Search the California Content Standards

Title: 5-PS3 Energy

Performance Expectation: Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, and motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun. [Clarification Statement: Examples of models could include diagrams, and flow charts.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes The energy released [from] food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (from air and water). LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms Food provides animals with the materials they need for body repair and growth and the energy they need to maintain body warmth and for motion. (secondary to 5-PS3-1)

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Use models to describe phenomena.

Crosscutting Concepts: Energy and Matter Energy can be transferred in various ways and between objects.

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 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. SL.5.5: Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in fifth grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: K.LS1.C; 2.LS2.A; 4.PS3.A; 4.PS3.B; 4.PS3.D; MS.PS3.D; MS.PS4.B; MS.LS1.C; MS.LS2.B

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

Performance Expectation: 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. [Clarification Statement: Examples of models can be physical, graphical, or conceptual.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS1.A: The Universe and its Stars Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon, and stars in the sky can be observed, described, predicted, and explained with models. ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System This model of the solar system can explain eclipses of the sun and the moon. Earth’s spin axis is fixed in direction over the short-term but tilted relative to its orbit around the sun. The seasons are a result of that tilt and are caused by the differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year.

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

Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns Patterns can be used to identify cause-and-effect relationships. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems Science assumes that objects and events in natural systems occur in consistent patterns that are understandable through measurement and observation.

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.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. 7.RP.2.a-d: Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: MS.PS2.A; MS.PS2.B Articulation across grade-bands: 3.PS2.A; 5.PS2.B; 5.ESS1.B; HS.PS2.A; HS.PS2.B; HS.ESS1.B

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

Performance Expectation: Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis for the model is on gravity as the force that holds together the solar system and Milky Way galaxy and controls orbital motions within them. Examples of models can be physical (such as the analogy of distance along a football field or computer visualizations of elliptical orbits) or conceptual (such as mathematical proportions relative to the size of familiar objects such as students’ school or state).] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include Kepler’s Laws of orbital motion or the apparent retrograde motion of the planets as viewed from Earth.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS1.A: The Universe and its Stars Earth and its solar system are part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of many galaxies in the universe. ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System The solar system consists of the sun and a collection of objects, including planets, their moons, and asteroids that are held in orbit around the sun by its gravitational pull on them. The solar system appears to have formed from a disk of dust and gas, drawn together by gravity.

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

Crosscutting Concepts: Systems and System Models Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems Science assumes that objects and events in natural systems occur in consistent patterns that are understandable through measurement and observation.

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.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. 7.RP.2.a-d: Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities. 6.EE.6: Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set. 7.EE.4.a-d: Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: MS.PS2.A; MS.PS2.B; Articulation across grade-bands: 3.PS2.A; 5.PS2.B; 5.ESS1.A; 5.ESS1.B; HS.PS2.A; HS.PS2.B; HS.ESS1.A; HS.ESS1.B

Title: MS-ETS1 Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science

Performance Expectation: 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.

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions A solution needs to be tested, and then modified on the basis of the test results, in order to improve it. Models of all kinds are important for testing solutions. ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution The iterative process of testing the most promising solutions and modifying what is proposed on the basis of the test results leads to greater refinement and ultimately to an optimal solution.

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Develop a model to generate data to test ideas about designed systems, including those representing inputs and outputs.

Crosscutting Concepts: N/A

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
Principle V Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of consideration and decision-making processes.

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.

DCI Connections:
Connections to MS-ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions Problems include: Physical Science: MS-PS1-6; MS-PS3-3 Life Science: MS-LS2-5 Connections to MS-ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution include: Physical Science: MS-PS1-6 Articulation across grade-bands: 3-5.ETS1.B; 3-5.ETS1.C; HS.ETS1.B; HS.ETS1.C

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

Performance Expectation: 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. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on describing that molecules are broken apart and put back together and that in this process, energy is released.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include details of the chemical reactions for photosynthesis or respiration.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms Within individual organisms, food moves through a series of chemical reactions in which it is broken down and rearranged to form new molecules, to support growth, or to release energy. PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes Cellular respiration in plants and animals involve chemical reactions with oxygen that release stored energy. In these processes, complex molecules containing carbon react with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and other materials. (secondary to MS-LS1-6)

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Develop a model to describe unobservable mechanisms.

Crosscutting Concepts: Energy and Matter Matter is conserved because atoms are conserved in physical and chemical processes.

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. 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 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.PS1.B Articulation across grade-bands: 5.PS3.D; 5.LS1.C; 5.LS2.B; HS.PS1.B; HS.LS1.C; HS.LS2.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

Title: HS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Performance Expectation: Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. [Clarification Statement: Examples of models could include simulations and mathematical models.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the specific chemical steps of photosynthesis and respiration.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are important components of the carbon cycle, in which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, atmosphere, oceans, and geosphere through chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes. PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes The main way that solar energy is captured and stored on Earth is through the complex chemical process known as photosynthesis. (secondary to HS-LS2-5)

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the relationships between systems or 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:
Principle II The long-term functioning and health of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems are influenced by their relationships with human societies. 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:
N/A

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: HS.PS1.B; HS.ESS2.D Articulation across grade-bands: MS.PS3.D; MS.LS1.C; MS.LS2.B; MS.ESS2.A

Title: HS-PS3 Energy

Performance Expectation: Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to basic algebraic expressions or computations; to systems of two or three components; and to thermal energy, kinetic energy, and/or the energies in gravitational, magnetic, or electric fields.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS3.A: Definitions of Energy Energy is a quantitative property of a system that depends on the motion and interactions of matter and radiation within that system. That there is a single quantity called energy is due to the fact that a system’s total energy is conserved, even as, within the system, energy is continually transferred from one object to another and between its various possible forms. PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer Conservation of energy means that the total change of energy in any system is always equal to the total energy transferred into or out of the system. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be transported from one place to another and transferred between systems. Mathematical expressions, which quantify how the stored energy in a system depends on its configuration (e.g. relative positions of charged particles, compression of a spring) and how kinetic energy depends on mass and speed, allow the concept of conservation of energy to be used to predict and describe system behavior. The availability of energy limits what can occur in any system.

Science & Engineering Practices: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking Create a computational model or simulation of a phenomenon, designed device, process, or system.

Crosscutting Concepts: Systems and System Models Models can be used to predict the behavior of a system, but these predictions have limited precision and reliability due to the assumptions and approximations inherent in models. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems Science assumes the universe is a vast single system in which basic laws are consistent.

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.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.PS1.B; HS.LS2.B; HS.ESS1.A; HS.ESS2.A Articulation across grade-bands: MS.PS3.A; MS.PS3.B; MS.ESS2.A