Big Idea: Structure and Transformation of Matter (Physical Science) Grade: End of Primary
A basic understanding of matter is essential to the conceptual development of other big ideas in science. In the elementary years of conceptual development,
students will be studying properties of matter and physical changes of matter at the macro level through direct observations, forming the foundation for
subsequent learning. The use of models (and an understanding of their scales and limitations) is an effective means of learning about the structure of matter.
Looking for patterns in properties is also critical to comparing and explaining differences in matter.
Academic Expectations
2.1
Students understand scientific ways of thinking and working and use those methods to solve real-life problems.
2.2
Students identify, analyze, and use patterns such as cycles and trends to understand past and present events and predict possible future events.
2.4
Students use the concept of scale and scientific models to explain the organization and functioning of living and nonliving things and predict other characteristics that
might be observed.
Program of Studies: Understandings
Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts
Related Core Content for Assessment
SC-P-STM-U-1
Students will understand that objects are made of
one or more materials and investigating the
properties of those materials helps in sorting and
describing them.
SC-P-STM-S-1
Students will use senses to observe and describe properties
of material objects (color, size, shape, texture, flexibility,
magnetism)
SC-EP-1.1.1
Students will classify material objects by their
properties providing evidence to support their
classifications.
SC-P-STM-S-2
Students will use appropriate tools (e.g., balance, metric
ruler, thermometer, graduated cylinder) to measure and
record length, width, volume, temperature and mass of
material objects and to answer questions about objects and
materials
Objects are made of one or more materials such as
paper, wood, and metal. Objects can be described by
the properties of the materials from which they are
made. Those properties and measurements of the
objects can be used to separate or classify objects or
materials.
DOK 3
SC-P-STM-U-2
Students will understand that tools such as
thermometers, magnifiers, rulers and balances can
give more information about objects than can be
obtained by just making observations.
SC-P-STM-U-3
Students will understand that things can be done to
materials to change some of their properties, but
not all materials respond the same way to what is
done to them.
SC-P-STM-S-5
Students will observe and predict the properties of material
objects
SC-P-STM-U-4
Students will understand that water can be a liquid,
solid, or gas and can go back and forth from one
form to another.
SC-P-STM-S-3
Students will investigate the physical properties of water as a
solid, liquid and gas
SC-EP-1.1.3
Students will describe the properties of water as it
occurs as a solid, liquid or gas.
SC-P-STM-S-4
Students will classify water and other matter using one or
more physical properties
Matter (water) can exist in different states--solid, liquid
and gas. Properties of those states of matter can be
used to describe and classify them.
DOK 2
SC-P-STM-U-5
Students will understand that in science, it is often
helpful to work with a team and to share findings
with others. All team members should reach their
own individual conclusions, however, about what
the findings mean.
SC-P-STM-S-6
Students will work with others to investigate questions about
properties of materials, documenting and communicating
observations, designs, procedures and results
SC-EP-1.1.2
Students will understand that objects have many observable
properties such as size, mass, shape, color, temperature,
magnetism, and the ability to interact and/or to react with
other substances. Some properties can be measured using
tools such as metric rulers, balances, and thermometers.
Big Idea: Structure and Transformation of Matter (Physical Science) Grade: Fourth
A basic understanding of matter is essential to the conceptual development of other big ideas in science. In the elementary years of conceptual development, students will be studying
properties of matter and physical changes of matter at the macro level through direct observations, forming the foundation for subsequent learning. The use of models (and an
understanding of their scales and limitations) is an effective means of learning about the structure of matter. Looking for patterns in properties is also critical to comparing and explaining
differences in matter.
Academic Expectations
2.1
Students understand scientific ways of thinking and working and use those methods to solve real-life problems.
2.2
Students identify, analyze, and use patterns such as cycles and trends to understand past and present events and predict possible future events.
2.4
Students use the concept of scale and scientific models to explain the organization and functioning of living and nonliving things and predict other characteristics that might be
observed.
Program of Studies: Understandings
Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts
SC-4-STM-U-1
Students will understand that things can be done to
materials to change some of their properties, but not
all materials respond the same way to what is done
to them.
SC-4-STM-S-1
Students will identify matter as solids, liquids and gases
SC-4-STM-U-2
Students will understand that when a new material is
made by combining two or more materials the new
material often has properties that are different from
the original materials.
SC-4-STM-U-3
Students will understand that properties of materials
may change if the materials become hotter or colder.
SC-4-STM-S-2
Students will gather information including temperature, magnetism,
hardness and mass using appropriate tools to identify physical
properties of matter
SC-4-STM-S-4
Students will conduct tests, compare data and draw conclusions
about physical properties of matter including states of matter,
conduction and buoyancy
SC-4-STM-S-5
Students will predict and describe patterns of properties in matter,
such as how materials will interact with each other and how they can
be changed
SC-4-STM-S-6
Students will investigate student-generated questions about the
properties of matter and uses of matter with particular properties
SC-4-STM-S-6
Students will design and build objects that require different
properties of materials
SC-4-STM-U-4
Students will understand that if water is turned into
ice and then the ice is allowed to melt, the amount of
water is the same as it was before freezing. When
liquid water “disappears” it is not really gone, it has
turned into a gas (vapor).
SC-4-STM-S-3
Students will investigate and describe how the physical properties of
water change as heat energy is added or removed
Related Core Content for Assessment
SC-04-1.1.1
Students will explain how matter, including water, can
be changed from one state to another.
Materials can exist in different states--solid, liquid and
gas. Some common materials, such as water, can be
changed from one state to another by heating or cooling.
Resulting cause and effect relationships should be
explored, described and predicted.
DOK 3
SC-4-STM-U-5
Students will understand that scientists pay more
attention to claims about how something works when
the claims are backed up with evidence that can be
confirmed.
SC-4-STM-S-8
Students will write clear descriptions of their designs and
experiments, present their findings (when appropriate) in tables and
graphs (designed by the students)
SC-4-STM-S-9
Students will analyze the designs and investigations of themselves
and others to see if following the same procedures would produce
similar results and conclusions (scientific validity)
Big Idea: Structure and Transformation of Matter (Physical Science) Grade: Fifth
A basic understanding of matter is essential to the conceptual development of other big ideas in science. In the elementary years of conceptual development,
students will be studying properties of matter and physical changes of matter at the macro level through direct observations, forming the foundation for subsequent
learning. The use of models (and an understanding of their scales and limitations) is an effective means of learning about the structure of matter. Looking for
patterns in properties is also critical to comparing and explaining differences in matter.
Academic Expectations
2.1
Students understand scientific ways of thinking and working and use those methods to solve real-life problems.
2.2
Students identify, analyze, and use patterns such as cycles and trends to understand past and present events and predict possible future events.
2.4
Students use the concept of scale and scientific models to explain the organization and functioning of living and nonliving things and predict other
characteristics that might be observed.
Program of Studies: Understandings
Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts
Related Core Content for Assessment
SC-5-STM-U-1
Students will understand that a substance has
its own set of properties which allows it to be
distinguished from other substances.
SC-5-STM-S-1
Students will use appropriate tools (e.g.,
balance, thermometer, graduated cylinder) and
observations to describe physical properties of
substances (e.g., boiling point, solubility,
density) and to classify materials
SC-05-1.1.1
Students will describe the physical properties of
substances (e.g., boiling point, solubility, density).
SC-5-STM-U-2
Students will understand that the physical
properties of a substance do not change
regardless of how much or how little of the
substance there is.
SC-5-STM-U-3
Students will understand that many kinds of
changes in the properties of substances occur
faster when the temperature is higher.
SC-5-STM-U-4
Students will understand that when individual
substances are combined, the total weight is
equal to the sum of the individual weights.
SC-5-STM-U-5
Students will understand that results of
investigations are seldom exactly the same, but
if the results vary widely, then it is necessary to
figure out why they differ.
SC-5-STM-S-2
Students will work individually and with others
to design and conduct fair tests to safely
investigate properties of matter, such as boiling
point, density, and solubility
SC-5-STM-S-4
Students will utilize student-generated
questions about the properties of matter to
drive inquiry-based learning experiences
SC-5-STM-S-3
Students will keep accurate records of
investigations (procedures, data) in order to
support or dispute conclusions
A substance has characteristic physical properties (e.g.,
boiling point, solubility) that are independent of the amount
of the sample.
DOK 2
Big Idea: Motion and Forces (Physical Science) Grade: Fifth
Whether observing airplanes, baseballs, planets, or people, the motion of all bodies is governed by the same basic rules. In the elementary years of conceptual
development, students need multiple opportunities to experience, observe, and describe (in words and pictures) motion, including factors (pushing and pulling) that
affect motion.
Academic Expectations
2.1
Students understand scientific ways of thinking and working and use those methods to solve real-life problems.
2.2
Students identify, analyze, and use patterns such as cycles and trends to understand past and present events and predict possible future events.
2.3
Students identify and analyze systems and the ways their components work together or affect each other.
Program of Studies: Understandings
Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts
Related Core Content for Assessment
SC-5-MF-U-1
Students will understand that predictions and/or
inferences about the direction or speed of an object
can be made by interpreting graphs, charts or
descriptions of the objects motion.
SC-5-MF-S-2
Students will create and interpret graphical
representations in order to make inferences and
draw conclusions about the motion of an object
SC-05-1.2.1
Students will interpret data in order to make qualitative (e.g., fast,
slow, forward, backward) and quantitative descriptions and
predictions about the straight-line motion of an object.
The motion of an object can be described by its relative position,
direction of motion, and speed. That motion can be measured and
represented on a graph.
DOK 3
SC-5-MF-U-2
Students will understand that the more mass an
object has, the less effect a given force will have.
SC-5-MF-U-3
Students will understand that forces are pushes and
pulls that may be invisible (e.g., gravity, magnetism)
or visible (e.g., friction, collisions).
SC-5-MF-U-4
Students will understand that some comparisons
may not be ‘fair’ because some conditions (e.g.
mass, force, speed, friction) might not be the same.
SC-5-MF-S-1
Students will use observations and appropriate
tools (e.g., timer, meter stick, balance, spring scale)
to explore the relationship between force and mass
SC-5-MF-S-3
Students will design and conduct experiments to
examine the effects of variables on the straight line
motion of objects. Analyze, review, and critique
each other’s experiments
SC-5-MF-S-4
Students will predict, and support with
evidence/justification, changes in the motion of an
object related to its mass or the amount of force
acting on it
SC-05-1.2.2
Students should understand that forces are pushes and pulls, and that
these pushes and pulls may be invisible (e.g., gravity, magnetism) or
visible (e.g., friction, collisions).
Big Idea: Structure and Transformation of Matter (Physical Science) Grade 6
A basic understanding of matter is essential to the conceptual development of other big ideas in science. During the middle years, physical and chemical changes in
matter are observed, and students begin to relate these changes to the smaller constituents of matter—namely, atoms and molecules. The use of models (and an
understanding of their scales and limitations) is an effective means of learning about the structure of matter. Looking for patterns in properties is also critical to comparing
and explaining differences in matter.
Academic Expectations
2.1
Students understand scientific ways of thinking and working and use those methods to solve real-life problems.
2.2
Students identify, analyze, and use patterns such as cycles and trends to understand past and present events and predict possible future events.
2.4
Students use the concept of scale and scientific models to explain the organization and functioning of living and nonliving things and predict other characteristics
that might be observed.
2.5
Students understand that under certain conditions nature tends to remain the same or move toward a balance.
Program of Studies: Understandings
Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts
SC-6-STM-U-1
SC-6-STM-S-1
Students will understand that all matter is composed of
Students will use hand lenses and microscopes to
parts that are too small to be seen without
investigate substances composed of particles too
magnification.
small to be seen without magnification
Related Core Content for Assessment
SC-M6 1.1.1
Students will explain how or why mixtures can be
separated using physical properties.
A mixture of substances often can be separated into the
original substances by using one or more of its
characteristic physical properties.
DOK 2
SC-6-STM-U-2
SC-6-STM-S-2
Students will understand that no matter how substances
Students will use observations and evidence to describe and
within a closed system interact with one another, or
verify chemical changes in matter.
how they combine or break apart, the total weight
of the system remains the same.
SC-6-STM-S-4
Students will distinguish between mixtures and compounds
SC-M6 1.1.1
Students will explain how or why mixtures can be
separated using physical properties.
A mixture of substances often can be separated into the
original substances by using one or more of its
characteristic physical properties.
DOK 2
SC-6-STM-U-3
SC-6-STM-S-2
Students will understand that chemical changes result Students will use observations and evidence to describe and
in the formation of a substance that has different
verify chemical changes in matter.
properties than the original substance.
SC-6-STM-S-3
Students will classify changes in substances as physical or
chemical changes
SC-06-1.1.2
Students will identify and describe evidence of chemical
and physical changes in matter.
SC-6-STM-U-4
SC-6-STM-S-5
Students will understand that not all substances that are
Students will explain how or why mixtures can be
mixed together will chemically combine. Because of
separated using physical properties, and
this, physical properties can be used to separate
investigate strategies for separating mixtures
mixtures.
SC-6-STM-S-6
Students will explore the feasibility of various procedures for
separating mixtures, taking into account constraints such as
availability and properties of materials, safety, economic and
ethical issues
SC-06-1.1.2
Students will identify and describe evidence of chemical
and physical changes in matter.
SC-6-STM-U-5
SC-6-STM-S-7
Students will understand that new ideas in science
Students will investigate how important scientific
sometimes spring from unexpected findings,
advances have resulted from unexpected
and they usually lead to new investigations.
observations or experimental results
SC-6-STM-S-8
Students will plan, present and support information from
investigations using a variety of modes
In chemical reactions, the total mass is conserved.
Substances are often classified into groups if they react
in similar ways. The patterns that allow classification
can be used to infer or understand real life applications
for those substances.
DOK 2
In chemical reactions, the total mass is conserved.
Substances are often classified into groups if they react
in similar ways. The patterns that allow classification
can be used to infer or understand real life applications
for those substances.
DOK 2