Georgia State Standards for Science: Grade 6

GA.S6CS. Earth Science: Co-Requisite - Characteristics of Science

S6CS1. Habits of Mind: Students will explore the importance of curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism in science and will exhibit these traits in their own efforts to understand how the world works.

S6CS1.a. Understand the importance of - and keep - honest, clear, and accurate records in science. 14
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS1.a.

S6CS1.b. Understand that hypotheses are valuable if they lead to fruitful investigations, even if the hypotheses turn out not to be completely accurate descriptions. 14
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS1.b.

S6CS2. Habits of Mind: Students will use standard safety practices for all classroom laboratory and field investigations.

S6CS2.a. Follow correct procedures for use of scientific apparatus. 54
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS2.a.

S6CS2.b. Demonstrate appropriate techniques in all laboratory situations. 54
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS2.b.

S6CS2.c. Follow correct protocol for identifying and reporting safety problems and violations. 54
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS2.c.

S6CS3. Habits of Mind: Students will use computation and estimation skills necessary for analyzing data and following scientific explanations.

S6CS3.a. Analyze scientific data by using, interpreting, and comparing numbers in several equivalent forms, such as integers and decimals. 116
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS3.a.

S6CS3.b. Use metric input units (such as seconds, meters, or grams per milliliter) of scientific calculations to determine the proper unit for expressing the answer. 62
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS3.b.

S6CS3.c. Address the relationship between accuracy and precision and the importance of each. 14
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS3.c.

S6CS3.d. Draw conclusions based on analyzed data. 16
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS3.d.

S6CS4. Habits of Mind: Students will use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating equipment and materials in scientific activities.

S6CS4.a. Use appropriate technology to store and retrieve scientific information in topical, alphabetical, numerical, and keyword files, and create simple files. 158
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS4.a.

S6CS4.b. Estimate the effect of making a change in one part of a system on the system as a whole. 19
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS4.b.

S6CS4.c. Read analog and digital meters on instruments used to make direct measurements of length, volume, weight, elapsed time, rates, and temperature, and choose appropriate units for reporting various quantities. 349
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS4.c.

S6CS5. Habits of Mind: Students will use the ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring scientific and technological matters.

S6CS5.a. Observe and explain how parts are related to other parts in systems such as weather systems, solar systems, and ocean systems including how the output from one part of a system (in the form of material, energy, or information) can become the input to other parts (e.g., El Nino's effect on weather). 19
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS5.a.

S6CS5.b. Identify several different models (such as physical replicas, pictures, and analogies) that could be used to represent the same thing, and evaluate their usefulness, taking into account such things as the model's purpose and complexity. 321
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS5.b.

S6CS6. Habits of Mind: Students will communicate scientific ideas and activities clearly.

S6CS6.a. Write clear, step-by-step instructions for conducting scientific investigations, operating a piece of equipment, or following a procedure. 497
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS6.a.

S6CS6.b. Understand and describe how writing for scientific purposes is different from writing for literary purposes. 123
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS6.b.

S6CS6.c. Organize scientific information using appropriate tables, charts, and graphs, and identify relationships they reveal. 75
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS6.c.

S6CS7. Habits of Mind: Students will question scientific claims and arguments effectively.

S6CS7.a. Question claims based on vague attributions (such as 'Leading doctors say...') or on statements made by people outside the area of their particular expertise. 99
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS7.a.

S6CS7.b. Recognize that there may be more than one way to interpret a given set of findings. 99
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS7.b.

S6CS8. The Nature of Science: Students will investigate the characteristics of scientific knowledge and how it is achieved. Students will apply the following to scientific concepts:

S6CS8.a. When similar investigations give different results, the scientific challenge is to judge whether the differences are trivial or significant, which often requires further study. Even with similar results, scientists may wait until an investigation has been repeated many times before accepting the results as meaningful. 14
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS8.a.

S6CS8.b. When new experimental results are inconsistent with an existing, well- established theory, scientists may require further experimentation to decide whether the results are flawed or the theory requires modification. 14
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS8.b.

S6CS8.c. As prevailing theories are challenged by new information, scientific knowledge may change and grow. 14
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS8.c.

S6CS9. The Nature of Science: Students will investigate the features of the process of scientific inquiry. Students will apply the following to inquiry learning practices:

S6CS9.a. Scientific investigations are conducted for different reasons. They usually involve collecting evidence, reasoning, devising hypotheses, and formulating explanations. 14
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS9.a.

S6CS9.b. Scientists often collaborate to design research. To prevent bias, scientists conduct independent studies of the same questions. 14
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS9.b.

S6CS9.c. Accurate record keeping, data sharing, and replication of results are essential for maintaining an investigator's credibility with other scientists and society. 14
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS9.c.

S6CS9.d. Scientists use technology and mathematics to enhance the process of scientific inquiry. 14
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS9.d.

S6CS9.e. The ethics of science require that special care must be taken and used for human subjects and animals in scientific research. Scientists must adhere to the appropriate rules and guidelines when conducting research. 43
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6CS9.e.

S6CS10. The Nature of Science: Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:

GA.S6. Earth Science: Co-Requisite - Content

S6E1. Students will explore current scientific views of the universe and how those views evolved.

S6E1.a. Relate the Nature of Science to the progression of basic historical scientific theories (geocentric and heliocentric) as they describe our solar system, and the Big Bang as it describes the formation of the universe. 25
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E1.a.

S6E1.b. Describe the position of the solar system in the Milky Way galaxy and the universe. 57
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E1.b.

S6E1.c. Compare and contrast the planets in terms of: Size relative to the earth; Surface and atmospheric features; Relative distance from the sun; Ability to support life. 11
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E1.c.

S6E1.d. Explain the motion of objects in the day/night sky in terms of relative position. 9
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E1.d.

S6E1.e. Explain that gravity is the force that governs the motion in the solar system. 111
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E1.e.

S6E1.f. Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors. 8
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E1.f.

S6E2. Students will understand the effects of the relative positions of the earth, moon, and sun.

S6E2.a. Demonstrate the phases of the moon by showing the alignment of the earth, moon, and sun. 47
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E2.a.

S6E2.b. Explain the alignment of the earth, moon, and sun during solar and lunar eclipses. 369
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E2.b.

S6E2.c. Relate the tilt of the earth to the distribution of sunlight throughout the year and to its effect on climate. 56
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E2.c.

S6E3. Students will recognize the significant role of water in earth processes.

S6E3.a. Explain that a large portion of the Earth's surface is water, consisting of oceans, rivers, lakes, underground water, and ice. 297
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E3.a.

S6E3.b. Relate various atmospheric conditions to stages of the water cycle. 78
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E3.b.

S6E3.c. Describe the composition, location, and subsurface topography of the world's oceans. 15
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E3.c.

S6E3.d. Explain the causes of waves, currents, and tides. 26
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E3.d.

S6E4. Students will understand how the distribution of land and oceans affects climate and weather.

S6E4.a. Demonstrate that land and water absorb and lose heat at different rates and explain the resulting effects on weather patterns. 80
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E4.a.

S6E4.b. Relate unequal heating of land and water surfaces to form large global wind systems and weather events such as tornados and thunderstorms. 57
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E4.b.

S6E4.c. Relate how moisture evaporating from the oceans affects the weather patterns and the weather events such as hurricanes. 87
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E4.c.

S6E5. Students will investigate the scientific view of how the earth's surface is formed.

S6E5.a. Compare and contrast the Earth's crust, mantle, and core including temperature, density, and composition. 273
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E5.a.

S6E5.b. Investigate the composition of rocks in terms of minerals. 10
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E5.b.

S6E5.c. Describe processes that change rocks and the surface of the earth. 18
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E5.c.

S6E5.d. Recognize that lithospheric plates constantly move and cause major geological events on the earth's surface. 93
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E5.d.

S6E5.e. Explain the effects of physical processes (plate tectonics, erosion, deposition, volcanic eruption, gravity) on geological features including oceans (composition, currents, and tides). 101
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E5.e.

S6E5.f. Describe how fossils show evidence of the changing surface and climate of the Earth. 16
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E5.f.

S6E5.g. Describe soil as consisting of weathered rocks and decomposed organic material. 90
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E5.g.

S6E5.h. Explain the effects of human activity on the erosion of the earth's surface. 56
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E5.h.

S6E5.i. Describe methods for conserving natural resources such as water, soil, and air. 120
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E5.i.

S6E6. Students will describe various sources of energy and with their uses and conservation.

S6E6.a. Explain the role of the sun as the major source of energy and the sun's relationship to wind and water energy. 42
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E6.a.

S6E6.b. Identify renewable and nonrenewable resources. 249
Suggested Titles for Georgia Science State Standard S6E6.b.