GLE-SciPS
COLORADO MODEL CONTENT
Three Physical Science units are described. These can all be taught in one year or they can be distributed across years, depending on the preference of a district.
STANDARD 1:
Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations.
By the end of the year, students will be able to:
1b. Use examples to demonstrate that scientific ideas are used to explain previous observations and to predict future events
●explain how a particulate model of matter allowed scientists to explain phenomena such as evaporation, conservation of mass, and diffusion
1c. Ask questions and state predictions that lead to different types of scientific investigation
●restate the question or describe the problem they are answering by doing an investigation
●state a prediction and support it based on prior experiences and/or science knowledge (for example, “I predict _____ because _______.”)
●explain the difference between a hypothesis and a prediction
●recognize a question that can be answered by investigation
1d. Create a written plan for an investigation
●follow multiple-step written directions
●propose possible ways to find the answer to a question they are investigating
●suggest a simple investigation that would allow them to answer one of the questions they generate
1e. Use appropriate tools, technologies, and measurement units to gather and organize data
●use tools (for example, balance, thermometer, graduated cylinder) typical of science to gather data
●use quantitative as well as qualitative data when making observations
●set up and label bar or line graphs of individual and/or class data
●make drawing to illustrate key characteristics and label
1f. Interpret and evaluate data in order to formulate conclusions
●answer questions and describe general trends using their graph
●use evidence to generate explanations
●compare results with prediction and answer the question they are investigating
●identify things that could cause their results to differ from the rest of the class (sources of error)
1g. Communicate results of their investigations
●share results and explanations with other students
1h. Use metric units in measuring, calculating, and reporting results
●estimate length using mm, cm, m, g, mL, cm3
●label units
1i. Explain that scientific investigations sometimes result in unexpected findings that lead to new questions and more investigations
●generate questions during and after an investigation based on their observations, data, or variables
●suggest a simple investigation to answer one of the questions they generate
STANDARD 2:
Physical Science: Students know and understand common properties, forms, and changes in matter and energy.
CONSERVATION OF MASS
In this unit, students learn that mass does not change even if the substances change form or appearance.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
2.3a. Identify and classify factors causing change within a system
●identify ways that substances can change (dissolve, change phase, produce gas, react with another substance)
2.3b. Identify and predict what will change and what will remain unchanged when matter experiences an energy change
●explain why mass is often a more useful measurement than volume
●realize that very small substances (for example, dust particles) still have mass
●provide evidence that gas has mass and volume
●give several examples of how matter can change without resulting in a change in mass
●predict what will happen to mass and volume when matter undergoes a specific change (for example, a solid melts, a powder dissolves)
●use a graph of class data to decide if mass has been conserved
●give two pieces of evidence that a solid doesn’t disappear when it dissolves
2.3c. Observe and gather data to support the concept of conservation of mass within a closed system
●use examples to show that phases may change or new substances be produced when substances are mixed but the mass doesn’t change
●distinguish between a closed and open system
●design an experiment that shows the law of conservation of mass
●explain why an observed change in mass may have occurred
important scientific concept
●give examples of where the law of conservation of mass applies in the life and earth sciences
2.3d. Describe, measure, and calculate mass before and after a chemical or physical change within a system
●calculate the change in mass that results when matter undergoes a change of some type
●describe what happens to the mass of a substance/object when it changes (for example, a candle burns, droplets appear on the outside of a glass)
CHARACTERISTIC PROPERTIES
In this unit, students learn that some properties of a substance are always the same, no matter how much of the substance is present.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
2.1a. Examine, describe, compare, measure, and classify substances based on common physical and chemical properties
●measure boiling point, melting point, and freezing point of substances
●graph data to find boiling point, melting point, and freezing point
●compare graphs of boiling point, melting point, and freezing point to determine if substances are the same or different
●sketch the shape of a graph that shows how the temperature of a substance changes as it goes from solid to liquid to gas or vice versa
●compare and contrast the terms freezing and boiling points
●find the volume of objects with regular and irregular shapes
●measure mass and volume and use the data to calculate the density of a substance
●explain why the density of a gas can change
●describe other characteristic properties (for example solubility, radioactivity, thermal expansion, spectroscopy)
●list factors that affect the rate of dissolving
●describe how solubility changes with temperature
●predict how changing the amount of a substance affects density, boiling point, melting point, and freezing point
●know the density, boiling point, melting point, and freezing point of water
●predict whether or not a substance would float in water based on its density
●use multiple characteristic properties to identify a substance
2.1b. Separate mixtures of substances based on their properties
●use boiling point to separate a mixture of liquids (fractional distillation)
●explain how fractional distillation works
●use filtering to separate a mixture of solids and liquids
●know that mixtures are made of two or more substances
●separate mixtures into pure substances by using their characteristic properties and then reverse the process to form the mixture again
2.1c. Classify and describe matter in terms of elements, compounds, and mixtures
●break down and create compounds using electrolysis, heat, or acids
●realize that a compound has characteristic properties that are different from the characteristic properties of the substances from which it is made
●define elements as pure substances that cannot be broken down by electrolysis, heat, or adding acid
●compare and contrast mixtures and compounds
STRUCTURE OF MATTER
In this unit, students gather evidence that helps them understand the particulate model of matter.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
2.1c. Classify and describe matter in terms of elements, compounds, mixtures, atoms, and molecules
●identify a substance as being either a compound or element depending on whether or not it can be broken down by electrolysis, heat, or adding acid
●know that some elements give off discrete particles (are radioactive)
●know that atoms combine to form molecules and molecules make up compounds
●describe an element as being made up of very small, identical particles called atoms
●know the names of the four elements that are especially important for life: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen
●know that oxygen is the most abundant element on Earth
●name at least four examples of substances that contain oxygen
●know that all substance on Earth are made up of different combinations of the elements (of which there are about 100)
2.1d. Develop simple models to explain observed properties of matter
●explain how radioactivity suggest the particulate nature of matter (for example, using a cloud chamber, Geiger counter, or exposed photographic film)
●use the particulate nature of matter to explain each of the following phenomena
1) the volume of a solution is often less than the sum of the volumes of the solvent and solute
2) the diffusion of two liquids when mixed
3) a phase change
4) conservation of mass
●describe how an increase or decrease in temperature can cause a change in phase
●trace an imaginary molecule of water through all phases of the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, and precipitation)
STANDARD 3:
Life Science: Students know and understand the characteristics and structure of living things, the processes of life, and how living things interact with each other and their environment.
Note: This standard is not addressed in this model of assigning expectations. All of the life science benchmarks are described under the heading “Life Science.”
STANDARD 4:
Earth and Space Science: Students know and understand the processes and interactions of Earth’s systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space.
Note: This standard is not addressed in this model of assigning expectations. All of the earth and space science benchmarks are described under the heading, “Earth and Space Science.”
STANDARD 5:
Students know and understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world.
Note: This standard is not addressed as a separate unit; rather, it is integrated into many of the units at each grade level.
By the end of the year, students will be able to:
5d. Describe how people use science and technology in their professions
●describe some of the techniques (for example, fractional distillation, chromatography, electrolysis) chemists use in the laboratory
●explain how the petroleum industry could use boiling points to separate petroleum into its by-products
STANDARD 6:
Students understand that science involves a particular way of knowing and understand common connections among scientific disciplines.
Note: This standard is not addressed as a separate unit; rather, it should be integrated where appropriate into the units at each grade level.
By the end of the year, students will be able to:
6a. Explain why a controlled experiment must have comparable results when repeated
●explain the reason for doing multiple trials of an experiment
6b. Give examples of how scientific knowledge changes as new knowledge is acquired and previous ideas are modified
●know that the Greeks used to think that there were four “elements”—water, air, fire, and earth
6c. Describe contributions to the advancement of science made by people in different cultures and at different times in history
●identify Antoine Lavoisier as having described the Law of Conservation of Mass
●know when and where Lavoisier lived
6d. Identify variables and conditions related to change
●identify variables when doing a controlled experiment
6f. Use a model to explain observations
●use a particulate model of matter to explain phenomena such as evaporation, condensation, and diffusion
