Grade 6 Standards

Science and Engineering Practices

Modeling in 6–8 builds on K–5 and progresses to developing, using and revising models to describe, test, and predict more abstract phenomena and design systems.

• Develop a model to predict and/or describe phenomena.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Definitions of Energy

• The term “heat” as used in everyday language refers both to thermal energy (the motion of atoms or molecules 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.

• The temperature of a system is proportional to the average internal kinetic energy and potential energy per atom or molecule (whichever is the appropriate building block for the system’s material). The details of that relationship depend on the type of atom or molecule and the interactions among the atoms in the material. Temperature is not a direct measure of a system's total thermal energy. The total thermal energy (sometimes called the total internal energy) of a system depends jointly on the temperature, the total number of atoms in the system, and the state of the material.

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

• Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.

Science and Engineering Practices

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test solutions to problems in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to include investigations that use multiple variables and provide evidence to support explanations or design solutions.

• Plan an investigation individually and collaboratively, and in the design: identify independent and dependent variables and controls, what tools are needed to do the gathering, how measurements will be recorded, and how many data are needed to support a claim.

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence

• Science knowledge is based upon logical and conceptual connections between evidence and explanations.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Forces and Motion

• The motion of an object is determined by the sum of the forces acting on it; if the total force on the object is not zero, its motion will change. The greater the mass of the object, the greater the force needed to achieve the same change in motion. For any given object, a larger force causes a larger change in motion.

• All positions of objects and the directions of forces and motions must be described in an arbitrarily chosen reference frame and arbitrarily chosen units of size. In order to share information with other people, these choices must also be shared.

Crosscutting Concepts

Stability and Change

• Explanations of stability and change in natural or designed systems can be constructed by examining the changes over time and forces at different scales.

Science and Engineering Practices

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to include constructing explanations and designing solutions supported by multiple sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories.

• Apply scientific ideas or principles to design, construct, and test a design of an object, tool, process or system.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Definitions of Energy

• Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles of matter. The relationship between the temperature and the total energy of a system depends on the types, states, and amounts of matter present.

Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

• Energy is spontaneously transferred out of hotter regions or objects and into colder ones.

Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem

• 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 is 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 criteria and constraints of a problem.

Crosscutting Concepts

Energy and Matter

• The transfer of energy can be tracked as energy flows through a designed or natural system.

Science and Engineering Practices

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Asking questions and defining problems in grades 6–8 builds on grades K–5 experiences and progresses to specifying relationships between variables, and clarifying arguments and models.

• Define a design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process or system and includes multiple criteria and constraints, including scientific knowledge that may limit possible solutions.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

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.

Crosscutting Concepts

Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World

• All human activity draws on natural resources and has both short and long-term consequences, positive as well as negative, for the health of people and the natural environment.

• The uses of technologies and limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions.

Science and Engineering Practices

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Engaging in argument from evidence in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to constructing a convincing argument that supports or refutes claims for either explanations or solutions about the natural and designed world.

• Evaluate competing design solutions based on jointly developed and agreed-upon design criteria.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Developing Possible Solutions

• There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem.

Science and Engineering Practices

Developing and Using Models

Modeling in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to developing, using, and revising models to describe, test, and predict more abstract phenomena and design systems.

• Develop a model to generate data to test ideas about designed systems, including those representing inputs and outputs.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Developing Possible Solutions

• A solution needs to be tested, and then modified on the basis of the test results, in order to improve it.

• Models of all kinds are important for testing solutions.

Optimizing the Design Solution

• 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.