Curricular Connections:
According to the SK Curriculum the four goals of K-12 science education are to:
Specific outcomes for grade 5 include:
FM5.2 Investigate characteristics of simple machines, including levers, wheels and axles, pulleys, inclined planes, screws, and wedges, for moving and lifting loads.
FM5.3 Assess how natural and man-made forces and simple machines affect individuals, society, and the environment. [CP, DM, SI]
a) Provide examples of simple and complex machines used at home, in school, and throughout their community.
l) Analyze the ways in which various combinations of simple machines can be combined to create complex machines.
m) Imagine machines that could be developed to simplify tasks within their lives, including fanciful devices such as Rube Goldberg machines.
Specific outcomes for grade 6 include:
EL6.2 Investigate the characteristics and applications of static electric charges, conductors, insulators, switches, and electromagnetism.
d) Pose questions related to the physical properties of conductors, insulators, simple circuits, and electromagnets (e.g., “How can we determine if an unknown material is a conductor or an insulator?”, “How does a switch work in a simple electric circuit?”, “What materials work best to create an electromagnet?”).
e) Make predictions, based on observed patterns of events, related to the physical properties of conductors, insulators, simple circuits, and electromagnets and conduct investigations to test those predictions.
f) Identify appropriate tools, instruments, and materials (e.g., bulbs, batteries, and wires) to use when investigating the properties of conductors, insulators, simple circuits, and electromagnets and use those tools and apparatus in a manner that ensures personal safety and the safety of others.
g) Test the conductivity of a variety of solids and liquids, following a given set of procedures, to identify which materials are conductors and which are insulators, and draw conclusions about the types of materials that work best as conductors and which work best as insulators.
h) Explain the role of switches in electrical circuits
EL6.3 Explain and model the properties of simple series and parallel circuits.
a) State the required characteristics of a simple electric circuit (e.g., a source of electrical energy, a closed path to conduct electrical energy, and a load to convert the electrical energy into another form of energy).
b) Compare a variety of electrical pathways by constructing simple circuits.
c) Contrast a closed circuit, open circuit, and short circuit.
d) Propose questions to investigate, and practical problems to solve, related to simple series and parallel circuits (e.g., “What happens when a light bulb is removed from a series or parallel circuit?”, “How can I create a simple circuit using only a battery, light bulb, and one wire?”, “How are light circuits in a house wired?”).
f) Draw electrical circuit diagrams to represent simple series and parallel circuits using appropriate symbols (e.g., battery, conductor, light bulb, motor, and switch).
g) Construct simple circuits to demonstrate how electrical energy can be controlled to produce light.
h) Design, construct, and troubleshoot an electrical circuit that meets one or more student-specified criteria.
- Understand the Nature of Science and STSE Interrelationships - Students will develop an understanding of the nature of science and technology, their interrelationships, and their social and environmental contexts, including interrelationships between the natural and constructed world.
- Construct Scientific Knowledge - Students will construct an understanding of concepts, principles, laws, and theories in life science, in physical science, in earth and space science, and in Indigenous Knowledge of nature; and then apply these understandings to interpret, integrate, and extend their knowledge.
- Develop Scientific and Technological Skills - Students will develop the skills required for scientific and technological inquiry, problem solving, and communicating; for working collaboratively; and for making informed decisions.
- Develop Attitudes that Support Scientific Habits of Mind - Students will develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific, technological, and Indigenous knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society, and the environment.
Specific outcomes for grade 5 include:
FM5.2 Investigate characteristics of simple machines, including levers, wheels and axles, pulleys, inclined planes, screws, and wedges, for moving and lifting loads.
FM5.3 Assess how natural and man-made forces and simple machines affect individuals, society, and the environment. [CP, DM, SI]
a) Provide examples of simple and complex machines used at home, in school, and throughout their community.
l) Analyze the ways in which various combinations of simple machines can be combined to create complex machines.
m) Imagine machines that could be developed to simplify tasks within their lives, including fanciful devices such as Rube Goldberg machines.
Specific outcomes for grade 6 include:
EL6.2 Investigate the characteristics and applications of static electric charges, conductors, insulators, switches, and electromagnetism.
d) Pose questions related to the physical properties of conductors, insulators, simple circuits, and electromagnets (e.g., “How can we determine if an unknown material is a conductor or an insulator?”, “How does a switch work in a simple electric circuit?”, “What materials work best to create an electromagnet?”).
e) Make predictions, based on observed patterns of events, related to the physical properties of conductors, insulators, simple circuits, and electromagnets and conduct investigations to test those predictions.
f) Identify appropriate tools, instruments, and materials (e.g., bulbs, batteries, and wires) to use when investigating the properties of conductors, insulators, simple circuits, and electromagnets and use those tools and apparatus in a manner that ensures personal safety and the safety of others.
g) Test the conductivity of a variety of solids and liquids, following a given set of procedures, to identify which materials are conductors and which are insulators, and draw conclusions about the types of materials that work best as conductors and which work best as insulators.
h) Explain the role of switches in electrical circuits
EL6.3 Explain and model the properties of simple series and parallel circuits.
a) State the required characteristics of a simple electric circuit (e.g., a source of electrical energy, a closed path to conduct electrical energy, and a load to convert the electrical energy into another form of energy).
b) Compare a variety of electrical pathways by constructing simple circuits.
c) Contrast a closed circuit, open circuit, and short circuit.
d) Propose questions to investigate, and practical problems to solve, related to simple series and parallel circuits (e.g., “What happens when a light bulb is removed from a series or parallel circuit?”, “How can I create a simple circuit using only a battery, light bulb, and one wire?”, “How are light circuits in a house wired?”).
f) Draw electrical circuit diagrams to represent simple series and parallel circuits using appropriate symbols (e.g., battery, conductor, light bulb, motor, and switch).
g) Construct simple circuits to demonstrate how electrical energy can be controlled to produce light.
h) Design, construct, and troubleshoot an electrical circuit that meets one or more student-specified criteria.