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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Recurring themes and concepts. The student uses recurring themes and concepts to make connections across disciplines.

Scientists seek to understand how the structure of an organism or type of matter is related to how it behaves or what it does. The functioning of natural systems depends on the relationships of certain essential parts and the properties of the materials from which they are composed. 

Engineers consider the intended function of a design when developing its structure and determining its design features. Form is dependent on function. For example, a vehicle that a person will navigate would be designed differently than one that will be operated remotely.

the reason for which an object or a process occurs in a system

an individual form of life, such as a plant, animal, bacterium, protist, or fungus; a body made up of organs, organelles, or other parts that work together to carry on the various processes of life

something arranged in a definite pattern of organization; the arrangement of particles or parts in a substance or body; the aggregate of elements of an entity in their relationships to each other
a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole

Research

National Research Council. 2012. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13165.

Summary: Structure and function in early childhood can begin by examing familiar systems. Students can discuss and observe how the shape and stability of a system or organism are related. This can be connected to other scientific concepts, such as how an animal's structure helps it to function and survive. As students progress into upper-elementary grade levels, they will be introduced to more complex systems and their structures and functions.

Research

National Research Council. 2013. ""Next Generation Science Standards Volume 2: Appendix G-Crosscutting Concepts."" (April 2012):1-17. https://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/Appendix%20G%20-%20Crosscutting%20Concepts%20FINAL%20edited%204.10.13.pdf

Summary: Students should understand that structure and function are related concepts. The stability of a structure directly affects its function. Scale is an important concept in helping students understand structure and function. This article describes the concepts that 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 progess 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.