Okla. Admin. Code § 210:15-3-76

Current through Vol. 42, No. 8, January 2, 2025

Section 210:15-3-76 - Science standards for grade 6

(a)Physical Science. Standards for sixth (6th) grade students from the domain of Physical Science address the following topics:

(1)Matter and its interactions.

(A)Performance expectation one (1). Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

(i)Clarification statement. Emphasis is on qualitative molecular-level models of solids, liquids, and gases to show that adding or removing thermal energy increases or decreases kinetic energy of the particles until a change of state occurs. Examples of models could include drawings and diagrams. Examples of particles could include molecules or inert atoms. Examples of pure substances could include water, carbon dioxide, and helium.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. The use of mathematical formulas is not intended.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Developing and using models. Develop a model to predict and/or describe phenomena.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) Gases and liquids are made of molecules or inert atoms that are moving about relative to each other. In a liquid, the molecules are constantly in contact with others; in a gas, they are widely spaced except when they happen to collide. In a solid, atoms are closely spaced and may vibrate in position but do not change relative locations.

(II) The changes of state that occur with variations in temperature or pressure can be described and predicted using these models of matter.

(III) The term "heat" as used in everyday language refers both to thermal energy (the motion of atoms or molecules within a substance) and the transfer of thermal energy from one object to another. In science, heat is used only for this second meaning; it refers to the energy transferred due to the temperature difference between two objects.

(IV) The temperature of a system is proportional to the average internal kinetic energy and potential energy per atom or molecule (whichever is the appropriate building block for the system's material). The details of that relationship depend on the type of atom or molecule and the interactions among the atoms in the material.

(V) Temperature is not a direct measure of a system's total thermal energy. The total thermal energy (sometimes called the total internal energy) of a system depends jointly on the temperature, the total number of atoms in the system, and the state of the material.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Cause and effect. Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change.

(2)Energy.

(A)Performance expectation one (1).* Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

(i)Clarification statement. Examples of devices could include an insulated box, a solar cooker, and a styrofoam cup. Care should be taken with devices that concentrate significant amounts of energy (e.g., conduction, convection, and/or radiation).

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Designing solutions. Apply scientific ideas or principles to design, construct, and test a design of an object, tool, process, or system.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles of matter.

(II) The relationship between the temperature and the total energy of a system depends on the types, states, and amounts of matter present.

(III) Energy is spontaneously transferred out of hotter regions or objects and into colder ones.

(IV) The more precisely a design task's criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed solution will be successful.

(V) Specification of constraints includes consideration of scientific principles and other relevant knowledge that is likely to limit possible solutions.

(VI) A solution needs to be tested, and then modified on the basis of the test results in order to improve it.

(VII) There are systematic processes or evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet criteria and constraints of a problem.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Energy and matter. The transfer of energy can be tracked as energy flows through a designed or natural system.

(B)Performance expectation two (2). Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.

(i)Clarification statement. Examples of experiments could include comparing final water temperatures after different masses of ice melted in the same volume of water with the same initial temperature, the temperature change of samples of different materials with the same mass as they cool or heat in the environment, or the same material with different masses when a specific amount of energy is added.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Planning and carrying out investigations. Plan an investigation individually and collaboratively, and in the design: identify independent and dependent variables and controls, what tools are needed to do the gathering, how measurements will be recorded, and how many data are needed to support a claim.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles of matter.

(II) The relationship between the temperature and the total energy of a system depends on the types, states, and amounts of matter present.

(III) The amount of energy transfer needed to change the temperature of a matter sample by a given amount depends on the nature of the matter, the size of the sample, and the environment.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Scale, proportion, and quantity. Proportional relationships (e.g., speed as the ratio of distance travelled to time taken) among different types of quantities provide information about the magnitude of properties and processes.

(3)Waves and their application in technologies for information transfer.

(A)Performance expectation one (1). Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

(i)Clarification Statement. Emphasis is on both light and mechanical waves. Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written descriptions of light waves through a prism, mechanical waves through gas vs. liquids vs. solids, or sounds waves through different mediums.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment is limited to qualitative applications pertaining to electromagnetic and mechanical waves.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Developing and using models. Develop and use a model to describe phenomena.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) A sound wave needs a medium through which it is transmitted.

(II) 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.

(III) The path that light can travel 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.

(IV) 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.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)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.

(b)Life Science. Standards for sixth (6th) grade students from the domain of Life Science address the following topics:

(1)From molecules to organisms: Structures and processes.

(A)Performance expectation one (1). Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.

(i)Clarification statement. Emphasis is on developing evidence that living things are made of cells, distinguishing between living and non-living cells, and understanding that living things may be made of one cell or many varied cells.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment does not include identification of specific cell types and should emphasize the use of evidence from investigations.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Planning and carrying out investigations. Conduct an investigation to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence that meets the goals of an investigation.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) All living things are made up of cells, which is the smallest unit that can be said to be alive.

(II) An organism may consist of one single cell (unicellular) or many different numbers and types of cells (multicellular).

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Scale, proportion, and quantity. Phenomena that can be observed at one scale may not be observable at another scale.

(B)Performance expectation two (2). Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function.

(i)Clarification statement. Emphasis is on the cell functioning as a whole system and the primary role of identified parts of the cell, specifically the nucleus, chloroplasts, mitochondria, cell membrane, and cell wall. Other organelles can be introduced while covering this concept.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment of organelle structure/function relationships limited to cell wall and cell membrane. Assessment of other organelles is limited to their relationship to the whole cell. Assessment does not include biochemical functions of cell or cell parts.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Developing and using models. Develop and use a model to describe phenomena.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) Within cells, special structures are responsible for particular functions, and the cell membrane forms the boundary that controls what enters and leaves the cell.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Structure and function. Complex and microscopic structures and systems can be visualized, modeled, and used to describe how their function depends on the relationships among its parts.

(C)Performance expectation three (3). Use an argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.

(i)Clarification statement. Emphasis is on the conceptual understanding that cells form tissues and tissues form organs specialized for particular body functions. Examples could include the interaction of subsystems within a system and the normal functioning of those systems.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment does not include the mechanism of one body system independent of others. Assessment is limited to the circulatory, excretory, digestive, respiratory, muscular, and nervous systems.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Engaging in argument from evidence. Use an oral and written argument supported by evidence to support or refute an explanation or a model for a phenomenon.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) In multicellular organisms, the body is a system of multiple interacting subsystems. These subsystems are groups of cells that work together to form tissues and organs that are specialized for particular body functions.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Systems and system models. Systems may interact with other systems; they may have sub-systems and be a part of larger complex systems.

(D)Performance expectation four (4). Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories.

(i)Clarification Statement. Examples include: receptors in the eye that respond to light intensity and color; receptors in hair cells of the inner ear that detect vibrations conducted from the eardrum; taste buds that detect chemical qualities of foods including sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness, and umami (savory taste); and receptors in the skin that respond to variations in pressure.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. The assessment should provide evidence of students' abilities to provide a basic and conceptual explanation of the process. Assessment does not include mechanisms for the transmission of this information.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. Read and comprehend grade appropriate complex texts and/or other reliable media to summarize and obtain scientific and technical ideas.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) 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.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Cause and effect. Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural systems.

(c)Earth and Space Science. Standards for sixth (6th) grade students from the domain of Earth and Space Science address the following topics:

(1)Earth's place in the universe.

(A)Performance expectation one (1). Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's geologic history.

(i)Clarification Statement. Emphasis is on analyses of rock formations and fossils they contain to establish relative ages of major events in Earth's history. Scientific explanations can include models to study the geologic time scale.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment does not include recalling the names of specific periods or epochs and events within them.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Constructing explanations. Construct an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students' own investigations, models, 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.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) The geologic time scale interpreted from rock strata provides a way to organize Earth's history.

(II) Major historical events include the formation of mountain chains and ocean basins, the adaptation and extinction of particular living organisms, volcanic eruptions, periods of massive glaciation, and development of watersheds and rivers through glaciation and water erosion.

(III) Analyses of rock strata and the fossil record provide only relative dates, not an absolute scale.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Scale, proportion and quantity. Time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed at various scales using models to study systems that are too large or too small.

(2)Earth's systems.

(A)Performance expectation one (1). Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives these processes within and among Earth's systems.

(i)Clarification statement. Emphasis is on how energy from the sun and Earth's hot interior drive processes that cause physical and chemical changes to materials within and between the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment does not include the identification or naming of minerals.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Developing and using models. Develop and use a model to describe phenomena.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) 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 produces chemical and physical changes in Earth's materials.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Stability and change. Explanations of stability and change in natural or designed systems can be constructed by examining the changes over time and forces at different scales, including the atomic scale.

(B)Performance expectation two (2).

(i)Clarification statement. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment does not include identification or naming of specific events.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Constructing explanations. Construct an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students' own investigations, models, 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.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) The planet's systems interact over scales that range from microscopic to global in size; these interactions have shaped Earth's history and will determine its future.

(II) Water's movements, both on the land and underground, cause weathering and erosion, which can change the land's surface features and create underground formations.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Scale, proportion, and quantity. Time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed at various scales, using models to study systems that are too large or too small.

(C)Performance expectation three (3). Analyze and interpret data on the patterns of distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seaflow structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.

(i)Clarification statement. Examples could include identifying patterns on maps of earthquakes and volcanoes relative to plate boundaries, the shapes of the continents, the locations of ocean structures (including mountains, volcanoes, faults, and trenches), or similarities of rock and fossil types on different continents.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Paleomagnetic anomalies in oceanic and continental crust are not discussed.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Analyze and interpret data. Analyze and interpret data to determine similarities and differences in findings.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) Tectonic processes continually generate new ocean sea floor at ridges and destroy old sea floor at trenches.

(II) Maps of ancient land and water patterns, based on investigations of rocks and fossils, make clear how Earth's plates have moved great distances, collided, and spread apart.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Patterns. Patterns in rate of change and other numerical relationships can provide information about natural and human-designed systems.

(D)Performance expectation four (4). Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.

(i)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.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. A quantitative understanding of the latent heats of vaporization and fusion is not assessed.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Developing and using models. Develop a model to describe unobservable mechanisms.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) Water continually cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere via transpiration, evaporation,

(II) Global movements of water and its changes in form are propelled by sunlight and gravity.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Energy and matter. Within a natural or designed system, the transfer of energy drives the motion and/or cycling of matter.

(E)Performance expectation five (5). Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses result in changes in weather conditions.

(i)Clarification statement. Emphasis is on how air masses flow from regions of high pressure to low pressure, causing weather (defined by temperature, pressure, humidity, precipitation, and wind) at a fixed location to change over time, and how sudden changes in weather can result when different air masses interact. Emphasis is on how weather can be predicted within probabilistic ranges. Examples of data can be provided to students (such as weather maps, diagrams, and visualizations) or obtained through laboratory experiments (such as with condensation).

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment does not include recalling the names of cloud types or weather symbols used on weather maps or the reported diagrams from weather stations.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Planning and carrying out investigations. Collect data to serve as the basis for evidence to answer scientific questions or test design solutions under a range of conditions.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things.

(II) These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.

(III) Because these patterns are so complex, weather can be predicted only probabilistically.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Cause and effect. Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.

(F)Performance expectation six (6). Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth causes patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.

(i)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 (e.g., Gulf Stream, North Pacific Drift, California Current) is on the transfer of heat by the global ocean convection cycle, which is constrained by the Coriolis effect and the outlines of continents. Interactions between the atmosphere and oceans can affect the ocean's surface temperature (El Nino/La Nina). Examples of models can be diagrams, maps and globes, or digital representations.

(ii)Assessment Boundary. Assessment should not be focused on specific weather events, but on the patterns that drive Earth's climate systems.

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Developing and using models. Develop and use a model to describe phenomena.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) Variations in density due to variations in temperature and salinity drive a global pattern on interconnected ocean currents.

(II) Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things.

(III) These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.

(IV) The ocean exerts a major influence on weather and climate by absorbing energy from the sun, and globally redistributing it through ocean currents.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)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 the systems.

(3)Earth and human activity.

(A)Performance expectation one (1). Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

(i)Clarification statement. Emphasis is on how some natural hazards, such as volcanic eruptions and severe weather, are preceded by phenomena that allow for reliable predictions, but others, such as earthquakes, occur suddenly and with no notice, and thus are not yet predictable. Examples of natural hazards can be taken from interior processes (such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions), surface processes (such as mass wasting and tsunamis), or severe weather events (such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods). Examples of data can include the locations, magnitudes, and frequencies of the natural hazards. Examples of technologies can be global (such as satellite systems to monitor hurricanes or forest fires), or local (such as building basements in tornado-prone regions or reservoirs to mitigate droughts).

(ii)Assessment Boundary. (An assessment boundary is not applicable to this performance expectation.)

(iii)Science and Engineering Practice.

(I)Analyzing and interpreting data. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena.

(iv)Disciplinary Core Ideas.

(I) Mapping the history of natural hazards in a region, combined with an understanding of related geologic forces, can help forecast the locations and likelihoods of future events.

(v)Crosscutting Concepts.

(I)Patterns. Graphs, charts, and images can be used to identify patterns in data.

Okla. Admin. Code § 210:15-3-76

Added at 20 Ok Reg 159, eff 10-10-02 (emergency); Added at 20 Ok Reg 821, eff 5-15-03; Amended at 22 Ok Reg 1822, eff 6-25-05; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 2264, eff 7-25-11

Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 38, Issue 24, September 1, 2021, eff. 9/11/2021