ESS1: The Earth and Earth materials, as we know them today, have developed over long periods of time, through constant change processes.

ESS1.1: Atmosphere, Climate, and Weather

ESS1.1.S.ESS1.8.1.1: Identify and describe the processes of the water cycle and explain their effects on climatic patterns.

Water Cycle

ESS1.5: Processes and Rates of Change

ESS1.5.S.ESS1.8.5.1: Explain that the Earth's crust is divided into plates which move at extremely slow rates in response to movements in the mantle.

Plate Tectonics

ESS1.5.S.ESS1.8.5.2: Explain how Earth events, abruptly and over time, can bring about changes on Earth's surface (e.g., landforms, ocean floor, rock features, climate).

Rock Cycle

ESS1.6: Rock Cycle

ESS1.6.S.ESS1.8.6.1: Describe the processes of the rock cycle.

Rock Cycle

ESS1.6.S.ESS1.8.6.3: Explain how sediments of sand and smaller particles, which may contain the remains of organisms, are gradually buried and cemented together by dissolved minerals to form solid rock.

Rock Cycle

ESS1.6.S.ESS1.8.6.4: Using data about a rock's physical characteristics make and support an inference about the rock's history and connection to the rock cycle.

Rock Cycle

ESS1.7: Water

ESS1.7.S.ESS1.8.7.1: Describe how water flows into and through a watershed, falling on the land, collecting in rivers and lakes, soil, and porous layers of rock, until much of it flows back into the ocean.

Water Cycle

ESS1.7.S.ESS1.8.7.3: Explain the processes that cause cycling of water into and out of the atmosphere and their connections to our planet's weather patterns.

Water Cycle

ESS2: The Earth is part of a solar system, made up of distinct parts, which have temporal and spatial interrelationships.

ESS2.1: Earth, Sun, and Moon

ESS2.1.S.ESS2.8.1.2: Recognize and describe how the regular and predictable motions of the Earth and Moon account for phenomena, such as the phases of the Moon and eclipses.

2D Eclipse
3D Eclipse
Moonrise, Moonset, and Phases
Phases of the Moon

ESS2.1.S.ESS2.8.1.4: Explain the temporal or positional relationships between or among the Earth, Sun and Moon (e.g., night/day, seasons, year, tide).

Seasons Around the World
Seasons in 3D
Seasons: Earth, Moon, and Sun
Seasons: Why do we have them?
Summer and Winter
Tides - Metric

ESS2.3: Solar System

ESS2.3.S.ESS2.8.3.1: Identify the characteristics and movement patterns of the planets in our Solar System and differentiate between them.

Comparing Earth and Venus
Gravity Pitch
Solar System Explorer

ESS2.3.S.ESS2.8.3.2: Explain the affects of gravitational force on the planets and their moons.

Gravity Pitch

ESS2.3.S.ESS2.8.3.4: Compare and contrast planets based on data provided about size, composition, location, orbital movement, atmosphere, or surface features (includes moons).

Solar System Explorer

ESS2.3.S.ESS2.8.3.5: Explain how gravitational force affects objects in the Solar System (e.g., moons, tides, orbits, satellites).

Gravity Pitch
Tides - Metric

ESS4: The growth of scientific knowledge in Earth Space Science has been advanced through the development of technology and is used (alone or in combination with other sciences) to identify, understand and solve local and global issues.

ESS4.1: Design Technology

ESS4.1.S.ESS4.8.1.2: Recognize the importance of technology as it relates to science, for purposes such as: access to space and other remote locations, sample collection and treatment, measurement, data collection, and storage, computation, and communication of information.

Roller Coaster Physics

LS1: All living organisms have identifiable structures and characteristics that allow for survival (organisms, populations, & species).

LS1.1: Classification

LS1.1.S.LS1.8.1.2: Describe or compare how different organisms have mechanisms that work in a coordinated way to obtain energy, grow, move, respond, provide defense, enable reproduction, or maintain internal balance (e.g., cells, tissues, organs and systems).

Digestive System

LS1.2: Living Things and Organization

LS1.2.S.LS1.8.2.1: Identify the functions of the human body's systems, including digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, excretion, movement, control and coordination and protection from disease; and describe how they interact with one another.

Circulatory System
Digestive System

LS1.2.S.LS1.8.2.2: Define a population and describe the factors that can affect it.

Coral Reefs 1 - Abiotic Factors
Food Chain
Rabbit Population by Season

LS1.2.S.LS1.8.2.4: Explain relationships between or among the structure and function of the cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems in an organism.

Digestive System

LS1.2.S.LS1.8.2.5: Using data and observations about the biodiversity of an ecosystem, make predictions or draw conclusions about how the diversity contributes to the stability of the ecosystem.

Coral Reefs 2 - Biotic Factors

LS1.3: Reproduction

LS1.3.S.LS1.8.3.3: Explain that in sexual reproduction, a single specialized cell from a female merges with a specialized cell from a male in a process called fertilization.

Pollination: Flower to Fruit

LS2: Energy flows and matter recycles through an ecosystem.

LS2.1: Environment

LS2.1.S.LS2.8.1.1: Explain how changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms and an entire species.

Natural Selection
Rabbit Population by Season
Rainfall and Bird Beaks - Metric

LS2.2: Flow of Energy

LS2.2.S.LS2.8.2.2: Given a scenario, trace the flow of energy through an ecosystem, beginning with the sun, through organisms in the food web, and into the environment (includes photosynthesis and respiration).

Cell Energy Cycle
Forest Ecosystem

LS2.3: Recycling of Materials

LS2.3.S.LS2.8.3.1: Identify autotrophs as producers who may use photosynthesis, and describe this as the basis of the food web.

Cell Energy Cycle
Forest Ecosystem
Photosynthesis Lab

LS2.3.S.LS2.8.3.2: Explain the process of respiration and differentiate between it and photosynthesis.

Cell Energy Cycle
Plants and Snails

LS2.3.S.LS2.8.3.3: Know that all organisms, including humans, are part of, and depend on, two main interconnected global food webs: one which includes microscopic ocean plants, and the other which includes land plants.

Coral Reefs 1 - Abiotic Factors
Forest Ecosystem

LS2.3.S.LS2.8.3.4: Describe how matter is recycled within ecosystems and explain that the total amount of matter remains the same, though its form and location change.

Cell Energy Cycle

LS2.3.S.LS2.8.3.6: Given an ecosystem, trace how matter cycles among and between organisms and the physical environment (includes water, oxygen, food web, decomposition and recycling, but not carbon cycle nor nitrogen cycle).

Carbon Cycle
Cell Energy Cycle
Forest Ecosystem
Pond Ecosystem
Water Cycle

LS3: Groups of organisms show evidence of change over time (e.g. evolution, natural selection, structures, behaviors, and biochemistry).

LS3.1: Change

LS3.1.S.LS3.8.1.1: Describe the type of impact certain environmental changes, including deforestation, invasive species, increased erosion, and pollution containing toxic substances, could have on local environments.

Coral Reefs 1 - Abiotic Factors
Coral Reefs 2 - Biotic Factors

LS3.2: Evidence of Evolution

LS3.2.S.LS3.8.2.1: Describe how the fossil record provides geologic evidence verifying the existence of now extinct life forms, and explains how this evidence provides documented proof of their appearance, diversification and extinction.

Human Evolution - Skull Analysis

LS3.2.S.LS3.8.2.3: Use a model, classification system, or dichotomous key to illustrate, compare, or interpret possible relationships among groups of organisms (e.g., internal and external structures, anatomical features).

Dichotomous Keys

LS3.3: Natural Selection

LS3.3.S.LS3.8.3.1: Recognize that hereditary information is contained in genes, which are located in the chromosomes of each cell; and explain that inherited traits can be determined by either one or many genes, and that a single gene can influence more than one trait, such as eye and hair color.

Human Karyotyping
Mouse Genetics (One Trait)
Mouse Genetics (Two Traits)

LS3.3.S.LS3.8.3.3: Explain how individual organisms with certain traits are more likely than others to survive and have offspring.

Evolution: Mutation and Selection
Evolution: Natural and Artificial Selection
Natural Selection
Rainfall and Bird Beaks - Metric

LS3.3.S.LS3.8.3.5: Cite examples supporting the concept that certain traits of organisms may provide a survival advantage in a specific environment and therefore, an increased likelihood to produce offspring.

Evolution: Mutation and Selection
Evolution: Natural and Artificial Selection
Natural Selection
Rainfall and Bird Beaks - Metric

LS4: Humans are similar to other species in many ways, and yet are unique among Earth's life forms

LS4.2: Disease

LS4.2.S.LS4.8.2.2: Describe how viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites may affect the human body and provide examples of how they can interfere with normal body function.

Digestive System
Virus Lytic Cycle

LS4.3: Human Identity

LS4.3.S.LS4.8.3.2: Recognize that an organism can be described in terms of a combination of traits; and differentiate between inherited traits and those that result from interactions with the environment.

Inheritance

LS5: The growth of scientific knowledge in Life Science has been advanced through the development of technology and is used (alone or in combination with other sciences) to identify, understand and solve local and global issues.

LS5.1: Design Technology

LS5.1.S.LS5.8.1.1: Explain how technology has influenced the course of history, and provide examples such as those that relate to agriculture, sanitation and medicine.

Human Karyotyping

LS5.2: Tools

LS5.2.S.LS5.8.2.1: Recognizes and provide examples of how technology has enhanced the study of life sciences, as in the development of advanced diagnosing equipment improving medicine.

Human Karyotyping

LS5.3: Social Issues (Local and Global), Medical Technology, Biotechnology

LS5.3.B.S.LS5.8.3.3: Describes ways biotechnology helps humans, including improved health and medicine.

Human Karyotyping

PS1: All living and nonliving things are composed of matter having characteristic properties that distinguish one substance from another (independent of size/amount of substance).

PS1.1: Composition

PS1.1.S.PS1.8.1.4: Differentiate between a mixture and a pure substance.

Dichotomous Keys

PS1.2: Properties

PS1.2.S.PS1.8.2.1: Differentiate between volume and mass and define density.

Density Experiment: Slice and Dice
Density Laboratory
Mineral Identification

PS1.2.S.PS1.8.2.4: Investigate the relationships among mass, volume and density.

Density Experiment: Slice and Dice
Density Laboratory

PS1.2.S.PS1.8.2.5: Given data about characteristic properties of matter (e.g., melting and boiling points, density, solubility), identify, compare, or classify different substances.

Density Experiment: Slice and Dice
Density Laboratory
Mineral Identification

PS1.2.S.PS1.8.2.6: Represent or explain the relationship between or among energy, molecular motion, temperature, and states of matter.

Phase Changes
Phases of Water

PS2: Energy is necessary for change to occur in matter. Energy can be stored, transferred and transformed, but cannot be destroyed.

PS2.1: Change

PS2.1.S.PS2.8.1.4: Explain that states of matter depend on the arrangement of the molecules and their motion.

Phase Changes
Phases of Water

PS2.1.S.PS2.8.1.5: Given a real-world example, show that within a system, energy transforms from one form to another (i.e., chemical, heat, electrical, gravitational, light, sound, mechanical).

Energy Conversion in a System
Inclined Plane - Sliding Objects

PS2.2: Conservation

PS2.2.S.PS2.8.2.1: Explain the law of conservation of energy.

Air Track
Energy Conversion in a System
Energy of a Pendulum
Inclined Plane - Sliding Objects
Roller Coaster Physics

PS2.3: Energy

PS2.3.S.PS2.8.3.1: Differentiate between kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion and potential energy, which depends on relative position.

Energy of a Pendulum
Inclined Plane - Sliding Objects
Roller Coaster Physics
Sled Wars

PS2.3.S.PS2.8.3.3: Describe ways light can interact with matter, such as transmission (which includes refraction), absorption, and scattering (which includes reflection).

Basic Prism
Color Absorption
Heat Absorption
Herschel Experiment - Metric
Radiation
Refraction
Subtractive Colors

PS2.3.S.PS2.8.3.6: Use data to draw conclusions about how heat can be transferred (convection, conduction, radiation).

Conduction and Convection
Heat Absorption
Heat Transfer by Conduction
Herschel Experiment - Metric
Radiation

PS3: The motion of an object is affected by force.

PS3.1: Forces

PS3.1.S.PS3.8.1.1: Explain that the force of gravity gets stronger the closer one gets to an object and decreases the further away one gets from it.

Gravitational Force

PS3.1.S.PS3.8.1.2: Recognize the general concepts related to gravitational force.

Free Fall Tower
Free-Fall Laboratory
Gravitational Force

PS3.1.S.PS3.8.1.3: Use data to determine or predict the overall (net) effect of multiple forces (e.g., friction, gravitational, magnetic) on the position, speed, and direction of motion of objects.

Free-Fall Laboratory

PS3.2: Motion

PS3.2.S.PS3.8.2.1: Explain that an object in motion that is unaffected by a force will continue to move at a constant speed and in a straight line.

Force and Fan Carts

PS3.2.S.PS3.8.2.2: Explain how the motion of an object can be described by its position, direction of motion, and speed; and illustrate how that motion can be measured and represented graphically.

Distance-Time Graphs - Metric
Distance-Time and Velocity-Time Graphs - Metric
Free Fall Tower
Free-Fall Laboratory
Measuring Motion

PS4: The growth of scientific knowledge in Physical Science has been advanced through the development of technology and is used (alone or in combination with other sciences) to identify, understand and solve local and global issues.

PS4.2: Tools

PS4.2.S.PS4.8.2.1: Demonstrate appropriate use of tools, such as rulers, calculators, balances, and graduated cylinders to measure and calculate volume and mass.

Measuring Trees
Triple Beam Balance