The  Aligned Learning Curriculum Guide for Elementary Science lists the units taught in K-6 science at each grade level in chronological order. 

More comprehensive information can be found in the SPPS Elementary Frameworks for Science.

SPPS Aligned Learning Curriculum Guide

Kindergarten Science and Engineering

Draft – June 2011

Priority Benchmarks by Unit

Nature of Science and Engineering

• Use observations to develop an accurate description of a natural phenomenon and compare one’s observations and descriptions with those of others. 0.1.1.2.1
• Sort objects into two groups: those that are found in nature and those that are human made. 0.1.2.1.1

Note: The Nature of Science and Engineering benchmarks will be embedded throughout the year.

Weather

• Monitor daily and seasonal changes in weather and summarize the changes. 0.3.2.2.1 

Physical Properties of Matter

• Sort objects in terms of color, size, shape, and texture, and communicate reasoning for the sorting system. 0.2.1.1.1

Structure and Function of Plants

• Identify the external parts of a variety of plants and animals including humans. 0.4.1.1.2

 Structure and Function of Animals

• Identify the external parts of a variety of plants and animals including humans. 0.4.1.1.2

Interdependence Among Living Systems

• Observe a natural system or its model, and identify living and nonliving components in that system. 0.4.2.1.1

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1^st Grade Science and Engineering

Draft – June 2011

Priority Benchmarks by Unit

Nature of Science and Engineering

• When asked "How do you know?,” students support their answer with observations. 1.1.1.1.1
• Observe that many living and nonliving things are made of parts and that if a part is missing or broken, they may not function properly. 1.1.3.1.1
• Recognize that tools are used by people, including scientists and engineers, to gather information and solve problems. 1.1.3.2.1

 Note: The Nature of Science and Engineering benchmarks will be embedded throughout the year.

Earth Structure and Processes

• Describe similarities and differences between soil and rocks. 1.3.1.3.2

Motion

• Demonstrate that objects move in a variety of ways, including a straight line, a curve, a circle, back and forth, and at different speeds. 2.2.2.1.2
• Describe how push and pull forces can make objects move. 2.2.2.2.1

Matter (States of Matter and Weather)

• Measure, record and describe weather conditions using common tools. For example: Temperature, precipitation, sunrise/sunset, and wind speed/direction. 2.3.2.2.1
• Observe, record and recognize that water can be a solid or a liquid and can change from one state to another. 2.2.1.2.1
• Air has mass, takes up space, and can exert a pushing force to make objects move. 2.2.1.2.2 (SPPS created this benchmark)

Engineering Design

• Describe how push and pull forces can make objects move. 2.2.2.2.1

No Nature of Science and Engineering benchmarks at this grade level specifically address this unit, however students learn engineering at every grade level in SPPS in order to meet the state standards.

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 2^nd Grade Science and Engineering

Draft – June 2011

Priority Benchmarks by Unit

Nature of Science and Engineering

• Raise questions about the natural world and seek answers by making careful observations, noting what happens when you interact with an object, and sharing the answers with others. 2.1.1.2.1

Note: The Nature of Science and Engineering benchmarks will be embedded throughout the year.

Structure and Function in Living Systems

• Describe and sort animals into groups in many ways, according to their physical characteristics and behaviors. 1.4.1.1.1

Interdependence Among Living Systems

• Describe ways in which an animal's habitat provides for its basic needs. 1.4.2.1.2
• Recognize that plants need space, water, nutrients and air, and that they fulfill these needs in different ways. 2.4.2.1.1

Evolution in Living Systems

• Demonstrate an understanding that animals pass through life cycles that include a beginning, development into adults, reproduction and eventually death. 1.4.3.1.1
• Describe the characteristics of plants at different stages of their life cycles. 2.4.3.1.1

Engineering Design           

• Identify a need or problem and construct an object that helps to meet the need or solve the problem. 2.1.2.2.1
• Describe objects in terms of color, size, shape, weight, texture, flexibility, strength and the types of materials in the object. 2.2.1.1.1

Properties of Matter

• Describe objects in terms of color, size, shape, weight, texture, flexibility, strength and the types of materials in the object. 2.2.1.1.1

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3^rd Grade Science and Engineering

Draft – June 2011 

 Priority Benchmarks by Unit

Nature of Science and Engineering

• Provide evidence to support claims other than saying “Everyone knows that,” or “I just know,” and question such reasons when given by others. 3.1.1.1.1
• Generate questions that can be answered when scientific knowledge is combined with knowledge gained from one's own observations or investigations.  3.1.1.2.1
• Maintain a record of observations, procedures and explanations, being careful to distinguish between actual observations and ideas about what was observed. 3.1.1.2.3
• Use tools, including rulers, thermometers, magnifiers and simple balances, to improve observations and keep a record of the observations made. 3.1.3.4.1

Note: The Nature of Science and Engineering benchmarks will be embedded throughout the year.

Structure and Function in Living systems

• Compare how the different structures of plants and animals serve various functions of growth, survival and reproduction. 3.4.1.1.1

Evolution in Living Systems

• Give examples of likenesses between adults and offspring in plants and animals that can be inherited or acquired. 3.4.3.2.1
• Give examples of differences among individuals that can sometimes give an individual an advantage in survival and reproduction. 3.4.3.2.2 

Engineering Design

No priority benchmarks at this grade level specifically address this unit, however students learn engineering at every grade level in SPPS in order to meet the state standards.

Energy (Light and Sound)

• Explain the relationship between the pitch of a sound, the rate of vibration of the source and factors that affect pitch. 3.2.3.1.1
• Describe how light travels in a straight line until it is absorbed, redirected, reflected or allowed to pass through an object. 3.2.3.1.3 

The Universe

• Observe and describe the daily and seasonal changes in the position of the sun and compare observations. 3.3.3.1.1
• Recognize the pattern of apparent changes in the moon's shape and position. 3.3.3.1.2
• Recognize that the Earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and that the moon orbits the Earth. 3.3.3.2.2

Earth Structure and Process

• Describe and classify minerals based on their physical properties. 4.3.1.3.2

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 4^th Grade Science and Engineering

Draft – June 2011

Priority Benchmarks by Unit

Nature of Science and Engineering

• Describe the positive and negative impacts that the designed world has on the natural world as more and more engineered products and services are created and used. 4.1.2.1.1.
• Test and evaluate solutions, considering advantages and disadvantages of the engineering solution, and communicate the results effectively. 4.1.2.2.3

Note: The Nature of Science and Engineering benchmarks will be embedded throughout the year.

Interdependence Among Living Systems

• Recognize that the body has defense systems against germs, including tears, saliva, skin and blood. 4.4.4.2.1

 Energy (Magnetism, Electricity and Heat)

• Compare materials that are conductors and insulators of heat and/or electricity. 4.2.3.1.3
• Demonstrate how an electric current can produce a magnetic force. 4.2.3.2.3

 Engineering Design

• Describe the positive and negative impacts that the designed world has on the natural world as more and more engineered products and services are created and used. 4.1.2.1.1
• Test and evaluate solutions, considering advantages and disadvantages of the engineering solution, and communicate the results effectively. 4.1.2.2.3

States of Matter

• Describe how the states of matter change as a result of heating and cooling. 4.2.1.2.2

Interdependence within the Earth System

• Identify where water collects on Earth, including atmosphere, ground and surface water, and describe how water moves through the Earth system using the processes of evaporation, condensation and precipitation. 4.3.2.3.1

Human Interactions with Earth Systems

• Describe how the methods people utilize to obtain and use water in their homes and communities can affect water supply and quality. 4.3.4.1.1

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 5^th Grade Science and Engineering

Draft – June 2011 

Priority Benchmarks by Unit

Nature of Science and Engineering

• Explain why evidence, clear communication, accurate record keeping, replication by others, and openness to scrutiny are essential parts of doing science. 5.1.1.1.1           
• Understand that different models can be used to represent natural phenomena and these models have limitations about what they can explain. For example: Different kinds of maps of a region provide different information about the land surface.  5.1.1.1.4           
• Generate a scientific question and plan an appropriate scientific investigation, such as systematic observations, field studies, open-ended exploration or controlled experiments to answer the question. 5.1.1.2.1           
• Identify and collect relevant evidence, make systematic observations and accurate measurements, and identify variables in a scientific investigation. 5.1.1.2.2           
• Use appropriate tools and techniques in gathering, analyzing and interpreting data.  For example:  Spring scale, metric measurements, tables, mean/median/range, spreadsheets, and appropriate graphs. 5.1.3.4.1           

Note: The Nature of Science and Engineering benchmarks will be embedded throughout the year.

Experimental  Design                        

• Explain why evidence, clear communication, accurate record keeping, replication by others, and openness to scrutiny are essential parts of doing science. 5.1.1.1.1
• Understand that different models can be used to represent natural phenomena and these models have limitations about what they can explain.  For example: Different kinds of maps of a region provide different information about the land surface. 5.1.1.1.4

Motion

• Demonstrate that a greater force on an object can produce a greater change in motion. 5.2.2.1.3

Structure and Function in Living Systems

• Describe how plant and animal structures and their functions provide an advantage for survival in a given natural system. For example: Compare the physical characteristics of plants or animals from widely different environments, such as desert versus tropical, and explore how each has adapted to its environment. 5.4.1.1.1 

Interdependence Among Living Systems

• Explain what would happen to a system such as a wetland, prairie or garden if one of its parts were changed.  For example: Investigate how road salt runoff affects plants, insects and other parts of an ecosystem. Another example: Investigate how an invasive species changes an ecosystem. 5.4.2.1.2

Human Interactions with Living Systems

• Give examples of beneficial and harmful human interaction with natural systems. For example: Recreation, pollution, or wildlife management. 5.4.4.1.1

Earth Structure and Processes

• Explain how slow processes, such as water erosion, and rapid processes, such as landslides and volcanic eruptions, form features of the Earth's surface. 5.3.1.2.2

Human Interactions with Earth Systems

• Identify renewable and non-renewable energy and material resources that are found in Minnesota and describe how they are used. For example: Water, iron ore, granite, sand and gravel, wind and forests. 5.3.4.1.1

Engineering Design

No priority benchmarks at this grade level specifically address this unit, however students learn engineering at every grade level in SPPS in order to meet the state standards.

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6^th Grade Science and Engineering

Draft – June 2011

Priority Benchmarks

Nature of Science and Engineering

• Describe the trade-offs in using manufactured products in terms of features, performance, durability and cost. 6.1.2.1.3
• Apply and document an engineering design process that includes identifying criteria and constraints, making representations, testing and evaluation, and refining the design as needed to construct a product or system that solves a problem.  For example:  Investigate how energy changes from one form to another by designing and constructing a simple roller coaster for a marble. 6.1.2.2.1
• Describe a system in terms of its subsystems and parts, as well as its inputs, processes and outputs. 6.1.3.1.1
• Determine and use appropriate safe procedures, tools, measurements, graphs and mathematical analyses to describe and investigate natural and designed systems in a physical science context. 6.1.3.4.1

Note: The Nature of Science and Engineering benchmarks will be embedded throughout the year.

Matter (Properties and Chemistry)

• Explain density, dissolving, compression, diffusion and thermal, expansion using the particle model of matter. 6.2.1.1.1
• Describe how mass is conserved during a physical change in a closed system. For example: The mass of an ice cube does not change when it melts. 6.2.1.2.2

Engineering Design

• Describe the trade-offs in using manufactured products in terms of features, performance, durability and cost. 6.1.2.1.3
• Apply and document an engineering design process that includes identifying criteria and constraints, making representations, testing and evaluation, and refining the design as needed to construct a product or system that solves a problem.  For example:  Investigate how energy changes from one form to another by designing and constructing a simple roller coaster for a marble. 6.1.2.2.1
• Describe a system in terms of its subsystems and parts, as well as its inputs, processes and outputs. 6.1.3.1.1
• Determine and use appropriate safe procedures, tools, measurements, graphs and mathematical analyses to describe and investigate natural and designed systems in a physical science context. 6.1.3.4.1 

Motion

• For an object traveling in a straight line, graph the object’s position as a function of time, and its speed as a function of time. Explain how these graphs describe the object’s motion. 6.2.2.1.2
• Identify the forces acting on an object and describe how the sum of the forces affects the motion of the object.  For example: Forces acting on a book on a table or a car on the road. 6.2.2.2.2

Energy (Potential, Kinetic and Transfer)

• Describe properties of waves, including speed, wavelength, frequency and amplitude. 6.2.3.1.1
• Trace the changes of energy forms, including thermal, electrical, chemical, mechanical or others as energy is used in devices.  For example: A bicycle, light bulb or automobile. 6.2.3.2.2
• Describe how heat energy is transferred in conduction, convection and radiation. 6.2.3.2.3

Energy (Light)

• Use wave properties of light to explain reflection, refraction and the color spectrum. 6.2.3.1.3