North Carolina Grade 6 science standards

ESS.6.1.1 Use models to explain how the relative motion and relative position of the Sun, Earth and moon affect the seasons, tides, phases of the moon, and eclipses.

Lessons: Sun, Earth and Moon (Why does the Moon change shape?, Why are there seasons, and why do some places barely have them?) (partly)

Practice: Sun, Earth and Moon workbook · The Reason for the Seasons: Tilt, Daylight and the Solstice workbook

ESS.6.2.2 Construct an explanation to illustrate how the movement of lithospheric plates can create geologic landforms and cause major geologic events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Lessons: Restless Earth: Fossils, Soils, Volcanoes and Plates (Where do volcanoes and earthquakes happen?, What do moving plates do, and can a building survive?)

LS.6.2.1 Use models to summarize how energy derived from the sun is used by plants to produce sugars (photosynthesis) and is transferred to consumers and decomposers.

Lessons: Food Webs: Who Eats Whom? (Where does a plant get its food?, What would happen if the wolves disappeared?, Who cleans up?) (partly)

Practice: Food Webs: Who Eats Whom? workbook

PS.6.1.2 Use models to explain the relationship between changes in thermal energy in a substance and the motion of its particles (including phase changes).

Lessons: Solids, Liquids and Gases (Where does a puddle go?, Why does ice float?) (partly) · Hot and Cold: Particles on the Move (Why do bike tires go soft in winter?, Why does food colouring spread faster in hot water?, How does a thermometer know?) (partly)

Practice: Hot and Cold: Particles on the Move workbook

PS.6.2.2 Use models to explain how the transfer of heat and resulting change of temperature impacts the behavior of matter to include expansion, and contraction.

Lessons: Hot and Cold: Particles on the Move (Why do bike tires go soft in winter?, How does a thermometer know?, Why do sidewalks have cracks on purpose?)

Practice: Hot and Cold: Particles on the Move workbook

PS.6.2.3 Carry out investigations to compare the transfer of thermal energy in insulated and non-insulated materials (examples could include insulated box, solar cooker, or styrofoam cup).

Lessons: Keep It Cool: Ice, Insulation and Staying Comfortable (Which wrap keeps a drink coldest?, Can you build a cool box that beats the heat?) · Winter Science: Ice, Snow and Staying Warm (Which mitten keeps a hand warmest?, Can snow keep things warm?) · Hot and Cold: Particles on the Move (Can you keep an ice cube frozen the longest?) · Steppe Science: Staying Warm on the Kazakh Steppe (How does a felt yurt keep a family warm at −30 °C?)

Practice: Hot and Cold: Particles on the Move workbook · Steppe Science: Staying Warm on the Kazakh Steppe workbook · Hot Stuff: Heat, Temperature and Cooling workbook

PS.6.2.4 Engage in argument from evidence to classify materials as conductors and insulators of energy (both thermal and electrical).

Lessons: Steppe Science: Staying Warm on the Kazakh Steppe (How does a felt yurt keep a family warm at −30 °C?) (partly)

Practice: Steppe Science: Staying Warm on the Kazakh Steppe workbook · Keep It Cool: Ice, Insulation and Staying Comfortable workbook · Simple Circuits: Make It Light Up workbook · Winter Science: Ice, Snow and Staying Warm workbook