NGSS Standards/Performance Expectations
Standard
MS-PS2-1
Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of
two colliding objects.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of practical problems could
include the impact of collisions between two cars, between a car and stationary
objects, and between a meteor and a space vehicle.] [Assessment Boundary:
Assessment is limited to vertical or horizontal interactions in one dimension.]
MS-PS2-2 Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion
depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
[Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on balanced (Newton’s First Law) and unbalanced
forces in a system, qualitative comparisons of forces, mass and changes in motion
(Newton’s Second Law), frame of reference, and specification of units.] [Assessment
Boundary: Assessment is limited to forces and changes in motion in one-dimension in an
inertial reference frame and to change in one variable at a time. Assessment does not
include the use of trigonometry.]
MS-PS2-3 Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric
and magnetic forces. [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices that use electric and
magnetic forces could include electromagnets, electric motors, or generators. Examples
of data could include the effect of the number of turns of wire on the strength of an
electromagnet, or the effect of increasing the number or strength of magnets on the
speed of an electric motor.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment about questions that
require quantitative answers is limited to proportional reasoning and algebraic
thinking.]
MS-PS2-5 Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence
that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects
are not in contact. [Clarification Statement: Examples of this phenomenon could
include the interactions of magnets, electrically-charged strips of tape, and electrically-
charged pith balls. Examples of investigations could include first-hand experiences or simulations.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to electric and magnetic
fields, and limited to qualitative evidence for the existence of fields.]
MS-PS3-1 Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of
kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object. [Clarification
Statement: Emphasis is on descriptive relationships between kinetic energy and mass
separately from kinetic energy and speed. Examples could include riding a bicycle at
different speeds, rolling different sizes of rocks downhill, and getting hit by a wiffle ball
versus a tennis ball.]
MS-PS3-2 Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a
distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.
[Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on relative amounts of potential energy, not on
calculations of potential energy. Examples of objects within systems interacting at
varying distances could include: the Earth and either a roller coaster cart at varying
positions on a hill or objects at varying heights on shelves, changing the
direction/orientation of a magnet, and a balloon with static electrical charge being
brought closer to a classmate’s hair. Examples of models could include representations,
diagrams, pictures, and written descriptions of systems.] [Assessment Boundary:
Assessment is limited to two objects and electric, magnetic, and gravitational
interactions.]
MS-PS3-5 Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic
energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object. [Clarification
Statement: Examples of empirical evidence used in arguments could include an
inventory or other representation of the energy before and after the transfer in the
form of temperature changes or motion of object.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment
does not include calculations of energy.]
English Language Arts
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis
of science and technical texts, attending to the
precise details of explanations or
descriptions. (MS-PS3-1),(MS-PS3-5) RST.6-8.1
Integrate quantitative or technical information
expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a
flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). (MS-
PS3-1) RST.6-8.7
Write arguments focused on discipline
content. (MS-PS3-5) WHST.6-8.1
Conduct short research projects to answer a
question (including a self-generated question),
drawing on several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions that allow
for multiple avenues of exploration. (MS-PS3-3)
WHST.6-8.7
Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest. (MS-PS3-2)
SL.8.5
Mathematics
Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (MS-PS3-
1),( MS-PS3-5) MP.2
Understand the concept of ratio and use ratio
language to describe a ratio relationship between
two quantities. (MS-PS3-1),(MS-PS3-5) 6.RP.A.1
Understand the concept of a unit rate a/b
associated with a ratio a:b with b ≠ 0, and use rate
language in the context of a ratio
relationship. (MS-PS3-1) 6.RP.A.2
Recognize and represent proportional
relationships between quantities. (MS-PS3-1),(MS-
PS3-5) 7.RP.A.2
Know and apply the properties of integer
exponents to generate equivalent numerical
expressions. (MS-PS3-1) 8.EE.A.1
Use square root and cube root symbols to
represent solutions to equations of the form x2 = p
and x3 = p, where p is a positive rational number. Evaluate square roots of small perfect squares and cube roots of small perfect cubes. Know that √2 is irrational. (MS-PS3-1) 8.EE.A.2
Interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function, whose graph is a straight line; give examples of functions that are not linear. (MS-PS3-1),(MS-PS3-5) 8.F.A.3
21st Century Life and Careers, Technology Standards
8.1 Educational Technology: All students will use digital tools to access, manage, evaluate, and synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and collaborate and to create and communicate knowledge.
8.2 Technology Education, Engineering, Design, and Computational Thinking - Programming: All students will develop an understanding of the nature and impact of technology, engineering, technological design, computational thinking and the designed world as they relate to the individual, global society, and the environment.
9.2.8.B.1 Research careers within the 16 Career Clusters® and determine attributes of career success.
9.2.8.B.3 Evaluate communication, collaboration, and leadership skills that can be developed through school, home, work, and extracurricular activities for use in a career.
Social Studies
6.1 U.S. History: America in the World. All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically about how past and present interactions of people, cultures, and the environment shape the American heritage. Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed decisions that reflect fundamental rights and core democratic values as productive citizens in local, national, and global communities.
6.3 Active Citizenship in the 21st Century: All students will acquire the skills needed to be active, informed citizens who value diversity and promote cultural understanding by working collaboratively to address the challenges that are inherent in living in an interconnected world.