A Brief Overview

of

6^th Grade Science

Plate Tectonics and Earth’s Structure

• Know evidence of plate tectonics is derived from the fit of the continents
• Know the Earth is composed of several layers.
• Understand the cause and effects of earthquakes, volcanoes and mountain building.

Shaping of Earth’s Surface

• Topography is reshaped by the weathering of rock and soil and by the transportation and deposition of sediment.
• Know the role of water (rivers, streams) in shaping earth’s surface.

Heat

• Heat moves in a predictable flow from warmer objects to cooler objects until all the objects are at the same temperature.
• Energy can be carried from one place to another by heart flow or by waves (light, sound and water)
• Heat flows in solids by conduction, in fluids by conduction, radiation and convection.

Energy in the Earth System

• The Sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on Earth’s Surface; it powers winds, ocean currents and the water cycle.
• Solar energy reaches earth by radiation and Earth’s interior by convention.
• Differences in pressure, heat, air movement and humidity result in changes of weather.
• Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients amount themselves and with the environment.
• Energy is exchanged through the food web.

Resources

• Sources of energy and materials differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness and the time required for their formation.
• Different natural energy and material resources, include air, soil, rocks, minerals, petroleum, fresh water, wildlife and forests
• Know how to classify these as renewable or nonrenewable.

Investigation and Experimentation

• Science Fair Project!
• Develop a testable question.
• Develop a hypothesis.
• Select appropriate tools to test this hypothesis.
• Compile results and create graphs from data.
• Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations.
• Recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation.