6.1 The student will plan and conduct investigations in which
* observations are made involving fine discrimination between similar objects and organisms;
* a classification system is developed based on multiple attributes;
* differences in descriptions and working definitions are made;
* precise and approximate measures are recorded;
* scale models are used to estimate distance, volume, and quantity;
* hypotheses are stated in ways that identify the independent (manipulated) and dependent (responding) variables;
* a method is devised to test the validity of predictions and inferences;
* one variable is manipulated over time with many repeated trials;
* data are collected, recorded, analyzed, and reported using appropriate metric measurement;
* data are organized and communicated through graphical representation (graphs, charts, and diagrams); and
* models are designed to explain a sequence.
6.2 The student will demonstrate scientific reasoning and logic. Key concepts include:
* ideas are investigated by asking for and actively seeking information;
* multiple tests of ideas are performed before accepting or rejecting them;
* alternative scientific explanations are analyzed; and
* conclusions are based on scientific evidence obtained from a variety of sources.
6.3 The student will investigate and understand sources of energy and their transformations. Key concepts include:
* potential and kinetic energy;
* energy sources (fossil fuels, wood, wind, water, solar, and nuclear power); and
* energy transformations (mechanical to electrical, electrical to heat/light, chemical to light, and chemical to electrical/light).
6.4 The student will investigate and understand basic characteristics of electricity. Key concepts include:
* electrical energy can be produced from a variety of energy sources and can be transformed into almost any other form of energy;
* electricity is related to magnetism;
* currents are either alternating or direct;
* circuits can be parallel or series;
* electrical energy can be described in volts and amps; and
* electrical energy consumption is measured using common units (kilowatts/kilowatt hours).
6.5 The student will investigate and understand that all matter is made up of atoms. Key concepts include:
* atoms are made up of electrons, protons, and neutrons;
* atoms of any element are alike but are different from atoms of other elements; and
* historical development and significance of discoveries related to the atom.
6.6 The student will investigate and understand how to classify materials as elements, compounds, or mixtures. Key concepts include:
* mixtures can be separated by physical processes;
* compounds can only be separated by chemical processes; and
* elements cannot be separated by physical or chemical means.
6.7 The student will investigate and understand that matter has physical and chemical properties and can undergo change. Key concepts include:
* physical changes; and
* changes in chemical composition, including oxidation reactions (rusting and burning), photosynthesis, and acid-base neutralization reactions.
6.8 The student will investigate and understand that organisms perform life processes that are essential for the survival and perpetuation of the species. Key concepts include:
* energy transformation (from food or photosynthesis); and
* respiration, movement, waste removal, growth, irritability (response), and reproduction.
6.9 The student will investigate and understand that organisms depend on other organisms and the nonliving components of the environment. Key concepts include:
* producers, consumers, and decomposers;
* food webs and food pyramids; and
* cycles (water, carbon dioxide/oxygen, nitrogen).
6.10 The student will investigate and understand the organization of the solar system and the relationships among the various bodies that comprise it. Key concepts include:
* the, sun, moon, Earth, other planets and their moons, meteors, asteroids, and comets;
* relative size of and distance between planets;
* the role of gravity;
* revolution and rotation;
* the mechanics of day and night and phases of the moon;
* the relationship of the Earth's tilt and seasons;
* the cause of tides; and
* the history and technology of space exploration.
6.11 The student will investigate and understand public policy decisions relating to the environment. Key concepts include:
* management of renewable resources (water, air, plant life, animal life);
* management of nonrenewable resources (coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear power); and
* cost/benefit tradeoffs in conservation policies.