Search the California Content Standards

Title: K-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Performance Expectation: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include that animals need to take in food but plants do not; the different kinds of food needed by different types of animals; the requirement of plants to have light; and, that all living things need water.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.

Science & Engineering Practices: Analyzing and Interpreting Data Use observations (firsthand or from media) to describe patterns in the natural world in order to answer scientific questions. Connections to Nature of Science:: Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence Scientists look for patterns and order when making observations about the world.

Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns Patterns in the natural and human designed world can be observed and used as evidence.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
Principle I The continuation and health of individual human lives and of human communities and societies depend on the health of the natural systems that provide essential goods and ecosystem services. 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 W.K.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them). Mathematics K.MD.2: Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/”less of” the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/ shorter.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in kindergarten: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: 1.LS1.A; 2.LS2.A; 3.LS2.C; 3.LS4.B; 5.LS1.C; 5.LS2.A

Title: 1-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Performance Expectation: Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns of behaviors could include the signals that offspring make (such as crying, cheeping, and other vocalizations) and the responses of the parents (such as feeding, comforting, and protecting the offspring).]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms Adult plants and animals can have young. In many kinds of animals, parents and the offspring themselves engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive.

Science & Engineering Practices: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information Read grade-appropriate texts and use media to obtain scientific information to determine patterns in the natural world. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence Scientists look for patterns and order when making observations about the world.

Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns Patterns in the natural world can be observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence.

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.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.1.2: Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.1.10: With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade. a. Activate prior knowledge related to the information and events in a text. b. Confirm predictions about what will happen next in a text. Mathematics 1.NBT.3: Compare two two-digit numbers based on the meanings of the tens and one digits, recording the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, and <. 1.NBT.4-6: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in first grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: 3.LS2.D

Title: 1-PS4 Waves and their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

Performance Expectation: Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate. [Clarification Statement: Examples of vibrating materials that make sound could include tuning forks and plucking a stretched string. Examples of how sound can make matter vibrate could include holding a piece of paper near a speaker making sound and holding an object near a vibrating tuning fork.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS4.A: Wave Properties Sound can make matter vibrate, and vibrating matter can make sound.

Science & Engineering Practices: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Plan and conduct investigations collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence to answer a question. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods Science investigations begin with a question. Scientists use different ways to study the world.

Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect Simple tests can be designed to gather evidence to support or refute student ideas about causes.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy W.1.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions). W.1.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. SL.1.1.a–c: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in first grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: N/A

Title: 2-ESS2 Earth’s Systems

Performance Expectation: Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of solutions could include different designs of dikes and windbreaks to hold back wind and water, and different designs for using shrubs, grass, and trees to hold back the land.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems Wind and water can change the shape of the land. ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution Because there is always more than one possible solution to a problem, it is useful to compare and test designs. (secondary to 2-ESS2-1)

Science & Engineering Practices: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Compare multiple solutions to a problem.

Crosscutting Concepts: Stability and Change Things may change slowly or rapidly. Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science: Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World Developing and using technology has impacts on the natural world. Connections to Nature of Science: Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World Scientists study the natural and material world.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy RI.2.3: Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text. RI.2.9: Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics. MP.5: Use appropriate tools strategically. 2.MD.5: Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve word problems involving lengths that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as drawings of rulers) and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in second grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: 4.ESS2.B; 5.ESS2.C

Title: 2-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Performance Expectation: Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific animal and plant names in specific habitats.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.

Science & Engineering Practices: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence Scientists look for patterns and order when making observations about the world.

Crosscutting Concepts: N/A

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 W.2.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). W.2.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics. 2.MD.10: Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems using information presented in a bar graph.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in second grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: 3.LS4.C; 3.LS4.D; 5.LS2.A

Title: 3-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Performance Expectation: Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death. [Clarification Statement: Changes organisms go through during their life form a pattern.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of plant life cycles is limited to those of flowering plants. Assessment does not include details of human reproduction.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles.

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Develop models to describe phenomena. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence Science findings are based on recognizing patterns.

Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns Patterns of change can be used to make predictions.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
Principle III Natural systems proceed through cycles that humans depend upon, benefit from, and can alter.

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy RI.3.7: Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). SL.3.5: Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details. Mathematics MP.4: Model with mathematics. 3.NBT.1-3: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic. 3.NF.1-3: Develop understanding of fractions as numbers.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in third grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: MS.LS1.B

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: 3-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Performance Expectation: Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of environmental changes could include changes in land characteristics, water distribution, temperature, food, and other organisms.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single environmental change. Assessment does not include the greenhouse effect or climate change.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there.

Science & Engineering Practices: Engaging in Argument from Evidence Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem by citing relevant evidence about how it meets the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Crosscutting Concepts: Systems and System Models A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science: Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology Knowledge of relevant scientific concepts and research findings is important in engineering.

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. SL.3.4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. a. Plan and deliver an informative/explanatory presentation on a topic that: organizes ideas around major points of information, follows a logical sequence, includes supporting details, uses clear and specific vocabulary, and provides a strong conclusion. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in third grade: 3.ESS3.B Articulation across grade-levels: K.ESS3.A; K.ETS1.A; 2.LS2.A; 2.LS4.D; 4.ESS3.B; 4.ETS1.A; MS.LS2.A; MS.LS2.C; MS.LS4.C; MS.ESS1.C; MS.ESS3.C

Title: 4-ESS2 Earth’s Systems

Performance Expectation: Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation. [Clarification Statement: Examples of variables to test could include angle of slope in the downhill movement of water, amount of vegetation, speed of wind, relative rate of deposition, cycles of freezing and thawing of water, cycles of heating and cooling, and volume of water flow.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single form of weathering or erosion.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around. ESS2.E: Biogeology Living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions.

Science & Engineering Practices: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Make observations and/or measurements to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence for an explanation of a phenomenon.

Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy W4.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. W.4.8: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes, paraphrase, and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics. MP.5: Use appropriate tools strategically. 4.MD.A.1: Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Record measurement equivalents in a two-column table. For example, know that 1 ft is 12 times as long as 1 in. Express the length of a 4 ft snake as 48 in. Generate a conversion table for feet and inches listing the number pairs (1,12), (2, 24), (3,36),... 4.MD.2: Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in fourth grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: 2.ESS1.C; 2.ESS2.A; 5.ESS2.A

Title: 4-PS4 Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

Performance Expectation: Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move. [Clarification Statement: Examples of models could include diagrams, analogies, and physical models using wire to illustrate wavelength and amplitude of waves.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include interference effects, electromagnetic waves, non-periodic waves, or quantitative models of amplitude and wavelength.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS4.A: Wave Properties Waves, which are regular patterns of motion, can be made in water by disturbing the surface. When waves move across the surface of deep water, the water goes up and down in place; there is no net motion in the direction of the wave except when the water meets a beach. (Note: This grade band endpoint was moved from K–2.) Waves of the same type can differ in amplitude (height of the wave) and wavelength (spacing between wave peaks).

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Develop a model using an analogy, example, or abstract representation to describe a scientific principle. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence Science findings are based on recognizing patterns.

Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort and classify natural phenomena.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy SL.4.5: Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes. Mathematics MP.4: Model with mathematics. 4.G.1: Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in fourth grade: 4.PS3.A ; 4.PS3.B Articulation across grade-levels: MS.PS4.A