6th Grade Science Learning Targets
Module K: Introduction to Science and Technology (August-September)
Big Idea: Scientists use careful observations and clear reasoning to understand
processes and patterns in nature.
-I can distinguish what characterizes science and scientific explanations.
-I can differentiate between science and pseudoscience.
-I can summarize the processes and characteristics of different kinds of scientific investigations.
-I can differentiate the methods that scientists use to gain empirical evidence.
-I can explain how empirical evidence leads to scientific change.
By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions:
-What are the characteristics of science?
-How do scientists discover things?
-What are the types of scientific knowledge?
-How does science affect our lives?
Module I: Motion, Forces and Energy (September-November)
Big Idea: Unbalanced forces cause changes in the motion of objects, and these changes
can be predicted and described.
-I can analyze how distance, time, and speed are related.
-I can analyze how acceleration is related to time and velocity.
-I can describe different types of forces.
-I can explain the effect force has on motion.
-I can describe the effect that gravity, including Earth’s gravity, has on matter.
By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions:
-How are distance, time, and speed related?
-How does motion change?
-How do forces affect motion?
-How do objects move under the influence of gravity?
Module G: Space Science (November-February)
Big Idea: Planets and a variety of other bodies form a system of objects orbiting the
sun.
-I can compare and contrast historical models of the solar system.
-I can explain the role that gravity played in the formation of the solar system.
-I can describe how gravity affects the motion of the planets.
-I can describe the structure and rotation of the sun.
-I can describe how energy is produced and transported in the sun.
-I can describe solar activity on the sun.
-I can describe some of the properties of terrestrial planets.
-I can compare and contrast the properties of the other inner planets and Earth.
-I can describe some of the properties of the gas giant planets.
-I can compare and contrast the properties of gas giant planets and Earth.
-I can compare and contrast the properties of small bodies in the solar system.
By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions:
-How have people modeled the solar system?
-Why is gravity important in the solar system?
-What are the properties of the sun?
-What is known about the terrestrial planets?
-What is known about the gas giant planets?
Big Idea: Earth and the moon move in predictable ways and have predictable effects on
each other as they orbit the sun.
-I can relate Earth’s days, years, and seasons to Earth’s movement in space.
-I can describe the effects the sun and moon have on Earth, including gravitational attraction, moon phases, and eclipses.
-I can explain what tides are and what causes them.
-I can describe variations in the tides.
By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions:
-How are Earth’s day, years and seasons related to the way Earth moves in space?
-How do Earth, the moon, and the sun affect each other?
-What causes tides?
Module D: Ecology and the Environment (February-May)
Big Idea: Organisms interact with each other and with the nonliving parts of their
environment.
-I can analyze the parts of an environment.
-I can describe the roles organisms play in the transfer of energy in food chains and food webs.
-I can explain how environmental factors and interactions between organisms affect population size.
-I can predict the effects of different interactions in communities.
By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions:
-How are different parts of the an environment connected?
-How does energy flow through an ecosystem?
-What determines a population’s size?
-How do organisms interact?
Big Idea: Matter and energy together support life within an environment.
-I can compare and contrast the characteristics of land biomes.
-I can describe the characteristics of marine, freshwater, and other aquatic ecosystems.
-I can explain the flow of energy and the cycles of matter in an ecosystem.
-I can describe how natural processes change ecosystems.
-I can describe how natural processes help ecosystems develop after natural disturbances.
-I can describe the effects of human activities on ecosystems.
-I can explain the role of conservation in protecting natural resources.
By the end of this unit I will be able to answer these questions:
-What are land biomes?
-What are aquatic ecosystems?
-How do energy and matter move through ecosystems?
-How do ecosystems change?
-How do human activities affect ecosystems?
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