Wyoming K–6 science standards

Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.

Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.

Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.

Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.

Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.

Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.

Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance.

Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.

Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.

Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.

Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.

Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.

Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.

Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.

Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.

Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.

Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move.

Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information.

Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.

Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.

Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.

Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.

Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to conserve Earth’s resources and environment.

Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.

Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.

Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.

Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.

Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.

Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.

Use mathematical representations to describe a simple model for waves, which includes how the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave.

Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

Develop and use models to describe the parts, functions, and basic processes of cells.

Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.

Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.

Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism.

Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.

Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.

Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.

Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.

Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.

Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.

Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.

Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.

Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.

Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.

Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring, evaluating, and managing a human impact on the environment.

Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

Develop a model defining and prioritizing the impacts of human activity on a particular aspect of the environment, identifying positive and negative consequences of the activity, both short- and long-term, and investigate and explain how the ethics and integrity of scientists and engineers and respect for individual property rights might constrain future development.