Grade 6 Science
Scope
The 6th-grade science course is a piece of a banded 6th-8th-grade curriculum, which follows the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards. We teach these particular units in 6th grade because they provide our students with the necessary foundation and background knowledge needed in a multitude of scientific areas. The units, including Stream Ecosystems, Water Properties, Weather, Electricity and Magnetism, Properties of Light, Inside Earth, Rocks, and Minerals, and Earth’s Systems (Earth, Moon, and Sun) have been coordinated with seventh and 8th-grade curricula. Metric measurement skills will be integrated throughout each unit.
Units
Unit — Claim Evidence Reasoning (CER)
Essential Questions
How does the evidence prove or disprove a claim?
Guiding Questions
Is Gorilla brand tape three times stronger than value brand tape?
Which diaper brand is more absorbent and keeps the baby dry?
Resources
Textbooks
Web-based subscriptions:
Mosa Mack
GIZMO
Inner Orbit
Web-based resources
Measuring tools
Lab-related hands-on equipment
Skills
Students will:
ask questions and define problems.
develop and use models.
plan and carry out investigations.
analyze and interpret data.
use mathematics and computational thinking.
construct explanations and design solutions.
engage in arguments from evidence.
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.
SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Unit — Stream Ecosystems / Water Quality
Essential Questions
How is freshwater essential to life?
Guiding Questions
How is the quality of freshwater determined?
How can we improve biodiversity and reduce human impact on the watershed?
Resources
Textbooks
Web-based subscriptions:
Mosa Mack
GIZMO
Inner Orbit
Web-based resources
Measuring tools
Lab-related hands-on equipment
Skills
Students will:
ask questions and define problems.
develop and use models.
plan and carry out investigations.
analyze and interpret data.
use mathematics and computational thinking.
construct explanations and design solutions.
engage in arguments from evidence.
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: MS-LS2-5
Human Impacts: MS-ESS3-3
Unit — Structure and Properties of Matter (Water Properties and Measurement)
Essential Questions
How has matter and its properties shaped our world?
Guiding Questions
How does the structure of water cause it to have unique properties?
How does the knowledge of measurement affect our ability to survive?
Resources
Textbooks
Web-based subscriptions:
Mosa Mack
GIZMO
Inner Orbit
Web-based resources
Measuring tools
Lab-related hands-on equipment
Skills
Students will:
ask questions and define problems.
develop and use models.
plan and carry out investigations.
analyze and interpret data.
use mathematics and computational thinking.
construct explanations and design solutions.
engage in arguments from evidence.
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.
Structure and Properties of Matters: MS-PS1-1, MS-PS1-4
Unit — Properties of Air / Weather / Climate Change
Essential Questions
How can accurate weather predictions increase our ability to survive?
Guiding Questions
How do people predict the weather?
Resources
Textbooks
Web-based subscriptions:
Mosa Mack
GIZMO
Inner Orbit
Web-based resources
Measuring tools
Lab-related hands-on equipment
Skills
Students will:
ask questions and define problems.
develop and use models.
plan and carry out investigations.
analyze and interpret data.
use mathematics and computational thinking.
construct explanations and design solutions.
engage in arguments from evidence.
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.
Human Impacts: MS-ESS2D, MS-ESS2-5, MS-ESS2-6, MS-ESS2.C
Unit — Electricity and Magnetism
Essential Questions
How can the production of electricity increase the rate of survival?
Guiding Questions
Where does electricity come from and how can it be used to do work?
Resources
Textbooks
Web-based subscriptions:
Mosa Mack
GIZMO
Inner Orbit
Web-based resources
Measuring tools
Lab-related hands-on equipment
Skills
Students will:
ask questions and define problems.
develop and use models.
plan and carry out investigations.
analyze and interpret data.
use mathematics and computational thinking.
construct explanations and design solutions.
engage in arguments from evidence.
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.
Structure and Properties of Matters: MS-PS1-1, MS-PS1-1, MS-PS2, MS-PS2-3
Unit — Light
Essential Questions
What is light and how does it behave?
Guiding Questions
Where does light come from?
What can happen when light hits objects?
Resources
Textbooks
Web-based subscriptions:
Mosa Mack
GIZMO
Inner Orbit
Web-based resources
Measuring tools
Lab-related hands-on equipment
Skills
Students will:
ask questions and define problems.
develop and use models.
plan and carry out investigations.
analyze and interpret data.
use mathematics and computational thinking.
construct explanations and design solutions.
engage in arguments from evidence.
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.
Structure and Properties of Matters: MS-PS4-2, PS4.A, PS4.B
Unit — Inside Earth
Essential Questions
How do scientists know what it’s like inside the earth?
Guiding Questions
What are the layers of earth and what happens in each layer?
What are the methods of heat transfer?
What are plates and how do they move?
Resources
Textbooks
Web-based subscriptions:
Mosa Mack
GIZMO
Inner Orbit
Web-based resources
Measuring tools
Lab-related hands-on equipment
Skills
Students will:
ask questions and define problems.
develop and use models.
plan and carry out investigations.
analyze and interpret data.
use mathematics and computational thinking.
construct explanations and design solutions.
engage in arguments from evidence.
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.
Human Impact: MS-ESS2.B, MS-ESS1.C
Unit — Rocks & Minerals
Essential Questions
How do rocks tell us about the forces that have shaped the earth?
Guiding Questions
What are the different types of rocks and how do they form?
How are rocks/minerals identified?
Resources
Textbooks
Web-based subscriptions:
Mosa Mack
GIZMO
Inner Orbit
Web-based resources
Measuring tools
Lab-related hands-on equipment
Skills
Students will:
ask questions and define problems.
develop and use models.
plan and carry out investigations.
analyze and interpret data.
use mathematics and computational thinking.
construct explanations and design solutions.
engage in arguments from evidence.
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.
Human Impact: MS-ESS2-1, MS-ESS1-4, MS-ESS2-3
Unit — Space Systems
Essential Questions
How do the motions of Earth affect the people on Earth?
Guiding Questions
What causes seasons?
What causes day and night?
How are tides, eclipses, and phases of the moon related?
Resources
Textbooks
Web-based subscriptions:
Mosa Mack
GIZMO
Inner Orbit
Web-based resources
Measuring tools
Lab-related hands-on equipment
Skills
Students will:
ask questions and define problems.
develop and use models.
plan and carry out investigations.
analyze and interpret data.
use mathematics and computational thinking.
construct explanations and design solutions.
engage in arguments from evidence.
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.
Human Impact: MS-ESS1-1