Search the California Content Standards

Title: MS-PS2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

Performance Expectation: 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. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on balanced (Newton’s First Law) and unbalanced forces in a system, qualitative comparisons of forces, mass and changes in motion (Newton’s Second Law), frame of reference, and specification of units.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to forces and changes in motion in one-dimension in an inertial reference frame and to change in one variable at a time. Assessment does not include the use of trigonometry.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS2.A: Forces and Motion The motion of an object is determined by the sum of the forces acting on it; if the total force on the object is not zero, its motion will change. The greater the mass of the object, the greater the force needed to achieve the same change in motion. For any given object, a larger force causes a larger change in motion. All positions of objects and the directions of forces and motions must be described in an arbitrarily chosen reference frame and arbitrarily chosen units of size. In order to share information with other people, these choices must also be shared.

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: Stability and Change Explanations of stability and change in natural or designed systems can be constructed by examining the changes over time and forces at different scales.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

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.EE.2.a-c: Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers. 7.EE.3-4: Solve real-life and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic expressions and equations.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: MS.PS3.A; MS.PS3.B; MS.ESS2.C Articulation across grade-bands: 3.PS2.A; HS.PS2.A; HS.PS3.B; HS.ESS1.B

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

Performance Expectation: 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. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on describing waves with both qualitative and quantitative thinking.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include electromagnetic waves and is limited to standard repeating waves.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS4.A: Wave Properties A simple wave has a repeating pattern with a specific wavelength, frequency, and amplitude.

Science & Engineering Practices: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking Use mathematical representations to describe and/or support scientific conclusions and design solutions. 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: Patterns Graphs and charts can be used to identify patterns in data.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy SL.8.5: Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics. 6.RP.1: Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. 6.RP.3.a-d: Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems. 7.RP.2.a-d: Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities. 8.F.3: Interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function, whose graph is a straight line; give examples of functions that are not linear.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: N/A Articulation across grade-bands: 4.PS3.A; 4.PS3.B; 4.PS4.A; HS.PS4.A; HS.PS4.B

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

Performance Expectation: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both light and mechanical waves. Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written descriptions.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to qualitative applications pertaining to light and mechanical waves.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS4.A: Wave Properties A sound wave needs a medium through which it is transmitted. PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation When light shines on an object, it is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through the object, depending on the object’s material and the frequency (color) of the light. The path that light travels can be traced as straight lines, except at surfaces between different transparent materials (e.g., air and water, air and glass) where the light path bends. A wave model of light is useful for explaining brightness, color, and the frequency-dependent bending of light at a surface between media. However, because light can travel through space, it cannot be a matter wave, like sound or water waves.

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Develop and use a model to describe phenomena.

Crosscutting Concepts: Structure and Function Structures can be designed to serve particular functions by taking into account properties of different materials, and how materials can be shaped and used.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy SL.8.5: Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: MS.LS1.D Articulation across grade-bands: 4.PS4.B; HS.PS4.A; HS.PS4.B; HS.ESS1.A; HS.ESS2.A; HS.ESS2.C; HS.ESS2.D

Title: HS-ESS2 Earth’s Systems

Performance Expectation: Develop a model based on evidence of Earth’s interior to describe the cycling of matter by thermal convection. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both a one-dimensional model of Earth, with radial layers determined by density, and a three-dimensional model, which is controlled by mantle convection and the resulting plate tectonics. Examples of evidence include maps of Earth’s three-dimensional structure obtained from seismic waves, records of the rate of change of Earth’s magnetic field (as constraints on convection in the outer core), and identification of the composition of Earth’s layers from high-pressure laboratory experiments.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems Evidence from deep probes and seismic waves, reconstructions of historical changes in Earth’s surface and its magnetic field, and an understanding of physical and chemical processes lead to a model of Earth with a hot but solid inner core, a liquid outer core, a solid mantle and crust. Motions of the mantle and its plates occur primarily through thermal convection, which involves the cycling of matter due to the outward flow of energy from Earth’s interior and gravitational movement of denser materials toward the interior. ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions The radioactive decay of unstable isotopes continually generates new energy within Earth’s crust and mantle, providing the primary source of the heat that drives mantle convection. Plate tectonics can be viewed as the surface expression of mantle convection. PS4.A: Wave Properties Geologists use seismic waves and their reflection at interfaces between layers to probe structures deep in the planet. (secondary to HS-ESS2-3)

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. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence Science knowledge is based on empirical evidence. Science disciplines share common rules of evidence used to evaluate explanations about natural systems. Science includes the process of coordinating patterns of evidence with current theory.

Crosscutting Concepts: Energy and Matter Energy drives the cycling of matter within and between systems. Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science: Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology Science and engineering complement each other in the cycle known as research and development (R&D). Many R&D projects may involve scientists, engineers, and others with wide ranges of expertise.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
Principle III Natural systems proceed through cycles that humans depend upon, benefit from, and can alter. 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.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. SL.11-12.5: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics. N-Q.1-3: Reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems.

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

Title: HS-ESS2 Earth’s Systems

Performance Expectation: Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the dynamic causes, effects, and feedbacks between the biosphere and Earth’s other systems, whereby geoscience factors control the evolution of life, which in turn continuously alters Earth’s surface. Examples include how photosynthetic life altered the atmosphere through the production of oxygen, which in turn increased weathering rates and allowed for the evolution of animal life; how microbial life on land increased the formation of soil, which in turn allowed for the evolution of land plants; or how the evolution of corals created reefs that altered patterns of erosion and deposition along coastlines and provided habitats for the evolution of new life forms.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of how the biosphere interacts with all of Earth’s other systems.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS2.D: Weather and Climate Gradual atmospheric changes were due to plants and other organisms that captured carbon dioxide and released oxygen. ESS2.E: Biogeology The many dynamic and delicate feedbacks between the biosphere and other Earth systems cause a continual co-evolution of Earth’s surface and the life that exists on it.

Science & Engineering Practices: Engaging in Argument from Evidence Construct an oral and written argument or counter-arguments based on data and evidence.

Crosscutting Concepts: Stability and Change Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
Principle III Natural systems proceed through cycles that humans depend upon, benefit from, and can alter. 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 WHST.9-12.1.a-e: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: HS.LS2.A; HS.LS2.C; HS.LS4.A; HS.LS4.B; HS.LS4.C; HS.LS4.D Articulation across grade-bands: MS.LS2.A; MS.LS2.C; MS.LS4.A; MS.LS4.B; MS.LS4.C; MS.ESS1.C; MS.ESS2.A; MS.ESS2.C; MS.ESS3.C

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

Performance Expectation: Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific gene control mechanisms or rote memorization of the steps of mitosis.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms In multicellular organisms individual cells grow and then divide via a process called mitosis, thereby allowing the organism to grow. The organism begins as a single cell (fertilized egg) that divides successively to produce many cells, with each parent cell passing identical genetic material (two variants of each chromosome pair) to both daughter cells. Cellular division and differentiation produce and maintain a complex organism, composed of systems of tissues and organs that work together to meet the needs of the whole organism.

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

Crosscutting Concepts: Systems and System Models Models (e.g., physical, mathematical, computer models) can be used to simulate systems and interactions—including energy, matter, and information flows—within and between systems at different scales.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy SL.11-12.5: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. Mathematics MP.4: Model with mathematics. F-IF.7.a-e: Graph functions expressed symbolically and show key features of the graph, by hand in simple cases and using technology for more complicated cases. F-BF.1.a-c: Write a function that describes a relationship between two quantities.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: N/A Articulation across grade-bands: MS.LS1.A; MS.LS1.B; MS.LS3.A

Title: HS-PS1 Matter and Its Interactions

Performance Expectation: Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties. [Clarification Statement: Examples of chemical reactions could include the reaction of sodium and chlorine, of carbon and oxygen, or of carbon and hydrogen.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to chemical reactions involving main group elements and combustion reactions.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter The periodic table orders elements horizontally by the number of protons in the atom’s nucleus and places those with similar chemical properties in columns. The repeating patterns of this table reflect patterns of outer electron states. PS1.B: Chemical Reactions The fact that atoms are conserved, together with knowledge of the chemical properties of the elements involved, can be used to describe and predict chemical reactions.

Science & Engineering Practices: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Construct and revise an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students’ own investigations, models, theories, simulations, peer review) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns Different patterns may be observed at each of the scales at which a system is studied and can provide evidence for causality in explanations of phenomena.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy WHST.11-12.2.a-e: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes. WHST.11-12.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. Mathematics N-Q.1-3: Reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: HS.LS1.C; HS.ESS2.C Articulation across grade-bands: MS.PS1.A; MS.PS1.B

Title: HS-PS1 Matter and Its Interactions

Performance Expectation: Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends upon the changes in total bond energy. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the idea that a chemical reaction is a system that affects the energy change. Examples of models could include molecular-level drawings and diagrams of reactions, graphs showing the relative energies of reactants and products, and representations showing energy is conserved.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculating the total bond energy changes during a chemical reaction from the bond energies of reactants and products.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter A stable molecule has less energy than the same set of atoms separated; one must provide at least this energy in order to take the molecule apart. PS1.B: Chemical Reactions Chemical processes, their rates, and whether or not energy is stored or released can be understood in terms of the collisions of molecules and the rearrangements of atoms into new molecules, with consequent changes in the sum of all bond energies in the set of molecules that are matched by changes in kinetic energy.

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: Energy and Matter Changes of energy and matter in a system can be described in terms of energy and matter flows into, out of, and within that system.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy SL.11-12.5: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. Mathematics MP.4: Model with mathematics. N-Q.1-3: Reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: HS.PS3.A; HS.PS3.B; HS.PS3.D; HS.LS1.C Articulation across grade-bands: MS.PS1.A; MS.PS1.B; MS.PS2.B; MS.PS3.D; MS.LS1.C

Title: HS-PS1 Matter and Its Interactions

Performance Expectation: Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on student reasoning that focuses on the number and energy of collisions between molecules.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to simple reactions in which there are only two reactants; evidence from temperature, concentration, and rate data; and qualitative relationships between rate and temperature.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS1.B: Chemical Reactions Chemical processes, their rates, and whether or not energy is stored or released can be understood in terms of the collisions of molecules and the rearrangements of atoms into new molecules, with consequent changes in the sum of all bond energies in the set of molecules that are matched by changes in kinetic energy.

Science & Engineering Practices: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation of phenomena and solve design problems, taking into account possible unanticipated effects.

Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns Different patterns may be observed at each of the scales at which a system is studied and can provide evidence for causality in explanations of phenomena.

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. WHST.11-12.2.a-e: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. N-Q.1-3: Reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems.

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

Title: HS-PS1 Matter and Its Interactions

Performance Expectation: Refine the design of a chemical system by specifying a change in conditions that would produce increased amounts of products at equilibrium.* [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the application of Le Chatelier’s Principle and on refining designs of chemical reaction systems, including descriptions of the connection between changes made at the macroscopic level and what happens at the molecular level. Examples of designs could include different ways to increase product formation including adding reactants or removing products.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to specifying the change in only one variable at a time. Assessment does not include calculating equilibrium constants and concentrations.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS1.B: Chemical Reactions In many situations, a dynamic and condition-dependent balance between a reaction and the reverse reaction determines the numbers of all types of molecules present. ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution Criteria may need to be broken down into simpler ones that can be approached systematically, and decisions about the priority of certain criteria over others (trade-offs) may be needed. (secondary to HS-PS1-6)

Science & Engineering Practices: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Refine a solution to a complex real-world problem, based on scientific knowledge, student-generated sources of evidence, prioritized criteria, and tradeoff considerations.

Crosscutting Concepts: Stability and Change Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy WHST.11-12.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: HS.PS3.B Articulation across grade-bands: MS.PS1.B