Grade 6 Science
8 units matched to the Alberta Curriculum.
Organizing ideas
- Matter: How can the particles of matter be influenced by heating or cooling?
- Energy (forces): In what ways can interactions between objects lead to physical change?
- Energy (resources): How are energy resources used, and what influences which ones people choose?
- Working like a scientist: Investigate, build and test ideas safely, and look at traditional and modern technologies.
Units
Unit 1
Particles and Heat
Solids, liquids and gases in the particle model, faster particles when heated and slower when cooled, melting, freezing, evaporation and condensation, and why mass stays the same in a phase change.
Learning outcome: 6M 1.1 · the particle model, how particles move when heated or cooled, and phase changes
Unit 2
Measuring Temperature
Degrees Celsius, the freezing and boiling points of water, everyday temperatures, how a liquid thermometer works by expansion and contraction, and safe handling.
Learning outcome: 6M 1.2 · how liquid thermometers work, the Celsius scale and safe measuring
Unit 3
Expanding, Shrinking and Freezing Water
Most matter expands when heated and contracts when cooled, water expands when it freezes so ice floats, an icy surface insulates lakes, and engineers plan for sidewalks, bridges and roads.
Learning outcome: 6M 1.3 · expansion and contraction, water's unusual property and how structures are designed for temperature change
Unit 4
Forces in Interactions
External forces (applied, friction, elastic) and internal forces (tension, compression, shear, torsion), and that every action force has an equal and opposite reaction force.
Learning outcome: 6E 1.1, 6E 1.3 · internal and external forces, tension, compression, shear, torsion, friction, and action and reaction forces
Unit 5
Gravity & Friction
Working out net force, telling balanced from unbalanced forces, mass versus weight on the Moon and other planets, and when friction helps or causes problems.
Learning outcome: 6E 1.1 · forces such as friction and gravity acting between objects
Unit 6
Changing Shape
Elasticity (a shape returns) and plasticity (a shape stays changed), temporary versus permanent changes, and how the properties of a material suit it to a job.
Learning outcome: 6E 1.2 · plasticity, elasticity, and temporary and permanent changes in an object's shape
Unit 7
Energy Resources
Renewable and non-renewable resources, the ones Alberta uses (fossil fuels, hydro, wind, biomass), factors like cost and environmental impact, processed and unprocessed resources, and responsible management.
Learning outcome: 6E 2.1, 6E 2.2 · renewable and non-renewable energy resources, what influences their use, and using them before or after processing
Unit 8
Making and Using Electricity
How electrical energy is made from other energy forms and changed back, the impacts of different ways of making it in Canada, and ways to use less.
Learning outcome: 6E 2.2 · energy resources processed into electricity, and using electrical energy wisely
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