Search the California Content Standards

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: 2-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Performance Expectation: Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to testing one variable at a time.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Plants depend on water and light to grow.

Science & Engineering Practices: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence to answer a question.

Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect Events have causes that generate observable patterns.

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 V Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of considerations and decision-making processes.

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. MP.5: Use appropriate tools strategically.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in second grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: K.LS1.C; K-ESS3.A; 5.LS1.C

Title: 2-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Performance Expectation: Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.*

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around. ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people. (secondary to 2-LS2-2)

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool.

Crosscutting Concepts: Structure and Function The shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their function(s).

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 V Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of considerations and decision-making processes.

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy SL.2.5: Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Mathematics 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: K.ETS1.A; 5.LS2.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: 5-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Performance Expectation: Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the idea that matter that is not food (air, water, decomposed materials in soil) is changed by plants into matter that is food. Examples of systems could include organisms, ecosystems, and the Earth.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include molecular explanations.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems The food of almost any kind of animal can be traced back to plants. Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants. Some organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead organisms (both plants or plants parts and animals) and therefore operate as “decomposers.” Decomposition eventually restores (recycles) some materials back to the soil. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their particular needs are met. A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life. Newly introduced species can damage the balance of an ecosystem. LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems Matter cycles between the air and soil and among plants, animals, and microbes as these organisms live and die. Organisms obtain gases, and water, from the environment, and release waste matter (gas, liquid, or solid) back into the environment.

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Develop a model to describe phenomena. Connections to Nature of Science: Science Models, Laws, Mechanisms, and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena Science explanations describe the mechanisms for natural events.

Crosscutting Concepts: Systems and System Models A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.

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 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. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in fifth grade: 5.PS1.A; 5.ESS2.A Articulation across grade-levels: 2.PS1.A; 2.LS4.D; 4.ESS2.E; MS.LS1.C; MS.LS2.A; MS.LS2.B; MS.PS3.D

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

Performance Expectation: Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on cause and effect relationships between resources and growth of individual organisms and the numbers of organisms in ecosystems during periods of abundant and scarce resources.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors. In any ecosystem, organisms and populations with similar requirements for food, water, oxygen, or other resources may compete with each other for limited resources, access to which consequently constrains their growth and reproduction. Growth of organisms and population increases are limited by access to resources.

Science & Engineering Practices: Analyzing and Interpreting Data Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena.

Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.

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. 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. Principle V Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of considerations and decision-making processes.

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy RST.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.7: Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: MS.ESS3.A; MS.ESS3.C Articulation across grade-bands: 3.LS2.C; 3.LS4.D; 5.LS2.A; HS.LS2.A; HS.LS4.C; HS.LS4.D; HS.ESS3.A

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

Performance Expectation: Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on predicting consistent patterns of interactions in different ecosystems in terms of the relationships among and between organisms and abiotic components of ecosystems. Examples of types of interactions could include competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Similarly, predatory interactions may reduce the number of organisms or eliminate whole populations of organisms. Mutually beneficial interactions, in contrast, may become so interdependent that each organism requires the other for survival. Although the species involved in these competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial interactions vary across ecosystems, the patterns of interactions of organisms with their environments, both living and nonliving, are shared.

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

Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns Patterns can be used to identify cause and effect relationships.

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. 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. Principle V Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of considerations and decision-making processes.

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy RST.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. WHST.6-8.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. 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 literary or 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.SP.5.a-d: Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: MS.LS1.B Articulation across grade-bands: 1.LS1.B; HS.LS2.A; HS.LS2.B; HS.LS2.D

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-ESS1 Earth’s Place in the Universe

Performance Expectation: Construct an explanation of the Big Bang theory based on astronomical evidence of light spectra, motion of distant galaxies, and composition of matter in the universe. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the astronomical evidence of the red shift of light from galaxies as an indication that the universe is currently expanding, the cosmic microwave background as the remnant radiation from the Big Bang, and the observed composition of ordinary matter of the universe, primarily found in stars and interstellar gases (from the spectra of electromagnetic radiation from stars), which matches that predicted by the Big Bang theory (3/4 hydrogen and 1/4 helium).]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS1.A: The Universe and its Stars The study of stars’ light spectra and brightness is used to identify compositional elements of stars, their movements, and their distances from Earth. The Big Bang theory is supported by observations of distant galaxies receding from our own, of the measured composition of stars and non-stellar gases, and of the maps of spectra of the primordial radiation (cosmic microwave background) that still fills the universe. Other than the hydrogen and helium formed at the time of the Big Bang, nuclear fusion within stars produces all atomic nuclei lighter than and including iron, and the process releases electromagnetic energy. Heavier elements are produced when certain massive stars achieve a supernova stage and explode. PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation Atoms of each element emit and absorb characteristic frequencies of light. These characteristics allow identification of the presence of an element, even in microscopic quantities. (secondary to HS-ESS1-2)

Science & Engineering Practices: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Construct an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students’ own investigations, 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. Connections to Nature of Science: Science Models, Laws, Mechanisms, and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena A scientific theory is a substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment and the science community validates each theory before it is accepted. If new evidence is discovered that the theory does not accommodate, the theory is generally modified in light of this new evidence.

Crosscutting Concepts: Energy and Matter Energy cannot be created or destroyed–only moved between one place and another place, between objects and/or fields, or 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. Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems Scientific knowledge is based on the assumption that natural laws operate today as they did in the past and they will continue to do so in the future. 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 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.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes. WHST.11-12.2: 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. 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.

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