General Topics

Apparent motion of Sun and Moon

Shadow of the Earth causes our night

Shadow of the Moon causes its phases

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

The World Around Me

PreK-ESS1-1(MA)
Demonstrate awareness that the Moon can be seen in the daytime and at night, and of the different apparent shapes of the Moon over a month. 

PreK-ESS1-2(MA)
Observe and use evidence to describe that the Sun is in different places in the sky during the day.

PreK-PS4-2(MA)
Connect daily experiences and investigations to demonstrate the relationships between the size and shape of shadows, the objects creating the shadow, and the light source.

General Topics

Identification of sky objects

Directional terms (e.g., up, down, left, right, north, south, east, west)

Patterns in the sky

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Reasons for Change

K-ESS2-1
Use and share quantitative observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.  (Focus is on using and sharing quantitative observations.)

General Topics

Daily motion

Seasonal changes

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Describing Patterns

1-ESS1-1
Use observations of the Sun, Moon, and stars to describe that each appears to rise in one part of the sky, appears to move across the sky, and appears to set.

1-ESS1-2
Analyze provided data to identify relationships among seasonal patterns of change, including relative sunrise and sunset time changes, seasonal temperature and rainfall or snowfall patterns, and seasonal changes to the environment.

General Topics

Seasonal path of the Sun

Seasonal star patterns (e.g., stick figures, artistic figures)

Constellations as areas

Zodiacal constellations

Circumpolar constellations

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Wholes and Parts (from grade overview)

There are no direct connections with any learning standards assigned to second grade and space science. However, the overarching theme for the grade is how students learn to investigate individual parts (e.g., Sun, stars) to gain understanding of larger systems (e.g., sky, universe).

General Topics

Constellations: stories in the sky

Planets and how we name the days of the week

Global weather and climate as seen from space

Force that produces orbital motion

What would happen if there was no gravity in space

How a lack of frictional force allows motion in our solar system to continue indefinitely

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Human Interactions

3-ESS2-2
Obtain and summarize information about the climate of different regions of the world to illustrate that typical weather conditions over a year vary by region.

3-PS2-1
Provide evidence to explain the effect of multiple forces, including friction, on an object. Include balanced forces that do not change the motion of the object and unbalanced forces that do change the motion of the object.

General Topics

Seeing

Energy transfer: heat and light

Color of stars

Collisions in space

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Matter and Energy

4-PS3-2
Make observations to show that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

4-PS3-3
Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.

4-PS4-2
Develop a model to describe that light must reflect off an object and enter the eye for the object to be seen.

General Topics

The Sun is a star; larger and brighter because it is close; apparent and absolute magnitude of stars

Earth's own shadow and its rotation cause hourly and daily changes in shadows and produce day and night

Revolution causes daily, monthly, and yearly changes in apparent position of Sun, Moon, and stars

Gravitational force produces the spherical shapes of the Sun and planets and our perception of up and down

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Connections and Relationships in Systems

5-ESS1-1
Use observations, first-hand and from various media, to argue that the Sun is a star that appears larger and brighter than other stars because it is closer to Earth.

5-ESS1-2
Use a model to communicate Earth's relationship to the Sun, Moon, and other stars that explain (a) why people on Earth experience day and night, (b) patterns in daily changes in length and direction of shadows over a day, and (c) changes in the apparent position of the Sun, Moon, and stars at different times during a day, over a month, and over a year.

5-PS2-1
Support an argument with evidence that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed toward Earth's center.

General Topics

How we know that many solar systems exist

Size and structure of the known universe

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Structure and Function

6.MS-ESS1-5(MA)
Use graphical displays to illustrate that Earth and its solar system are one of many in the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of billions of galaxies in the universe.

6.MS-PS2-4
Use evidence to support the claim that gravitational forces between objects are attractive and are only noticeable when one or both of the objects have a very large mass.

General Topics

Motions of the Sun-Earth-Moon system

Explain lunar phases and eclipses

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Structure and Function

6.MS-ESS1-1a
Develop and use a model of the Earth-Sun-Moon system to explain the causes of lunar phases and eclipses of the Sun and Moon.

General Topics

Today's connected world, where biological networks intersect with those built by humans

Broad view of global ecosystems, with a keen eye towards species and environments illustrating key concepts in biology, specifically ecology

Trailer is available on YouTube

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Structure and Function

7.MS-LS2-1
Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of periods of abundant and scarce resources on the growth of organisms and the size of populations in an ecosystem.

7.MS-LS2-2
Describe how relationships among and between organisms in an ecosystem can be competitive, predatory, parasitic, and mutually beneficial and that these interactions are found across multiple ecosystems.

7.MS-LS2-3
Develop a model to describe that matter and energy are transferred among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem and that both matter and energy are conserved through these processes.

7.MS-LS2-4
Analyze data to provide evidence that disruptions (natural or human-made) to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations.

7.MS-LS2-6(MA)
Explain how changes to the biodiversity of an ecosystem — the variety of species found in the ecosystem — may limit the availability of resources humans use. 

General Topics

Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, meteors, meteroids, meteorites, and comets

Gravity is a universal non-contact force that produces changes in motions

Collisions among solar system objects

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Systems and Cycles

7.MS-PS2-5
Use scientific evidence to argue that fields exist between objects with mass, between magnetic objects, and between electrically charged objects that exert force on each other even though the objects are not in contact. (Focus is on fields that exist between objects with mass.)

7.MS-PS3-5
Present evidence to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

7.MS-PS3-7(MA)
Use informational text to describe the relationship between kinetic and potential energy and illustrate conversions from one form to another.

General Topics

Tides

Orbital motion

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Cause and Effect

8.MS-ESS1-2
Explain the role of gravity in ocean tides, the orbital motions of planets, their moons, and asteroids in the solar system.

General Topics

Seasonal changes in direction of sunrise and sunset

Seasonal changes in maximum height of Sun (at noon) 

Different constellations are seen during different seasons

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Cause and Effect

8.MS-ESS1-1b
Develop and use a model of the Earth-Sun system to explain the cyclical pattern of seasons, which includes Earth’s tilt and differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year.

General Topics

Cosmological red shift

Galaxies and Hubble's law

Cosmic background radiation

Chemical composition of the universe

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Earth's Place in the Universe

HS-ESS1-2
Describe the astronomical evidence for the Big Bang theory, including the red shift of light from the motion of distant galaxies as an indication that the universe is currently expanding, the cosmic microwave background as the remnant radiation from the Big Bang, and the observed composition of ordinary matter of the universe, primarily found in stars and interstellar gases, which matches that predicted by the Big Bang theory (3/4 hydrogen and 1/4 helium).

General Topics

Gravity changes motion of orbiting objects

Spherical versus elliptical orbits

Specific changes in velocity along elliptical orbits

Changes in orbits due to “close calls” and/or collisions among solar system objects

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Earth's Place in the Universe

HS-ESS1-4
Use Kepler’s laws to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system. Describe how orbits may change due to the gravitational effects from, or collisions with, other objects in the solar system.

General Topics

Fusion and nucleosynthesis

Stellar life cycle: stellar nebulae, main sequence stars, red giants, white dwarfs, novae and supernovae, neutron stars, and black holes

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Earth's Place in the Universe

HS-ESS1-1
Use informational text to explain that the life span of the Sun over approximately 10 billion years is a function of nuclear fusion in its core. Communicate that stars, through nuclear fusion over their life cycle, produce elements from helium to iron and release energy that eventually reaches Earth in the form of radiation.

Space exploration — our greatest adventure — is having a big impact on our lives. It’s helping us to discover a universe of unimaginable scale and beauty, and it’s reaching down into our world and influencing the way we live.

To Space and Back takes audiences on an incredible journey from the far reaches of our known universe to our own planet. It is an extraordinary story of human ingenuity and incredible engineering, describing how the technology that transports us through space is paving the way for the devices and apps we use every day. What’s happening above is coming back down to Earth!

Discover how we’ve been changed by space exploration, and what we owe to curiosity and the spirit of discovery.

(Excerpt from Fulldome Database - approximate runtime is 30 minutes)

What are we made of?  Where did it all come from?  Explore the secrets of our cosmic chemistry, and our explosive origins.  Connect life on Earth to the evolution of the Universe by following the formation of Hydrogen atoms to the synthesis of Carbon, and the molecules of life. 

(Excerpt from Fulldome Database - approximate runtime is 30 minutes)

General Topics

Google Lunar XPRIZE: personal stories of competition and collaboration it inspires

Race to the moon 40 years after the historic Apollo landings

Competition among privately funded international teams is ushering in a new era of lunar exploration

Moon's resources and humanity's possible future on the Moon

Trailer is available via European Southern Observatory

Connections to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework

Engineering Design Process

7.MS-ETS3-5(MA)
Use the concept of systems engineering to model inputs, processes, outputs, and feedback among components of a transportation, structural, or communication system.

HS-ETS1-3
Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, aesthetics, and maintenance, as well as social, cultural, and environmental impacts.