United States · Common Core State Standards
6th Grade Science
This curriculum explores the fundamental principles of life, earth, and physical sciences through the lens of interconnected systems. Students investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through the natural world while developing skills in modeling and evidence based argumentation.
01Molecules in Motion
An exploration of the particle nature of matter and how thermal energy affects the behavior of atoms and molecules.
Students model the arrangement and motion of particles in solids, liquids, and gases.
Students investigate how adding or removing thermal energy changes the speed and arrangement of particles.
Students explore the energy changes involved when matter transitions between solid, liquid, and gas phases.
Students measure and differentiate between mass and volume of various objects.
Students calculate the density of various substances and understand its significance.
Students investigate how the mass and volume of a substance determine its ability to float or sink in a fluid.
Students explore how heating fluids changes their density, leading to convection currents.
Students observe various phenomena to identify indicators of a chemical change.
Students model how atoms rearrange to form new substances during chemical reactions.
Students conduct experiments to prove that mass is conserved during chemical changes.
Students investigate how some chemical reactions release heat (exothermic) while others absorb it (endothermic).
Students explore how temperature, concentration, and surface area influence the speed of chemical reactions.
Students apply their understanding of chemical reactions to design a process for a specific outcome.
02Cells and Body Systems
Investigation into the microscopic building blocks of life and how specialized cells work together to maintain complex organisms.
Students learn that all living things are composed of cells and identify basic cell structures.
Students identify and describe the function of organelles specific to plant cells.
Students identify and describe the function of organelles found in animal cells.
Students explore how specialized cells form tissues, organs, and organ systems in multicellular organisms.
Students investigate the process of digestion and how the digestive system breaks down food for energy.
Students examine how these systems work together to transport oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
Students explore how bones and muscles interact to allow movement and provide support.
Students investigate how the nervous system coordinates body functions and maintains internal balance.
Students explore how the eyes and ears receive and process light and sound information.
Students investigate how the body processes chemical and tactile stimuli.
Students explore how organisms receive and process information from their surroundings to survive.
Students investigate how diseases can disrupt the normal functioning of body systems.
Students explore how advancements in biotechnology are used to diagnose and treat diseases.
03Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Tracing the path of energy from the sun through food webs and analyzing the cycling of matter in the environment.
Students investigate the chemical processes that allow plants to make food using sunlight.
Students explore how organisms release energy from food molecules through cellular respiration.
Students identify the roles of different organisms in an ecosystem based on how they obtain energy.
Students analyze the flow of energy through interconnected food chains in various habitats.
Students model how energy decreases at successive trophic levels in an ecosystem.
Students analyze different types of symbiotic relationships (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism) in ecosystems.
Students investigate how organisms interact through competition and predation for resources.
Students trace the movement of water and carbon through living and non-living components of an ecosystem.
Students investigate the cycling of nitrogen and phosphorus and their importance for life.
Students evaluate how ecosystems respond to changes such as natural disasters or human intervention.
Students analyze how human activities can disrupt the balance of local and global habitats.
Students explore strategies for restoring damaged ecosystems and conserving biodiversity.
Students compare and contrast major global biomes based on climate, vegetation, and animal life.
04Earth's Changing Surface
A study of the geological processes that shape our planet over millions of years and in sudden events.
Students investigate the composition and characteristics of Earth's core, mantle, and crust.
Students analyze evidence for continental drift and the theory of plate tectonics.
Students use models to explain how the movement of Earth's lithospheric plates creates mountains and volcanoes.
Students investigate the causes and effects of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
Students investigate how physical processes break down rocks into smaller pieces.
Students explore how chemical reactions alter the composition of rocks.
Students investigate how water, ice, wind, and gravity transport weathered materials and deposit them.
Students explore the formation of sedimentary rocks and how they preserve evidence of past life.
Students investigate the formation of igneous rocks from magma/lava and metamorphic rocks from heat and pressure.
Tracing the transformation of Earth materials through igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic phases.
Students explore the vastness of geological time and major events in Earth's history.
05Weather and Climate
Analyzing the factors that drive atmospheric circulation and influence global climate patterns.
Students investigate the layers of the atmosphere and the gases that compose it.
Students explore how unequal heating of Earth's surface drives atmospheric and oceanic circulation.
Exploring how pressure differences create wind patterns and influence weather.
Students investigate how Earth's rotation affects the movement of air and ocean currents.
Students model how water moves through the atmosphere, oceans, and land.
Students investigate different types of clouds and the conditions necessary for various forms of precipitation.
Students explore how different air masses interact to create weather patterns.
Students investigate the conditions that lead to severe weather phenomena.
Students explore the formation and impacts of large-scale severe weather events.
Students differentiate between short-term weather events and long-term climate patterns.
An investigation into how greenhouse gases trap heat in Earth's atmosphere.
Students analyze scientific evidence for past and present changes in Earth's climate.
An investigation into how human activity impacts the Earth's long term climate and potential solutions.
06Human Impact and Engineering
Applying scientific principles to design solutions for environmental challenges and resource management.
Comparing renewable and non-renewable resources and the environmental costs of their extraction.
Students evaluate different energy sources and their associated environmental and economic trade-offs.
Students investigate the environmental consequences of mining, drilling, and logging.
Students analyze human impacts on water systems, identifying sources of pollution.
Students learn methods for assessing water quality and using living organisms as indicators.
Students design filtration or conservation methods to ensure a clean water supply.
Students investigate the causes and impacts of geological hazards.
Students explore the causes and mitigation strategies for hydrological and mass movement hazards.
Designing and testing structures that mitigate the effects of earthquakes.
Students design and test systems to reduce the impact of floods and landslides.
Students explore how individual and collective choices impact the environment and promote sustainability.