1. The velocity of an object is the rate of change of its position. As a basis for understanding this concept:

    a. Students know position is defined in relation to some choice of a standard reference point and a set of reference directions.

    b. Students know that average speed is the total distance traveled divided by the total time elapsed and that the speed of an object along the path traveled can vary.
           
    c. Students know how to solve problems involving distance, time, and average speed.
   
   d. Students know the velocity of an object must be described by specifying both the direction and the speed of the object.
 
    e. Students know changes in velocity may be due to changes in speed, direction, or both.
 
    f. Students know how to interpret graphs of position versus time and graphs of speed versus time for motion in a single direction.
  Understand position, distance, and speed is key to learning about motion.  You describe the position and distance of an object relative to a reference point.  For example, you could measure your bike to be 50 meters east of the flagpole.  The flagpole is the reference point.
Speed describes how much distance an ojbect travels in a given time period.  If you pedal quickly on your bike, you will travel a greater distance in certain time period than if you pedal slowly.  You will learn how to use position, distance, and speed to describe the motion of objects. To accuately describe the motion of an object, you must include speed and direction.  For example if you want to get to a baseball game on time, you'll need to know how fast you must travel and in what direction.  Velocity describes both the speed and direction of an object.  For example, a car might have a speed of 30 miles per hour but a velocity of 20 miles per hour north.  You will learn how to describe the velocity of objects.You can graph the position and speed of an ojbect over time.  You can then analyze these graphs to determine if an object is movng at a constant speed, or if it is speeding up or slowing down.You will learn how to graoh an object's motion.  You will also learn how to interpret motion graphs. (Chapter 9)

Forces
2. Unbalanced forces cause changes in velocity. As a basis for understanding this concept:

    a. Students know a force has both direction and magnitude.

    b. Students know when an object is subject to two or more forces at once, the result is the cumulative effect of all the forces.
 
    c. Students know when the forces on an object are balanced, the motion of the object does not change.
 
   d. Students know how to identify separately the two or more forces that are acting on a single static object, including gravity, elastic forces due to tension or compression in matter, and friction.

    e. Students know that when the forces on an object are unbalanced, the object will change its velocity (that is, it will speed up, slow down, or change direction).

    f. Students know the greater the mass of an object, the more force is needed to achieve the same rate of change in motion.

    g. Students know the role of gravity in forming and maintaining the shapes of planets, stars and the solar system.

Unbalanced forces cause an object's motion to change.  When an object's motion chages, the object either speeds up or slows down.  For example, when you release a ball, accelerates to the ground.  You will learn how to use net force and mass to calculate the acceleration of an object.  You will also learn the effect of increasing force and increasing mass on the acceleration of an object. Gravity causes object to fall to Earth.  It is also the "force" responsibile for the formation of solar system, stars, and galaxies.  The moon revolves around Earth because of gravity.You will learn about gravity's role in the universe. (Chapter 10,12,14)
 
Structure of Matter
3. Each of the more than 100 elements of matter has distinct properties and a distinct atomic structure. As a basis for understanding this concept:

    a. Students know the structure of the atom and know it is composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

    b. Students know that compounds are formed by combining two or more different elements, and that compounds have properties that are different from their constituent elements.
 
   c. Students know atoms and molecules form solids by building up repeating patterns, such as the crystal structure of NaCl or long-chain polymers.

   d. Students know the states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) depend on molecular motion.
 
   e. Students know that in solids the atoms are closely locked in position and can only vibrate; in liquids the atoms and molecules are more loosely connected and can collide with and move past one another; and in gases the atoms and molecules are free to move independently, colliding frequently.
 
   f. Students know how to use the periodic table to identify elements in simple compounds.
All matter is made up of atoms.  An atom consists of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons.  There are more than 100 different types of atoms.  Their unique atomic structures define elements.  The periodic table organizes elements according to their atomic structures.  You will earn about atomic structures and the periodic table.

Through the process of bonding, elements combine to form compounds, for example, hydrogen and oxygen bond together water.  You will learn how elements bond in solids, liquids and gases. (Chapter 2,3,4,5)
 
Earth in the Solar System (Earth Science)

4. The structure and composition of the universe can be learned from studying stars and galaxies and their evolution. As a basis for understanding this concept:

   a. Students know galaxies are clusters of billions of stars and may have different shapes.
 
   b. Students know that the Sun is one of many stars in the Milky Way galaxy and that stars may differ in size, temperature, and color.

   c. Students know how to use astronomical units and light years as measures of distances between the Sun, stars, and Earth.

 d. Students know that stars are the source of light for all bright objects in outer space and that the Moon and planets shine by reflected sunlight, not by their own light.
 
   e. Students know the appearance, general composition, relative position and size, and motion of objects in the solar system, including planets, planetary satellites, comets, and asteroids.
When you look up at the sky at night, you see many points of light.  Some of these points are stars, while others are galaxies.  Galaxies consist of clusters of stars.  The sun is one of the many stars in the Milky Way galaxy.  You will learn how to recognize different types of stars and galaxies.  The sun is the source of all light in the solar system.  The planets and the planetary satellites are visible because they reflect sunlight.  You will learn about the sun, the planets, and planetary satellites. (chapter12,13,14,15)

Reactions

5. Chemical reactions are processes in which atoms are rearranged into different combinations of molecules. As a basis for understanding this concept:

    a. Students know reactant atoms and molecules interact to form products with different chemical properties.
   
   b. Students know the idea of atoms explains the conservation of matter: In chemical reactions the number of atoms stays the same no matter how they are arranged, so their total mass stays the same.

    c. Students know chemical reactions usually liberate heat or absorb heat.
 
    d. Students know physical processes include freezing and boiling, in which a material changes form with no chemical reaction.
 
   e. Students know how to determine whether a solution is acidic, basic, or neutral.
Have you even observed what happenes when you drop an effervescent table in water?  The tablet starts to disappear just as bubbles rise to the surface.  This is an example of a chemical reaction.  The water and the table are interacting to form products with different chemical properties. You will earn about chemical reactions.  Conservation of matter states that, in a chemical reaction, the mass of reactants equals the mass of products.  You will apply this principle when you balance chemical equations and perform chemical reactions in the laboratory.(chapter 2,3,6,7)

Chemistry of Living Systems (Life Science)

6. Principles of chemistry underlie the functioning of biological systems. As a basis for understanding this concept:

    a. Students know that carbon, because of its ability to combine in many ways with itself and other elements, has a central role in the chemistry of living organisms.
 
    b. Students know that living organisms are made of molecules consisting largely of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur.
 
    c. Students know that living organisms have many different kinds of molecules, including small ones, such as water and salt, and very large ones, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and DNA.
Six elements combine to form most of the mass in living systems.  These elements are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. These elements combine to form large molecules such as DNA and carbohydrates and simpler compounds such as salt and water.  You will learn about these molecules and compounds.   Carbon has a unique role in the functioning of biological systems because it can bond to itself and to many other elements.  You will learn about the various carbon molecules and their roles.  You will also construct models of carbon based molecules.(Chapter 8)

Periodic Table

7. The organization of the periodic table is based on the properties of the elements and reflects the structure of atoms. As a basis for understanding this concept:

    a. Students know how to identify regions corresponding to metals, nonmetals, and inert gases.

    b. Students know each element has a specific number of protons in the nucleus (the atomic number) and each isotope of the element has a different but specific number of neutrons in the nucleus.
 
   c. Students know substances can be classified by their properties, including their melting temperature, density, hardness, and thermal and electrical conductivity.
The periodic table is an invaluable tool for chemists.  It organizes the elements according to their atomic structures.  For example, the atomic number of elements increases from left to right and down one row at a time.  You will use the periodic table to find the atomic numbers of elements.  In the periodic talbe, metals are on the left, semimetals are in the middle, nonmetals are on the right, and inert (noble) gases are on the far right. You  will use the periodic table to classify a substance a a metal, semimetal, nonmetal or intert gas. (chapter4,5)

Density and Buoyancy

8. All objects experience a buoyant force when immersed in a fluid. As a basis for understanding this concept:

    a. Students know density is mass per unit volume.

    b. Students know how to calculate the density of substances (regular and irregular solids and liquids) from measurements of mass and volume.
 
   c. Students know the buoyant force on an object in a fluid is an upward force equal to the weight of the fluid the object has displaced.
       
   d. Students know how to predict whether an object will float or sink.
Suppose you have a steel ball and a foam ball of the same size.  The steel ball has a greater density.  it has more mass per unit of volume than the foam ball.  The volume of the foam ball would have to be many times greater than that of the steel ball in order for the two balls to have the same mass.  You will learn how to calculate the densitites of different objects.  You will also learn how to use density to predict whether an object will sink or float in a fluid.(Chapter 1, 11)

Investigation and Experimentation
 
9. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:

    a. Plan and conduct a scientific investigation to test a hypothesis.

     b. Evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of data.

    c. Distinguish between variable and controlled parameters in a test.
 
   d. Recognize the slope of the linear graph as the constant in the relationship y=kx and apply this principle in interpreting graphs constructed from data.
 
    e. Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop quantitative statements about the relationships between variables.

    f. Apply simple mathematical relationships to determine a missing quantity in a mathematic expression, given the two remaining terms (including speed = distance/time, density = mass/volume, force = pressure x area, volume=area x height).

    g. Distinguish between linear and non-linear relationships on a graph of data.