Grade 6 Science Vermont standards Standards

Economics

Civics, Government and Society

Physical and Cultural Geography

History

Conducting Research

Research Plan

Hypothesis/Research Statement

Social and Historical Questioning

Inquiry

Students initiate an inquiry by…

Students show understanding of past, present and future time by…

Students interpret geography and solve geographic problems by…

Students show understanding of human interaction with the environment over time by…

Students analyze how and why cultures continue and change over time by…

Students act as citizens by…

Students show understanding of various forms of government by…

Students examine how different societies address issues of human interdependence by…

Students examine how access to various institutions affects justice, reward, and power by…

Students show an understanding of the interaction/interdependence between humans, the environment, and the economy by…

Students show understanding of the interconnectedness between government and the economy by…

Students develop a hypothesis, thesis, or research statement by…

Students make economic decisions as a consumer, producer, saver, investor, and citizen by…

Students design research by…

Students conduct research by…

Students develop reasonable explanations that support the research statement by…

Asking relevant and focusing questions that will lead to independent research based on what they have seen, what they have read, what they have listened to, and/or what they have researched (e.g., How will global warming affect me and my community? Does intolerance exist in my school or community?).

Explaining transitions between eras that occurred over time (e.g., the end of the Colonial era) as well as those that occurred as a result of a pivotal event (e.g., September 11th, the writing of the Declaration of Independence).

Identifying an important event in the United States and/or world, and describing multiple causes and effects of that event.

Making predictions and/or decisions based on an understanding of the past and the present.

Interpreting data presented in time lines.

Constructing time lines of significant historical developments in the nation and world, designating appropriate equidistant intervals of time and recording events according to the order in which they occurred.

Identifying the beginning, middle, and end of an historical narrative or story.

Using appropriate geographic resources to answer geographic questions and to analyze patterns of spatial variation (e.g., Why do more people live in Chittenden County than any other county in Vermont?; examining soil quality in relation to land use).

Using grid systems to locate places on maps and globes (e.g., longitude and latitude).

Identifying and using basic elements of a map.

Constructing and reading a variety of effective representations of the earth such as maps, globes, and photographs (e.g., physical, political, topographic, computer generated, and special purpose maps).

Using absolute and relative location to identifying major mountain ranges, major rivers, and major climate and vegetation zones.

Locating selected cities and countries in the world of historical and current importance using absolute and relative location (e.g., capitals, Boston, NYC, London, Iraq, etc.).

Locating the physical and political regions of the United States and the world (e.g., Plains, NE Coast, New England, South, West, etc.).

Observing, comparing, and analyzing patterns of state, national, and global land use (e.g., agriculture, forestry, industry) to understand why particular locations are used for certain human activities.

Identifying characteristics of states, countries, and continents using resources such as landmarks, models, maps, photographs, atlases, internet, video, reference materials, GIS and mental mapping.

Recognizing patterns of voluntary and involuntary migration in the U.S. and world.

Describing how the environment influences a particular demographic factor, such as disease/epidemic rates, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, population growth rate (e.g., describe how environmental factors influence income).

Identifying different viewpoints regarding resource use in the U.S. and world (e.g., interview the owner of a hybrid or electric vehicle.).

Generating information related to the impact of human activities on the physical environment (for example, through field studies, mapping, interviewing, and using scientific instruments) in order to draw conclusions and recommend actions (e.g., accompanying a naturalist working to identify areas in need of preservation).

Describing how people have changed the environment in the U.S. and world for specific purposes (e.g., development of urban environments, modification of crops, reforestation).

Identifying ways in which culture in the United States and the world has changed.

Identifying how location influences cultural traits (e.g., comparing clothing, food, religion/values, government, and art across four ancient cultures in relation to location).

Describing the contributions of various cultural groups to the world, both past and present .

Identifying expressions of culture in the U.S., and the world through analysis of various modes of expression such as poems, songs, dances, stories, paintings, and photographs (e.g., investigating cultural expressions of the Harlem Renaissance).

Establishing rules and/or policies for a group, school, and/or community, and defending them.

Describing how an American's identity stems from beliefs in and allegiance to shared political values and principles, and how these are similar and different to other peoples.

Illustrating how individuals and groups have brought about change locally, nationally, or internationally (e.g., interview members of an advocacy group).

Giving examples of ways in which political parties, campaigns, and elections provide opportunities for citizens to participate in the political process.

Explaining their own point of view on issues that affect themselves and society; being able to explain an opposing point of view (e.g. bullies, victims, witnesses; voting age; smoking; violence on TV).

Identifying problems and proposing solutions in the local community, state, nation, or world.

Demonstrating positive interaction with group members (e.g., participating in a service project).

Giving examples of ways people act as members of a global community (e.g., purchasing products made in other countries).

Describing and defining the rights, principles, and responsibilities of citizenship in the U.S. (e.g., the right to vote and the responsibility to obey the law).

Defining criteria for selecting leaders at the school, community, state, national and international levels.

Describing the basic principles of American democracy (e.g., right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; responsibility for the common good; equality of opportunity and equal protection of the law; freedom of speech and religion).

Identifying the basic functions, structures and purposes of governments within the United States.

Describing how government decisions impact and/or relate to their lives.

Identifying key documents on which U.S. laws are based and where to find them (e.g., Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, U.S. Constitution).

Describing how rules and laws are created (e.g., participating in a simulation about creating a new law).

Explaining ways in which conflicts can be resolved peacefully (e.g., melting pot vs. salad bowl).

Explaining conditions that contribute to conflict within and among individuals, communities, and nations (e.g., investigating the political, social, and economic causes of the American Revolution).

Comparing and contrasting behaviors that foster cooperation among groups and governments (e.g., assigned roles of participation; clear expectations and goal setting).

Identifying examples of interdependence among states and nations (e.g., natural resources).

Citing examples, both past and present, of how diversity has led to change (e.g., foods; internment camps; slavery).

Describing differences and similarities among people that arise from factors such as cultural, ethnic, racial, economic, and religious diversity.

After examining issues from more than one perspective, defining and defending the rights and needs of others in the, community, nation, and world (e.g., participating in a forum on child slavery).

Describing the purposes and functions of governmental and nongovernmental international organizations (e.g., the United Nations).

Explaining how roles and status of people have differed and changed throughout history based on gender, age, class, racial and ethnic identity, wealth, and/or social position.

Identifying a current or historic issue related to basic human rights (e.g., civil rights; women's movement).

Identifying examples of tensions between belief systems and government policies and laws (e.g. Christmas trees may exclude people who are not Christian; Pledge of Allegiance).

Describing how different groups gain or have been denied access to various institutions, and exploring alternative ways of getting access (e.g., Women's right to vote, access for disabled, petition).

Describing the causes and effects of economic activities on the environment in the U.S. (e.g., examining why ski areas make snow and the effects of snowmaking on the environment).

Examining how producers in the U.S. have used natural, human, and capital resources to produce goods and services and describing long-term effects of these uses (e.g., What long-term effects did the growth of tobacco in the Chesapeake Bay area have on humans?).

Tracing the production, distribution, and consumption of goods in the U.S. (e.g., creating a map showing the flow of oil to and from the U.S.; creating a map depicting the African slave trade).

Recognizing that the U.S. government creates its own currency for use as money (e.g., investigating various forms of money printed throughout the history of the U.S.).

Explaining the relationship between taxation and governmental goods and services in the U.S. (e.g., given data, students create a pie chart of budget allocations).

Identifying goods and services provided by local, state, and national governments (e.g., disaster relief, business subsidies) and why these are needed.

Using prior knowledge, relevant questions, and facts to develop a prediction and/or propose an explanation or solution.

Identifying the pros and cons of saving money over time (e.g., immediate vs. delayed gratification).

Comparing price, quality, and features of goods and services.

Explaining what happens when people's needs and/or wants exceed their available resources (e.g., analyzing photographs from the Dust Bowl).

Defining and applying basic economic concepts such as supply and demand, price, market and/or opportunity cost in an investigation of a regional or national economic question or problem (e.g., what were the opportunity costs of westward migration?).

Determining possible ways to present data (e.g., PowerPoint, hypercard, report, graph, etc.).

Identifying tools, tasks, and procedures needed for conducting an inquiry, including a plan for citing sources.

Identifying the quality and quantity of information needed, including primary and secondary sources.

<ul><li>Referring to and following a plan for an inquiry. </li> <li>Locating relevant materials such as print, electronic, and human resources.</li> <li>Applying criteria from the research plan to analyze the quality (e.g., credibility of a Web site) and quantity (e.g., minimum number of sources) of information gathered.</li> <li>Describing evidence and recording observations using notecards, videotape, tape recorders, journals, or databases. (e.g., recording relevant details of a historical or geographical landmark).</li> <li>Citing sources.</li> </ul>

<ul><li>Organizing and displaying information in a manner appropriate to the research statement through tables graphs, maps, dioramas, charts, narratives, posters, timelines, models, simulations, and/or dramatizations.</li><li>Determining the validity and reliability of the document or information (e.g., evaluating why an author's point of view affects the reliability of the source).</li><li>Using appropriate methods for interpreting information, such as comparing and contrasting, summarizing, illustrating, sequencing, and/or justifying (e.g., identifying ethnic or cultural perspectives missing from a historical account).</li><li>Revising explanations as necessary based on peer critique, expert opinion, etc.</li></ul>

<ul><li>Explaining the relevance of their findings (So what?) to themselves, their community, and/or history (e.g., by asking follow-up questions, by proposing additional research). </li> <li>Explaining how their research has led to a clearer understanding of an issue or idea.</li> <li>Proposing solutions to problems based on their findings, and asking additional questions.</li> <li>Identifying what was easy or difficult about following the research plan, and making suggestions for improvement.</li></ul>

<ul><li>Developing and giving oral, written, or visual presentations for various audiences.</li> <li>Soliciting and responding to feedback.</li> <li>Pointing out possibilities for continued or further research.</li></ul>

Investigating how events, people, and ideas have shaped the United States and/or the world, and hypothesizing how different influences could have led to different consequences (e.g., How did the civil rights movement change the U.S., and how might the U.S. be different if it had never happened?).

Describing ways that life in the United States and/or the world has both changed and stayed the same over time, and explaining why these changes have occurred (e.g., In what ways would the life of a teenager during the American Revolution be different from the life of a teenager today? What factors have contributed to these differences?).

Explaining differences between historic and present day objects in the United States and/or the world, evaluating how the use of the object and the object itself changed over time, (e.g., comparing modes of transportation used in past and present exploration in order to evaluate the impact and effects of those changes).

Identifying how technology can lead to a different interpretation of history (e.g., archeological excavation, using online primary source documents).

Identifying attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in different historical contexts (e.g., What values justified denying women the vote?).

Identifying multiple perspectives in historic and current events (e.g., How might one of Santa Anna's soldiers describe the events at the Alamo? How might an American soldier describe the same events?).

Reading and interpreting historic maps.

Identifying different types of primary and secondary sources, and understanding the benefits and limitations both bring to the study of history (e.g., interviews, biographies, magazine articles, and eyewitness accounts).

Students make connections to research by…

Students communicate findings by…

Students connect the past with the present by…

Students show understanding of how humans interpret history by…

Earth's Place in the Universe

Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.

Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.

Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history.

Earth's Systems

Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.

Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.

Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.

Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.

Earth and Human Activity

Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth's mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.

Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.

Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.

Engineering Design

Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.

Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells, either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.

Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function.

Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.

Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.

Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.

Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.

Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.

Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories.

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.

Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism.

Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.

Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.

Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.

Analyze displays of pictorial data to compare patterns of similarities in the embryological development across multiple species to identify relationships not evident in the fully formed anatomy.

Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals' probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.

Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.

Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.

Matter and Its Interactions

Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.

Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.

Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.

Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.

Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.

Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

Apply Newton's Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.

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.

Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.

Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.

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.

Energy

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.

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.

Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.

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.

Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

Use mathematical representations to describe a simple model for waves that includes how the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave.

Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals (sent as wave pulses) are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information.