6th Grade Science: the year at a glance
4 units · 16 lessons · based on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), middle school — Earth & Space Science (discipline-specific model). Every unit ends with a review & assessment day.
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Unit 1: Earth, moon & the solar system MS-ESS1-1
Model the Earth–sun–moon system to explain phases, eclipses and seasons · Explain the role of gravity in the solar system
- Moon phasesMS-ESS1-1
- EclipsesMS-ESS1-1
- SeasonsMS-ESS1-1
- Gravity in the solar systemMS-ESS1-2
- Scale of the solar systemMS-ESS1-3
- Review & assessment
Unit 2: Earth’s history & plate tectonics MS-ESS2-3
Use rock strata to explain Earth’s 4.6-billion-year history · Use evidence for plate motion
- Geologic timeMS-ESS1-4
- Rock cycleMS-ESS2-1
- Plate tectonics evidenceMS-ESS2-3
- Earthquakes and volcanoesMS-ESS3-2
- Review & assessment
Unit 3: Water cycle, weather & climate MS-ESS2-4
Model the water cycle · Explain how air masses produce weather · Model how unequal heating shapes climate
- Water cycleMS-ESS2-4
- Air masses and frontsMS-ESS2-5
- Ocean and atmosphere circulationMS-ESS2-6
- Climate changeMS-ESS3-5
- Review & assessment
Unit 4: Resources & human impact MS-ESS3-3
Explain how resources are unevenly distributed · Design a method to reduce human impact
- Natural resourcesMS-ESS3-1
- Population and consumptionMS-ESS3-4
- Reduce our impactMS-ESS3-3
- Review & assessment