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MO.6-8.ESS.Earth and Space Sciences
Earth and Space Sciences
6-8.ESS1. Earth's Place in the Universe
6-8.ESS1.A. The Universe and its Stars
6-8.ESS1.A.1. Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to explain the cyclic patterns of lunar phases and eclipses of the sun and moon. [Clarification Statement: Examples of models can be physical, graphical, or conceptual and should emphasize relative posi
6-8.ESS1.A.2. Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun system to explain the cyclical pattern of seasons, which includes the Earth's tilt and directional angle of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year. [Clarification Statement: Examples of models can be
6-8.ESS1.A.3. Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis for the model is on gravity as the force that holds together the solar system and Milky Way galaxy and controls
6-8.ESS1.B.1. Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system. [Clarification Statement: Examples of scale properties include the sizes of an object’s layers (such as crust and atmosphere), surface features (such as volcanoes), a
6-8.ESS1.C.1. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's history. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how analyses of rock formations and the fossils they contain are used to es
6-8.ESS2.A.1. Develop and use a model to illustrate that energy from the Earth’s interior drives convection which cycles Earth’s crust leading to melting, crystallization, weathering and deformation of large rock formations, including generation of ocean sea floor at r
6-8.ESS2.A.2. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying time and spatial scales. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how processes change Earth’s surface at time and spatial scales that can be l
6-8.ESS2.B. Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale Systems
6-8.ESS2.B.1. Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions. [Clarification Statement: Examples of data include similarities of rock and fossil types on dif
6-8.ESS2.C. The Role of Water in Earth's Surface Processes
6-8.ESS2.C.1. Design and develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the ways water changes its state as it moves through the multiple pathways
6-8.ESS2.C.2. Research, collect, and analyze data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how air masses flow from regions of high pressure to low
6-8.ESS2.C.3. 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. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how patterns vary by latitude, altitude, and
6-8.ESS3.A.1. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth’s mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes and human activity. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is o
6-8.ESS3.B.1. Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how some natural hazards, such as volcanic eruptions and se
6-8.ESS3.C.1. Analyze data to define the relationship for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems. [Clarification Statement: Examples of data include grade-appropriate databases on human populations and t
6-8.ESS3.C.2. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment. [Clarification Statement: Examples of the design process include examining human environmental impacts, assessing the kinds of solutions that a
6-8.ESS3.D. Global Climate Change
6-8.ESS3.D.1. Analyze evidence of the factors that have caused the change in global temperatures over the past century. [Clarification Statement: Examples of factors include human activities (such as fossil fuel combustion, cement production, and agricultural activity)
6-8.LS1. From Molecules to Organisms: Structure and Processes
6-8.LS1.A. Structure and Function
6-8.LS1.A.1. Provide evidence that organisms (unicellular and multicellular) are made of cells and that a single cell must carry out all of the basic functions of life. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on developing evidence that living things are made of cells,
6-8.LS1.A.2. Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of the cells contribute to that function. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the cell functioning as a whole system and the primary role of identified parts of the
6-8.LS1.A.3. Develop an argument supported by evidence for how multicellular organisms are organized by varying levels of complexity; cells, tissue, organs, organ systems.
6-8.LS1.A.4. Present evidence that body systems interact to carry out key body functions, including providing nutrients and oxygen to cells, removing carbon dioxide and waste from cells and the body, controlling body motion/activity and coordination, and protecting th
6-8.LS1.B.1. Construct an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors as well as specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively. [Clarification Statement: Examples of animal behaviors that affe
6-8.LS1.C. Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
6-8.LS1.C.1. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.
6-8.LS2. Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
6-8.LS2.B. Cycles of matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
6-8.LS2.B.1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on describing the conservation of matter and flow of energy into and out of various ecosystems, in
6-8.LS2.C. Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning and Resilience
6-8.LS2.C.1. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that explains how changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on recognizing patterns in data and making inferences about chan
6-8.LS4. Biological Evolution; Unity and Diversity
6-8.LS4.A. Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity
6-8.LS4.A.1. Analyze and interpret evidence from the fossil record to infer patterns of environmental change resulting in extinction and changes to life forms throughout the history of the Earth. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence include sets of fossils t
6-8.LS4.B.1. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals' probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using simple
6-8.LS4.B.2. Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on synthesizing information from reliable sources about the influence
6-8.LS4.C.1. Interpret graphical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.
MO.6-8.PS.Physical Sciences
Physical Sciences
6-8.PS1. Matter and Its Interactions
6-8.PS1.A. Structure and Properties of Matter
6-8.PS1.A.1. Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on developing models of molecules that vary in complexity. Examples of simple molecules could include ammonia and methanol
6-8.PS1.A.2. Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred. [Clarification Statement: Examples of reactions could include burning sugar or steel wool, fat reacting w
6-8.PS1.A.4. Develop a model that describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on qualitative molecular-level models of solids, liquids, and gases to sho
6-8.PS1.B.1. Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms remains the same during a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on law of conservation of matter and on physical models or drawings, including
6-8.PS1.B.2. Construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the design, controlling the transfer of energy to the environment, and modification of a device using facto
6-8.PS2. Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
6-8.PS2.A. Forces and Motion
6-8.PS2.A.2. Plan and conduct 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. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on balanced (Newton’s First Law) and unbalanced fo
6-8.PS2.B.1. Analyze diagrams and collect data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces. [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices that use electric and magnetic forces could include electromagnets, electric motors, or gene
6-8.PS2.B.3. Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that electric and magnetic fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact. . [Clarification Statement: Examples of thi
6-8.PS3.A.1. Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on descriptive relationships between kinetic energy and mass s
6-8.PS3.A.3. Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer. [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices could include an insulated box, a solar cooker, and a Styrofoam cup.]
6-8.PS3.A.4. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the temperature of the sample. [Clarification Statement: Examples of experiments could include comparing final w
6-8.PS3.B. Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer
6-8.PS3.B.1. Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object. [Clarification Statement: Examples of empirical evidence used in arguments could include an inventor
6-8.PS4. Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer
6-8.PS4.A. Wave Properties
6-8.PS4.A.1. Use mathematical representations to describe a simple model for waves that includes how the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on describing waves with both qualitative and quantitative thinking.]
6-8.PS4.A.2. Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both light and mechanical waves. Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written
MO.RST.6-8.Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects
Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects
Craft and Structure
RST.6-8.4. Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.
RST.6-8.7. Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
RST.6-8.9. Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
WHST.6-8.2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
WHST.6-8.2(a) Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when usefu