M: Motion

M.1: The velocity of an object is the rate of change of its position. As a basis for under-standing this concept:

M.1.b: Students know that average speed is the total distance traveled divided by the total time elapsed and that the speed of an object along the path traveled can vary.

Distance-Time and Velocity-Time Graphs
Free-Fall Laboratory

M.1.c: Students know how to solve problems involving distance, time, and average speed.

Free-Fall Laboratory

M.1.f: Students know how to interpret graphs of position versus time and graphs of speed versus time for motion in a single direction.

Distance-Time Graphs
Distance-Time and Velocity-Time Graphs

F: Forces

F.2: Unbalanced forces cause changes in velocity. As a basis for understanding this concept:

F.2.a: Students know a force has both direction and magnitude.

Gravitational Force

F.2.b: Students know when an object is subject to two or more forces at once, the result is the cumulative effect of all the forces.

Free-Fall Laboratory

F.2.c: Students know when the forces on an object are balanced, the motion of the object does not change.

Fan Cart Physics

F.2.d: Students know how to identify separately the two or more forces that are acting on a single static object, including gravity, elastic forces due to tension or compression in matter, and friction.

Free Fall Tower
Free-Fall Laboratory

F.2.e: Students know that when the forces on an object are unbalanced, the object will change its velocity (that is, it will speed up, slow down, or change direction).

Free-Fall Laboratory

F.2.f: Students know the greater the mass of an object, the more force is needed to achieve the same rate of change in motion.

Fan Cart Physics
Free-Fall Laboratory

SM: Structure of Matter

SM.3: Each of the more than 100 elements of matter has distinct properties and a distinct atomic structure. All forms of matter are composed of one or more of the elements. As a basis for understanding this concept:

SM.3.a: Students know the structure of the atom and know it is composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Element Builder

SM.3.d: Students know the states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) depend on molecular motion.

Phase Changes

SS: Earth in the Solar System (Earth Science)

SS.4: The structure and composition of the universe can be learned from studying stars and galaxies and their evolution. As a basis for understanding this concept:

SS.4.b: Students know that the Sun is one of many stars in the Milky Way galaxy and that stars may differ in size, temperature, and color.

H-R Diagram

SS.4.e: Students know the appearance, general composition, relative position and size, and motion of objects in the solar system, including planets, planetary satellites, comets, and asteroids.

Gravity Pitch
Solar System Explorer

R: Reactions

R.5: Chemical reactions are processes in which atoms are rearranged into different combinations of molecules. As a basis for understanding this concept:

R.5.b: Students know the idea of atoms explains the conservation of matter: In chemical reactions the number of atoms stays the same no matter how they are arranged, so their total mass stays the same.

Chemical Changes
Chemical Equations

R.5.c: Students know chemical reactions usually liberate heat or absorb heat.

Chemical Changes

R.5.d: Students know physical processes include freezing and boiling, in which a material changes form with no chemical reaction.

Freezing Point of Salt Water
Phase Changes

R.5.e: Students know how to determine whether a solution is acidic, basic, or neutral.

pH Analysis
pH Analysis: Quad Color Indicator

CH: Chemistry of Living Systems (Life Science)

CH.6: Principles of chemistry underlie the functioning of biological systems. As a basis for understanding this concept:

CH.6.c: Students know that living organisms have many different kinds of molecules, including small ones, such as water and salt, and very large ones, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and DNA.

RNA and Protein Synthesis

PT: Periodic Table

PT.7: The organization of the periodic table is based on the properties of the elements and reflects the structure of atoms. As a basis for understanding this concept:

PT.7.a: Students know how to identify regions corresponding to metals, nonmetals, and inert gases.

Ionic Bonds

PT.7.b: Students know each element has a specific number of protons in the nucleus (the atomic number) and each isotope of the element has a different but specific number of neutrons in the nucleus.

Element Builder

PT.7.c: Students know substances can be classified by their properties, including their melting temperature, density, hardness, and thermal and electrical conductivity.

Circuit Builder
Conduction and Convection
Density Experiment: Slice and Dice
Density Laboratory
Mineral Identification

D: Density and Buoyancy

D.8: All objects experience a buoyant force when immersed in a fluid. As a basis for understanding this concept:

D.8.a: Students know density is mass per unit volume.

Density Experiment: Slice and Dice
Density Laboratory

D.8.b: Students know how to calculate the density of substances (regular and irregular solids and liquids) from measurements of mass and volume.

Density Laboratory

D.8.c: Students know the buoyant force on an object in a fluid is an upward force equal to the weight of the fluid the object has displaced.

Archimedes' Principle

D.8.d: Students know how to predict whether an object will float or sink.

Archimedes' Principle
Density Experiment: Slice and Dice
Density Laboratory