6th Grade Science

Three Village District Essentials

Structure and Function

All living things are made up of cells, which is the smallest unit that can be said to be alive. An organism may consist of one single cell (unicellular) or many different numbers and types of cells (multicellular).
Within cells, special structures are responsible for particular functions, and the cell membrane forms the boundary that controls what enters and leaves the cell.
In multicellular organisms, the body is a system of multiple interacting subsystems. These subsystems are groups of cells that work together to form tissues and organs that are specialized for particular body functions.

Information Processing

Each sense receptor responds to different inputs (electromagnetic, mechanical, chemical), transmitting them as signals that travel along nerve cells to the brain.
Plants respond to stimuli such as gravity (geotropism) and light (phototropism).

Structure and Properties of Matter

Substances are made of one type of atom or combinations of different types of atoms. Individual atoms are particles and can combine to form larger particles that range in size from two to thousands of atoms.
Solids may be formed from molecules, or they may be extended structures with repeating subunits (e.g., crystals).
Each substance has characteristic physical and chemical properties (for any bulk quantity under given conditions) that can be used to identify it.
In a solid, the particles are closely spaced and vibrate in position but do not change their relative locations. In a liquid, the particles are closely spaced but are able to change their relative locations. In a gas, the particles are widely spaced except when they happen to collide and constantly change their relative locations.
The changes of state that occur with variations in temperature and/or pressure can be described and predicted using these models of matter.
Mixtures are physical combinations of one or more samples of matter and can be separated by physical means.
Density is a property that can be used to identify samples of matter. The mass and volume of regular and irregular shaped objects can be used to calculate their densities. Density can be used to identify a sample of matter.

Chemical Reactions

Substances react chemically in characteristic ways. In a chemical process, the atoms that make up the original substances are regrouped into different particles and these new substances have different properties from those of the reactants

Definitions of Energy

The term “heat” as used in everyday language refers both to thermal energy (the motion of particles within a substance) and the transfer of that thermal energy from one object to another. In science, heat is used only for this second meaning; it refers to the energy transferred due to the temperature difference between two objects.
Temperature is not a form of energy. Temperature is a measurement of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of matter.

Natural Hazards

Mapping the history of natural hazards in a region, combined with an understanding of related geologic forces can help forecast the locations and likelihoods of future events.

Human Impacts on Earth Systems

Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things.
Typically as human populations and per-capita consumption of natural resources increase, so do the negative impacts on Earth unless the activities and technologies involved are engineered otherwise.

Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems

The more precisely a design task’s criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed solution will be successful. Specification of constraints includes consideration of scientific principles and other relevant knowledge that are likely to limit possible solutions.

Developing Possible Solutions

A solution needs to be tested, and then modified on the basis of the test results, in order to improve it.
There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem.
Sometimes parts of different solutions can be combined to create a solution that is better than any of its predecessors.
Models of all kinds are important for testing solutions.

Optimizing the Design Solution

Although one design may not perform the best across all tests, identifying the characteristics of the design that performed the best in each test can provide useful information for the redesign process—that is, some of those characteristics may be incorporated into the new design.
The iterative process of testing the most promising solutions and modifying what is proposed on the basis of the test results leads to greater refinement and ultimately to an optimal solution.