The
Planetary Science Institute’s Science Education Field Trip relates
directly to the following
Science Content Standards categories through our lecture, activities, workbook,
and/or demonstrations:
·
Physical Sciences
·
Earth Sciences
·
Heat (Thermal Energy
Physical Science)
·
Energy in the Earth System
·
Investigation and
Experimentation
Our
program is designed for students in grades three through six and multiple-grade
home school groups, with adjustments appropriate to individual grade level.
Please refer to your copy of the Science Content Standards (adopted by the
California State Board of Education) to cross reference details listed by grade
level below.
1.
Energy and matter have multiple forms and can be changed from one form
to another.
Students should know:
a) energy
comes from the Sun to Earth in the form of light.
c) machines
and living things convert stored energy to motion and heat.
d)
energy
can be carried from one place to another by waves, such as water waves and
sound, by electric current and by moving objects.
e)
matter
has three forms: solid, liquid and gas.
f)
evaporation and melting are changes that occur when the objects are
heated.
g)
when
two or more substances are combined a new substance may be formed that can have
properties that are different from those of the original materials.
h)
all
matter is made of small particles called atoms, too small to see with the naked
eye.
2.
Light has a source and travels in a direction.
Students should know:
b)
light
is reflected from mirrors and other surfaces.
c)
the
color of light striking an object affects the way the object is seen.
d)
an
object is seen when light traveling from the object enters the eye.
4. Objects in the sky move in regular
and predictable patterns.
Students should know:
a)
the
patterns of stars stay the same, although they appear to move across the sky
nightly, and different stars can be seen at different seasons.
b)
the
way in which the Moon’s appearance changes during the four-week lunar cycle.
c)
telescopes
magnify the appearance of some distant objects in the sky, including the Moon
and the planets. The number of stars that can be seen through telescopes is
dramatically greater than can be seen by the unaided eye.
d)
the
Earth is one of several planets that orbit the Sun, and that the Moon orbits
Earth.
e)
the
position of the Sun in the sky changes during the course of the day and from
season to season.
5.
Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and
conducting careful investigations.
Students will:
a)
repeat
observations to improve accuracy and know that the results of similar
scientific investigations seldom turn out exactly the same because of
differences in the things being investigated, methods being used, or
uncertainty in the observation.
c)
use
numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events and measurements.
e) collect
data in an investigation and analyze those data to develop a logical
conclusion.
1.
Electricity
and magnetism are related effects that have many useful applications in
everyday life.
Students should know:
c)
that
electric currents produce magnetic effects and how to build a simple
electromagnet.
d)
the
role of electromagnets in the construction of electric motors, electric
generators, and simple devices such as doorbells and earphones.
e)
electrically
charged objects attract or repel each other.
f)
magnets
have two poles (north and south) and like poles repel each other while unlike
poles attract each other.
g)
electrical
energy can be converted to heat, light and motion.
6.
Scientific
progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations.
Students will:
b)
measure
and estimate the weight, length, or volume of objects.
e) construct and interpret graphs from
measurements.
f)
follow a set of written instructions for a
scientific investigation.
1.
Elements and their combinations account for all the varied types of
matter in the world.
Students should know:
a)
during
chemical reactions the atoms in the reactants rearrange to form products with
different properties.
b)
all
matter is made of atoms, which may combine to form molecules.
e)
scientists have developed instruments that can created discrete images
of atoms and
molecules that show that the
atoms and molecules often occur in well-ordered arrays.
g)
properties
of solid, liquid, and gaseous substances, such as sugar (C6H12O6),
water (H2O), helium (He), oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2),
and carbon dioxide (CO2).
Earth Sciences (Grade 5)
3.
Water on Earth moves between the oceans and land and through the
processes of evaporation and condensation.
Students know:
b)
when
liquid water evaporates, it turns into water vapor in the air and can reappear
as a liquid when cooled or as a solid if cooled below the freezing point of
water.
4.
Energy
from the Sun heats Earth unevenly, causing air movements that result in
changing weather patterns.
Students know:
e)
the Earth’s atmosphere exerts a pressure that decreases with the
distance above
Earth’s
surface and that at any point it exerts this pressure equally in all
directions.
5.
The solar system consists of planets and other bodies that orbit the
Sun in predictable paths.
Students know:
a)
the
Sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system and
is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.
b)
The
solar system includes the planet Earth, the Moon, the Sun, eight other planets
and their satellites, and smaller objects, such as asteroids and comets.
c)
The
path of a planet around the Sun is due to the gravitational attraction between
the Sun and the planet.
6.
Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and
conducting careful investigations.
Students will:
f)
select
appropriate tools (e.g., thermometers, meter sticks, balances, and graduated
cylinders) and make quantitative observations.
g)
record
data by using appropriate graphic representations (including charts, graphs,
and labeled diagrams) and make inferences based on those data.
3. Heat moves in a predictable flow from warmer objects to
cooler objects until all objects are at the same temperature.
Students should know:
a)
energy
can be carried from one place to another by heat flow, or by waves including
water waves, light and sound, or by moving objects.
b)
when
fuel is consumed, most of the energy released becomes heat energy.
d) heat
energy is also transferred between objects by radiation (radiation can
travel
through space).
4. Many
phenomena on the Earth’s surface are affected by the transfer of energy through
radiation and convection currents.
Students should know:
a)
the
Sun is the major source of energy for the phenomena on Earth’s surface; it
powers winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle.
b)
solar
energy reaches Earth through radiation, mostly in the form of visible light.
7. Scientific
progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations.
Students will:
b)
select
and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers,
balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect
data, and display data.
c)
construct
appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the
relationships between variables.