Appendix
Below are additional resources for strengthening your knowledge of K-6 science.
Knowledge of the Nature of Science
| Analyze the dynamic nature of science models, laws, mechanisms, and theories that explain natural phenomena (e.g., durability, tentativeness, replication, reliance on evidence). |
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| Identify and apply science and engineering practices through integrated process skills (e.g., observing, classifying, predicting, hypothesizing, designing and carrying out investigations, developing and using models, constructing and communicating explanations). |
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| Differentiate between the characteristics of experiments (e.g., multiple trials, control groups, variables) and other types of scientific investigations (e.g., observations, surveys). |
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| Identify and analyze attitudes and dispositions underlying scientific thinking (e.g., curiosity, openness to new ideas, appropriate skepticism, cooperation). |
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| Identify and select appropriate tools, including digital technologies, and units of measurement for various science tasks. |
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| Evaluate and interpret pictorial representations, charts, tables, and graphs of authentic data from scientific investigations to make predictions, construct explanations, and support conclusions. |
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| Identify and analyze ways in which science is an interdisciplinary process and interconnected to STEM disciplines (i.e., science, technology, engineering, mathematics). |
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| Analyze the interactions of science and technology with society including cultural, ethical, economic, political, and global factors. |
Knowledge of Physical Sciences
| Identify and differentiate among the physical properties of matter (e.g., mass, volume, texture, hardness, freezing point). |
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| Identify and differentiate between physical and chemical changes (e.g., tearing, burning, rusting). | |
| Compare the properties of matter during phase changes through the addition and/or removal of energy (e.g., boiling, condensation, evaporation). |
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| Differentiate between the properties of homogeneous mixtures (i.e., solutions) and heterogeneous mixtures. | |
| Identify examples of and relationships among atoms, elements, molecules, and compounds. |
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| Identify and compare potential and kinetic energy. |
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| Differentiate among forms of energy, transformations of energy, and their real-world applications (e.g., chemical, electrical, mechanical, heat, light, sound). |
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| Distinguish among temperature, heat, and forms of heat transfer (e.g., conduction, convection, radiation). | |
| Analyze the functionality of an electrical circuit based on its conductors, insulators, and components. |
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| Identify and apply the characteristics of contact forces (e.g., push, pull, friction), at-a-distance forces (e.g., magnetic, gravitational, electrostatic), and their effects on matter (e.g., motion, speed). |
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Knowledge of Earth and space
| Identify characteristics of geologic formations (e.g., volcanoes, canyons, mountains) and the mechanisms by which they are changed (e.g., physical and chemical weathering, erosion, deposition). | |
| Identify and distinguish among major groups and properties of rocks and minerals and the processes of their formations. |
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| Identify and analyze the characteristics of soil, its components and profile, and the process of soil formation. | |
| Identify and analyze processes by which energy from the Sun is transferred (e.g., radiation, conduction, convection) through Earth’s systems (e.g., biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere). |
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| Identify and analyze the causes and effects of atmospheric processes and conditions (e.g., water cycle, weather, climate). |
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| Identify and analyze various conservation methods and their effectiveness in relation to renewable and nonrenewable natural resources. |
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| Analyze the Sun-Earth-Moon system in order to explain repeated patterns such as day and night, phases of the Moon, tides, and seasons. |
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| Compare and differentiate the composition and various relationships among the objects of our Solar System (e.g., Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets). |
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| Identify major events in the history of space exploration and their effects on society. |
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Knowledge of life science
| Identify and compare the characteristics of living and nonliving things. |
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| Analyze the cell theory as it relates to the functional and structural hierarchy of all living things. |
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| Identify and compare the structures and functions of plant and animal cells. |
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| Classify living things into major groups (i.e., Linnaean system) and compare according to characteristics (e.g., physical features, behaviors, development). |
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| Compare and contrast the structures, functions, and interactions of human and other animal organ systems (e.g., respiration, reproduction, digestion). |
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| Distinguish among infectious agents (e.g., viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites), their transmission, and their effects on the human body. | |
| Identify and analyze the processes of heredity and natural selection and the scientific theory of evolution. | |
| Analyze the interdependence of living things with each other and with their environment (e.g., food webs, ecosystems, pollution). | |
| Identify and analyze plant structures and the processes of photosynthesis, transpiration, and reproduction (i.e., sexual, asexual). |
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| Predict the responses of plants to various stimuli (e.g., heat, light, gravity). |
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| Identify and compare the life cycles and predictable ways plants and animals change as they grow, develop, and age. |
