New Hampshire 6th Grade Science Standards in Science Process Skills

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Science Process Skills

• SPS1 Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking Skills (INQ)
  • 1 Making Observations and Asking Questions.
    • S:SPS1:6:1.1 Make observations and record measurements using a variety of tools and instruments.
    • S:SPS1:6:1.2 Plan observations based on a given purpose.
    • S:SPS1:6:1.3 Identify and investigate similarities and differences among observations and sets of observations.
    • S:SPS1:6:1.4 Use appropriate units and precision of metric measurement when recording data.
    • S:SPS1:6:1.5 Use a classification key, such as a dichotomous key, to identify and distinguish among members of a group or set.
    • S:SPS1:6:1.6 Construct a simple classification key.
    • S:SPS1:6:1.7 Compare methods of classification for a specific purpose.
    • S:SPS1:6:1.8 Ask questions about relationships between and among observations.
    • S:SPS1:6:1.9 Determine which observations will be helpful to a given investigation.
    • S:SPS1:6:1.10 Distinguish between those questions that can be answered by science and those that cannot.
  • 2 Designing Scientific Investigations
    • S:SPS1:6:2.1 Design and record a simple step-by-step procedure to follow in order to carry out a fair test of a scientific question.
    • S:SPS1:6:2.2 Identify and utilize appropriate tools/technology for collecting data in designing investigations.
    • S:SPS1:6:2.3 Incorporate components of good experimental design, such as controls and multiple trials, into investigations.
  • 3 Conducting Scientific Investigations
    • S:SPS1:6:3.1 Carry out simple student or teacher-developed procedures or experiments.
    • S:SPS1:6:3.2 Use appropriate tools to collect and record data.
    • S:SPS1:6:3.3 Follow the teacher’s instructions in performing experiments, following all appropriate safety rules and procedures.
  • 4 Representing and Understanding Results of Investigations
    • S:SPS1:6:4.1 Use appropriate tools to organize, represent, analyze and explain data.
    • S:SPS1:6:4.2 Make and record observations using a pre-determined format.
    • S:SPS1:6:4.3 Compare and display data in a variety of student or computer generated formats (such as diagrams, flow charts, tables, bar graphs, line graphs, scatter plots, and histograms).
    • S:SPS1:6:4.4 Identify patterns and relationships in data and formulate basic explanations.
    • S:SPS1:6:4.5 Draw appropriate conclusions based on data collected.
  • 5 Evaluating Scientific Explanations
    • S:SPS1:6:5.1 Determine if the results of an experiment support or fail to support the scientific idea tested.
    • S:SPS1:6:5.2 Explain how a hypothesis is a direct extension of a scientific idea and therefore makes that idea “testable.”
• SPS2 Unifying Concepts of Science.
  • 1 Nature of Science (NOS)
    • S:SPS2:6:1.1 Explain that scientists do not pay much attention to claims about how something works unless they are backed up with evidence that can be confirmed with a logical argument.
    • S:SPS2:6:1.2 Describe how results of similar and repeated investigations may vary and suggest possible explanations for variations.
    • S:SPS2:6:1.3 Explain that sometimes similar investigations get different results because of unexpected differences in the things being investigated, the methods used, or the circumstances in which the investigation is carried out, and sometimes just because of uncertainties of observations.
    • S:SPS2:6:1.4 Realize that if more than one variable changes at the same time in an experiment, the outcome of the experiment may not be clearly attributable to any one of the variables.
  • 2 Systems and Energy (SAE)
    • S:SPS2:6:2.1 Recognize that thinking about things as systems means looking for how every part relates to others.
    • S:SPS2:6:2.2 Discover that collections of pieces (e.g., powders, marbles, sugar cubes or wooden blocks) may have properties that the individual pieces do not.
    • S:SPS2:6:2.3 Estimate or predict the effect that making a change in one part of the system will have on other parts, and on the system as a whole.
    • S:SPS2:6:2.4 Compare a variety of forms of energy, including heat, light, sound, mechanical, electrical, and chemical energy.
    • S:SPS2:6:2.5 Demonstrate how energy can be transformed from one form to another (e.g., from electrical energy to heat, light or mechanical energy).
  • 3 Models and Scale (MAS)
    • S:SPS2:6:3.1 Understand that models are often used to think about processes that happen too slowly, too quickly, or on too small a scale to observe directly; or that are too vast to be changed deliberately; or that are potentially dangerous.
    • S:SPS2:6:3.2 Analyze how finding out the biggest and smallest values of something are often as revealing as knowing what the usual value is.
  • 4 Patterns of Change (POC)
    • S:SPS2:6:4.1 Understand that things change in steady, repetitive, or irregular ways, or sometimes in more than one way at the same time; often the best way to tell which kinds of change are happening is to make a table or graph of measurements.
    • S:SPS2:6:4.2 Discover how a system may stay the same because nothing is happening or because things are happening that exactly balance each other out.
  • 5 Form and Function (FAF)
    • S:SPS2:6:5.1 Describe the structure and function of organs.
    • S:SPS2:6:5.2 Diagram and label the structure of the primary components of representative organs in plants and animals.
    • S:SPS2:6:5.3 Investigate the relationship between various landforms and wind currents.
• SPS3 Personal, Social, and Technological Perspectives
  • 1 Collaboration in Scientific Endeavors
    • S:SPS3:6:1.1 Work effectively within a cooperative group setting, accepting and executing assigned roles and responsibilities.
    • S:SPS3:6:1.2 Work collectively within a group toward a common goal.
    • S:SPS3:6:1.3 Demonstrate respect of one another’s abilities and contributions to the group.
  • 2 Common Environmental Issues, Natural Resources Management and Conservation
    • S:SPS3:6:2.1 Develop, focus and explain questions about the environment and do environmental investigations.
    • S:SPS3:6:2.2 Design environmental investigations to answer particular questions.
    • S:SPS3:6:2.3 Explore evidence that human-caused changes have consequences for the immediate environment as well as for other places and future times.
    • S:SPS3:6:2.4 Explore how humans shape and control the environment while creating knowledge and developing new technologies.
    • S:SPS3:6:2.5 Investigate environmental and resource management issues at scales that range from local to national to global.
  • 3 Science and Technology, Technological Design and Application
    • S:SPS3:6:3.1 Identify problems/issues that can be addressed by design technology.
    • S:SPS3:6:3.2 Identify and describe the procedure for designing a product, including identifying a need, researching, brainstorming, selecting, developing a prototype, testing and evaluating.
    • S:SPS3:6:3.3 Evaluate technological designs using established criteria.
• SPS4 Science Skills for Information, Communication and Media Literacy (from ICT Literacy Map for Science, www.21stcenturyskills.org)
  • 1 Information and Media Literacy
    • S:SPS4:8:1.1 Use a variety of information access tools to locate, gather, and organize potential sources of scientific information to answer questions.
    • S:SPS4:8:1.2 Collect real-time observations and data, synthesizing and building upon existing information (e.g., online databases, NOAA, EPA, USGS) to solve problems.
    • S:SPS4:8:1.3 Use appropriate tools to analyze and synthesize information (e.g., diagrams, flow charts, frequency tables, bar graphs, line graphs, stem-and-leaf plots) to draw conclusions and implications based on investigations of an issue or question.
  • 2 Communication Skills
    • S:SPS4:8:2.1 Use a wide range of tools and a variety of oral, written, and graphic formats to share information and results from observations and investigations.
  • 3 Critical Thinking and Systems Thinking
    • S:SPS4:8:3.1 Execute steps of scientific inquiry to engage in the problem-solving and decision making processes.
    • S:SPS4:8:3.2 Apply new and unusual applications of existing knowledge to new and different situations.
    • S:SPS4:8:3.3 Make sketches, graphs, and diagrams to explain ideas and to demonstrate the interconnections between systems.
  • 4 Problem Identification, Formulation, and Solution
    • S:SPS4:8:4.1 Formulate a scientific question about phenomena, a problem, or an issue and using a broad range of tools and techniques; and plan and conduct an inquiry to address the question.
    • S:SPS4:8:4.2 Use evidence collected from observations or other sources and use them to create models and explanations.
  • 5 Creativity and Intellectual Curiosity
    • S:SPS4:8:5.1 Use a variety of media tools to make oral and written presentations, which include written notes and descriptions, drawings, photos, and charts to communicate the procedures and results of an investigation.
  • 6 Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills
    • S:SPS4:8:5.1 Work in diverse pairs/teams to answer questions, solve problems and make decisions.
    • S:SPS4:8:6.2 Plan and develop team science projects.
    • S:SPS4:8:6.3 Articulate understanding of content through personal interaction and sharing with peers.
  • 7 Self Direction
    • S:SPS4:8:7.1 Keep a journal of observations and investigations, and periodically evaluate entries to assess progress toward achieving the understanding of key ideas.
  • 8 Accountability and Adaptability
    • S:SPS4:8:8.1 Develop and execute a plan to collect and record accurate and complete data from various sources to solve a problem or answer a question; and gather and critically analyze data from a variety of sources.
    • S:SPS4:8:8.2 Participate in science competitions, where students are responsible for creating a product or participating in an event.
  • 9 Social Responsibility
    • S:SPS4:8:9.1 Collaborate with a network of learners by phone, video, virtual classroom platform.
    • S:SPS4:8:9.2 Participate in simulation or role-playing activities in which students grapple with the ethics of complex issues.