Search the California Content Standards

Title: 3-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Performance Expectation: Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago. [Clarification Statement: Examples of data could include type, size, and distributions of fossil organisms. Examples of fossils and environments could include marine fossils found on dry land, tropical plant fossils found in Arctic areas, and fossils of extinct organisms.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include identification of specific fossils or present plants and animals. Assessment is limited to major fossil types and relative ages.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. (Note: moved from K-2) Fossils provide evidence about the types of organisms that lived long ago and also about the nature of their environments.

Science & Engineering Practices: Analyzing and Interpreting Data Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning.

Crosscutting Concepts: Scale, Proportion, and Quantity Observable phenomena exist from very short to very long time periods. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems Science assumes consistent patterns in natural systems.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
Principle II The long-term functioning and health of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems are influenced by their relationships with human societies.

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy RI.3.1.a–d: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. RI.3.2.a–d: Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. RI.3.3: Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect. W.3.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. W.3.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. W.3.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics. MP.5: Use appropriate tools strategically. 3.MD.4: Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units—whole numbers, halves, or quarters.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in third grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: 4.ESS1.C; MS.LS2.A; MS.LS4.A; MS.ESS1.C; MS.ESS2.B

Title: 5-ESS1 Earth’s Place in the Universe

Performance Expectation: Support an argument that differences in the apparent brightness of the sun compared to other stars is due to their relative distances from Earth. [Clarification Statement: Absolute brightness of stars is the result of a variety factors. Relative distance from Earth is one factor that affects apparent brightness and is the one selected to be addressed by the performance expectation.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to relative distances, not sizes, of stars. Assessment does not include other factors that affect apparent brightness (such as stellar masses, age, stage).]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS1.A: The Universe and its Stars The sun is a star that appears larger and brighter than other stars because it is closer. Stars range greatly in their distance from Earth.

Science & Engineering Practices: Engaging in Argument from Evidence Support an argument with evidence, data, or a model.

Crosscutting Concepts: Scale, Proportion, and Quantity Natural objects exist from the very small to the immensely large.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy RI.5.1.a-d: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RI.5.7: Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. RI.5.8: Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s). RI.5.9: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. W.5.1.a–d: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics. 5.NBT.2: Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10, and explain patterns in the placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied or divided by a power of 10. Use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in fifth grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: MS.ESS1.A; MS.ESS1.B

Title: MS-PS3 Energy

Performance Expectation: 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. [Clarification Statement: Examples of experiments could include comparing final water temperatures after different masses of ice melted in the same volume of water with the same initial temperature, the temperature change of samples of different materials with the same mass as they cool or heat in the environment, or the same material with different masses when a specific amount of energy is added.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS3.A: 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. PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer The amount of energy transfer needed to change the temperature of a matter sample by a given amount depends on the nature of the matter, the size of the sample, and the environment.

Science & Engineering Practices: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 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.

Crosscutting Concepts: Scale, Proportion, and Quantity Proportional relationships (e.g. speed as the ratio of distance traveled to time taken) among different types of quantities provide information about the magnitude of properties and processes.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
Principle IV The exchange of matter between natural systems and human societies affects the long-term functioning of both.

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy RST.6-8.3: Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. WHST.6-8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 6.SP.5.a-d: Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: MS.PS1.A; MS.PS2.A; MS.ESS2.C; MS.ESS2.D; MS.ESS3.D Articulation across grade-bands: 4.PS3.C; HS.PS1.B; HS.PS3.A; HS.PS3.B

Title: HS-ESS1 Earth’s Place in the Universe

Performance Expectation: Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the life span of the sun and the role of nuclear fusion in the sun’s core to release energy that eventually reaches Earth in the form of radiation. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the energy transfer mechanisms that allow energy from nuclear fusion in the sun’s core to reach Earth. Examples of evidence for the model include observations of the masses and lifetimes of other stars, as well as the ways that the sun’s radiation varies due to sudden solar flares (“space weather”), the 11-year sunspot cycle, and non-cyclic variations over centuries.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include details of the atomic and sub-atomic processes involved with the sun’s nuclear fusion.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS1.A: The Universe and its Stars The star called the sun is changing and will burn out over a lifespan of approximately 10 billion years. PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes Nuclear Fusion processes in the center of the sun release the energy that ultimately reaches Earth as radiation. (secondary to HS-ESS1-1)

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the relationships between systems or between components of a system.

Crosscutting Concepts: Scale, Proportion, and Quantity The significance of a phenomenon is dependent on the scale, proportion, and quantity at which it occurs.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy RST.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics. N-Q.1-3: Reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems. A-SSE.1.a-b: Interpret expressions that represent a quantity in terms of its context. A-CED.2: Create equations in two or more variables to represent relationships between quantities; graph equations on coordinate axes with labels and scales. A-CED.4: Rearrange formulas to highlight a quantity of interest, using the same reasoning as in solving equations. HSN-Q.A.2: Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling. HSN-Q.A.3: Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting quantities.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: HS.PS1.C; HS.PS3.A Articulation across grade-bands: MS.PS1.A; MS.PS4.B; MS.ESS1.A; MS.ESS2.A; MS.ESS2.D