.4 Review an experimental
design to determine possible sources
of bias or error, state alternative
explanations, and identify questions
SPI 0607.Inq.1 Design a simple experimental
procedure with an identified control and
appropriate variables.
SPI 0607.Inq.2 Select tools and procedures
needed to conduct a moderately complex
experiment.
SPI 0607.Inq.3 Interpret and translate data in
a table, graph, or diagram.
SPI 0607.Inq.4 Draw a conclusion that
establishes a cause and effect relationship
supported by evidence.
SPI 0607.Inq.5 Identify a faulty
interpretation of data that is due to bias or
experimental error.
Revised 07.10.09
for further investigation.
0607.Inq.5 Design a method to
explain the results of an investigation
using descriptions, explanations, or
models.
Grade 6 : Embedded Technology & Engineering
Conceptual Strand
Society benefits when engineers apply scientific discoveries to design materials and processes that
develop into enabling technologies.
Guiding Question
How do science concepts, engineering skills, and applications of technology improve the quality of
life?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
GLE 0607.T/E.1 Explore how technology
responds to social, political, and economic
needs.
GLE 0607.T/E.2 Know that the engineering
design process involves an ongoing series of
events that incorporate design constraints, model
building, testing, evaluating, modifying, and
retesting.
GLE 0607.T/E.3 Compare the intended benefits
with the unintended consequences of a new
0607.T/E.1 Use appropriate tools to test for
strength, hardness, and flexibility of
materials.
0607.T/E.2 Apply the engineering design
process to construct a prototype that meets
certain specifications.
0607.T/E.3 Explore how the unintended
consequences of new technologies can impact
society.
SPI 0607.T/E.1 Identify the tools and
procedures needed to test the design features
of a prototype.
SPI 0607.T/E.2 Evaluate a protocol to
determine if the engineering design process
was successfully applied.
SPI 0607.T/E.3 Distinguish between the
intended benefits and the unintended
consequences of a new technology.
Revised 07.10.09
technology.
GLE 0607.T/E.4 Describe and explain adaptive
and assistive bioengineered products.
0607.T/E.4 Research bioengineering
technologies that advance health and
contribute to improvements in our daily lives.
0607.T/E.5 Develop an adaptive design and
test its effectiveness.
SPI 0607.T/E.4 Differentiate between
adaptive and assistive engineered products
(e.g., food, biofuels, medicines, integrated
pest management).
Grade 6 - Life Science
Grade 6 : Standard 1 - Cells
Conceptual Strand 1
All living things are made of cells that perform functions necessary for life.
Guiding Question 1
How are plant and animals cells organized to carry on the processes of life?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
Revised 07.10.09
Grade 6 : Standard 2 - Interdependence
Conceptual Strand 2
All life is interdependent and interacts with the environment.
Guiding Question 2
How do living things interact with one another and with the non-living elements of their
environment?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
GLE 0607.2.1 Examine the roles of consumers,
producers, and decomposers in a biological
community.
GLE 0607.2.2 Describe how matter and energy
are transferred through an ecosystem.
GLE 0607.2.3 Draw conclusions from data
about interactions between the biotic and abiotic
elements of a particular environment.
GLE 0607.2.4 Analyze the environments and the
interdependence among organisms found in the
world’s major biomes.
0607.2.1 Compare and contrast the different
methods used by organisms to obtain nutrition
in a biological community.
0607.2.2 Create a graphic organizer that
illustrates how biotic and abiotic elements of
an environment interact.
0607.2.3 Use a food web or energy pyramid
to demonstrate the interdependence of
organisms within a specific biome.
0607.2.4 Create poster presentations to
illustrate differences among the world’s major
biomes.
SPI 0607.2.1 Classify organisms as
producers, consumers, scavengers, or
decomposers according to their role in a food
chain or food web.
SPI 0607.2.2 Interpret how materials and
energy are transferred through an ecosystem.
SPI 0607.2.3 Identify the biotic and abiotic
elements of the major biomes.
SPI 0607.2.4 Identify the environmental
conditions and interdependencies among
organisms found in the major biomes.
Grade 6 : Standard 3 - Flow of Matter and Energy
Revised 07.10.09
Conceptual Strand 3
Matter and energy flow through the biosphere.
Guiding Question 3
What scientific information explains how matter and energy flow through the biosphere?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
Grade 6 : Standard 4 - Heredity
Conceptual Strand 4
Plants and animals reproduce and transmit hereditary information between generations.
Guiding Question 4
What are the principal mechanisms by which living things reproduce and transmit information
between parents and offspring?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
Revised 07.10.09
Grade 6 : Standard 5 - Biodiversity and Change
Conceptual Strand 5
A rich variety of complex organisms have developed in response to a continually changing
environment.
Guiding Question 5
How does natural selection explain how organisms have changed over time?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
Grade 6 - Earth and Space Science
Grade 6 : Standard 6 - The Universe
Conceptual Strand 6
The cosmos is vast and explored well enough to know its basic structure and operational principles.
Guiding Question 6
What big ideas guide human understanding about the origin and structure of the universe,
Earth’s place in the cosmos, and observable
Revised 07.10.09
motions and patterns in the sky?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
GLE 0607.6.1 Analyze information about the
major components of the universe.
GLE 0607.6.2 Describe the relative distance of
objects in the solar system from earth.
GLE 0607.6.3 Explain how the positional
relationships among the earth, moon, and sun
control the length of the day, lunar cycle, and
year.
GLE 0607.6.4 Describe the different stages in
the lunar cycle.
GLE 0607.6.5 Produce a model to demonstrate
how the moon produces tides.
GLE 0607.6.6 Illustrate the relationship between
the seasons and the earth-sun system.
GLE 0607.6.7 Describe the causes of lunar and
solar eclipses.
0607.6.1 Use data to draw conclusions
about the major components of the universe.
0607.6.2 Construct a model of the solar
system showing accurate positional
relationships and relative distances.
0607.6.3 Investigate how the earth, sun, and
moon are responsible for a day, lunar cycle,
and year.
0607.6.4 Explain why the positions of the
earth, moon, and sun were used to develop
calendars and clocks.
0607.6.5 Illustrate the positions of the earth,
moon, and sun during specific tidal
conditions.
0607.6.6 Diagram the relationship of the
earth and sun that accounts for the seasons.
0607.6.7 Model the positions of the earth,
moon, and sun during solar and lunar eclipses.
SPI 0607.6.1 Use data to draw conclusions
about the major components of the universe.
SPI 0607.6.2 Explain how the relative
distance of objects from the earth affects how
they appear.
SPI 0607.6.3 Distinguish among a day, lunar
cycle, and year based on the movements of
the earth, sun, and moon.
SPI 0607.6.4 Explain the different phases of
the moon using a model of the earth, moon,
and sun.
SPI 0607.6.5 Predict the types of tides that
occur when the earth and moon occupy
various positions.
SPI 0607.6.6 Use a diagram that shows the
positions of the earth and sun to explain the
four seasons.
SPI 0607.6.7 Explain the difference between
a solar and a lunar eclipse.
Revised 07.10.09
Grade 6 : Standard 7 – The Earth
Conceptual Strand 7
Major geologic events that occur over eons or brief moments in time continually shape and reshape
the surface of the Earth, resulting in
continuous global change.
Guiding Question 7
How is the earth affected by long-term and short term geological cycles and the influence of man?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
Grade 6 : Standard 8 - The Atmosphere
Conceptual Strand 8
The earth is surrounded by an active atmosphere and an energy system that controls the distribution
life, local weather, climate, and
global temperature.
Guiding Question 8
How do the physical characteristics and the chemical makeup of the atmosphere influence surface
processes and life on Earth?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
Revised 07.10.09
GLE 0607.8.1 Design and conduct an
investigation to determine how the sun drives
atmospheric convection.
GLE 0607.8.2 Describe how the sun’s energy
produces the wind.
GLE 0607.8.3 Investigate the relationship
between currents and oceanic temperature
differences.
GLE 0607.8.4 Analyze meteorological data to
predict weather conditions.
0607.8.1 Recognize how convection
currents in the atmosphere produce wind.
0607.8.2 Design an experiment to
investigate differences in the amount of the
sun’s energy absorbed by a variety of surface
materials.
0607.8.3 Design an experiment to
demonstrate how ocean currents are
associated with the sun’s energy.
0607.8.4 Analyze ocean temperature data to
demonstrate how these conditions affect the
weather in nearby land masses.
0607.8.5 Interpret data found on ocean
current maps.
0607.8.6 Use data collected from
instruments such as a barometer,
thermometer, psychrometer, and anemometer
to describe local weather conditions.
SPI 0607.8.1 Analyze data to identify events
associated with heat convection in the
atmosphere.
SPI 0607.8.2 Recognize the connection
between the sun’s energy and the wind.
SPI 0607.8.3 Describe how temperature
differences in the ocean account for currents.
SPI 0607.8.4 Interpret meteorological data to
make predictions about the weather.
Grade 6 - Physical Science
Grade 6 : Standard 9 - Matter
Revised 07.10.09
Conceptual Strand 9
The composition and structure of matter is known, and it behaves according to principles that are
generally understood.
Guiding Question 9
How does the structure of matter influence its physical and chemical behavior?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
Grade 6 : Standard 10 - Energy
Conceptual Strand 10
Various forms of energy are constantly being transformed into other types without any net loss of
energy from the system.
Guiding Question 10
What basic energy related ideas are essential for understanding the dependency of the natural and
man-made worlds on energy?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
GLE 0607.10.1 Compare and contrast the three
forms of potential energy.
GLE 0607.10.2 Analyze various types of energy
0607.10.1 Compare potential and kinetic
energy.
0607.10.2 Create a poster that illustrates
SPI 0607.10.1 Distinguish among
gravitational potential energy, elastic potential
energy, and chemical potential energy.
Revised 07.10.09
transformations.
GLE 0607.10.3 Explain the principles
underlying the Law of Conservation of Energy.
different forms of potential energy.
0607.10.3 Design a model that demonstrates
a specific energy transformation.
0607.10.4 Explain why a variety of energy
transformations illustrate the Law of
Conservation of Energy.
SPI 0607.10.2 Interpret the relationship
between potential and kinetic energy.
SPI 0607.10.3 Recognize that energy can be
transformed from one type to another.
SPI 0607.10.4 Explain the Law of
Conservation of Energy using data from a
variety of energy transformations.
Grade 6 : Standard 11 - Motion
Conceptual Strand 11
Objects move in ways that can be observed, described, predicted, and measured.
Guiding Question 11
What causes objects to move differently under different circumstances?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
(NOT ADDRESSED AT THIS GRADE
LEVEL)
Grade 6: Standard 12 - Forces in Nature
Revised 07.10.09
Revised 07.10.09
Conceptual Strand 12
Everything in the universe exerts a gravitational force on everything else; there is an interplay
between magnetic fields and electrical
currents.
Guiding Question 12
What are the scientific principles that explain gravity and electromagnetism?
Grade Level Expectations
Checks for Understanding
State Performance Indicators
GLE 0607.12.1 Describe how simple circuits are
associated with the transfer of electrical energy.
GLE 0607.12.2 Explain how simple electrical
circuits can be used to determine which materials
conduct electricity.
0607.12.1 Prepare a poster that illustrates
how electricity passes though a simple circuit
to produce heat, light, or sound.
0607.12.2 Determine a material’s electrical
conductivity by testing it with a simple
battery/bulb circuit.
0607.12.3 Compare and contrast the
characteristics of objects and materials that
conduct electricity with those that are
electrical insulators.
SPI 0607.12.1 Identify how simple circuits
are associated with the transfer of electrical
energy when heat, light, sound, and chemical
changes are produced.
SPI 0607.12.2 Identify materials that can
conduct electricity.