SIXTH GRADE SCIENCE

Alaska Content Standards

 

Standard A.  A student should understand scientific facts, concepts, 

                        principles, and theories.

Standard B.  A student should possess and understand the skills of

                        scientific inquiry.

Standard C.  A student should understand the nature and history of

                        science.

Standard D.  A student should be apply scientific knowledge and skills

                        to make reasoned decisions about the use of science and

                        scientific innovations.

 

Sixth Grade students will investigate planetary science; weather forecasting and water; and the Earth’s history.  Scientific process skills will continue to be utilized including: observing, communicating, classifying, measuring, hypothesizing, and experimenting.

·        Develop a hypothesis

·        Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculator, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data

·        Use a variety of methods to gather information

·        Describe observable properties to identify a uniquely given sample taken from a major group

·        Differentiate between observation and inference

·        Gain accuracy with estimations which employ units of measure and orders of magnitude

·        Identify bias in research and conclusions

·        Use all equipment correctly and safely

·        Use contradictory evidence to reevaluate an idea

·        Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations

·        Interpret events by sequence and time from natural phenomena (e.g., the relative ages of rocks and intrusions)

 

Alaska Science Performance Standards

 

A 3.  Students collect and analyze data to create a model to explain motions of objects within our solar system and in relation to the Milky Way.

A 4.  Students conduct research and make predictions about tides, weather, seasons, and phases of the moon and correlate these natural events to the motion of the Earth within our solar system.

A 7.  Students use models to explain how large scale movements within the Earth’s interior cause changes on the Earth’s surface.

A 13.  Use information found in the fossil record to provide evidence for the history of Earth and its changing life forms.

A 15.  Students conduct research to learn how the local environment is used by a variety of competing interests including local plant and animal populations, individual families, the local community, and outside sources such as oil and mining companies, hunting groups, and tourists.

B 1.  Students hypothesize, make qualitative and quantitative observations, control experimental variables, interpret data; and use this information to explain everyday phenomena and make predictions

B 2.  Students use appropriate instruments, develop and design a controlled experiment, and conduct research.

B 3.  Students compare their work to the work of others to identify multiple paths that can be used to investigate a particular question.

B 4.  Students design an experiment through a collaborative process, describing individual ways to answer the question before coming to group consensus on the best experimental design.

B 5.  Students practice factual recording of experimental results and unbiased data collection.

B 6.  Students examine laboratory and community safety procedures, identify how an individual affects the safety of the group, and practice safe behavior in the classroom and laboratory.

C 1.  Students will make and record observations and be able to link those observations to known scientific concepts, principles and laws.

C 2.  Students conduct a series of experiments to demonstrate the reproducibility of scientific phenomena.

C 3.  Students describe how the local society, culture, history, and environment have affected the development of scientific knowledge.

C 4.  Students investigate the societal (non-scientific) belief of a community regarding a natural phenomenon.

C 5.  Students work in a team to observe, research, and study an issue related to their community and synthesize data derived from multiple perspectives.

C 6.  Students describe the steps in the development of a widely used technology (e.g., Teflon, sticky notes, nylon, penicillin, etc.)

C 7.  Students design concept webs that show how contributions across a variety of fields are used to produce inventions.

C 8.  Students show how acceptance of a new idea depends upon supporting evidence and how new ideas that conflict with beliefs or common sense are often resisted.

D 1.  Students research a local problem or issue and form a viewpoint that is supported by scientific evidence

D 2.  Students describe the unexpected effects, both positive and negative and short-and long-term, of a discovery, invention, or scientific breakthrough.

D 3.  Students identify a community problem or issue, collect information and secondary research, and propose a scientific solution.

D 4.  Students evaluate the scientific and societal impact of recent technologies.

D 5.  Students describe how public policy affects their lives and participate diplomatically in evidence-based discussions relating to their community.

D 6.  Students use scientific reasoning to design a solution to a problem or issue and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.

 

CORE CONTENT

 

Planetary Science

·        Students will become familiar with maps and images presented in a variety of different scales

·        Describe the nine planets and their relative position from the sun

·        Develop a sense of planet Earth as a tiny base from which to launch an inquiry into the vast reaches of the Solar System

·        Explore several kinds of evidence that were used historically to induce that Earth is round

·        Explore the celestial motion that result in the day/night cycle on Earth

·        Introduce students to the Moon as a dynamic celestial neighbor

·        Learn that impact is one of the major processes that shapes and changes the surface of planets and satellites

·        Locate some major features on the Moon and determine and appreciate the size of these features and the distances between them

·        Integrate understanding of the celestial motions of Earth and the Moon with the student’s knowledge of lunar geology

·        Identify rocks and minerals found on the Moon, compare Moon rocks to Earth rocks, and explore the question of Moon origin

·        Learn how the orbit of the Moon results in the phases we observe from Earth

·        Model and describe how the Earth’s axial tilt causes the seasons

·        Discuss the relationship between gravitational pull of the moon and the cycle of tides

·        Compare and contrast the ideas of Ptolemy, Aristotle, Copernicus, and Galileo related to the solar system

·        Interpret scientific theories concerning the components, patterns, and cycles of the solar system

·        Create and interpret a timeline highlighting the advancements in solar exploration over the past half century

·        Investigate and understand the history and technology of space exploration

Earth History

·        Understand the age of the Earth and when living things first appeared on Earth 3.5 billion years ago

·        Investigate sedimentary rocks and fossils to discover clues that reveal Earth’s history

·        Compare evidence discovered in the rocks to present-day geologic processes and contemporary life forms

·        Use data to make inferences about past organisms, environments, and events that occurred on Earth over its history

·        Explain the processes related to the formation of mountains, earthquakes, and volcanoes

·        Investigate the properties of sand, sandstone, and shale and the processes that create them

·        Investigate the conditions that lead to the formation of a sedimentary rock, limestone, and how rock layers provide the evidence for ancient environments

·        Investigate the geological time scale and begin to comprehend the enormous spans of time that are describes by geological time

·        Introduce index fossils as evidence for determining the relative age of sedimentary rocks

·        Introduce students to the other two types of rocks found on Earth, igneous and metamorphic, and the processes that form these rocks

·        Describe the layers of the earth (lithosphere, mantel, and core), the dynamics of plate tectonics, and the multiple causes of erosion

·        Determine how physical and biological agents and processes form soil and affect soil characteristics

Weather and Water

·        Differentiate between weather and climate

·        Introduce the role of weather stations

·        Discuss the usefulness of forecasting the weather

·        Discuss what weather forecasters look at to predict the weather

·        Discover the importance of accurate record keeping in formulating an accurate forecast

·        Observe that air pressure is exerted in all directions

·        Relate air pressure to wind and weather forecasting

·        List, identify, and use common instruments of scientific measure in meteorology such as thermometers and barometers

·        Investigate barometric pressure readings as a means of forecasting the weather

·        Investigate the different types of weather fronts and learn to interpret fronts and predict the weather they bring

·        Examine national weather data collected from newspapers

·        Know the sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on Earth’s surface and it powers winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle

·        Explain the importance of the oceans in forming weather patterns and how this affects climate

·        Describe the basic composition, properties, and structure of the atmosphere (e.g., the range and distribution of temperature and pressure in the troposphere and stratosphere)

·        Know convection currents distribute heat in the atmosphere and oceans

·        Know differences in pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity result in changes of weather

·        Investigate and compare the properties and behavior of water in its solid, liquid, and gaseous states

·        Identify and illustrate natural cycles within systems (e.g., water, planetary motion, geological changes, climate)

 

World to Work

·        Invite scientists as guest speakers B.1,7;  C.2,4;  D.7;

·        Survey parents on how they use science at home and at work  B.1,2,7;  C.4;  D.6;

·        Develop questions to ask about job responsibilities in science related areas  B.1,7;  C.1,4;  D.1,2;

·        Create a book of safety rules for an occupation that utilizes science  B.1,6,7;  D.1,2,6,7;

·        Brainstorm a list of careers in science; research and report on these careers  B.1,4,7;  C.4,7;  D.6,7;

·        Keep a daily assignment notebook  B.7;  D.7;

·        Chart individual logs of attendance and preparedness  B.7;  D.7;

·        Do a self-evaluation on quarterly individual goals based on work habits, attendance, and attitudes  B.7;  D.7;

Textbook:
ISBN#:
Publisher:
Planetary Science 742-6385 Foss
Earth History 742-6374 Foss
Weather & Water 742-6418 Foss