Kentucky State Standards for Science: Grade 6

SC-6-STM. Big Idea: Structure and Transformation of Matter (Physical Science) - A basic understanding of matter is essential to the conceptual development of other big ideas in science. During the middle years, physical and chemical changes in matter are observed, and students begin to relate these changes to the smaller constituents of matter - namely, atoms and molecules. The use of models (and an understanding of their scales and limitations) is an effective means of learning about the structure of matter. Looking for patterns in properties is also critical to comparing and explaining differences in matter. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5)

SC-6-STM-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that all matter is composed of parts that are too small to be seen without magnification. 1
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-STM-U-1.

SC-6-STM-U-2. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that no matter how substances within a closed system interact with one another, or how they combine or break apart, the total weight of the system remains the same. 27
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-STM-U-2.

SC-6-STM-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that chemical changes result in the formation of a substance that has different properties than the original substance. 26
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-STM-U-3.

SC-6-STM-U-4. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that not all substances that are mixed together will chemically combine. Because of this, physical properties can be used to separate mixtures. 27
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-STM-U-4.

SC-6-STM-U-5. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that new ideas in science sometimes spring from unexpected findings, and they usually lead to new investigations. 11
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-STM-U-5.

SC-6-MF. Big Idea: Motion and Forces (Physical Science) - Whether observing airplanes, baseballs, planets, or people, the motion of all bodies is governed by the same basic rules. At the middle level, qualitative descriptions of the relationship between forces and motion will provide the foundation for quantitative applications of Newton's Laws. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3)

SC-6-MF-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that friction is a force that turns the energy of motion into heat, causing moving objects to eventually slow or stop unless additional force (energy) is added. 3
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-MF-U-1.

SC-6-MF-U-2. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that when any force acts on an object, the change in speed or direction depends on the size and direction of the force. 2
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-MF-U-2.

SC-6-MF-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that mechanical systems must be designed to take forces such as friction into account. Friction and/or the heat produced by it can have significant effects on the system. 3
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-MF-U-3.

SC-6-EU. Big Idea: The Earth and the Universe (Earth/Space Science) - The Earth system is in a constant state of change. These changes affect life on Earth in many ways. Development of conceptual understandings about processes that shape the Earth begin at the elementary level with understanding what Earth materials are and that change occurs. At the middle level, students investigate how these changes occur. An understanding of systems and their interacting components will enable students to evaluate supporting theories of Earth changes. The use of models and observance of patterns to explain common phenomena is essential to building a conceptual foundation and supporting ideas with evidence at all levels. In middle school, students begin to look beyond what can be directly observed as they explore the Earth-sun-moon system, as well as the rest of our solar system, employing the concept of scale within their models. Patterns play an important role as students seek to develop a conceptual understanding of gravity in their world and in the universe. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5)

SC-6-EU-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that regular and predictable movements of the sun, moon and Earth are responsible for many observed phenomena on Earth, (e.g. day/night, year, moon phases, eclipses). The regular patterns of these phenomena can be predicted using data or models. 11
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-EU-U-1.

SC-6-EU-U-2. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that the total amount of material that makes the solid Earth is relatively constant (excluding impacts), even though rocks and minerals often change properties through a variety of processes that transform them (rock cycle). 9
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-EU-U-2.

SC-6-EU-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that the Earth's surface is not uniform due to a number of constructive and destructive forces that constantly reshape it. The past effects of these processes can be inferred, and the data these inferences are based upon can also be used to predict future changes. 20
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-EU-U-3.

SC-6-EU-U-4. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that complex systems like the Earth or solar system are difficult to comprehend or explain without depending on averages and ranges of data. Technology is essential for helping to collect and analyze this data. 15
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-EU-U-4.

SC-6-UD. Big Idea: Unity and Diversity (Biological Science) - All matter is comprised of the same basic elements, goes through the same kinds of energy transformations, and uses the same kinds of forces to move. Living organisms are no exception. In middle school, students begin to compare, contrast, and classify the microscopic features of organisms - the cells, as well as investigate reproduction as the essential process to the continuation of all species. Expected patterns of genetic traits are predicted. Distinctions are made between learned behaviors and inherited traits. Emphasis at every level should be placed upon the understanding that while every living thing is composed of similar small constituents that combine in predictable ways, it is the subtle variations within these small building blocks that account for both the likenesses and differences in form and function that create the diversity of life. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5)

SC-6-UD-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that cells are the fundamental units that perform the basic functions needed to sustain life. Some organisms contain only a single cell, while others may have many millions of specialized cells grouped together in cooperative systems with specific functions (tissues and/or organs). 13
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-UD-U-1.

SC-6-UD-U-2. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that every cell within an organism contains all of the information needed to completely replicate that organism, regardless of the function that cell performs. 13
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-UD-U-2.

SC-6-UD-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that although plants and animals exhibit a great variety in body structures that contribute to their survival and reproduction, the basic way that individual cells function is similar in all living organisms. 13
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-UD-U-3.

SC-6-UD-U-4. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that the behavior of an organism can be influenced by both heredity and experiences. The relative influence of these factors can be inferred by careful observation/data collection over a period of time. 8
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-UD-U-4.

SC-6-UD-U-5. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that the great diversity of life is a result of many factors, both internal and external to organisms. 3
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-UD-U-5.

SC-6-UD-U-6. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that even the most different of organisms are fundamentally more alike than different. Their seemingly great differences conceal the great similarities apparent at the cellular level. 12
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-UD-U-6.

SC-6-UD-U-7. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that classification systems do not exist in nature, but are created by scientists to describe the vast diversity of organisms, frame research questions and suggest relationships among living things. 1
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-UD-U-7.

SC-6-BC. Big Idea: Biological Change (Biological Science) - The only thing certain is that everything changes. At the middle school level, students study relationships among populations and ecosystems that contribute to the success or demise of a specific population or species. Students construct basic explanations that can account for the great diversity among organisms. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 2.6)

SC-6-BC-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that small differences between parents and offspring result in future generations that are very different from their ancestors. 3
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-BC-U-1.

SC-6-BC-U-2. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that sensing and controlling internal processes in response to the external environment are essential for an organism's survival, regardless of how simple or complex it is. 10
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-BC-U-2.

SC-6-BC-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that scientists vary widely in what they study and how they do their work. While there is no fixed set of steps they follow, the basic process of science involves collecting relevant evidence, logical reasoning and the use of imaginative thinking in constructing explanations for what they observe. 11
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-BC-U-3.

SC-6-ET. Big Idea: Energy Transformations (Unifying Concepts) - Energy transformations are inherent in almost every system in the universe - from tangible examples at the elementary level, such as heat production in simple Earth and physical systems to more abstract ideas beginning at middle school, such as those transformations involved in the growth, dying and decay of living systems. The use of models to illustrate the often invisible and abstract notions of energy transfer will aid in conceptualization, especially as students move from the macroscopic level of observation and evidence (primarily elementary school) to the microscopic interactions at the atomic level (middle and high school levels). (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4)

SC-6-ET-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that oceans have a major effect on climate, because water in the oceans holds a large amount of heat. 3
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-ET-U-1.

SC-6-ET-U-2. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that several Earth systems and processes occur primarily because of the constant influx of solar energy. 10
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-ET-U-2.

SC-6-ET-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that seasons are a result of the interaction of the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to its orbital path.

SC-6-ET-U-4. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that energy, in the form of sunlight, is transformed by a chemical reaction in plant cells (photosynthesis) to form essential nutrients for the plant to live and grow. 4
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-ET-U-4.

SC-6-ET-U-5. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that inside a closed system, the temperature increases or decreases as heat energy is added or removed. 4
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-ET-U-5.

SC-6-ET-U-6. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that the Earth is a complex system of energy transformations, materials and processes. Understanding the whole requires first understanding individual subsystems and their interactions. 6
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-ET-U-6.

SC-6-I. Big Idea: Interdependence (Unifying Concepts) - It is not difficult for students to grasp the general notion that species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. But their awareness must be supported by knowledge of the kinds of relationships that exist among organisms, the kinds of physical conditions that organisms must cope with, the kinds of environments created by the interaction of organisms with one another and their physical surroundings, and the complexity of such systems. In middle school, students should be guided from specific examples of the interdependency of organisms to a more systematic view of the interactions that take place among organisms and their surroundings. Students growing understanding of systems in general will reinforce the concept of ecosystems. Stability and change in ecosystems can be considered in terms of variables such as population size, number and kinds of species, productivity, and the effect of human intervention. (Academic Expectations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4)

SC-6-I-U-1. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will be understand that ecosystems are more than just the organisms they contain: geography, weather, climate and geologic factors also influence the interactions within an ecosystem. 8
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-I-U-1.

SC-6-I-U-2. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that communities do not exist in isolation, but are globally interconnected by a number of Earth systems (e.g. ocean, atmosphere, lithosphere). 2
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-I-U-2.

SC-6-I-U-3. Program of Studies: Understandings - Students will understand that science can sometimes be used to inform ethical decisions by identifying the likely consequences of an action, but cannot be used to establish if taking that action would be right or wrong. 7
Suggested Titles for Kentucky Science State Standard SC-6-I-U-3.