Science Curriculum Preview Committee Clarification of
Learning Results
Click on a learning result below:
Content Standard E: Structure of
Matter
Students will understand the structure of matter and the
changes that it can undergo.
Elementary Grades Pre-K-2
E1: Show that large things are made
up of smaller pieces.
E2: Describe some physical properties
of objects.
E3: Group objects based on observable
characteristics (e.g., color, size, texture).
Elementary Grades 3-4
E1: Describe how the physical
properties of objects sometimes change when on object chemically
combines with another.
E2: Explain how matter changes in
both chemical and physical ways.
Middle Level 5-8
E1: Predict and test whether objects
will float or sink based on a qualitative and quantitative
understanding of the concepts of density and buoyancy.
E2: Describe the evidence that all
matter consists of particles called atoms that are made up of certain
smaller particles.
E3: Use the periodic table to group
elements based on their characteristics.
E4: Describe how a substance can
combine with different substances in different ways, depending on the
conditions and the properties of each substance.
E5: Describe how the motion of the
particles of matter determines the state of that matter (e.g., solid,
liquid, gas, plasma) and vice versa.
E6: Explain how the relatively small
number of naturally occuring elements can result in the large variety
of substances found in the world.
E7: Investigate the similarities and
differences between elements, compounds, and mixtures.
E8: Demonstrate the law of
conservation of matter.
Upper Levels 9-12
E1: Trace the development of model
of the atom to the present and describe how each model reflects the
scientific understanding of their time.
E2: Analyze how matter is affected
by changes in temperature, pressure, and volume.
E3: Describe the characteristics and
behavior of acids and bases.
E4: Describe an application of the
Law of Conservation of Matter.
E5: Describe how atoms are joined by
chemical bonding.
E6: Compare the physical and
chemical characteristics of elements.
E7: Describe nuclear reactions,
including fusion, fission, and decay, their occurences in nature, and
how they can be used by humans.