Georgia K–6 science standards

Ask questions to classify objects according to those seen in the day sky, the night sky, and both.

Develop a model to communicate the changes that occur in the sky during the day, as day turns into night, during the night, and as night turns into day using pictures and words.

Ask questions to identify and describe earth materials—soil, rocks, water, and air.

Construct an argument supported by evidence for how rocks can be grouped by physical attributes (size, weight, texture, color).

Use tools to observe and record physical attributes of soil such as texture and color.

Construct an explanation based on observations to recognize the differences between organisms and non-living objects.

Develop a model to represent how a set of organisms and non-living objects are sorted into groups based on their attributes.

Construct an argument supported by evidence for how animals can be grouped according to their features.

Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants can be grouped according to their features.

Ask questions and make observations to identify the similarities and differences of offspring to their parents and to other members of the same species.

Ask questions to compare and sort objects made of different materials. (Common materials include clay, cloth, plastic, wood, paper, and metal.)

Use senses and science tools to classify common objects, such as buttons or swatches of cloth, according to their physical attributes (color, size, shape, weight, and texture).

Plan and carry out an investigation to predict and observe whether objects, based on their physical attributes, will sink or float.

Plan and carry out an investigation to determine the relationship between an object's physical attributes and its resulting motion (straight, circular, back and forth, fast and slow, and motionless) when a force is applied.

Construct an argument as to the best way to move an object based on its physical attributes.

Represent data in tables and/or graphs to identify and describe different types of weather and the characteristics of each type.

Ask questions to identify forms of precipitation such as rain, snow, sleet, and hailstones as either solid (ice) or liquid (water).

Plan and carry out investigations on current weather conditions by observing, measuring with simple weather instruments (thermometer, wind vane, rain gauge), and recording weather data (temperature, precipitation, sky conditions, and weather events) in a periodic journal, on a calendar, and graphically.

Analyze data to identify seasonal patterns of change.

Develop models to identify the parts of a plant—root, stem, leaf, and flower.

Ask questions to compare and contrast the basic needs of plants (air, water, light, and nutrients) and animals (air, water, food, and shelter).

Design a solution to ensure that a plant or animal has all of its needs met.

Use observations to construct an explanation of how light is required to make objects visible.

Ask questions to identify and compare sources of light.

Plan and carry out an investigation of shadows by placing objects at various points from a source of light.

Construct an explanation supported by evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

Design a signal that can serve as an emergency alert using light and/or sound to communicate over a distance.

Construct an explanation of how magnets are used in everyday life.

Plan and carry out an investigation to demonstrate how magnets attract and repel each other and the effect of magnets on common objects.

Ask questions to describe the physical attributes (size and brightness) of stars.

Construct an argument to support the claim that although the sun appears to be the brightest and largest star, it is actually medium in size and brightness.

Plan and carry out an investigation to determine the effect of the position of the sun in relation to a fixed object on Earth at various times of the day.

Design and build a structure that demonstrates how shadows change throughout the day.

Represent data in tables and/or graphs of the length of the day and night to recognize the change in seasons.

Use data from personal observations to describe, illustrate, and predict how the appearance of the moon changes over time in a pattern.

Ask questions to obtain information about major changes to the environment in your community.

Construct an explanation of the causes and effects of a change to the environment in your community.

Ask questions to determine the sequence of the life cycle of common animals in your area: a mammal such as a cat, dog or classroom pet, a bird such as a chicken, an amphibian such as a frog, and an insect such as a butterfly.

Plan and carry out an investigation of the life cycle of a plant by growing a plant from a seed and by recording changes over a period of time.

Construct an explanation of an animal's role in dispersing seeds or in the pollination of plants.

Develop models to illustrate the unique and diverse life cycles of organisms other than humans.

Ask questions to describe and classify different objects according to their physical properties.

Construct an explanation for how structures made from small pieces (linking cubes, building blocks) can be disassembled and then rearranged to make new and different structures.

Provide evidence from observations to construct an explanation that some changes in matter caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some changes are irreversible.

Plan and carry out an investigation to demonstrate how pushing and pulling on an object affects the motion of the object.

Design a device to change the speed or direction of an object.

Record and analyze data to decide if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a force (a push or a pull).

Ask questions and analyze data to classify rocks by their physical attributes (color, texture, luster, and hardness) using simple tests.

Plan and carry out investigations to describe properties (color, texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support growth of plants) of soils and soil types (sand, clay, loam).

Make observations of the local environment to construct an explanation of how water and/or wind have made changes to soil and/or rocks over time.

Construct an argument from observations of fossils (authentic or reproductions) to communicate how they serve as evidence of past organisms and the environments in which they lived.

Develop a model to describe the sequence and conditions required for an organism to become fossilized.

Ask questions to differentiate between plants, animals, and habitats found within Georgia's geographic regions.

Construct an explanation of how external features and adaptations (camouflage, hibernation, migration, mimicry) of animals allow them to survive in their habitat.

Use evidence to construct an explanation of why some organisms can thrive in one habitat and not in another.

Ask questions to collect information and create records of sources and effects of pollution on the plants and animals.

Explore, research, and communicate solutions, such as conservation of resources and recycling of materials, to protect plants and animals.

Ask questions to identify sources of heat energy.

Plan and carry out an investigation to gather data using thermometers to produce tables and charts that illustrate the effect of sunlight on various objects.

Use tools and every day materials to design and construct a device/structure that will increase/decrease the warming effects of sunlight on various materials.

Ask questions to compare and contrast technological advances that have changed the amount and type of information on distant objects in the sky.

Construct an argument on why some stars (including the Earth's sun) appear to be larger or brighter than others.

Construct an explanation of the differences between stars and planets.

Evaluate strengths and limitations of models of our solar system in describing relative size, order, appearance and composition of planets and the sun.

Develop a model to support an explanation of why the length of day and night change throughout the year.

Develop a model based on observations to describe the repeating pattern of the phases of the moon (new, crescent, quarter, gibbous, and full).

Construct an explanation of how the Earth's orbit, with its consistent tilt, affects seasonal changes.

Plan and carry out investigations to observe the flow of energy in water as it changes states from solid (ice) to liquid (water) to gas (water vapor) and changes from gas to liquid to solid.

Develop models to illustrate multiple pathways water may take during the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, and precipitation).

Construct an explanation of how weather instruments (thermometer, rain gauge, barometer, wind vane, and anemometer) are used in gathering weather data and making forecasts.

Interpret data from weather maps, including fronts (warm, cold, and stationary), temperature, pressure, and precipitation to make an informed prediction about tomorrow's weather.

Ask questions and use observations of cloud types (cirrus, stratus, and cumulus) and data of weather conditions to predict weather events.

Construct an explanation based on research to communicate the difference between weather and climate.

Develop a model to describe the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in a community.

Develop simple models to illustrate the flow of energy through a food web/food chain beginning with sunlight and including producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Design a scenario to demonstrate the effect of a change on an ecosystem.

Use printed and digital data to develop a model illustrating and describing changes to the flow of energy in an ecosystem when plants or animals become scarce, extinct or over-abundant.

Plan and carry out investigations to observe and record how light interacts with various materials to classify them as opaque, transparent, or translucent.

Plan and carry out investigations to describe the path light travels from a light source to a mirror and how it is reflected by the mirror using different angles.

Plan and carry out an investigation utilizing everyday materials to explore examples of when light is refracted.

Plan and carry out an investigation utilizing everyday objects to produce sound and predict the effects of changing the strength or speed of vibrations.

Design and construct a device to communicate across a distance using light and/or sound.

Plan and carry out an investigation on the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on an object and communicate the results.

Construct an argument to support the claim that gravitational force affects the motion of an object.

Ask questions to identify and explain the uses of simple machines (lever, pulley, wedge, inclined plane, wheel and axle, and screw) and how forces are changed when simple machines are used to complete tasks.

Construct an argument supported by scientific evidence to identify surface features (examples could include deltas, sand dunes, mountains, volcanoes) as being caused by constructive and/or destructive processes (examples could include deposition, weathering, erosion, and impact of organisms).

Develop simple interactive models to collect data that illustrate how changes in surface features are/were caused by constructive and/or destructive processes.

Ask questions to obtain information on how technology is used to limit and/or predict the impact of constructive and destructive processes.

Develop a model that illustrates how animals are sorted into groups (vertebrate and invertebrate) and how vertebrates are sorted into groups (fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal) using data from multiple sources.

Develop a model that illustrates how plants are sorted into groups (seed producers, non-seed producers) using data from multiple sources.

Ask questions to compare and contrast instincts and learned behaviors.

Ask questions to compare and contrast inherited and acquired physical traits.

Gather evidence by utilizing technology tools to support a claim that plants and animals are comprised of cells too small to be seen without magnification.

Develop a model to identify and label parts of a plant cell (membrane, wall, cytoplasm, nucleus, chloroplasts) and of an animal cell (membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus).

Construct an explanation that differentiates between the structure of plant and animal cells.

Construct an argument using scientific evidence to support a claim that some microorganisms are beneficial.

Construct an argument using scientific evidence to support a claim that some microorganisms are harmful.

Plan and carry out investigations of physical changes by manipulating, separating and mixing dry and liquid materials.

Construct an argument based on observations to support a claim that the physical changes in the state of water are due to temperature changes, which cause small particles that cannot be seen to move differently.

Plan and carry out an investigation to determine if a chemical change occurred based on observable evidence (color, gas, temperature change, odor, new substance produced).

Obtain and combine information from multiple sources to explain the difference between naturally occurring electricity (static) and human-harnessed electricity.

Design a complete, simple electric circuit, and explain all necessary components.

Plan and carry out investigations on common materials to determine if they are insulators or conductors of electricity.

Construct an argument based on experimental evidence to communicate the differences in function and purpose of an electromagnet and a magnet.

Plan and carry out an investigation to observe the interaction between a magnetic field and a magnetic object.

Ask questions to determine changes in models of Earth's position in the solar system, and origins of the universe as evidence that scientific theories change with the addition of new information.

Develop a model to represent the position of the solar system in the Milky Way galaxy and in the known universe.

Analyze and interpret data to compare and contrast the planets in our solar system in terms of: size relative to Earth, surface and atmospheric features, relative distance from the sun, and ability to support life.

Develop and use a model to explain the interaction of gravity and inertia that governs the motion of objects in the solar system.

Ask questions to compare and contrast the characteristics, composition, and location of comets, asteroids, and meteoroids.

Develop and use a model to demonstrate the phases of the moon by showing the relative positions of the sun, Earth, and moon.

Construct an explanation of the cause of solar and lunar eclipses.

Analyze and interpret data to relate the tilt of the Earth to the distribution of sunlight throughout the year and its effect on seasons.

Ask questions to determine where water is located on Earth's surface (oceans, rivers, lakes, swamps, groundwater, aquifers, and ice) and communicate the relative proportion of water at each location.

Plan and carry out an investigation to illustrate the role of the sun's energy in atmospheric conditions that lead to the cycling of water.

Ask questions to identify and communicate, using graphs and maps, the composition, location, and subsurface topography of the world's oceans.

Analyze and interpret data to create graphic representations of the causes and effects of waves, currents, and tides in Earth's systems.

Analyze and interpret data to compare and contrast the composition of Earth's atmospheric layers (including the ozone layer) and greenhouse gases.

Plan and carry out an investigation to demonstrate how energy from the sun transfers heat to air, land and water at different rates.

Develop a model demonstrating the interaction between unequal heating and the rotation of the Earth that causes local and global wind systems.

Construct an explanation of the relationship between air pressure, weather fronts, and air masses and meteorological events such as tornados and thunderstorms.

Analyze and interpret weather data to explain the effects of moisture evaporating from the ocean on weather patterns and weather events such as hurricanes.

Ask questions to compare and contrast the Earth's crust, mantle, inner and outer core, including temperature, density, thickness, and composition.

Plan and carry out an investigation of the characteristics of minerals and how minerals contribute to rock composition.

Construct an explanation of how to classify rocks by their formation and how rocks change through geologic processes in the rock cycle.

Ask questions to identify types of weathering, agents of erosion and transportation, and environments of deposition.

Develop a model to demonstrate how natural processes (weathering, erosion, and deposition) and human activity change rocks and the surface of the Earth.

Construct an explanation of how the movement of lithospheric plates, called plate tectonics, can cause major geologic events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Construct an argument using maps and data collected to support a claim of how fossils show evidence of the changing surface and climate of the Earth.

Plan and carry out an investigation to provide evidence that soil is composed of layers of weathered rocks and decomposed organic material.

Ask questions to determine the differences between renewable/sustainable energy resources (examples: hydro, solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, biomass) and nonrenewable energy resources (examples: nuclear: uranium, fossil fuels: oil, coal, and natural gas), and how they are used in our everyday lives.

Design and evaluate solutions for sustaining the quality and supply of natural resources such as water, soil, and air.

Construct an argument evaluating contributions to the rise in global temperatures over the past century.