SECTION 210:15-3-76. Standards for inquiry, physical, life, and earth/space science for grade 6

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

(1)   Matter and its interactions. Standards for students include all of the following performance expectations:

(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.

(B)   Performance expectation one (1) - 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.

(2)   Motion and stability: Forces and interactions. Standards for students include all of the following performance expectations:

(A)   Performance expectation one (1). Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.

(B)   Performance expectation one (1) - Clarification statement. Examples of devices that use electric and magnetic forces could include electromagnets, electric motors, or generators. Examples of data could include the effect of the number of turns of wire on the strength of an electromagnet, or the effect of increasing the number or strength of magnets on the speed of an electric motor.

(C)   Performance expectation two (2). Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.

(D)   Performance expectation two (2) - Clarification statement. Examples of this phenomenon could include the interactions of magnets, electrically-charged strips of tape, and electrically-charged pith balls. Examples of investigations could include first-hand experiences or simulations.

(3)   Energy. Standards for students include all of the following performance expectations:

(A)   Performance expectation one (1). Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.

(B)   Performance expectation one (1) - Clarification statement. Emphasis is on descriptive relationships between kinetic energy and mass separately from kinetic energy and speed. Examples could include riding a bicycle at different speeds, rolling different sizes of rocks downhill, and getting hit by a wiffle ball versus a tennis ball.

(C)   Performance expectation two (2). Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.

(D)   Performance expectation two (2) - Clarification statement. Emphasis is on relative amounts of potential energy, not on calculations of potential energy. Examples of objects within systems interacting at varying distances could include: the Earth and either a roller coaster cart at varying positions on a hill or objects at varying heights on shelves, changing the direction/orientation of a magnet, and a balloon with static electrical charge being brought closer to a classmate's hair. Examples of models could include representations, diagrams, pictures, and written descriptions of systems.

(E)   Performance expectation three (3). Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

(F)   Performance expectation three (3) - 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).

(G)   Performance expectation four (4). 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.

(H)   Performance expectation four (4) - 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.

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

(1)   From molecules to organisms: Structures and processes. Standards for students include all of the following performance expectations:

(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.

(B)   Performance expectation one (1) - 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.

(C)   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.

(D)   Performance expectation two (2) - 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 should be introduced while covering this concept.

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

(F)   Performance expectation three (3) - 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.

(G)   Performance expectation four (4). Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.

(H)   Performance expectation four (4) - Clarification statement. Emphasis is on tracing movement of matter and flow of energy.

(2)   Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics. Standards for students include all of the following performance expectations:

(A)   Performance expectation one (1). Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

(B)   Performance expectation one (1) - Clarification statement. Emphasis is on cause and effect relationships between resources and growth of individual organisms and the numbers of organisms in ecosystems during periods of abundant and scarce resources.

(C)   Performance expectation two (2). Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.

(D)   Performance expectation two (2) - Clarification statement. Emphasis is on predicting consistent patterns of interactions in different ecosystems in terms of the relationships among and between organisms and abiotic components of ecosystems. Examples of types of interactions could include competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial (e.g., competition, predation, parasitism, commensalism, mutualism).

(E)   Performance expectation three (3). Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

(F)   Performance expectation three (3) - Clarification statement. Emphasis is on describing the conservation of matter and flow of energy into and out of various ecosystems, and on defining the boundaries of the system.

(G)   Performance expectation four (4). Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

(H)   Performance expectation four (4) - Clarification statement. Emphasis is on recognizing patterns in data and making warranted inferences about changes in populations, and on evaluating empirical evidence supporting arguments about changes to ecosystems.

(I)   Performance expectation five (5). Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

(J)   Performance expectation five (5) - Clarification statement. Examples of ecosystem services could include water purification, nutrient recycling, and prevention of soil erosion. Examples of design solution constraints could include scientific, economic, and social considerations.

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

(1)   Earth's systems. Standards for students include all of the following performance expectations:

(A)   Performance expectation one (1). Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.

(B)   Performance expectation one (1) - 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.

(2)   Earth and human activity. Standards for students include all of the following performance expectations:

(A)   Performance expectation one (1). Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing human impact on the environment.

(B)   Performance expectation one (1) - Clarification statement. Examples of the design process include examining human environmental impacts, assessing the kinds of solutions that are feasible, and designing and evaluating solutions that could reduce that impact. Examples of human impacts can include water usage (such as the withdrawal of water from streams and aquifers or the construction of dams and levees), land usage (such as urban development, agriculture, or the removal of wetlands), and pollution (such as of the air, water, or land).

[Source: 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 at 31 Ok Reg 1195, eff 9-12-14]