These are the state standards to which our curriculum has been aligned. These will be subject to change come 2014 in which we will no longer have state standards but rather a national standard that is being referred to as the Common Core. All science lessons during the year have a connection to these standards, although they are not limited to, those listed below.
Content Standards Expected Performances
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
♦ Scientific inquiry is a thoughtful and
coordinated attempt to search out,
describe, explain and predict natural
phenomena.
♦ Scientific inquiry progresses through a
continuous process of questioning, data
collection, analysis and interpretation.
♦ Scientific inquiry requires the sharing of
findings and ideas for critical review by
colleagues and other scientists.
SCIENTIFIC LITERACY
♦ Scientific literacy includes speaking,
listening, presenting, interpreting,
reading and writing about science.
♦ Scientific literacy also includes the
ability to search for and assess the
relevance and credibility of scientific
information found in various print and
electronic media.
SCIENTIFIC NUMERACY
♦ Scientific numeracy includes the ability
to use mathematical operations and
procedures to calculate, analyze and
present scientific data and ideas.
C INQ.1 Identify questions that can be answered through
scientific investigation.
C INQ.2 Read, interpret and examine the credibility of
scientific claims in different sources of
information.
C INQ.3 Design and conduct appropriate types of
scientific investigations to answer different
questions.
C INQ.4 Identify independent and dependent variables,
and those variables that are kept constant, when
designing an experiment.
C INQ.5 Use appropriate tools and techniques to make
observations and gather data.
C INQ.6 Use mathematical operations to analyze and
interpret data.
C INQ.7 Identify and present relationships between
variables in appropriate graphs.
C INQ.8 Draw conclusions and identify sources of error.
C INQ.9 Provide explanations to investigated problems
or questions.
C INQ.10 Communicate about science in different
formats, using relevant science vocabulary,
supporting evidence and clear logic.
Properties of Matter – How does the structure of matter
affect the properties and uses of materials?
6.1 - Materials can be classified as pure substances
or mixtures, depending on their chemical and
physical properties.
♦ Mixtures are made of combinations of elements
and/or compounds, and they can be separated by
using a variety of physical means.
♦ Pure substances can be either elements or
compounds, and they cannot be broken down by
physical means.
C 1. Describe the properties of common elements, such as
oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, iron and aluminum.
C 2. Describe how the properties of simple compounds,
such as water and table salt, are different from the
properties of the elements of which they are made.
C 3. Explain how mixtures can be separated by using the
properties of the substances from which they are made,
such as particle size, density, solubility and boiling
point.
Energy Transfer and Transformations – What is the role
of energy in our world?
7.1 - Energy provides the ability to do work and can
exist in many forms.
♦ Work is the process of making objects move
through the application of force.
♦ Energy can be stored in many forms and can be
transformed into the energy of motion.
C 12. Explain the relationship among force, distance and
work, and use the relationship (W = F x D) to
calculate work done in lifting heavy objects.
C 13. Explain how simple machines, such as inclined
planes, pulleys and levers, are used to create
mechanical advantage.
C 14. Describe how different types of stored (potential)
energy can be used to make objects move.
Forces and Motion – What makes objects move the way
they do?
8.1 - An object’s inertia causes it to continue moving
the way it is moving unless it is acted upon by a force
to change its motion.
♦ The motion of an object can be described by its
position, direction of motion and speed.
♦ An unbalanced force acting on an object changes its
speed and/or direction of motion.
♦ Objects moving in circles must experience force
acting toward the center.
C 22. Calculate the average speed of a moving object and
illustrate the motion of objects in graphs of distance
over time.
C 23. Describe the qualitative relationships among force,
mass and changes in motion.
C 24. Describe the forces acting on an object moving in a
circular path.
Earth in the Solar System – How does the position of Earth
in the solar system affect conditions on our planet?
8.3 - The solar system is composed of planets and
other objects that orbit the sun.
♦ Gravity is the force that governs the motions of
objects in the solar system.
♦ The motion of the Earth and moon relative to the sun
causes daily, monthly and yearly cycles on Earth.
C 28. Explain the effect of gravity on the orbital
movement of planets in the solar system.
C 29. Explain how the regular motion and relative position
of the sun, Earth and moon affect the seasons,
phases of the moon and eclipses.