Maine State Standards for Science: Grade 5

ME.A. Classifying Life Forms: Students will understand that there are similarities within the diversity of all living things.

A.1. Students will be able to compare systems of classifying organisms including systems used by scientists. 15
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard A.1.

A.2. Students will be able to decipher the system for assigning a scientific name to every living thing. 15
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard A.2.

A.3. Students will be able to describe some structural and behavioral adaptations that allow organisms to survive in a changing environment. 22
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard A.3.

ME.B. Ecology: Students will understand how living things depend on one another and on non-living aspects of the environment.

B.1. Students will be able to describe in general terms the chemical processes of photosynthesis and respiration. 3
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard B.1.

B.2. Students will be able to analyze how the finite resources in an ecosystem limit the types and populations of organisms within it. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard B.2.

B.3. Students will be able to describe succession and other ways that ecosystems can change over time. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard B.3.

B.4. Students will be able to generate examples of the variety of ways that organisms interact (e.g., competition, predator/prey, parasitism/mutualism).

B.5. Students will be able to describe various mechanisms found in the natural world for transporting living and non-living matter and the results of such movements. 3
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard B.5.

ME.C. Cells: Students will understand that cells are the basic units of life.

C.1. Students will be able to compare and contrast human organ systems with those of other species. 5
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard C.1.

C.2. Students will be able to prepare and examine microscope slides of single-celled and multi-celled organisms. 17
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard C.2.

C.3. Students will be able to describe the structure and function of major organs in human systems. 17
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard C.3.

C.4. Students will be able to identify the causes and effects of diseases, explain their transmission, and identify prevention strategies. 7
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard C.4.

C.5. Students will be able to describe how body systems work together. 5
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard C.5.

ME.D. Continuity and Change: Students will understand the basis for all life and that all living things change over time.

D.1. Students will be able to describe how fossils can be used by scientists to trace the history of a species. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard D.1.

D.2. Students will be able to explain how scientists use fossils to prove that life forms, climate, environment, and geologic features in a certain location are not the same now as they were in the past. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard D.2.

D.3. Students will be able to provide examples of the concept of natural and artificial selection and its role in species changes over time. 2
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard D.3.

D.4. Students will be able to compare how sexually and asexually reproducing species transfer genetic information to offspring. 3
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard D.4.

ME.E. Structure of Matter: Students will understand the structure of matter and the changes it can undergo.

E.1. Students will be able to predict and test whether objects will float or sink based on a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the concepts of density and buoyancy. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard E.1.

E.2. Students will be able to describe the evidence that all matter consists of particles called atoms that are made up of certain smaller particles. 3
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard E.2.

E.3. Students will be able to use the Periodic Table to group elements based on their characteristics. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard E.3.

E.4. Students will be able to describe how a substance can combine with different substances in different ways, depending on the conditions and the properties of each substance. 5
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard E.4.

E.5. Students will be able to describe how the motion of the particles of matter determines the state of that matter (e.g., solid, liquid, gas, plasma) and vice versa. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard E.5.

E.6. Students will be able to explain how the relatively small number of naturally occurring elements can result in the large variety of substances found in the world. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard E.6.

E.7. Students will be able to investigate the similarities and differences between elements, compounds, and mixtures. 10
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard E.7.

E.8. Students will be able to demonstrate the law of conservation of matter. 8
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard E.8.

ME.F. The Earth: Students will gain knowledge about the earth and the processes that change it.

F.1. Students will be able to demonstrate how the earth's tilt on its axis results in the seasons. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.1.

F.2. Students will be able to describe how soils are formed and why soils differ from one place to another. 5
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.2.

F.3. Students will be able to explain the evidence scientists use when they give the age of the earth. 2
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.3.

F.4. Students will be able to describe factors that can cause short-term and long-term changes to the earth. 2
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.4.

F.5. Students will be able to classify and identify rocks and minerals based on their physical and chemical properties, their composition, and the processes which formed them. 20
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.5.

F.6. Students will be able to describe the many products used by humans that are derived from materials in the earth's crust. 2
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.6.

F.7. Students will be able to demonstrate factors effecting the flow of groundwater. 5
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.7.

ME.G. The Universe: Students will gain knowledge about the universe and how humans have learned about it, and about the principles upon which it operates.

G.1. Students will be able to compare past and present knowledge about characteristics of stars (e.g., composition, location, life-cycles) and explain how people have learned about them. 7
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard G.1.

G.2. Students will be able to describe the concept of galaxies, including size and number of stars. 2
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard G.2.

G.3. Students will be able to compare and contrast distances and the time required to travel those distances on earth, in the solar system, in the galaxy, and between galaxies. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard G.3.

G.4. Students will be able to describe scientists' exploration of space and the objects they have found (e.g., comets, asteroids, pulsars). 30
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard G.4.

G.5. Students will be able to describe the motions of moons, planets, stars, solar systems, and galaxies. 3
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard G.5.

ME.H. Energy: Students will understand concepts of energy.

H.1. Students will be able to analyze the benefits and drawbacks of energy conversions (e.g., in electricity generation). 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard H.1.

H.2. Students will be able to demonstrate that energy cannot be created or destroyed but only changed from one form to another.

H.3. Students will be able to compare and contrast the ways energy travels (e.g., waves, conduction, convection, radiation). 3
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard H.3.

H.4. Students will be able to describe the characteristics of static and current electricity. 7
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard H.4.

H.5. Students will be able to categorize energy sources as renewable or non-renewable and compare how these sources are used by humans. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard H.5.

H.6. Students will be able to describe how energy put into or taken out of a system can cause changes in the motion of particles in matter. 3
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard H.6.

ME.I. Motion: Students will understand the motion of objects and how forces can change that motion.

I.1. Students will be able to describe the motion of objects using knowledge of Newton's Laws. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard I.1.

I.2. Students will be able to use mathematics to describe the motion of objects (e.g., speed, distance, time, acceleration). 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard I.2.

I.3. Students will be able to describe and quantify the ways machines can provide mechanical advantages in producing motion. 13
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard I.3.

ME.J. Inquiry and Problem Solving: Students will apply inquiry and problem-solving approaches in science and technology.

J.1. Students will be able to make accurate observations using appropriate tools and units of measure. 3
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.1.

J.2. Students will be able to design and conduct scientific investigations which include controlled experiments and systematic observations. Collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions fairly. 18
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.2.

J.3. Students will be able to verify and evaluate scientific investigations and use the results in a purposeful way. 17
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.3.

J.4. Students will be able to compare and contrast the processes of scientific inquiry and the technological method. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.4.

J.5. Students will be able to explain how personal bias can affect observations. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.5.

J.6. Students will be able to design, construct, and test a device (invention) that solves a special problem. 3
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.6.

ME.K. Scientific Reasoning: Students will learn to formulate and justify ideas and to make informed decisions.

K.1. Students will be able to examine the ways people form generalizations. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.1.

K.2. Students will be able to identify exceptions to proposed generalizations. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.2.

K.3. Students will be able to identify basic informal fallacies in arguments. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.3.

K.4. Students will be able to analyze means of slanting information. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.4.

K.5. Students will be able to identify stereotypes. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.5.

K.6. Students will be able to support reasoning by using a variety of evidence. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.6.

K.7. Students will be able to show that proving a hypothesis false is easier than proving it true, and explain why. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.7.

K.8. Students will be able to construct logical arguments. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.8.

K.9. Students will be able to apply analogous reasoning. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.9.

ME.L. Communication: Students will communicate effectively in the application of science and technology.

L.1. Students will be able to discuss scientific and technological ideas and make conjectures and convincing arguments. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.1.

L.2. Students will be able to defend problem-solving strategies and solutions. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.2.

L.3. Students will be able to evaluate individual and group communication for clarity, and work to improve communication. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.3.

L.4. Students will be able to make and use scale drawings, maps, and three-dimensional models to represent real objects, find locations, and describe relationships. 22
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.4.

L.5. Students will be able to access information at remote sites using telecommunications. 7
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.5.

L.6. Students will be able to identify and perform roles necessary to accomplish group tasks. 2
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.6.

ME.M. Implications of Science and Technology: Students will understand the historical, social, economic, environmental, and ethical implications of science and technology.

M.1. Students will be able to research and evaluate the social and environmental impacts of scientific and technological developments. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.1.

M.2. Students will be able to describe the historical and cultural conditions at the time of an invention or discovery, and analyze the societal impacts of that invention. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.2.

M.3. Students will be able to discuss the ethical issues surrounding a specific scientific or technological development. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.3.

M.4. Students will be able to describe an individual's biological and other impacts on an environmental system. 37
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.4.

M.5. Students will be able to identify factors that have caused some countries to become leaders in science and technology. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.5.

M.6. Students will be able to give examples of actions which may have expected or unexpected consequences that may be positive, negative, or both. 37
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.6.

M.7. Students will be able to explain the connections between industry, natural resources, population, and economic development. 4
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.7.

M.8. Students will be able to recognize scientific and technological contributions of diverse people including women, different ethnic groups, races, and physically disabled. 24
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.8.