Sixth Grade Science Content Standards

Students become ecologically literate – to understand the interconnectedness of humans and the environment and to live and act in ways which reflect this understanding.

Students develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world with increasingly higher levels of complexity.

Students use scientific strategies, knowledge and common sense to formulate questions about, understand and explain a wide range of phenomena.

Students seek knowledge and understanding by questioning, observing, investigating, analyzing and evaluating.

Sixth grade students are expected to:

• Earth Science
  • Geology: the Earth’s surface and major geologic events
    • Learn the structure of the Earth
    • Discover evidence for plate tectonics
    • Understand the general effects of interacting plates
    • Explore California geology
    • Understand the effects of weathering and erosion on the topography of the Earth
• Physical Science
  • Thermal Energy: how it affects the physical systems on the Earth
    • Learn how the sun is a major source of energy
    • Discuss solar energy
    • Compare convection, conduction, and radiation
    • Explore energy transfer
    • Describe renewable and nonrenewable resources and how they differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness, and the time required for their formation
    • Understand that differences in pressure, heat, air movement and humidity result in changes of weather
• Life Science
  • Ecology: organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environment
    • Learn that all living organisms need a continual flow of energy (sunlight, air) and resources (food) to stay alive.
    • Understand how matter is transferred from one organism to others in the food web, and between organisms and the physical environment
    • Understand that the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and biotic factors
• Family Life
  • Introduce the physical changes that occur during adolescence
• Investigation and experimentation
  • Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations
    • Select and use appropriate tools and technology
    • Report data using graphs, charts, and maps
    • Write a lab report following the scientific method

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