6th to 8th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that students understand how the materials connect the dimensions from lesson to lesson within each unit. Each unit consists of multiple lessons. Learning builds within the unit from lesson to lesson as students work to explain the Anchoring Phenomenon or solve a Design Challenge. The teacher materials provide a Unit Overview that shows how each unit connects to other units within the series in the scope and sequence. Additionally, the Unit Overviews provide a Storyline that shows how lessons build and connect across the unit, with specific information for each lesson including a lesson question, phenomenon or design challenge, what students do and figure out, and how they end up representing what they figure out. Within each lesson, in the Teacher Edition, the materials address what was covered in the previous lesson (except for the first lesson of each unit), current lesson, and next lesson. Additionally, there is a section in the lesson-level Teacher Edition called Where We are Going and Where We Are NOT Going that share intentions for the lesson in context with the Storyline as well as boundaries and connections to other learning in the series. Teachers are frequently prompted to refer to the Anchoring Phenomenon or Design Challenge throughout the lessons of all units as they follow the Storyline for each unit. Each lesson builds to the next with the teacher playing a role in supporting students in making connections between the lessons through reminders and task direction related to unit-level phenomenon or problem.

Examples of student learning experiences that demonstrate connections:

• In Grade 6, Unit 6.4: Plate Tectonics & Rock Cycling, the phenomenon is that Mt. Everest is getting taller and moving yearly to the northeast. In Lessons 1-9, students read an article about the growth and movement of Mt. Everest. Students develop a model to explain colliding plates and plates that spread apart (DCI-ESS1.C-M2, SEP-MOD-M5). Students build a causal chain (CCC-CE-M3) of the processes occurring that are related to the surface of the Earth changing.  In Lessons 10-14, students look at various forms of data from the past, including fossil evidence and plate movement to explain the change to the earth’s surface over time (SEP-DATA-M4, SEP-CEDS-M3, CCC-SC-M3, DCI-ESS2.B-M1, DCI-ESS2.C-M2). Throughout the unit, each lesson builds to the next with the teacher playing a role in supporting students in making connections between the lessons through reminders and task direction related to the unit-level phenomenon.

• In Grade 7, Unit 7.1: Chemical Reactions and Matter, the phenomenon is that gas is released when a bath bomb is dropped into water. In Lessons 1-6, students observe the chemical reaction of a bath bomb. Students create initial models and plan and conduct investigations (SEP-INV-M1, SEP-INV-M2) to determine ingredients and possible substances in bath bombs  (SEP-DATA-M1, DCI-PS1.B-M1, DCI-PS1.B-M2, CCC-EM-M1). Students continue to revise models and add particle motion to models. Students conduct investigations to determine how new substances are created, and the process of energy moving into and out of the system. Students conduct reading on early models of atoms and molecules (SEP-ARG-M2, CCC-SPQ-M1). In Lessons 7-14, students revisit the anchor phenomenon and explain what is happening with the bath bomb using products and reactants. (DCI-PS1.B-M2, CCC-CE-M1). Students investigate odors and how we can detect different odors due to molecules. Students apply their chemical reactions model to construct an argument about what is happening to the Taj Mahal chemically (DCI-PS1.B-M1, SEP-CEDS-M2). Throughout the unit, each lesson builds to the next with the teacher playing a role in supporting students in making connections between the lessons through reminders and task direction related to unit-level phenomenon.

• In Grade 8, Unit 8.5: Genetics, Lessons 1-10, students develop initial models (SEP-MOD-M5) to explain the causes of some animals having extra big muscles while others have normal-sized muscles. Students figure out how muscles typically develop as a result of environmental factors such as exercise and diet (DCI-LS1.B-M4, CCC-CE-M2). Students discover patterns (CCC-PAT-M4) in pedigrees and chromosomes that determine the physical traits of living things. In Lessons 11-17,  students obtain and evaluate information from farmers, breeders, and research scientists (SEP-INFO-M1). Students observe the role that humans often have in selecting for certain trait variations (DCI-LS4.B-M2). Students explain how environmental and genetic factors affect organisms’ growth depending on the trait. Students figure out how muscles typically develop as a result of environmental factors such as exercise and diet (DCI-LS1.B-M4, CCC-CE-M2). Students investigate plant reproduction and how traits are passed on through asexual reproduction (CCC-SF-M2, DCI-LS1.B-M3, SEP-INV-M2). Throughout the unit, each lesson builds to the next with the teacher playing a role in supporting students in making connections between the lessons through reminders and task direction related to the phenomena.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they have an intentional sequence where student tasks increase in sophistication.The materials include a variety of student tasks related to explaining phenomena and/or solving problems that increase in sophistication across the grade band. In Grade 6, students are often interacting with practices and concepts that are guided or heavily scaffolded by the teacher. In Grade 7, students are taught additional strategies that can be used more independently when addressing content. Finally, in Grade 8, students are expected to engage in content and practices in a more independent fashion to show understanding and application of content with even less support from the teacher. 

Examples where student tasks related to explaining phenomena or solving problems increases in sophistication:

• As students engage across the series in explanation of phenomena, their development and use of models become more sophisticated and complex with less reliance on group formation of models. 

• In Grade 6, Unit 6.1: Light and Matter, students use a box model of a two-way mirror to test different interactions of light (SEP-INV-M2). Students use the data they gather to create a visual model of what is happening to light rays that interact with the two-way mirror, developing initial models and then working together to create a consensus model for how a two-way mirror works (SEP-MOD-M7). In Grade 7, Unit 7.2: Chemical Reactions & Energy, students draw an initial model for what happens when a bath bomb is added to water. Students perform several investigations (SEP-INV-M4) and build upon and refine their model (SEP-MOD-M6) to describe what cannot be seen during a chemical reaction. This extends their thinking from Grade 6 where they modeled what is happening to particles that can’t be seen to what is happening to the atoms that make up the molecules when chemicals are mixed. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4: Earth in Space, students use physical models within the classroom to investigate interactions between large objects in the solar system (SEP-MOD-M5). Students also develop and refine visual models to explain how interactions between the moon, earth, and sun impact what is seen on earth. The final model integrates their investigations and models to explain several phenomena (SEP-MOD-M5). 

• As students plan and conduct investigations across the series to explain phenomena and/or solve problems, the expectations around how they will use and show understanding of the data collected during these investigations increases in sophistication. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2: Thermal Energy, students work to understand the phenomenon of a double-walled plastic cup. Students plan and carry out investigations to determine what features of the cup system keep the liquid inside the cup cool (SEP-INV-M1). In Grade 7, Unit 7.2: Chemical Reactions & Energy, students plan and carry out flameless heater investigations to confirm that a chemical reaction is taking place when temperature increases inside the device (SEP-INV-M1). A building understanding discussion takes place to help students identify evidence of a chemical reaction. In Grade 8, Unit 8.3: Forces at a Distance, student hypotheses are used to plan and carry out investigations to determine how to make the forces between two magnets stronger (SEP-INV-M1). Data from these investigations are graphed and analyzed to determine that greater force can be achieved with a larger magnet (SEP-DATA-M1). This activity is used to assess student understanding of the investigations they conducted.

• As students conduct investigations across the series to design solutions, the development of their tasks becomes more sophisticated and complex. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2: Thermal Energy, students design a cup that will slow down the process of liquids warming up based on evidence they gathered through text (SEP-INFO-M1), videos, and performing investigations (SEP-INV-M4). Students engage in the design cycle (SEP-CEDS-M7) in small groups sharing the outcomes of their designs with the class. The class discusses whether they need to prioritize the criteria and constraints and any trade-offs they may need to make before repeating the process for a new design. (SEP-CEDS-M8). In Grade 7, Unit 7.2: Chemical Reaction & Energy, students design an inexpensive flameless heater.  They perform an investigation to determine what chemicals could be used to transfer the most energy to food. Students use models to help explain what they cannot see and to help make predictions (SEP-CEDS-M2). After finding the right chemicals they determine what is the optimal amount of each reactant to create the correct amount of energy for the amount of food being heated and develop a set of criteria and constraints that would lead to an optimal design (SEP-CEDS-M7). In Grade 8, Unit 8.1: Contact Forces, students develop a design to protect objects in a collision. They choose an object to protect and develop a set of criteria and constraints. Next, they draft their initial designs, get feedback from others, and discuss what criteria and constraints all designs should have (SEP-CEDS-M7). Students investigate different materials (SEP-INV-M4) to determine the best material for reducing peak forces. Students reassess the constraints based on the object being protected which then may require tradeoffs. They revise their designs based on what they learned about different materials, do market research, use a decision matrix to analyze designs, and prioritize criteria (SEP-CEDS-M8).

• As students obtain, evaluate and communicate information from various sources (text, data, maps, graphs, images, podcasts), they learn and use different guided close reading and listening practices. The level of independence with each of these guided strategies increases as students move from 6th to 7th to 8th grade. In Grade 6, Unit 6.5: Natural Hazards, students collect information from multiple data sources about tsunamis and earthquakes to determine cause and effect relationships (SEP-INFO-M1, CCC-CE-M2). In Grade 7, Unit 7.6: Earth’s Resources & Human Impact, students use reading strategies learned in previous 7th grade units to answer their own questions about earth’s water system and changes in temperature (SEP-INFO-M1). New learnings gained from readings are added to a consensus model about earth’s water system (SEP-MOD-M5). In Grade 8, Unit 8.4: Earth in Space, students use a close listening protocol and take on different roles in small groups to gather information from podcasts about different cultures and their connections to the sky and solar system (SEP-INFO-M1). Students share understandings from their assigned podcast in a class discussion. Individual student ideas and connections are used to make an initial model of sky patterns (SEP-MOD-M5).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they present disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), science and engineering practices (SEPs), and crosscutting concepts (CCCs) in a way that is scientifically accurate. Across the grade, the teacher materials, student materials, and assessments accurately represent the three dimensions and are free from scientific inaccuracies.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they do not inappropriately include scientific content and ideas outside of the grade-band disciplinary core ideas (DCIs). Across the series, the materials consistently incorporate student learning opportunities to learn and use DCIs appropriate to the 6-8 grade-band.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate grade-band disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) for physical sciences. The instructional materials incorporate all grade-band components and the vast majority of the associated elements of the physical science DCIs. DCI-PS4.B-M3 is not addressed in the materials. The publisher notes that they do not introduce a wave model of light and students will have the opportunity to explore this concept in high school. The remaining physical science DCI elements are distributed throughout the series giving students multiple opportunities to engage in physical science standards during Grades 6-8. Physical science opportunities frequently build on previous learning with materials asking teachers to remind students of when they studied similar concepts or ideas in previous units/grades.

Examples of grade-band physical science DCI elements present in the materials: 

• PS1.A-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 8: How can particles of a new substance be formed out of the particles of an old substance?, students use a model to show particles before and after being mixed. Students show variations of particle combinations (single atoms, molecules, compounds).

• PS1.A-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 3: What’s in a bath bomb that is producing the gas?, students conduct an investigation to determine which of the substances inside a bath bomb creates the gas that is released. Students look at the color, smell, texture, and movement of various bath bomb ingredients.

• PS1.A-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 6: How can we explain the effect of a lid on what happens to the liquid in the cup over time?, students explore the arrangement of molecules in water and water vapor in the cup system. Students show an understanding of the arrangement of molecules when they update their progress trackers at the end of the lesson. 

• PS1.A-M4. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 6: How can we explain the effect of a lid on what happens to the liquid in the cup over time?, students show an understanding of the arrangement of molecules when they update their Progress Trackers showing that liquids, gasses, and solids are made of particles of matter. Students also show that particles in a gas have a lot of space between them, but those in liquids and solids do not, and liquids and gasses are made of particles that can move around freely, but solids are made of particles that cannot. 

• PS1.A-M5. In Grade 7, Unit 7.3, Lesson 3: Why do molecules in the small intestine seem like they are disappearing?, students look at representations of starch and glucose molecules. Students notice that the starch molecule is much bigger than the sugar molecule despite both molecules being made of the same kinds of atoms.

• PS1.A-M6. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 8: Why does a lot of hail, rain, or snowfall at some times and not others?, students use magnetic balls to represent the atoms in a water molecule being pulled together (attracted) when water vapor is cooled back into a liquid.

• PS1.B-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 12: How can a new substance (a gas) be produced and the total mass of the closed system not change?, students update the class consensus model to show that all the atoms in the reactants must also be in the products after a chemical reaction takes place. Students continue this discussion by linking the chemical reaction and rearrangement of atoms to property changes.

• PS1.B-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 7: How can we revise our model to represent the differences in the matter that goes into and comes out of the bath bomb system?, students revise initial models to show how the particles in the initial substance rearrange to form the particles in the final products.

• PS1.B-M3. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 3: How can we use chemical reactions to design a solution to a problem?, students conduct an investigation in which they mix various ingredients to determine which combination generates the highest temperature increase. Some of the reactions students observe increase temperature, decrease the temperature, or do not change the temperature at all.

• PS2.A-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 5: How does changing the mass or speed of a moving object before it collides with another object affect the forces on those objects during the collision?, students use spring scales with different stiffnesses to explore the amount of force needed to move springs. The idea of contact forces is added to the class poster. 

• PS2.A-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 7: How much does doubling the speed or doubling the mass affect the kinetic energy of an object and the resulting damage that it can do in a collision?, students investigate the question, “How much does doubling the speed or doubling the mass affect the kinetic energy of an object and the resulting damage it can do in a collision?” 

• PS2.A-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 1: What happens when two things hit each other?, the teacher uses a diagram of a phone collision to demonstrate how rotating the diagram does not change the fact that a collision is occurring between the phone and surface. Students understand that the meaning of the diagram is not created because of the orientation of the image, but because we give it meaning. 

• PS2.B-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 7: How does changing the distance between two magnets affect the amount of energy transferred out of the field?, students conduct an investigation using a cart and a track to determine how changing the distance between two magnets affects the amount of energy transferred from the field between them.

• PS2.B-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 14: Why do some solar system objects orbit planets and others orbit the Sun?, students develop an initial model to show the effect of gravity when the size or location of an orbiting object is changed. Students investigate the role of gravity in a subsequent activity using a computer interactive.

• PS2.B-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 4: What can we figure out about the invisible space around a magnet?, students investigate the interaction between iron filings and a magnet. This leads to a class discussion about magnetic fields and a working definition of magnetic field.

• PS3.A-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 2: Why do things sometimes get damaged when they hit each other?, students explore interactions within a system before and during a collision. They state the cause (energy is transferred in the collision) and the effect (the kinetic energy of each object changes). 

• PS3.A-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 8: Why do things sometimes get damaged when they hit each other?, students annotate a model to show where there is stored potential energy and kinetic energy in a launcher, cart, box, and track system.

• PS3.A-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 14: How can containers keep stuff from warming up or cooling down?, after observing a demonstration of melting butter, students define the word “heat” and add that definition to the class Word Wall. The purpose of this discussion is to help students distinguish heat from thermal energy.

• PS3.A-M4. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 3: How does the air higher up compare to the air near the ground?, students examine the movement of air molecules at higher (more spread apart and energetic) and lower temperatures (closer together and less energetic). They create a zoom-in of molecule movement to add to their Progress Trackers. In Lesson 4, they build on their understanding by modeling how air particles transfer energy to the particles in the ground when sunlight shines on the earth's surface.

• PS3.B-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2: Thermal Energy, Lessons 13 and 14, students use colliding marbles to show that when marbles collide with each other, there is a change in speed and thus a change in energy. In Lesson 14, students apply this thinking to the changes in energy between colliding particles in the cup system. 

• PS3.B-M2: In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 13, How can containers keep stuff from warming up or cooling down?, students use a computer simulation to analyze the motion of particles in solids based on their temperatures. Students observe what happens to the particles when they are heated, cooled, and interact with each other.

• PS3.B-M3: In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 14, How can containers keep stuff from warming up or cooling down? Students complete an assessment task in which they construct an argument from the evidence that energy spontaneously transfers out of hotter regions or objects and into colder ones.

• PS3.C-M1: In Grade 8, Unit 8.2, Lesson 13: How can sound make something move?, students watch videos of a lab activity using an apparatus to simulate waves or vibrations with different frequencies or amplitudes. They collect data from the videos on the amount of energy transferred in each case. Class data is compiled and students write about the relationship between amplitude and energy in their notebooks.

• PS3.D-M1: In Grade 7, Unit 7.4, Lesson 9: Where do the food molecules in the maple tree come from?, students use a model that shows the inputs and outputs of photosynthesis to help develop an initial explanation for why sugar is found in maple trees. 

• PS3.D-M2: In Grade 7, Unit 7.4, Lesson 10: Where does food come from and where does it go next?,  students create a news release about what is happening with photosynthesis in the dark. This explanation allows students to show an understanding of cellular respiration and the movement of CO₂ and O₂ into and out of plants.

• PS4.A-M1: In Grade 8, Unit 8.2, Lesson 4: How can sound make something move?, students learn the characteristics of waves (amplitude and frequency). They add definitions and drawings to their notebooks. Once coming to an agreement, definitions are added to the Word Wall.

• PS4.A-M2: In Grade 8, Unit 8.2, Lesson 8: How can sound make something move?, students investigate whether sound needs a medium to travel through in order to be heard. Students compile evidence and make a claim about what sound needs to travel and what it does not need. Students watch a video of sound in a vacuum and they observe golf balls being hit together outside and inside a plastic container half filled with water.

• PS4.B-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.1, Lesson 4: Why do we sometimes see different things when looking at the same object?, students read about one-way mirrors and discuss how light interacts with different types of surfaces. Students develop a model that shows how light reflects off of a traditional mirror, reflects and transmits through a one-way mirror, and transmits through clear glass.

• PS4.B-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 11: How are we connected to patterns we see in the sky and space?, students create a model that shows light traveling straight out of a source (lamp, flashlight, sun) and refracting into different colors as it moves through a drinking glass.

• PS4.B-M4: In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 9: How are we connected to patterns we see in the sky and space?, students look at an image from the Sound Unit and discuss prompts about how light waves are different from sound waves.

• PS4.C-M1: In Grade 6, Unit 6.5, Lesson 8: Where do natural hazards happen and how do we prepare for them?, students learn about different emergency systems and signals and share information about digital and analog systems in a class discussion. By the end of the discussion, students should understand that some signals are more reliable (digital) than others (analog). 

A grade-band physical science DCI element that is not present in the materials:

• PS4.B-M3: In Grade 8, Unit 8.4: Earth in Space, there is a missed opportunity for students to use a wave model for explaining brightness, color, and the frequency-dependent bending of light at a surface between media.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band disciplinary core ideas (DCI) for life sciences (LS). The materials incorporate all life science DCI components and associated grade-band elements across the three grades. There is one life science unit in Grade 6, , three units in Grade 7, and two units in the Grade 8. 

Examples of grade-band Life Science DCI elements present in the materials:

• LS1.A-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.6, Lesson 6: What will we see if we look at skin, bone, and muscle with the microscope, too?, students view slides of human skin, bone, and muscle. They have a consensus discussion about how the structure of cells that make up different parts of the body support functions in the body.

• LS1.A-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.6, Lesson 11: How do cells get what they need to grow?, students plan an investigation to determine how things can get in and out of cells. Students observe onion cells using microscopes and add salt water and plain water to the onion skin and observe changes in the cells. They use their observations to construct an explanation that onion cell membranes shrink and expand in the presence of salt water and plain water. 

• LS1.A-M3. In Grade 7, Unit 7.3, Lesson 2: Can we see anything inside M’Kenna that looks different?, students observe and analyze structures of the digestive system in a healthy person and M’Kenna. They analyze data that show what happens to food as it travels through M’Kenna’s digestive system in comparison to a healthy digestive system and determine that substances in M’Kenna’s small intestine do not decrease as much as compared to a healthy person.

• LS1.B-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lessons 5: Where do the babies with extra-big muscles get that trait variation?, students develop and use a model of karyotypes to identify that muscle cells have pairs of chromosomes. They look for patterns of banding on the images of chromosomes to locate the pairs. Students determine that one of the chromosomes that make up each pair of chromosomes in the offspring karyotype came from a parental egg, and one from a parental sperm cell.

• LS1.B-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 1: How could penguins and other things living today be connected to the things that lived long ago?, students analyze data cards about penguins living today that include information about their behaviors related to their reproduction, such as when and where they nest. Students develop initial explanations of how these penguins could be connected to the penguin in the fossil.

• LS1.B-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lesson 13: How do plants reproduce?, students investigate the structures of flowers and determine that their functions are similar to reproductive structures in humans. Students obtain information about how the structures of flowers can interact with different pollinators and how some plants can reproduce asexually. Students construct explanations that make connections between plant structures and functions in both sexual and asexual reproduction.

• LS1.B-M4. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lesson 15: How do we get variations if the genetic information is exactly the same?, students obtain scientific information from texts about color variation in apples and then construct an explanation using a model to explain the different environmental factors that cause the range of variation we see in apple colors. Students find that apple color is influenced by temperature, sun exposure, and stressors such as lack of water or insect activity. 

• LS1.C-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.4, Lesson 7: Why do plants need light?, students read about how scientists measure energy in food and then examine food labels to figure out how much energy water, CO₂, glucose, and oxygen might have in them. Students then participate in a scientist circle about the role of sunlight as energy since the other inputs do not provide plants with energy. They determine that glucose has calories and provides energy to plants and add this to their consensus model. 

• LS1.C-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.3, Lesson 13: How does a healthy body use food for energy and growth, and how is M’Kenna’s body functioning differently?, students build small-group models to explain how food is rearranged in the body to create energy, store energy for later use, or use matter for growth. Students develop a consensus model for how a healthy body uses energy and compares that to M’Kenna’s body. Students then develop explanations to explain the differences between a healthy digestive system and M’Kenna’s.

• LS1.D-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 13: Why do different substances have different odors and how do we detect them?, students carry out an investigation about the scents of different substances to see if they can identify these substances by their odors. They gather information from a text about how the sensory receptors inside the nose send signals to the brain. Students then use evidence from the lab and the text to write an explanation about why different substances have different odors and how we detect them.

• LS2.A-M1, LS2.A-M2, LS2.A-M3, LS2.A-M4. In Grade 7, Unit 7.5, Lesson 11, How does planting oil palm affect other populations?, students develop models of the oil palm system and the rainforest system and discuss similarities and differences. Students then participate in a discussion about the models to show that populations are competing for resources that are both living and nonliving, and how changes in resource availability and individual population sizes can impact other populations of organisms.

• LS2.B-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.4, Lesson 13: What happens to food that doesn’t get eaten?, students watch videos of decomposers that recycle matter from dead plants and animals and how they transfer energy back into the system. They examine data from bread mold in the light and dark to show inputs and outputs in the system. Students then read about decomposers in systems around the world and revise their model to include decomposers as a living part of the system.

• LS2.C-M1, LS2.C-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.5, Lessons 13: How does an ecosystem change when the plants change?, students use a system model to make predictions and test ideas with different kinds of disruptions to fruit tree populations and test some of the same disruptions using the oil palm system model. Students determine that the oil palm system cannot withstand the disruptions like the rainforest can due to its lack of biodiversity. 

• LS3.A-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lesson 12: Do plants have genetic material?, students watch a video of someone isolating genetic material from animal cells and plan an investigation to see if they can isolate the same material from strawberry cells. They carry out an investigation to isolate genetic material from strawberries and discuss the results as a class, looking for patterns within the data. Students determine that plants, like animals, have genetic material within their cells. 

• LS3.A-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lesson 8: Why don’t offspring always look like their parents or their siblings?, students use pedigrees and Punnett squares to predict the probability that a known cross will result in a particular genotype. Students cross different combinations of genotypes, homozygous and heterozygous for myostatin in the parent cows, to demonstrate why some offspring have similar or different musculature phenotypes.

• LS3.B-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lessons 5: Where do the babies with extra-big muscles get that trait variation?, students observe pictures and complete a simulation to see inside the nuclei of egg and sperm cells. They make connections between the karyotype of an offspring’s muscle cell and chromosomes in the sex cells of the parents. Students observe chromosomes in the karyotype that look like those in egg and sperm and figure out that each sex cell contributes one of each kind of chromosome to offspring.

• LS3.B-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 12: Can our model explain changes over really long periods of time?, students update their models for natural selection to add mutation as a new source of variation. Students then use it to explain differences in body structures in horses and horseshoe crabs over very long periods of time.

• LS4.A-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 10: Where were Africa and South America in the past?, students examine patterns in data from rock strata, fossils, and other changes in a land across the continents of Africa and South America to determine if they once touched. Students complete an exit ticket to make a claim that the two plates used to touch and support the claim with evidence from the maps.

• LS4.A-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 13: Can we apply the General Model for Natural Selection over millions of years to explain how all the ancient and modern penguins are connected?, students develop a model to show how modern penguins could be connected to one another and to ancient penguins through common ancestors. Students construct possible explanations for how the penguins are connected.

• LS4.A-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 14: What do the patterns in embryo development tell us about how things living today could be connected to the things that lived long ago?, students analyze sketches of embryos at different points in development for a variety of animals, including a chicken, a turtle, a rabbit, and a human. Students construct an argument about how and why different organisms share so many physical structures in their embryological development.

• LS4.B-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 7: How do traits found in a population change over a shorter amount of time?, students analyze five cases (Finch, Peppered Moth, Cliff Swallow, Mustard Plant, Stickleback) where trait distributions in the population changed over a few generations. They develop a model to explain what was causing the shift in trait distribution over time for the individual cases.

• LS4.B-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lessons 9: How do farmers control the variation in their animals?, students read about ways farmers can breed animals for specific trait variations. Students use a computer simulation to practice selective breeding. 

• LS4.C-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 12: Can our model explain changes over really long periods of time?, students read about the changing environment and update their model to account for changes in horses’ toes over time. Students read about the body structures of horseshoe crabs and use the model to explain why their body structures have stayed the same over time.

• LS4.D-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.5, Lesson 14:  Are there ways people can grow food without harming the tropical rainforest?, students read articles about different approaches to farming and how these approaches help populations in ecosystems. Students consider positive and negative changes to biodiversity and how biodiversity can influence ecosystems.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) for earth and space sciences. These DCIs are present in three units in Grade 6, two units in Grade 7, and one unit in Grade 8. The elements are thoroughly covered through a variety of student activities. All elements of this DCI are present, except for the missing element ESS2.C-M4. 

Examples of grade-band earth and space science DCI elements present in the materials:

• ESS1.A-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 3: How does what we find on and below Earth’s surface compare in different places?, students create and revise models of the earth's interior after exploring mass, density, and temperature in relation to rocks. Progress trackers explain what type of changes are happening under earth’s surface.

• ESS1.A-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 16: What patterns and phenomena are beyond our solar system that we cannot see with just our eyes?, students analyze images and video of the solar system and the universe. Students analyze evidence showing the solar system in part of the Milky Way Galaxy.

• ESS1.B-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 14: Why do some solar system objects orbit planets and others orbit the Sun?, students develop and revise a model that shows gravitational pull between objects in the solar system. Students also use a simulation to manipulate mass and distance and see the effects of pull when those variables change. 

• ESS1.B-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 5: How can we explain phenomena like Manhattanhenge?, students observe phenomena of the sun alignment in New York City. Students work to create a model including the motion of the earth in a year, its tilt, and rotation.

• ESS1.B-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 15: How did the solar system get to be the way it is today?, students collect evidence from written and media materials to create a comic storyboard that explains how the solar system was formed from dust and gas.

• ESS1.C-M1 and ESS2.C-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 10: Where were Africa and South America in the past?, students consult scientific data describing the rate of plate movement at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Students examine fossil and rock-type evidence to conclude that plates that once touched have moved apart as a new ocean floor is created.

• ESS2.A-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 3: How does what we find on and below Earth’s surface compare in different places?, students construct explanations from evidence from media and text that describe the flowing energy beneath earth’s surface that are not observable but can cause change on the surface.

• ESS2.A-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 6: How could plate movement help us explain how Mt. Everest and other locations are changing in elevation?, students examine models of tectonic plates to construct an argument about the effect of moving plates. Students consider the scale of the entire planet as well as smaller locations. 

• ESS2.B-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 10: Where were Africa and South America in the past?, students use paper models of continents to model how they move each year. Although the yearly movement may be a small amount, students recognize the great movement over time.

• ESS2.C-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 9: Why don’t we see clouds everywhere in the air, and what is a cloud made of?, students conduct an investigation about the formation of frost. They construct an explanation of the motion of molecules at the surface of a cold pack and relate this to the formation of ice crystals in clouds.

• ESS2.C-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 2: What are the conditions like on days when it hails?, students analyze photos of hailstone and a frequency map to determine patterns that lead to this type of weather.

• ESS2.C-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 13: Why do some storms produce (really big) hail and others don’t?, students update and revise models used throughout the unit to describe the cycling of matter and energy and its role in producing storms. 

• ESS2.C-M5. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 13: What causes mountains to shrink in elevation?, students view a time-lapse video and use a mathematical process to calculate how mountains are changing and predict future changes due to erosion and other factors.

• ESS2.D-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 10: Why do clouds or storms form at some times but not others?, students use a simulation to manipulate variables such as temperature and humidity to observe the type and size of the storm that can be created when changing variables. Students create a model and construct an argument to explain how weather and storms can be created and changed when variables on the planet change.

• ESS2.D-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 19: Are there patterns to how air masses move that can help predict where large storms will form?, students use precipitation data to analyze and look for patterns that can be used to predict the probability of future weather patterns and events.

• ESS2.D-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 20: How do oceans affect whether a place gets a lot or a little precipitation?, students analyze text and media portraying warm and cold ocean currents. Students construct an explanation to predict possible weather events influenced by ocean temperature and currents.

• ESS3.A-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 10: What is happening in the world to cause the sharp rise in CO₂?, students examine graphs and data showing population size and growth, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas composition. Students explore the human need for various resources on the planet and the effects that those needs have.

• ESS3.B-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.5, Lesson 9: How can we model the systems put into place to protect communities?, students use knowledge of subsystems and events involving tsunamis to create a model that will help warn communities about possible tsunamis and to mitigate damage.

• ESS3.C-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.5, Lesson 2: Can we replace palm oil with something else?, students watch a video that describes using palm oil for products humans need/want. Students discuss alternatives and discuss the need for farming to produce these products. Students describe the effects on the planet and species when areas are farmed.

• ESS3.C-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 10: What is happening in the world to cause the sharp rise in CO₂?, students examine graphs and data showing population size and growth, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas composition. Students look for patterns amongst these variables and then make a claim regarding the cause and effect of said variables

• ESS3.D-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 11: Why could burning fossil fuels create a problem for CO₂ in the Atmosphere?, students use and modify a carbon system model to justify why the burning of fossil fuels is increasing the amount of CO₂ in the air.

An earth and space science DCI element not present in the materials:

• ESS2.C-M4. Variations in density due to variations in temperature and salinity drive a global pattern of interconnected ocean currents.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) for engineering, technology, and applications of science. They occur primarily in units in which the focus is engineering design activities and occur in at least one unit in every grade level. In some instances, an element is fully addressed across multiple lessons. 

Examples of grade-band engineering, technology, and applications of science DCIs present in the materials:

• ETS1.A-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 11: What can we design to better protect objects in a collision?, students develop a list of criteria and constraints for a device to protect an object from damage. Students gather feedback from their proposed design and then as a class further discuss criteria and constraints that would work for all designs.

• ETS1.B-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2: Thermal Energy, Lessons 16 and 17, students test their cup system. Each design group shares its data with the class and students discuss how well each met the criteria and constraints. Each design group then modifies its design and explains how its design change(s) should improve the performance.

• ETS1.B-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.5, Lesson 5: How can we reduce damage from a tsunami wave?,  students watch videos of various solutions to protect the community of Ryoshi from a tsunami. They evaluate and rank solutions based on criteria and constraints. As a class, they discuss disagreements and which criteria and constraints to prioritize in choosing the best solution.

• ETS1.B-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 14: How can we use our science ideas and other societal wants and needs to refine our designs?, students design a protective device and test it. Students perform more tests on different protective materials and how they reduce peak forces. Students reevaluate the criteria and constraints and collect stakeholder feedback. Teams use their information to design a solution that better meets the needs of stakeholders. 

• ETS1.B-M4. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 6: How can we redesign our homemade flameless heater?, students use data they collect over several lessons to draw and describe the plans for their flameless heater. Students go on to build a prototype that they test. 

• ETS1.C-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 7: How did our design compare to others in the class?, teams of students share their designs for a flameless heater, giving and receiving feedback. Students use a design testing matrix to record the most promising design ideas and how the design performed with regard to the criteria and constraints. 

• ETS1.C-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2: Chemical Reactions & Energy, Lessons 7 and 8, students use the information they gather as a class regarding flameless heater designs and determine how they perform with respect to the required criteria and constraints. Students rank the criteria and constraints to help them decide what to focus on when changing their design. Teams decide on two to three design changes and consider the consequences that will result because of the changes they make.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band science and engineering practices for asking questions and defining problems. The series thoroughly incorporates the practice of asking questions and defining problems, in multiple units across grade levels. AQDP-M1 is the most common element of this practice in the series and is used by students in multiple and repeated instances throughout lessons and units across the series.

Examples of grade-band elements of asking questions and defining problems present in the materials:

• AQDP-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lesson 1: How do organisms get their differences?, students generate questions after observing phenomena. Students observe photos of animals with extra-large muscles. Students generate a list of related phenomena and then develop a driving questions board and ideas for future investigations.

• AQDP-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 17: What solutions work best for our school or community?, students take on the role of a skeptical community member who has questions about their plan.  Students develop and ask questions of their classmates about their plans.

• AQDP-M3. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 13: Why is solving the climate change problem so challenging?, students observe data about carbon in the atmosphere and generate questions about what could be causing some of the variables to exist and change. 

• AQDP-M4. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 1: How can we heat up food when we don’t have our typical methods available?, students ask questions to define an engineering problem. After observing a flameless heater, students create a list of criteria and constraints to design their own. Students create a driving questions board to gather ideas to aid in their design.

• AQDP-M5. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 2: How similar or different are different species of penguins?, students ask questions—that require evidence to answer—about the structure and behavioral evidence found in fossils.

• AQDP-M6. In Grade 6, Unit 6.1, Lesson 3: What happens when light shines on the one-way mirror?,  students work together to construct questions that can be tested in an investigation. 

• AQDP-M7. In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 9: How do the magnet and the electromagnet work together to move the speaker?, students create and refine questions about magnetic fields and how changing variables can affect outcomes.

• AQDP-M8. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 1: How can we heat up food when we don’t have our typical methods available?, students define a design problem that can be addressed using a flameless heater.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band science and engineering practices for developing and using models. This science and engineering practice has seven elements. MOD-M5 is the most commonly used and is present in every unit of the materials followed by MOD-M4 which is present in every grade level and in multiple units. MOD-M6 is present predominantly in Grade 6. 

Examples of grade-band elements of Developing and Using Models across the series present in the materials:

• MOD-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 8: What does a lunar eclipse look like and how can we explain it?, students use a model they created in a previous lesson to make predictions about what they would see if they were watching a lunar eclipse. They look for discrepancies between their observations of lunar eclipse images and the predictions they made. Students discuss possible causes/mechanisms that their model did not predict and can’t yet explain. 

• MOD-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.5, Lesson 13: How does an ecosystem change when the plants change?, students modify a model to test different disruptions to an ecosystem. They predict what will happen to populations based on changes to the model.

• MOD-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 5: How does the magnetic field change when we add another magnet to the system?, students use a computer interactive as a model to understand uncertain factors of the magnetic field that exists between a magnet and a coil.

• MOD-M4. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 10: Why do clouds or storms form at some times but not others?, students use a simulation to test ideas about what causes a storm to form. They manipulate temperature and humidity to see how changing these variables affects storm formation. Students analyze the data and discuss what the simulation did well and what was missing. Students then suggest modifications to the simulation including other inputs and outputs.  

• MOD-M5. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 13: Can we apply the General Model for Natural Selection over millions of years to explain how all the ancient and modern penguins are connected?, students develop a model for the common ancestry of penguins based on body structure differences. Students build their model to incorporate more modern penguins then draw a simplified version replacing the dots with lines and creating a branching diagram.

• MOD-M6. In Grade 6, Unit 6.1, Lesson 4: How do similar amounts of light transmit through and reflect off the one-way mirror?, students develop a model to show how the structure of a one-way mirror causes some light to be reflected and some light to be transmitted.

• MOD-M7. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 3: What other chemical reactions could we use to heat up food?, students use a model they developed in a previous lesson that describes the flow of energy from a chemical reaction (reaction system) to food (food system) and other materials. They use the model to help investigate which different chemical reactions work best for a homemade flameless heater, taking into account how much energy is needed in the reaction system to get adequate energy to the food system.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band science and engineering practices for planning and carrying out investigations. Across all three grade levels, there are multiple opportunities to engage in this practice; INV-M2 and INV-M4 are the most common across the series. 

Examples of grade-band elements of Planning and Carrying Out Investigations across the series present in the materials:

• INV-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 7: How does changing the distance between two magnets affect the amount of energy transferred out of the field?, students plan and carry out an investigation using a cart on a track to determine how changing the distance between two magnets affects the energy transferred in a magnetic field between them. Students work in small groups to identify variables in the experiment, plan their procedure, and discuss the quantity of data to be collected.

• INV-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.3, Lesson 5: Why do large food molecules, like some complex carbohydrates, seem to disappear in the digestive system?, students plan and conduct an investigation to determine whether certain complex carbohydrates undergo a chemical reaction when mixed with a substance in saliva to produce glucose. They use the data to argue that some complex carbohydrates are broken down into glucose molecules through chemical reactions in the mouth.

• INV-M3. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 4: How much of each reactant should we include in our homemade flameless heater?, students plan and conduct an investigation to determine which proportion of reactants will work best to heat up food. Students discuss and analyze the procedure with a partner and then discuss as a whole class, to make sure that the data collection methods will provide the appropriate data to explain the correct amount of reactants for the reaction.

• INV-M4. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 2: What causes changes in the motion and shape of colliding objects?, students explore colliding objects and record observations about changes in their motion and shape. Students analyze slow-motion videos of collisions. Students use the data from their observations to create cause-effect statements, one for each of the collision outcomes: motion changes and shape changes.

• INV-M5. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 4: How does a lid affect what happens to the liquid in the cup?, students watch videos and collect data in order to determine the effect of a lid on both the temperature change of hot liquid in a cup and the changes in the mass of a hot liquid in the cup. Students make changes to their procedures based on how the lid affects the variables of temperature and mass.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band science and engineering practices for analyzing and interpreting data. All elements of this SEP are found across all three grade levels and are frequent throughout the units; DATA-M4 is the most common across the series. Students frequently analyze different types of data such as data sets/tables, graphical data, map data, etc. They analyze data that is provided by the resource as well as data they collect through investigations.

Examples of grade-band elements of Analyzing and Interpreting Data present in the materials:

• DATA-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 11: What else determines the strength of the force pairs between two magnets in a magnetic field?, students make predictions about what makes the magnetic force between two magnets stronger, then they test their ideas in small groups. Each group investigates a different independent variable and graphs the data. Students determine that the forces get stronger when they make the magnet bigger, increase the number of coils, decrease the diameter of the coils, or increase the current by adding more batteries.

• DATA-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 15: What happens with temperature and humidity of air in large storms?, students use temperature, humidity, and radar data from a storm across eight-hour increments to track the movement of air and precipitation. Students use the data to show that precipitation and storms develop where air masses of different characteristics meet.

• DATA-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.5, Lesson 2: Where do tsunamis happen and what causes them?, students establish a correlation between some earthquakes and tsunamis, specifically that earthquakes and tsunamis are related (correlation) but not all earthquakes cause tsunamis. They analyze tsunami wave height data to look for patterns in earthquakes’ strength (magnitude) and depth to see how they influence the formation and wave height of a tsunami. They establish causation between certain earthquakes (shallow, strong earthquakes on colliding boundaries) and tsunami formation.

• DATA-M4. In Grade 7, Unit 7.4, Lesson 10: Why don’t plants die at night?, students analyze data on changes in levels of gases around plant leaves in the dark. They monitor changes in CO₂ and relative humidity around spinach leaves in the dark in a closed system. Students then analyze and interpret a data set showing what happens to the levels of oxygen, water, and CO₂ around dandelion leaves in the dark.

• DATA-M5. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 7: How do traits found in a population change over a shorter amount of time?, students explore five cases where trait distributions in the population changed over a few generations. They apply concepts of statistics and probability, including mean, median, mode, and variability, to analyze and characterize the assigned data subsets of their case. Students also apply them when they record and integrate interpretations of data from other group members who analyzed their data subsets using these concepts. 

• DATA-M6. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 2: What cup features seem most important for keeping a drink cold?, students consider how changing cup features cause a drink to warm up faster after carrying out an investigation. Students collect, organize, and analyze data from their investigation to identify patterns that help them figure out which cup features work well in maintaining a drink’s temperature and which do not. They suggest ways to modify data collection methods in subsequent investigations to improve the precision and accuracy of data.

• DATA-M7. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 10: When energy from a battery was added to water, were the gases produced made of the same particles as were produced from heating the water?, students analyze and interpret data from their tests to determine if the gas or gases that are produced by adding electrical energy in each test tube are the same substance and whether they are the same as those produced from boiling water. 

• DATA-M8. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 6: How can we redesign our homemade flameless heater?, students collect data from their prototype in order to analyze the data to optimize their design. They build prototypes and test them based on their criteria and constraints.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band science and engineering practices for constructing explanations and designing solutions. The materials incorporate the practice of constructing explanations and designing solutions and nearly all the associated grade-band elements across the series. The most common element, CEDS-M4, is used in multiple instances across the series. 

Examples of grade-band elements of Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions present in the materials:

• CEDS-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 4: What is happening to Earth’s surface and the material below it during an earthquake?, students engage in a discussion with their partner, using evidence from class investigations, about possible changes to bedrock below the earth’s surface during an earthquake. Students should make a connection between the crack at the surface of the earth and the process happening under the surface.

• CEDS-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.1, Lesson 5: How do light and one-way mirrors interact to cause the one-way mirror phenomenon?, students create individual models to explain how the teacher can see the music student, but the music student cannot see the teacher. Students should use evidence from previous lessons to support what they draw in their model.

• CEDS-M3. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 5: What gas(ses) could be coming from the bath bomb?, students write predictive explanations about the gas(ses) that may be released from the bath bomb. Students use data from their investigations to make statements that will help them determine, based on the properties of substances, which gas gets released by a bath bomb.

• CEDS-M4. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 6: How could plate movement help us explain how Mt. Everest and other locations are changing in elevation?, students support the statement, “Earthquakes are caused by plates moving past each other and getting stuck on their rough edges, then snapping out of it suddenly,” with evidence from their models, demonstrations, and/or artifacts in the classroom.

• CEDS-M5. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 11: Where were the other plates located in the distant past?, in groups, students discuss which data support or are weaker for supporting locations of land masses in the past. Additionally, students consider the positions of land masses that have the most data supporting them as they refine their consensus model. 

• CEDS-M6. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 6: How can we redesign our homemade flameless heater?, students work in teams to redesign the prototype of their food heaters. Designs should include all of the characteristics listed on the “Design Must-Haves” list.

• CEDS-M7. In Grade 7, Unit 7.5, Lesson 17: How can we redesign the way land is used in Indonesia to support orangutans and people at the same time?, students participate in a design challenge in which they redesign land to benefit both orangutans and palm farmers. Students identify criteria and constraints and create design solutions to meet them.

• CEDS-M8. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 15: How can we use what we figured out to evaluate another engineer’s design?, students complete the Cheerleading Headgear assessment in which they evaluate different types of materials that can be used to create protective headgear. Students then design headgear that will optimize protection during cheerleading competitions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band science and engineering practices for engaging in argument from evidence. The materials incorporate this practice and all grade-band elements across the series. ARG-M3 is the most common element with multiple instances throughout the series and the least commonly used element is ARG-M4. In some instances multiple elements may be used together by students with opportunities to use and/or develop partial aspects of each; most frequently partial use of ARG-M1 is paired with partial use of ARG-M2.

Examples of where materials incorporate engaging in argument from evidence:

• ARG-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 18: How can we explain what is happening across this storm (and other large-scale storms)?, students read through different explanations about air pressure, fronts, and precipitation to determine similarities and differences between ideas. Students track what evidence is already included and what evidence needs to be added to make the explanation more accurate and complete.

• ARG-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 9: How do other contact forces from interactions with the air and the track cause energy transfers in the launcher system?, students take turns sharing and defending their explanations about energy transfer before and right after a collision caused by the cart-launcher system. Students ask each other questions to push thinking around cause-and-effect relationships and kinetic energy changes in the system.

• ARG-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 3: How does what we find on and below Earth’s surface compare in different places?, students update their progress trackers at the end of the lesson with information that answers the question, “How does what we find at and below Earth’s surface compare in different places?” Students are expected to use evidence from a story map, images, and data collected from investigation cards to support their explanations.

• ARG-M4. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 7: How did our design compare to others in the class?, students compare their how-to instructions and designs with two other teams with the purpose of providing and receiving feedback about their work. Students annotate feedback so that they can make the best revisions possible in their redesign work.

• ARG-M5. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 15: How can large-scale solutions work to reduce carbon in the atmosphere?, students look at different solutions for eliminating CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere. Students discuss and determine which solutions best meet the criteria of CO₂ reduction.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band science and engineering practices for obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. The practice of obtaining and evaluating information and the related elements are present throughout the units in the series. Information is presented in a variety of formats across grade levels. INFO-M1 is present the most frequently and is across all grade levels.

Examples of grade-band elements of Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information present in the materials:

• INFO-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 15: How do certain design features slow down the transfer of energy into a cup?, students read articles about designs intended to keep beverages warm or cold.  They use this information to improve their own designs.

• INFO-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lesson 2: How do extra-big muscles compare to typical ones up close?, students must integrate information from pictures, videos, and an article to describe and explain reasons behind muscle variations in animals.

• INFO-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 12: How similar or different are different species of penguins?, students read various texts in order to determine if the information found supports their models of natural selection or not.

• INFO-M4. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 16: How are these solutions working in our communities?, students view a community resilience plan.  Students identify solutions in the plan. Students receive a community solutions plan and sort the solutions into categories.  Students use information from both to identify the best plans after receiving more information.

• INFO-M5. In Grade 7, Unit 7.4, Lesson 10: Why don’t plants die at night?, students review data to create a news release explaining how photosynthesis occurs in the dark.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band crosscutting concepts for patterns. Elements of patterns are found often across all three grade levels, with PAT-M3 and PAT-M4 used most frequently.

Examples of grade-band elements of patterns present in the materials:

• PAT-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 11: How do Dalton’s models of the particles that change in a reaction compare to the ones we developed?, students use atomic level structures to represent changes occurring in the arrangement of atoms that make up substances in bath bombs. Students use what is happening at the molecular level to account for what they observe as macroscopic patterns, the production of a new substance when a bath bomb reacts with water.

• PAT-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 4: How do these changes in sunlight impact us here on Earth?, students use data collected during an investigation to create a numerical relationship using an energy graph to explain seasonal temperature differences as a result of earth’s tilt and solar elevation.

• PAT-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.5, Lesson 3: What causes a tsunami to form and move?, students use a series of models to identify patterns in a tsunami’s formation, movement, and how changes in the ocean floor can cause changes in the wave’s amplitude.

• PAT-M4. In Grade 7, Unit 7.4, Lesson 4: Are any parts that makeup food molecules coming into the plant from above the surface?, students use tables and graphs of data to identify different gases as plant inputs or outputs. They analyze data to look for patterns in the amounts of carbon dioxide, water, and oxygen surrounding plant leaves over time.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band crosscutting concepts for cause and effect. All elements of cause and effect are present across all three grade levels. All of the elements appear frequently throughout the units with CE-M2 being the most frequently used by students. 

Examples of grade-band elements of cause and effect present in the materials:

• CE-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 10: What is happening in the world to cause the sharp rise in CO₂?, students identify a correlation between rising populations, rising consumption of fossil fuel use, and rising CO₂ levels. They further explore the causal relationship between fossil fuel use and CO₂ emissions when they burn a fuel source and trace the products that are given off.

• CE-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 5: What happens to the air near the ground when it is warmed up?, students identify cause-and-effect relationships between energy and matter in closed systems. They observe the behavior of gases in closed systems and figure out that adding thermal energy causes predictable changes in matter’s particle motion.

• CE-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 12: What cause-effect relationships explain how magnetic forces at a distance make things work?, students participate in a scientist’s circle to discuss the results of the experiments from a previous lesson. Students use this discussion as an opportunity to explain that phenomena may have more than one cause.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band crosscutting concepts for scale, proportion, and quantity. All five of the grade-band elements are present throughout the materials. SPQ-M3 is the most common SPQ element in this series and is used by students in multiple and repeated instances throughout lessons and units across the series.

Examples of grade-band elements of scale, proportion, and quantity present in the materials:

• SPQ-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.2, Lesson 11: How does sound make matter around us move?, students create models that show the movement of salt particles due to sound. Students must create models of the sound wavelengths even though they are at a scale too small to be seen.

• SPQ-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 16: How are these solutions working in our communities?, students map solutions to the Carbon Crisis. Students realize that solutions occur at different scales - individual, family, city, organizational, and worldwide.

• SPQ-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 12: Where did mountains that aren’t at plate boundaries today, like the Appalachians and Urals, come from?, students use ideas of proportional relationships as they describe the formation of mountain ranges and volcanoes over time.

• SPQ-M4. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 9: Does heating liquid water produce a new substance in the gas bubbles that appear?, students use ideas of proportional relationships as they calculate the mass, volume, and density of a substance.

• SPQ-M5. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 12: Can our model explain changes over really long periods of time?, students examine how traits in a population are stable over short periods of time but change over long periods at various scales.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band crosscutting concepts (CCCs) for systems and system models. The materials incorporate the CCC of systems and system models and all grade-band elements across the series. The most frequent element is SYS-M2 and the least frequent element is SYS-M3.

Examples of grade-band elements of systems and system models present in the materials:

• SYS-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.6, Lesson 12: How do structures and systems work together to heal the injury?, students develop explanations for how healing works in the human body. They share explanations with partners and participate in a consensus discussion about healing. Student responses should include an understanding of the body’s many systems and how they work together to heal injuries.

• SYS-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 4: How does a lid affect what happens to liquid in the cup?, students collect data during two cup lid investigations. They use this data to develop an initial model to predict what happens to the mass that is lost in the open cup investigation.

• SYS-M3. Grade 6, Unit 6.5, Lesson 6: How are tsunamis detected and warning signals sent?, students read an article about tsunami detection systems and summarize what they read during a discussion. They then answer the question, “How can we make a diagram of a tsunami detection and warning system working together?” In their response, students are expected to show an understanding of the limitations of the tsunami detection system they read about. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band crosscutting concepts (CCCs) for energy and matter. The materials incorporate the CCC of energy and matter and all the associated grade-band elements across the series. Students have multiple opportunities to make sense of energy and matter concepts. EM-M4 is the most frequent element used across the series and EM-M3 is the second most frequent element used. EM-M3 is present in a single learning opportunity in the materials. Students learn about different types of energy throughout the course of the series.

Examples of grade-band elements of Energy and Matter present in the materials: 

• EM-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 2: Where is the gas coming from?, students construct an explanation based on evidence from their bath bomb investigation that gas is not new matter. The mass of the bath bomb does not increase after the chemical reaction takes place, it decreases. The gas must have come from the materials already present in the bath bomb and is created as a result of a chemical reaction.

• EM-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.3: Metabolic Reactions, Lessons 10 and 11, students conduct an investigation in Lesson 10 during which they observe a wick burning in oil. They update their progress trackers with information about the reduction in matter as a result of a chemical reaction. In Lesson 11, students continue their investigation to determine that when food is burned, a chemical reaction takes place that releases energy, and CO₂ and H₂O vapor are produced.

• EM-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 7: If matter cannot enter or exit a closed system, how does a liquid in the system change temperature?, students create two models, one to show heat energy and one to show light energy in the closed cup system. These are initial models and require that students rely on previous learning.

• EM-M4. Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 2: How do heaters get warm without a flame?, students construct a consensus model based on their flameless heater investigations that shows the movement and transfer of energy during a chemical reaction.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band crosscutting concepts for structure and function. There are two elements for this CCC. Most structure and function elements are present in Grades 6 and 8 and occur in multiple units in each of those grades. They also are present across earth/space, life, and physical science learning opportunities.

Examples of grade-band elements of Structure and Function present in the materials:

• SF-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.1: Light and Matter, Lessons 3 and 4, students investigate what happens to light as it interacts with glass, a one-way mirror, and a mirror. They use words and pictures with arrows to represent how much light is reflected versus passed through. In the next lesson, students are given additional information about the microscopic structures and create new drawings of light rays interacting with the materials, and including how the rays interact with the microscopic structures to cause the materials to function the way they do.

• SF-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 13: How (and why) does the structure of a cushioning material affect the peak forces produced in a collision?, students share descriptions of cross-sections of structures of the top force-reducing materials they investigated in a previous lesson. Next, students make scaled-up versions of some of the structures using rectangles of plastic formed into rings. They test various structures formed by the rings to determine how the structures impact their cushioning ability.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band crosscutting concepts (CCCs) for stability and change. There are four elements for this CCC and students have multiple opportunities to use and build on each of the elements. This CCC is primarily found in Grades 6 and 7 with a few instances in Grade 8. The CCC is used by students in multiple and repeated instances throughout lessons and units across the series.

Examples of grade-band elements of Stability and Change present in the materials:

• SC-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6: Natural Selection & Common Ancestry, Lessons 7 and 8, students examine the structures of an assigned organism analyzing trait variations. They investigate what caused the population of their organism to change over time. Each group shares information about their organism. The class co-constructs a model showing how some environmental interactions can lead to a competitive advantage for some traits and those traits are passed on to future generations. These changes lead to future generations that have different trait distributions than previous generations. 

• SC-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6: Earth’s Resources & Human Impact, Lessons 3 and 4, students analyze data and look for patterns between temperature and components of the water cycle. They create a model showing interactions occurring in the earth’s water system. Students find that increasing temperatures lead to increased evaporation and water vapor in the atmosphere. Winds move the water vapor leading to some locations receiving more precipitation than normal and others receiving less than normal. 

• SC-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4: Plate Tectonics & Rock Cycling, Lessons 10 and 11, students use current rates of plate movement to estimate when Africa and South America might have touched in the past. They add to their prediction to include where other landmasses could have been in the past based on plate movement, the shape of land masses, and expert group data. Groups share their predictions and come to a consensus about land mass locations. 

• SC-M4. In Grade 7, Unit 7.5: Ecosystem Dynamics, Lessons 14 and 16, students are given an article to read that describes a way to grow food while protecting animals and the forest at the same time. They take notes and fill out a worksheet describing how food is grown, how it differs from a mono-crop, why it helps populations in ecosystems, and who is doing this. Students continue their study of a way to grow food by viewing a StoryMap that matches the approach they read about in the previous lesson but focuses on what people are getting from the farming approach. They add an additional column to their worksheet, “Benefits people receive.” In the next lesson, students jigsaw to synthesize information about the different approaches to growing food and add a row to their worksheet about mono-crop farms. Students rank how each farming practice benefits animals, plants, and people.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations that they incorporate NGSS connections to nature of science and engineering. Throughout the series, the materials incorporate the Nature of Science and Engineering elements associated with SEPs and CCCs. The materials provide connections that are spread throughout the grade levels, in multiple units. Some are present within individual lessons, some across multiple lessons, and some throughout entire units.

With regard to some of these connections, there are instances where they are limited to certain grades or are generally infrequent. The materials include all elements of Human Endeavor (HE) although they are predominantly present in Grades 7 and 8. The elements are often found in later units in the grade levels. The materials include one out of three of the Addressing Questions about the Natural and Material World (AQAW) elements. The AQAW element that is present is mostly in Grades 7 and 8. Both HE and AQAW are not commonly present across the series with the examples below representing almost all occurrences. 

Examples of grade-band connections to NOS elements associated with SEPs present in the materials: 

• NOS-VOM-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.1: Light & Matter, Lessons 1-4, students begin the unit by looking at a one-way mirror and work throughout the unit to determine why it can act as a mirror and window at the same time. Students do several investigations to understand what is happening including what happens if the amount of light on each side is changed, how light interacts with glass, and how the amount of light that is transmitted and reflected varies with different materials. 

• NOS-VOM-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.3: Metabolic Reactions, Lessons 2-4, students investigate the digestive system of a healthy individual and a sick individual in order to figure out what is happening in the sick individual. They make observations of endoscopy images of the two individuals. Students analyze graphs about food molecules of a graham cracker as the molecules travel through different portions of the small intestine. They investigate what is happening with food molecules by using dialysis tubing to represent the small intestine and glucose and starch to represent small and large food molecules. Students make observations of additional graphs of food molecules in the mouth and food molecules after reaching the large intestine and explaining what they think is happening. Students continue to gather more information throughout the unit to refine their ideas as to the reason the one individual is sick

• NOS-VOM-M3. In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 14: What causes a large-scale precipitation event like this to occur?, students watch a video clip of a weather prediction followed by a clip that shows where clouds and precipitation were located just before the forecast was made. Students create a series of predictions to show where the warm and cold parts are when the forecast is made and 24 and 40 hours after the forecast. They explain how what is happening at the time of the forecast is connected to what happens 40 hours later. Students gather together to discuss areas of agreement and disagreement between initial models and explanations to help figure out what is happening in large-scale weather phenomena like the one they are studying.

• NOS-VOM-M4. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lesson 3: How do diet and exercise affect muscle size?, students discuss what they should be looking for to see if a source is credible before reading several texts. The class co-creates a list of ideas to look for as they read. They are given some time to read the first article and then begin discussing the ideas from the list they created and evaluate whether the article was credible or not and why. Students repeat the process with the remaining articles.

• NOS-BEE-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.5, Lesson 2: Where do tsunamis happen and what causes them?, students investigate where tsunamis occur by analyzing patterns in global tsunami data. They compare where earthquakes are located and which ones cause tsunamis. Students use the evidence to connect tsunamis to earthquakes in specific locations and explain what causes most tsunamis to happen

• NOS-OTR-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lessons 1-4, students observe what happens to a store-bought bath bomb and homemade bath bombs when they are added to water. They develop initial models to include what happened at the macroscopic scale and later at a microscopic scale and include written explanations for what they observed and modeled. Students then plan and carry out an investigation to determine if the gas they observed was trapped in the bath bomb by comparing data in an open and closed system. They repeat the investigation but add the bath bomb to water in an open and closed system. In another investigation, students test individual components of a bath bomb to try to determine which might be involved in the formation of the bubbles they see. Students get into groups and discuss their revised explanations based on the new evidence they gather.

• NOS-OTR-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lessons 2 and 3, students are shown an ancient giant penguin and modern penguins. They begin their study by analyzing data on the heritable external structures of modern penguins to look for patterns and infer connections between them and the giant penguin that lived long ago sorting them into groups. They analyze additional data on heritable internal structures and again sort the penguins into groups. As a whole group, students share patterns and ideas from the sorting activities and use the data to make a claim and explain whether the ancient penguin could be an ancient ancestor of modern penguins. Additional bone data about other ancient penguins are analyzed and compared to modern penguins. Students continue to revise their thinking as they are given additional data including when the ancient penguins lived and the environments that penguins lived or are living in.

• NOS-ENP-M1. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 12: How are changes to Earth’s carbon system impacting Earth’s water system?, students explore the concept of theory when they respond to a tweet about climate change being the cause of natural disasters. Students consider that a theory has to be supported by many different pieces of evidence, which is different from a hypothesis, hunch, or explanation. Students should recognize that the tweet is not sharing a correct observation of the phenomenon, that climate change is not the reason natural disasters happen, it is the reason that modern-day natural disasters are much worse. 

• NOS-ENP-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 12: How are changes to Earth’s carbon system impacting Earth’s water system?, students explore the concept of theory when they respond to a tweet about climate change being the cause of natural disasters. Students consider that a theory has to be supported by many different pieces of evidence, which is different from a hypothesis, hunch, or explanation. Students understand that a theory is supported by a large body of evidence that is collected over time.

• NOS-ENP-M3. In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 8: How can particles of a new substance be formed out of the particles of an old substance?, students create a visual mathematical model to show the particles of a substance before they are mixed together. They describe what happens during the mixing process and then show the particles after being combined.

• NOS-ENP-M4. In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 7: How does changing the distance between two magnets affect the amount of energy transferred out of the field?, students write a hypothesis to guide their investigation of changes in energy transfer when a cart is moved various distances from a magnet. Hypothesis directions include choosing a mechanism to test and a cause-and-effect relationship that can be observed.

• NOS-ENP-M5. In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 3: How does energy transfer between things that are not touching?, students engage in a discussion about the word “theory” in science meaning something that is supported by a wide body of evidence. This is different from how the word “theory” is used in everyday language. 

Examples of grade-band connections to NOS elements associated with CCCs present in the materials:

• NOS-WOK-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 2: What patterns are happening in the sky that I have experienced and can observe (through models)?, students watch videos of Native American star stories and collect noticings and wonderings about the two stories. Ideas are shared during a class discussion and should include similarities and differences between the stories and a connection to students’ own current-day experiences with the North Star.

• NOS-WOK-M3. In Grade 7, Unit 7.5, Lesson 14: Are there ways people can grow food without harming the tropical rainforest?, students read about the different ways that some farmers grow crops to specifically limit the harm done to their local ecosystems. Students use information from the readings to identify differences between the approach in the reading and large-scale monocropping, as well as how the approach can benefit all elements of an ecosystem including insects, birds, and mammals.

• NOS-AOC-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.2, Lesson 10: What exactly is traveling across the medium?,  students use a computer simulation to observe the wavelength produced by various sounds.  Students can manipulate pitch and frequency to observe how changing the variables affects the patterns of the waves. Students observe how frequency and amplitude can be measured.

• NOS-AOC-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 14: Does our evidence support that cold is leaving the system or that heat is entering the system?, students conduct and watch videos of many investigations where they use data to determine the proper cup insulation. Students look at evidence from prior investigations to determine what they have learned to support or refute prior findings. Students look for and identify anomalies in the data in order to revise and retest conditions that will lead to optimal design.

• NOS-HE-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.6, Lesson 1: How could penguins and other things living today be connected to the things that lived long ago?, students are introduced to scientists from various backgrounds including Ali Altamirano, a researcher in Perú; and Julia Clarke, a professor of paleontology at the University of Texas at Austin. Students use the information from a podcast and its transcript to learn how they figured out where ancient penguins and other organisms went and how they’re connected to species living today.

• NOS-HE-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.5, Lesson 15: How can people benefit from growing food in ways that support plants and animals in the natural ecosystem?, students read and listen to StoryMaps regarding different ways that people grow food. They hear from farmers who are improving their practices to benefit the environment and improve their efficiency.

• NOS-HE-M3. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 13: Why is solving the climate change problem so challenging?, students use a simulation to show that increasing temperatures are due to the CO₂ imbalance in the atmosphere caused by combustion. They explore different ideas about increasing temperatures and possible solutions before they investigate climate change further.

• NOS-HE-M4. In Grade 7, Unit 7.6, Lesson 14: What things can people do to reduce carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere?, students calculate a carbon footprint and choose carbon reduction activities and behaviors that would reduce their carbon emissions. They investigate trends in CO₂ data over long periods of time and learn about scientific and technological advancements that changed the energy sources used by people.

• NOS-AQAW-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 16: What patterns and phenomena are beyond our solar system that we cannot see with just our eyes?, students make observations about the solar system that they can see over a series of lessons, when they refer back to what they learn in Lessons 7-9. In Lesson 16, students view photos from the Hubble Telescope and from the video Tour of the Universe. Students gather information and make connections between different objects in space at different scales.

• NOS-AQAW-M2. In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 3: How does what we find on and below Earth’s surface compare in different places?, students gather and document information about the materials that can be found on and below the surface of the earth at a number of different sites. They analyze the data regarding the composition of the earth to the extent that they can observe it, and draw conclusions about the interior and its associated processes.

Examples of grade-band connections to ENG elements associated with CCCs present in the materials:

• ENG-INTER-M1. In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 15: How can we use what we figured out to evaluate another engineer’s design?, after learning about forces and collisions, students understand the need to engineer helmets and other protective gear. Students analyze protective headwear and design and revise protective headgear for cheerleaders. 

• ENG-INTER-M2. In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 6: How can we redesign our homemade flameless heater?, students revise models of their flameless heaters to show the best energy transfer.  The knowledge of energy transfer leads to designing better flameless heaters.

• ENG-INTER-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.2, Lesson 10: What exactly is traveling across the medium?, students use a computer simulation of sound waves to manipulate volume and pitch and record how the behavior of molecules changes.

• ENG-INFLU-M1. In Grade 6, Unit 6.5, Lesson 5: How can we reduce damage from a tsunami wave?, students analyze data of tsunamis and look at solutions. Students examine the effect of various solutions, both positive and negative to the community.

• ENG-INFLU-M2. In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lesson 9: How do farmers control the variation in their animals?, students analyze information about technologies used for genetic breeding in order to pre-determine certain traits. Students consider and discuss the reasons that such scientific technology would be useful.

• ENG-INFLU-M3. In Grade 8, Unit 8.2, Lesson 13: What transfers more energy, waves of bigger amplitude or waves of greater frequency?, students learn about astronomers in history and discoveries over time. Students learn how different cultures and times have advanced our knowledge about space.