Grade 6

Ask Questions & Define Problems

Energy Conservation and Transfer 

Earth's Systems, Structures, History & Processes

Matter & Properties of Change

Ecosystems

Construct scientific questions that can be answered through measurable outcomes.                                                                         

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

Collaboratively plan and gather data through a controlled experiment.

Create line plots and histograms to depict data.

Collect and organize data using technology.

Make predictions using quantitative and qualitative data.

Analyze a claim based on qualitative and quantitative evidence.

Read and summarize scientific text including tables, diagrams, and charts.

Utilize scientific tools: Graduated cylinders,beakers, thermometers.

Describe ways of collecting information.

Explain how the sun’s energy impacts the processes of the water cycle (evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff).

Explain the effects of electromagnetic waves on various materials to include absorption, scattering, and change in temperature.

Illustrate the transfer of heat energy from warmer objects to cooler ones using examples of conduction, radiation, and convection.

Compare the composition, properties, and structure of Earth’s atmosphere to include: mixtures of gasses and differences in temperature and pressure within layers.

Explain why water is important to Earth’s systems (polarity, cohesion, adhesion, universal solvent).

Describe the properties and physical features of oceans.

Describe characteristics of ocean waves.

Describe and explain the factors and movement of ocean water.

Summarize evidence that ‘earth’s oceans are a reservoir of nutrients, minerals, dissolved gasses, and life forms.

Recognize that all matter is made up of atoms and atoms of the same element are all alike, but are different from the atoms of other elements.

Explain the effect of heat on the motion of atoms through a description of what happens to particles (water molecules) during a change in phase. 

Compare the physical properties of (water) including: density, melting point, boiling point, solubility.

Summarize how the abiotic factors (temperature, water, sunlight, and soil quality) of biomes (freshwater, marine, forest, grasslands, desert, tundra) affect the ability of organisms to grow, survive and/or create their own food.

Explain how the flow of energy within food webs is interconnected with the cycling of matter.

Explain how factors such as food, water, shelter, and space affect populations in an ecosystem.

Summarize relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers, including positive/negative consequences of such interactions, coexistence and cooperation, competition, parasitism, mutualism.