Search the California Content Standards

Title: 4-PS3 Energy

Performance Expectation: Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the change in the energy due to the change in speed, not on the forces, as objects interact.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include quantitative measurements of energy.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS3.A: Definitions of Energy Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects or through sound, light, or electric currents. PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light, or heat. When objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another, thereby changing their motion. In such collisions, some energy is typically also transferred to the surrounding air; as a result, the air gets heated and sound is produced. PS3.C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces When objects collide, the contact forces transfer energy so as to change the objects’ motions.

Science & Engineering Practices: Asking Questions and Defining Problems Ask questions that can be investigated and predict reasonable outcomes based on patterns such as cause and effect relationships.

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

California Environmental Principles and Concepts:
N/A

California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy W.4.7: 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.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in fourth grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: K.PS2.B; 3.PS2.A; MS.PS2.A; MS.PS3.A; MS.PS3.B; MS.PS3.C

Title: 5-ESS2 Earth’s Systems

Performance Expectation: Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact. [Clarification Statement: The geosphere, hydrosphere (including ice), atmosphere, and biosphere are each system is a part of the whole Earth System. Examples could include the influence of the ocean on ecosystems, landform shape, and climate; the influence of the atmosphere on landforms and ecosystems through weather and climate; and the influence of mountain ranges on winds and clouds in the atmosphere. The geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere are each a system.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to the interactions of two systems at a time.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes. The ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shapes landforms, and influences climate. Winds and clouds in the atmosphere interact with the landforms to determine patterns of weather.

Science & Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Develop a model using an example to describe a scientific principle.

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.

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. 5.G.2: Represent real world and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the situation.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in fifth grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: 2.ESS2.A; 3.ESS2.D; 4.ESS2.A; MS.ESS2.A; MS.ESS2.C; MS.ESS2.D

Title: 5-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity

Performance Expectation: Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments.

Science & Engineering Practices: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information Obtain and combine information from books and/or other reliable media to explain phenomena or solutions to a design problem.

Crosscutting Concepts: Systems and System Models A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. Connections to Nature of Science: Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World Science findings are limited to questions that can be answered with empirical 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.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. 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. RI.5.9: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. W.5.8: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources. RI.5.9.a-b: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4: Model with mathematics.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in fifth grade: N/A Articulation across grade-levels: MS.ESS3.A; MS.ESS3.C; MS.ESS3.D

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 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-ESS2 Earth’s Systems

Performance Expectation: Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the processes of melting, crystallization, weathering, deformation, and sedimentation, which act together to form minerals and rocks through the cycling of Earth’s materials.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the identification and naming of minerals.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling within and among the planet’s systems. This energy is derived from the sun and Earth’s hot interior. The energy that flows and matter that cycles produce chemical and physical changes in Earth’s materials and living organisms.

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

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 processes at different scales, including the atomic scale.

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 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.A; MS.PS1.B; MS.PS3.B; MS.LS2.B; MS.LS2.C; MS.ESS1.B; MS.ESS3.C Articulation across grade-bands: 4.PS3.B; 4.ESS2.A; 5.ESS2.A; HS.PS1.B; HS.PS3.B; HS.LS1.C; HS.LS2.B; HS.ESS2.A; HS.ESS2.C; HS.ESS2.E

Title: MS-ESS2 Earth’s Systems

Performance Expectation: Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the ways water changes its state as it moves through the multiple pathways of the hydrologic cycle. Examples of models can be conceptual or physical.] [Assessment Boundary: A quantitative understanding of the latent heats of vaporization and fusion is not assessed.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes Water continually cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere via transpiration, evaporation, condensation and crystallization, and precipitation, as well as downhill flows on land. Global movements of water and its changes in form are propelled by sunlight and gravity.

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

Crosscutting Concepts: Energy and Matter Within a natural or designed system, the transfer of energy drives the motion and/or cycling of matter.

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:
N/A

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: MS.PS1.A; MS.PS2.B; MS.PS3.A; MS.PS3.D Articulation across grade-bands: 3.PS2.A; 4.PS3.B; 5.PS2.B; 5.ESS2.C; HS.PS2.B; HS.PS3.B; HS.PS3.D; HS.PS4.B; HS.ESS2.A; HS.ESS2.C; HS.ESS2.D

Title: MS-ESS2 Earth’s Systems

Performance Expectation: Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how patterns vary by latitude, altitude, and geographic land distribution. Emphasis of atmospheric circulation is on the sunlight-driven latitudinal banding, the Coriolis effect, and resulting prevailing winds; emphasis of ocean circulation is on the transfer of heat by the global ocean convection cycle, which is constrained by the Coriolis effect and the outlines of continents. Examples of models can be diagrams, maps and globes, or digital representations.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the dynamics of the Coriolis effect.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes Variations in density due to variations in temperature and salinity drive a global pattern of interconnected ocean currents. ESS2.D: Weather and Climate Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns. The ocean exerts a major influence on weather and climate by absorbing energy from the sun, releasing it over time, and globally redistributing it through ocean currents.

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—such as inputs, processes and outputs—and energy, matter, and information flows within systems.

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 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.PS2.A; MS.PS3.B; MS.PS4.B Articulation across grade-bands: 3.PS2.A; 3.ESS2.D; 5.ESS2.A; HS.PS2.B; HS.PS3.B; HS.ESS1.B; HS.ESS2.A; HS.ESS2.D

Title: MS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity

Performance Expectation: Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century. [Clarification Statement: Examples of factors include human activities (such as fossil fuel combustion, cement production, and agricultural activity) and natural processes (such as changes in incoming solar radiation or volcanic activity). Examples of evidence can include tables, graphs, and maps of global and regional temperatures, atmospheric levels of gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, and the rates of human activities. Emphasis is on the major role that human activities play in causing the rise in global temperatures.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
ESS3.D: Global Climate Change Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming). Reducing the level of climate change and reducing human vulnerability to whatever climate changes do occur depend on the understanding of climate science, engineering capabilities, and other kinds of knowledge, such as understanding of human behavior and on applying that knowledge wisely in decisions and activities.

Science & Engineering Practices: Asking Questions and Defining Problems Ask questions to identify and clarify evidence of an argument.

Crosscutting Concepts: Stability and Change Stability might be disturbed either by sudden events or gradual changes that accumulate over time.

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 RST.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. Mathematics MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 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.

DCI Connections:
Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band: MS.PS3.A Articulation across grade-bands: HS.PS3.B; HS.PS4.B; HS.ESS2.A; HS.ESS2.D; HS.ESS3.C; HS.ESS3.D

Title: MS-PS1 Matter and Its Interactions

Performance Expectation: Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on natural resources that undergo a chemical process to form the synthetic material. Examples of new materials could include new medicine, foods, and alternative fuels.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to qualitative information.]

Disciplinary Core Idea(s):
PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter Each pure substance has characteristic physical and chemical properties (for any bulk quantity under given conditions) that can be used to identify it. PS1.B: Chemical Reactions Substances react chemically in characteristic ways. In a chemical process, the atoms that make up the original substances are regrouped into different molecules, and these new substances have different properties from those of the reactants.

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 now supported by evidence.

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. 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. Influence of Science, Engineering and Technology on Society and the Natural World The uses of technologies and any limitation on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions. Thus technology use varies from region to region and over time.

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: MS.LS2.A; MS.LS4.D; MS.ESS3.A; MS.ESS3.C Articulation across grade-bands: HS.PS1.A; HS.LS2.A; HS.LS4.D; HS.ESS3.A