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Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Asking questions and defining problems in grades 3–5 builds on grades K–2 experiences and progresses to specifying qualitative relationships.

• Ask questions that can be investigated based on patterns such as cause and effect relationships.

“>Ask questions to determine <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="

Cause and Effect

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change.

“>cause and effect relationships <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="

PS2.B: Types of Interactions

• Electric, and magnetic forces between a pair of objects do not require that the objects be in contact. The sizes of the forces in each situation depend on the properties of the objects and their distances apart and, for forces between two magnets, on their orientation relative to each other.

“>of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other. [Clarification Statement: Examples of an electric force could include the force on hair from an electrically charged balloon and the electrical forces between a charged rod and pieces of paper; examples of a magnetic force could include the force between two permanent magnets, the force between an electromagnet and steel paperclips, and the force exerted by one magnet versus the force exerted by two magnets. Examples of cause and effect relationships could include how the distance between objects affects strength of the force and how the orientation of magnets affects the direction of the magnetic force.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to forces produced by objects that can be manipulated by students, and electrical interactions are limited to static electricity.]

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test solutions to problems in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to include investigations that control variables and provide evidence to support explanations or design solutions.

• Make observations to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence for an explanation of a phenomenon or test a design solution.”>Make observations to provide evidence that <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="
  

  Energy and Matter

  • Energy can be transferred in various ways and between objects.”>energy can be transferred <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="
    

    PS3.A: Definitions of Energy

    • Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects or through sound, light, or electric currents.

    PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

    • Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light, or heat. When objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another, thereby changing their motion. In such collisions, some energy is typically also transferred to the surrounding air; as a result, the air gets heated and sound is produced.
    • Light also transfers energy from place to place.
    • Energy can also be transferred from place to place by electric currents, which can then be used locally to produce motion, sound, heat, or light. The currents may have been produced to begin with by transforming the energy of motion into electrical energy.”>from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include quantitative measurements of energy.]

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to the use of evidence in constructing explanations that specify variables that describe and predict phenomena and in designing multiple solutions to design problems.

• Apply scientific ideas to solve design problems.”>Apply scientific ideas to design, test, <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="
  

  ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems

  • Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account.”>and refine a device <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="
    

    PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

    • Energy can also be transferred from place to place by electric currents, which can then be used locally to produce motion, sound, heat, or light. The currents may have been produced to begin with by transforming the energy of motion into electrical energy.

    PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life

    • The expression “produce energy” typically refers to the conversion of stored energy into a desired form for practical use.

    “>that converts energy <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="

    Energy and Matter

    • Energy can be transferred in various ways and between objects.

    Influence of Science, Engineering and Technology on Society and the Natural World

    • Engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones.”>from one form to another.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices could include electric circuits that convert electrical energy into motion energy of a vehicle, light, or sound; and, a passive solar heater that converts light into heat. Examples of constraints could include the materials, cost, or time to design the device.] [Assessment Boundary: Devices should be limited to those that convert motion energy to electric energy or use stored energy to cause motion or produce light or sound.]

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to evaluate the merit and accuracy of ideas and methods.

• Obtain and combine information from books and other reliable media to explain phenomena.”>Obtain and combine information to describe that <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="
  

  ESS3.A: Natural Resources

  • Energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources, and their use affects the environment in multiple ways. Some resources are renewable over time, and others are not.”>energy and fuels are derived from natural resources <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="
    

    Cause and Effect

    • Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change.

    Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology

    • Knowledge of relevant scientific concepts and research findings is important in engineering.

    Influence of Science, Engineering and Technology on Society and the Natural World

    • Over time, people’s needs and wants change, as do their demands for new and improved technologies.

    “>and their uses affect the environment. [Clarification Statement: Examples of renewable energy resources could include wind energy, water behind dams, and sunlight; non-renewable energy resources are fossil fuels and fissile materials. Examples of environmental effects could include loss of habitat due to dams, loss of habitat due to surface mining, and air pollution from burning of fossil fuels.]

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Asking questions and defining problems in grades 6–8 builds from grades K–5 experiences and progresses to specifying relationships between variables, and clarifying arguments and models.

• Ask questions that can be investigated within the scope of the classroom, outdoor environment, and museums and other public facilities with available resources and, when appropriate, frame a hypothesis based on observations and scientific principles.

“>Ask questions about data to determine <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="

PS2.B: Types of Interactions

• Electric and magnetic (electromagnetic) forces can be attractive or repulsive, and their sizes depend on the magnitudes of the charges, currents, or magnetic strengths involved and on the distances between the interacting objects.

“>the factors <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="

Cause and Effect

• Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.

“>that affect <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="

PS2.B: Types of Interactions

• Electric and magnetic (electromagnetic) forces can be attractive or repulsive, and their sizes depend on the magnitudes of the charges, currents, or magnetic strengths involved and on the distances between the interacting objects.

“>the strength of electric and magnetic forces. [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices that use electric and magnetic forces could include electromagnets, electric motors, or generators. Examples of data could include the effect of the number of turns of wire on the strength of an electromagnet, or the effect of increasing the number or strength of magnets on the speed of an electric motor.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment about questions that require quantitative answers is limited to proportional reasoning and algebraic thinking.]

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test solutions to problems in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to include investigations that use multiple variables and provide evidence to support explanations or design solutions.

• Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence that can meet the goals of the investigation.

“>Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="

PS2.B: Types of Interactions

• Forces that act at a distance (electric, magnetic, and gravitational) can be explained by fields that extend through space and can be mapped by their effect on a test object (a charged object, or a ball, respectively).

“>fields exist between objects <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="

Cause and Effect

• Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.

“>exerting forces on each other <span class="popup" style="cursor: pointer" title="" data-original-title="

PS2.B: Types of Interactions

• Forces that act at a distance (electric, magnetic, and gravitational) can be explained by fields that extend through space and can be mapped by their effect on a test object (a charged object, or a ball, respectively).

“>even though the objects are not in contact. [Clarification Statement: Examples of this phenomenon could include the interactions of magnets, electrically-charged strips of tape, and electrically-charged pith balls. Examples of investigations could include first-hand experiences or simulations.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to electric and magnetic fields, and limited to qualitative evidence for the existence of fields.]