Gain Experience with the Concepts of Energy Transformations, and Machines

Grade 6
Energy, Machines, and Motion
Science and Technology Concepts
Middle SchoolModule / Overview -
Students investigate energy and the different forms it can take. Forces do work to change energy from one form to another. Machines reduce the effort force needed to do work, and how forces change the motion of objects.

/ Learning Expectations
►Apply knowledge of scientific investigation or technological design in different contexts to make inferences to solve problems.

Gain experience with the concepts of energy transformations, and machines.
Observe, describe, and hypothesize about physical phenomena produced.
Build and describe what happens when a battery operates.
Describe what makes up a battery.
Identify the energy changes that take place when a battery is connected to different devices.
Apply experimental design techniques to plan and conduct investigations.
Evaluate design solutions.
Make accurate predictions and draw conclusions based on data on tables and graphs.
Describe the nature of forces and how they act on objects.
Describe the relationship between mass and weight.
Explore relationship between force and elasticity.
Observe the properties of sliding friction.
Gain experience with the concept of independent and dependent variables.
Gain experience with the relationship with the arrangement of batteries as an energy source to the force/power available.
Explore relationships that exist between the simple machines and force.
Compare the efficiency of different systems.
Explore motion of various objects with relation to speed, force, potential and kinetic energy, and friction.
Use measurement in the context of scientific investigations.
Apply mathematics in the context of science.
Record and graph data concretely, pictorially, and symbolically to discover relationships.
Acquire the vocabulary associated with energy, machines, and motions.
Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, organizing, relating and inferring.
Work collaboratively and relate knowledge to new experiences.
Understand science safety and follow safe practices.

/ Content: Physical Science
Develop students’ understanding of properties of energy, machines, and motion.

Energy can be converted from one form to another.
Different forces exist and act on bodies in different ways.
A battery consists of two separate metal electrodes immersed in an ionic solution.
Batteries store a limited amount of energy and supply energy to operate a device.
The electrical energy that a battery supplies is the result of chemical reactions between the electrodes and the electrolyte in the battery.
Different devices use energy at different rates.
Graphing is a tool that can be used to analyze data, show relationships, and can help formulate accurate predictions.
Force is a push or a pull and is measured in defined units.
Measuring the gravitational force on a object relates to weight; the amount of material in an object refers to mass.
Friction is the force that resists motion between two surfaces in contact with each other.
Work is a measurable product of a force times the distance over which the force acted.
Energy transformations take place when forces do work on objects.
Machines can decrease the magnitude of the effort force to do work by increasing the effort distance.
The efficiency of a given machine varies according to how the machine is set up or used.
The process of technological design can be used to identify, evaluate, and communicate solutions to problems based on human needs.
Scientific experimentation is a process used to develop understanding of the natural world.
The speed of an object changes when an unbalanced force acts on it.
Energy is conserved in a closed system.

Internet Links:

/ Assessments:

Lab experiments
Performance assessments
Reflective journals
Teacher created assessments
End of unit projects
Rubrics
Checklists
Homework/Class work
Teacher observations

Grade 6
Catastrophic Events
Science and Technology Concepts
Middle School Module / Overview –
Students investigate natural catastrophic events which are divided into three major events: storms, earthquakes, and volcanoes. Students learn to find weather relationships, such as how tornadoes form, model different forms of earthquakes, and model all of the different types of volcanoes. Students will also investigate relationships between objects and events that always involve interactions, dependencies and cause and effect.

/ Learning Expectations
►Understand the processes that form the Earth’s features.
►Understand Earth’s materials and the processes that over time shape the surface.
►Understand meteorological processes.
►Understand Earth’s climate.

Observe the physical surface features and atmospheric characteristics of the Earthusing models.

Gain experience with identifying patterns of circular movement within clouds, vortex, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Use measurement in the context of scientific investigations.
Explain what happens to solar energy when it reaches the Earth’s surface.
Describe the layers of the atmosphere.
Observe and describe the effect of surface temperature on the movement of the air above.
Determine the basic conditions under which water moves through the air.
Relate the movement of air within a convection model to the formation of land breezes, sea breezes, and tornadoes.
Model and describe development of weather and earth’s structure related concepts.
Analyze weather maps to identify and classify weather characteristics, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the conditions associated with each.
Gain experience in how temperature and wind conditions affect global climates.
Analyze and record wave patterns from seismographs to determine epicenter.
Gain experience in the causes and locations of earthquakes.
Understand the structure of the Earth’s interior.
Recognize that an understanding of the motion of earthquake waves can help scientists formulate hypotheses about the Earth’s interior.
Classify materials as either brittle or ductile.
Gain experience in scientists’ current ability to forecast volcanic activity.
Identify other catastrophic events associated with volcanic activity.
Understand the formation of landforms created by molten rock.
Gain experience in sorting and classifying igneous rocks based on color, mineral composition, and texture.
Analyze igneous rock samples to define samples by name and the conditions under which each was formed.
Determine how the size of airborne materials affects where and how fast they settle.
Understand the properties of volcanic ash and the effect of ash on the environment.
Apply experimental design techniques to plan and conduct investigations.
Evaluate design solutions.
Use graphs and table to record data to make accurate predictions and draw conclusions.
Apply mathematics in the context of science.
Acquire skills and safe practices to use tools and equipment to make more accurate observations.
Acquire the vocabulary associated with earth science.
Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, organizing, relating and inferring.
Work collaboratively and relate knowledge to new experiences.
Understand science safety and follow safe practices.

/ Content: Earth Science
Develop students’ understanding or the conditions that cause catastrophic events and the effects of their existence.

Continental shapes, natural landforms, and swirling clouds offer evidence of an active earth and atmosphere.
Clouds form in the atmosphere above the earth’s surface.
Heat can be transferred by radiation, conduction, or convection.
Solar radiation is a major source of energy for weather phenomena.
The composition, color, and moisture content of a material affect the rate at which it absorbs or reflects solar energy.
The atmosphere has different properties at different altitudes and is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and trace gases including water vapor.
Air rises and falls as it is heated or cooled as the surface absorbs or radiates heat.
Rising water vapor cools, and condenses to form clouds.
Patterns in atmospheric movement affect weather.
Convection currents move heat through the troposphere.
Fronts form at the boundary between two air masses with different temperature, pressure, and humidity conditions.
The movement and exchange of water between the earth, atmosphere, and oceans is called the water cycle.
Precipitation, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes often develop in low-pressure weather conditions (or when warm and cold air masses meet).
Oceans have a major effect on climate.
Internal and external processes of the earth cause natural catastrophic events that change or destroy habitats, damage property, and harm or kill humans.
Risk reduction occurs as people develop knowledge about and look for ways to deal with natural catastrophic events.
Earthquake waves move through the earth and on, or close to, the earth’s surface in different way, and at different speeds.
Earthquake waves radiate outward in all directions from its epicenter.
Major geological events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, often occur in specific locations on the earth and are often associated with plate movement.
Scientists and engineers construct models to help them understand how complex systems behave.
Interactions between the rigid lithosphere and the convective mantle cause plate movement which in turn generates most earthquakes and volcanoes.
Rock responds to the forces cause by plate movement by either folding (bending) or fracturing (breaking).
Volcanic eruptions have both destructive and constructive effects which include creating landforms by adding new material to the Earth’s surface.
A relationship exists between the process by which a rock forms and the type of rock produced.
The rate of cooling of a given solution affects the size of crystals formed.
The rock cycle is a continuous process in which each of the three basic rock types transforms into one of the other rock types through episodes of mountain building, erosion, sedimentation, melting, and re-crystallization.
The properties of volcanic ash reveal its general composition and its potential effects on people, property, and the environment.

Internet Links:

/ Assessments:

Lab experiments
Performance assessments
Reflective journals
Teacher created assessments
End of unit projects
Rubrics
Checklists
Homework/Class work
Teacher observations