Search the California Content Standards

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

Performance Expectation: Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object. [Clarification Statement: Examples of pushes or pulls could include a string attached to an object being pulled, a person pushing an object, a person stopping a rolling ball, and two objects colliding and pushing on each other.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to different relative strengths or different directions, but not both at the same time. Assessment does not include non-contact pushes or pulls such as those produced by magnets.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS2.A: Forces and Motion Pushes and pulls can have different strengths and directions. Pushing or pulling on an object can change the speed or direction of its motion and can start or stop it. PS2.B: Types of Interactions When objects touch or collide, they push on one another and can change motion. PS3.C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces A bigger push or pull makes things speed up or slow down more quickly. (secondary to K-PS2-1)

Science & Engineering Practices: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations With guidance, plan and conduct an investigation in collaboration with peers. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods 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.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 MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. K.MD.1-2: Describe and compare measurable attributes.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in kindergarten: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: 3.PS2.A; 3.PS2.B; 4.PS3.A

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

Performance Expectation: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be seen only when illuminated. [Clarification Statement: Examples of observations could include those made in a completely dark room, a pinhole box, and a video of a cave explorer with a flashlight. Illumination could be from an external light source or by an object giving off its own light.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation Objects can be seen if light is available to illuminate them or if they give off their own light.

Science & Engineering Practices: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Make observations (firsthand or from media) to construct an evidence-based account for natural phenomena.

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.1.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. 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: 4.PS4.B

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

Performance Expectation: Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light. [Clarification Statement: Examples of materials could include those that are transparent (such as clear plastic), translucent (such as wax paper), opaque (such as cardboard), and reflective (such as a mirror).] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the speed of light.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation Some materials allow light to pass through them, others allow only some light through and others block all the light and create a dark shadow on any surface beyond them, where the light cannot reach. Mirrors can be used to redirect a light beam. (Boundary: The idea that light travels from place to place is developed through experiences with light sources, mirrors, and shadows, but no attempt is made to discuss the speed of light.)

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.

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: 2.PS1.A

Title: 3-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Performance Expectation: Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. [Clarification Statement: Examples of cause and effect relationships could be plants that have larger thorns than other plants may be less likely to be eaten by predators; and, animals that have better camouflage coloration than other animals may be more likely to survive and therefore more likely to leave offspring.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS4.B: Natural Selection Sometimes the differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.

Science & Engineering Practices: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Use evidence (e.g., observations, patterns) to construct an explanation.

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

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.3.2: 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. 3.MD.3: Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in third grade: 3.LS4.C Articulation across grade-levels: MS.LS2.A; MS.LS3.B; MS.LS4.B

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 to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include knowledge of specific colors reflected and seen, the cellular mechanisms of vision, or how the retina works.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation An object can be seen when light reflected from its surface enters the eyes.

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

Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified.

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: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: 1.PS4.B; MS.PS4.B; MS.LS1.D

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

Performance Expectation: Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include mechanisms for the transmission of this information.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS1.D: Information Processing Each sense receptor responds to different inputs (electromagnetic, mechanical, chemical), transmitting them as signals that travel along nerve cells to the brain. The signals are then processed in the brain, resulting in immediate behaviors or memories.

Science & Engineering Practices: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information Gather, read, and synthesize information from multiple appropriate sources and assess the credibility, accuracy, and possible bias of each publication and methods used, and describe how they are supported or not supported by evidence.

Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena 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. 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.6-8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: N/A Articulation across grade-bands: 4.LS1.D; HS.LS1.A

Title: MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Performance Expectation: 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. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using simple probability statements and proportional reasoning to construct explanations.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS4.B: Natural Selection Natural selection leads to the predominance of certain traits in a population, and the suppression of others.

Science & Engineering Practices: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Construct an explanation that includes qualitative or quantitative relationships between variables that describe phenomena.

Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect Phenomena may have more than one cause, and some cause and effect relationships in systems can only be described using probability.

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 RST.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. RST.6-8.9: Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic. WHST.6–8.2.a–f: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes. WHST.6-8.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. SL.8.1.a–d: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. SL.8.4: Present claims and findings (e.g., argument, narrative, response to literature presentations), emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. a. Plan and present a narrative that: establishes a context and point of view, presents a logical sequence, uses narrative techniques (e.g., dialogue, pacing, description, sensory language), uses a variety of transitions, and provides a conclusion that reflects the experience. Mathematics 6.RP.1: Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. 6.SP.5.a-d: Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context. 7.RP.2.a-d: Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: MS.LS2.A; MS.LS3.A; MS.LS3.B Articulation across grade-bands: 3.LS3.B; 3.LS4.B; HS.LS2.A; HS.LS3.B; HS.LS4.B; HS.LS4.C

Title: MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Performance Expectation: Gather and synthesize information about technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on synthesizing information from reliable sources about the influence of humans on genetic outcomes in artificial selection (such as genetic modification, animal husbandry, gene therapy); and, on the impacts these technologies have on society as well as the technologies leading to these scientific discoveries.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS4.B: Natural Selection In artificial selection, humans have the capacity to influence certain characteristics of organisms by selective breeding. One can choose desired parental traits determined by genes, which are then passed on to offspring.

Science & Engineering Practices: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to evaluating the merit and validity of ideas and methods. Gather, read, and synthesize information from multiple appropriate sources and assess the credibility, accuracy, and possible bias of each publication and methods used, and describe how they are supported or not supported by evidence.

Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect Phenomena may have more than one cause, and some cause and effect relationships in systems can only be described using probability. Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science: Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology Engineering advances have led to important discoveries in virtually every field of science, and scientific discoveries have led to the development of entire industries and engineered systems. Connections to Nature of Science: Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World Scientific knowledge can describe the consequences of actions but does not necessarily prescribe the decisions that society takes.

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 RST.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. WHST.6–8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources (primary and secondary), using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: N/A Articulation across grade-bands: HS.LS3.B; HS.LS4.C

Title: HS-ESS2 Earth’s Systems

Performance Expectation: Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate. [Clarification Statement: Examples of the causes of climate change differ by timescale, over 1-10 years: large volcanic eruption, ocean circulation; 10-100s of years: changes in human activity, ocean circulation, solar output; 10-100s of thousands of years: changes to Earth's orbit and the orientation of its axis; and 10-100s of millions of years: long-term changes in atmospheric composition.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of the results of changes in climate is limited to changes in surface temperatures, precipitation patterns, glacial ice volumes, sea levels, and biosphere distribution.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System Cyclical changes in the shape of Earth’s orbit around the sun, together with changes in the tilt of the planet’s axis of rotation, both occurring over hundreds of thousands of years, have altered the intensity and distribution of sunlight falling on the earth. These phenomena cause a cycle of ice ages and other gradual climate changes. (secondary to HS-ESS2-4) ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems The geological record shows that changes to global and regional climate can be caused by interactions among changes in the sun’s energy output or Earth’s orbit, tectonic events, ocean circulation, volcanic activity, glaciers, vegetation, and human activities. These changes can occur on a variety of time scales from sudden (e.g., volcanic ash clouds) to intermediate (ice ages) to very long-term tectonic cycles. ESS2.D: Weather and Climate The foundation for Earth’s global climate systems is the electromagnetic radiation from the sun, as well as its reflection, absorption, storage, and redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and land systems, and this energy’s re-radiation into space. Changes in the atmosphere due to human activity have increased carbon dioxide concentrations and thus affect climate.

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Use a model to provide mechanistic accounts of phenomena. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence Science arguments are strengthened by multiple lines of evidence supporting a single explanation.

Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects.

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 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.PS3.A; HS.PS3.B; HS.LS2.C; HS.ESS1.C; HS.ESS3.C; HS.ESS3.D Articulation across grade-bands: MS.PS3.A; MS.PS3.B; MS.PS3.D; MS.PS4.B; MS.LS1.C; MS.LS2.B; MS.LS2.C; MS.ESS2.A; MS.ESS2.B; MS.ESS2.C; MS.ESS2.D; MS.ESS3.C; MS.ESS3.D