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A Framework for Science Education - Preliminary Public Draft

http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/Standards_Framework_Homepage.html

The following is a sample of the Physical Science Progression K-12

Physical Science (PS) Core Idea 1: Macroscopic states and characteristic properties of matter depend on the type, arrangement and motion of particles at the molecular and atomic scales. [Structure and Properties of Matter]
7‐40
Public Comment Draft – July 12‐August 2, 2010
PS1.A: Atomic Structure of Matter
Sub-question: What makes up everything around us?
All substances are made up of atoms that are in constant motion. These particles are too small to be seen even with a light microscope. Atoms
themselves have substructure which determines how they combine, arrange and interact to form all of the substances around us.
Grades K – 2

What kind of parts are objects made of? (macroscopic)

• Objects are generally made of different parts. The parts can be made of different
• materials.
• Materials can be natural or manufactured from natural resources.
• The identity, characteristics and function of an object depend on the
• materials/building blocks used to make it, and the way they fit together.
• The same materials can exist as a solid or a liquid depending on the temperature.
• Solids have a definite shape while liquids flow to the lowest level in the container.

Grades 3 – 5

How do the parts of an object affect its structure and function? (macroscopic)

• All substances are considered matter. Matter can exist as solid, liquid, or gas.
• In all forms it can be felt and weighed.
• It is possible to break materials apart into pieces too tiny to see. However, the
• material still exists and continues to have weight even though we can’t see it.
• You can make a great variety of objects with just a few types of components.
• The structure, properties and uses of the objects depend on the nature of the components and they ways they attach to one-another, but can be quite different from those of the components.
• Knowing about the characteristics of materials helps design uses of them.
• Many substances can exist as solid, liquid or gas depending on the temperature. Solids have definite shape and volume, liquids also occupy definite volume, but not shape, gases are made of particles too small to see that move around throughout the full volume of any container.

Grades 6 – 8

How do the building blocks of matter help explain the diversity of materials that exist in the world? (sub-microscopic)

• Substances can exist in different states: solid, liquid and gas, depending on the temperature and pressure. Regardless of the state, all matter has mass, and the mass does not change when matter goes from one state to another.
• Models of matter consisting of extremely tiny particles that are constantly in motion, with interactions between the particles, can explain states of matter and changes of matter with temperature (in these models particles are non-specific).
• The particles that make up matter are so small that they cannot be observed through a light microscope, but can be detected and manipulated by modern tools.
• Despite the immense variation and number of substances, all are made from a limited number of types of atoms, called elements. Each type of atom has distinct mass and chemical properties.
• The Periodic Table organizes the elements by their mass and chemical properties and provides a useful reference for predicting how they will combine. (Link to PS1.B)
• Molecules form due to interactions between atoms; molecules range in size from two to hundreds of atoms.
• Atoms may interact to form distinct molecules or arrange in extended patterns with no defined endpoint (e.g. crystals, metals).
• The chemical composition, the arrangement of atoms, and the way they interact and move determines the state and properties of a substance. The thermal motion of the atoms increases with temperature

Grades 9 – 12
In what ways do the building blocks (atoms) combine to create all of the substances and structures in the universe?

• There is a hierarchy of structure within matter. Atoms may interact to form individual molecules or arrange in extended patterns with no defined endpoint. Atoms and molecules combine to form larger, more complex structures, natural or manufactured, with an extensive range of properties. (link to ET1.A)
• Structures made of atoms and molecules exist over a huge range of scales—from diatomic molecules in a gas to stars.
• Substances can exist in different states: solid, liquid, gas or plasma depending on the temperature and pressure. However,many substances are not easily classified into these categories (e.g., gels, colloids).
• In a plasma state, a substance is gaseous but a large proportion of the particles are ionized, which affords very different properties than a neutral gas. (e.g., conducts electricity).
• Atoms themselves have substructure. The patterns of the periodic table can be related to the patterns of the outermost electrons in the atom, which are those that are involved in chemical bonding. (A few basic types of interactions, or bonds: metal•non-metal (ionic); non-metal•non-metal (covalent); metal•metal (metallic)).
• Models of electrical attractions and repulsions involving electrons and atomic nuclei help explain the structure and many properties of substances. (link to PS2.A)