Knowledge and Skills Statement
Recurring themes and concepts. The student understands that recurring themes and concepts provide a framework for making connections across disciplines.
Further Explanation
Scientists investigate the flow and interactions of matter and energy through nutrient cycling and energy conversions such as decomposition, photosynthesis, and respiration. The states, properties, and reactions of matter can be described and predicted based on the types, interactions, and motions of atoms. Energy manifests in multiple phenomena, such as motion, light, sound, electrical and magnetic fields, and thermal energy. Energy can be modeled as either the motion of particles or as stored in force fields (electric, magnetic, gravitational) that mediate interactions between particles. The total energy in a system does not change but can be transformed or transferred between objects within the system.
Considering energy and matter inputs, outputs, and flows or transfers within a system or process is equally important for engineering. A goal in engineering design is to maximize certain types of energy output while minimizing other types and optimizing energy inputs needed to achieve the desired task. For example, engineers might develop ways to transform wind and wave energy at sea (input) into usable electricity (output) for people in coastal regions and beyond. Engineers must minimize energy loss due to heat within the device to optimize the amount of energy transformed from wind to electricity.
Matter can be understood in terms of the types of particles present and the interactions between and within them. The states (i.e., solid, liquid, gas, or plasma), properties (e.g., hardness, conductivity), and reactions (both physical and chemical) of matter can be described and predicted based on the types, interactions, and motions of the atoms within it.
Supporting Information
Research
National Research Council. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. 2021. Washington: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13165
Summary: This chapter describes the crosscutting concepts (called recurring themes and concepts in Texas) that expand across multiple science disciplines. These themes help students understand the connections among the K-12 science concepts. These concepts are applied in science and engineering and provide students with a better conceptual understanding of both fields. Studying matter and energy can help students understand systems in different science domains, such as engineering, life sciences, and Earth and space sciences. At the elementary level, the focus is on the conservation of matter and the movement of matter within systems.
Research
National Science Teachers Association. 2013. Appendix G: Crosscutting Concepts in Next Generation Science Standards. (April 2013):1-17.
https://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/Appendix%20G%20-%20Crosscutting%20Concepts%20FINAL%20edited%204.10.13.pdf
Summary: In early grades, students should recognize that organisms and systems can be broken down into parts that can be combined. Energy and matter are concepts used across all science disciplines and are connected to students’ understanding of systems (plants needing energy and matter to grow). Understanding energy and matter can also help students better understand cycles, as energy transfers between different cycle stages. This article describes the concepts students should be taught in early childhood to help build a science and engineering foundation. These foundational concepts will allow students to build on their knowledge as they progress through their academic careers as these concepts increase in complexity throughout the upper-grade levels. It explains the importance of repetition when introducing these concepts.