District 13 Science Curriculum Standards (D)

GRADE 6

A: Nature of Science:

Students will be able to:

1. collect evidence about various scientific disciplines from media and technology that shows that scientific information is shared and critiqued by scientists and the public
2. summarize science and technology reports contained in the media
3. understand science as a human endeavor
4. use scientific reasoning, strategies, scientific knowledge and common sense to formulate questions, understanding and explain a wide range of phenomena
5. repeat an experiment under controlled conditions to show that similar results can be obtained
6. practice disciplined scientific habits
7. ask questions about objects, organisms, and events in the world around us
8. recognize other's points of view, check their own and other's explanations against experiences, observations, and knowledge.
9. discuss ways science affects society
B. Process Skills:

Students will be able to:

1. use technologies to collect and analyze data
2. use simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend senses (rulers, balances, thermometers, magnifiers, watches, microscopes)
3. communicate clearly and effectively about the natural world
4. represent data and results in more than one way (numbers, drawings, words, tables, and graphs)
5. write instructions that others can follow
6. collect and analyze data using concepts and skills in mathematics
7. organize data through gathering, sequencing, grouping and classifying
8. formulate experimental hypothesis
9. control and manipulate variables that affect the outcome of an experiment
10. conduct experiments to test hypothesis
11. identify problems, propose and implement solutions, evaluate products or designs
12. analyze data gained from experimentation
13. draw conclusions
14. recognize and predict patterns
15. construct physical and mental models
C: Manipulative Skills:

Students will be able to:

1. demonstrate safe procedures in science experimentation
2. work individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas
3. choose and manipulate appropriate scientific equipment for investigating
4. manipulate scientific materials, lab equipment, and measurement tools using appropriate techniques
5. use computer simulations to acquire knowledge on various topics
6. use computers to record, save and analyze experimental data
7. demonstrate the proper care when handling and storing scientific equipment and materials
8. demonstrate the proper procedures for handling and caring for living organisms
D: Current Topics in Science:

Students will be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge of current societal and environmental issues in science
2. demonstrate knowledge of current news in science
3. demonstrate knowledge of various careers in science and technology
E: Science Concepts:

Students will be able to:

1. understand the need for conservation of natural resources
2. develop a plan to improve the environment
3. explore how people interact with the environment and produce change
4. describe the interactions of humans, animals and plants in a given Ecosystem
5. explain and describe various cycles in nature (water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, cycles in an ecosystem)
6. investigate and understand the effects of pollution in our environment
7. show an understanding of systems of matter and energy and how they interact
8. explain the dynamics of physical systems (pendulums, kinetic and potential energy)
9. observe and describe the effects of electromagnetic forces on an object.
10. develop experiments to demonstrate the effects of a variable such as friction on the motion of an object
11. utilize information gathered during experimentation and develop a scientific theory to explain their observations
12. demonstrate an understanding of the forces contributing circumstances and results of the phenomena known as an earthquake
13. develop an earthquake theory
14. demonstrate the ability to synthesize and utilize knowledge from previous grades

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  Last modified on: Friday, October 27, 2000 at 11:23 PM EST