6th Grade Science Pacing Guide
Unit Length / Standards6 Weeks / Structure and Properties of Matter
06-PS1-1. Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
06-PS1-3. Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
06-PS1-4. Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
Vocabulary / Atoms
Pure Substances
Characteristic Property
Physical Property
Chemical Property
Solid
Liquid / Gas
Molecules
React
Properties
Products
Reactants
Heat / Thermal Energy
Temperature
Kinetic Energy
Interaction
Natural Resource
Synthetic Material
6 Weeks / Forces and Interactions
06-PS2-1. Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.*
06-PS2-2. Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
Vocabulary / Newton’s First Law
Newton’s Second law
Newton’s Third Law
Motion
Direction / Collision
Stationary
Mass
Forces
Speed / Impact
Inertia
Sum of Forces
Balanced
Unbalanced
6 Weeks / Ecosystems and Interdependence
06-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
06-LS2-3. Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
06-LS2-2. Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
Vocabulary / Organisms
Population
Ecosystem
Resources
Availability
Predatory
Scarcity/ Limited / Abundance
Interactions
Living/ Biotic
Non-Living/Abiotic
Mutually Beneficial
Growth
Reproduction / Matter
Energy
Competition
Food Web
Producer
Consumer
Decomposer
Nutrients
4 Weeks / Space Systems
06-ESS1-1. Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.
06-ESS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.
06-ESS1-3. Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.
Vocabulary / Lunar Phase
Eclipse
Season
Planet
Gravity / Galaxy
Solar System
Axis
Tilt
Milky Way / Orbit
Elliptical
Sun
Moon
Stars
Hemisphere
4 Weeks / History of Earth
06-ESS2-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying time and spatial scales.
06-ESS2-3. Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.
Vocabulary / Plates
Mountains
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Meteor
Landslide
Catastrophe / Weathering
Deposition
Fossils
Rocks
Tectonic
Ridges
Continent / Basin
Trenches
Erosion
Minerals
Deformation
Sedimentation
Crust
4 Weeks / Earth’s Systems
06-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
06-ESS2-4. Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
Vocabulary / Hydrologic Cycle
Atmosphere
Transpiration
Landform / Evaporation
Condensation
Crystallization
Water Vapor / Precipitation
Melting
Condense
Freeze
4 Weeks / Weather and Climate
06-ESS2-5. Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
06-ESS2-6. Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
Vocabulary / Air Masses
Weather
High Pressure
Low Pressure
Atmospheric Circulation
Ocean Currents / Salinity
Temperature
Pressure
Humidity
Precipitation
Rotation / Solar Energy
Wind
Climate
Latitude
Altitude
Radiation