MS.Forces and Interactions

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

MS-PS2-1.	Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of practical problems could include the impact of collisions between two cars, between a car and stationary objects, and between a meteor and a space vehicle.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to vertical or horizontal interactions in one dimension.]
MS-PS2-2.	Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on balanced (Newton’s First Law) and unbalanced forces in a system, qualitative comparisons of forces, mass and changes in motion (Newton’s Second Law), frame of reference, and specification of units.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to forces and changes in motion in one-dimension in an inertial reference frame and to change in one variable at a time. Assessment does not include the use of trigonometry.]
MS-PS2-3.	Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces. [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices that use electric and magnetic forces could include electromagnets, electric motors, or generators. Examples of data could include the effect of the number of turns of wire on the strength of an electromagnet, or the effect of increasing the number or strength of magnets on the speed of an electric motor.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment about questions that require quantitative answers is limited to proportional reasoning and algebraic thinking.]
MS-PS2-4.	Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence for arguments could include data generated from simulations or digital tools; and charts displaying mass, strength of interaction, distance from the Sun, and orbital periods of objects within the solar system.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include Newton’s Law of Gravitation or Kepler’s Laws.]
MS-PS2-5.	Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact. [Clarification Statement: Examples of this phenomenon could include the interactions of magnets, electrically-charged strips of tape, and electrically-charged pith balls. Examples of investigations could include first-hand experiences or simulations.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to electric and magnetic fields, and limited to qualitative evidence for the existence of fields.]

The performance expectations above were developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

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Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence

Science knowledge is based upon logical and conceptual connections between evidence and explanations. (MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-4)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

PS2.A: Forces and Motion

PS2.B: Types of Interactions

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems. (MS-PS2-3),(MS-PS2-5)

Systems and System Models

Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions—such as inputs, processes and outputs—and energy and matter flows within systems. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-4)

Stability and Change

Explanations of stability and change in natural or designed systems can be constructed by examining the changes over time and forces at different scales. (MS-PS2-2)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Connections to Engineering,Technology,

and Applications of Science

Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World

The uses of technologies and any limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions. (MS-PS2-1)

Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band:

MS.PS3.A (MS-PS2-2); MS.PS3.B (MS-PS2-2); MS.PS3.C (MS-PS2-1); MS.ESS1.A (MS-PS2-4); MS.ESS1.B (MS-PS2-4); MS.ESS2.C (MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-4)

Articulation of DCIs across grade-bands:

3.PS2.A (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2); 3.PS2.B (MS-PS2-3),(MS-PS2-5); 5.PS2.B (MS-PS2-4); HS.PS2.A (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2); HS.PS2.B (MS-PS2-3),(MS-PS2-4),(MS-PS2-5); HS.PS3.A (MS-PS2-5); HS.PS3.B (MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-5); HS.PS3.C (MS-PS2-5); HS.ESS1.B (MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-4)

Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy -
RST.6-8.1	Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-3)
RST.6-8.3	Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-5)
WHST.6-8.1	Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. (MS-PS2-4)
WHST.6-8.7	Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-5)
Mathematics -
MP.2	Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-3)
6.NS.C.5	Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values; use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation. (MS-PS2-1)
6.EE.A.2	Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2)
7.EE.B.3	Solve multi-step real-life and mathematical problems posed with positive and negative rational numbers in any form, using tools strategically. Apply properties of operations to calculate with numbers in any form; convert between forms as appropriate; and assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2)
7.EE.B.4	Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2)

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

MS-PS2-1.	Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of practical problems could include the impact of collisions between two cars, between a car and stationary objects, and between a meteor and a space vehicle.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to vertical or horizontal interactions in one dimension.]
MS-PS2-2.	Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on balanced (Newton’s First Law) and unbalanced forces in a system, qualitative comparisons of forces, mass and changes in motion (Newton’s Second Law), frame of reference, and specification of units.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to forces and changes in motion in one-dimension in an inertial reference frame and to change in one variable at a time. Assessment does not include the use of trigonometry.]
MS-PS2-3.	Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces. [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices that use electric and magnetic forces could include electromagnets, electric motors, or generators. Examples of data could include the effect of the number of turns of wire on the strength of an electromagnet, or the effect of increasing the number or strength of magnets on the speed of an electric motor.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment about questions that require quantitative answers is limited to proportional reasoning and algebraic thinking.]
MS-PS2-4.	Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence for arguments could include data generated from simulations or digital tools; and charts displaying mass, strength of interaction, distance from the Sun, and orbital periods of objects within the solar system.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include Newton’s Law of Gravitation or Kepler’s Laws.]
MS-PS2-5.	Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact. [Clarification Statement: Examples of this phenomenon could include the interactions of magnets, electrically-charged strips of tape, and electrically-charged pith balls. Examples of investigations could include first-hand experiences or simulations.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to electric and magnetic fields, and limited to qualitative evidence for the existence of fields.]

The performance expectations above were developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Asking questions and defining problems in grades 6–8 builds from grades K–5 experiences and progresses to specifying relationships between variables, and clarifying arguments and models.

Ask questions that can be investigated within the scope of the classroom, outdoor environment, and museums and other public facilities with available resources and, when appropriate, frame a hypothesis based on observations and scientific principles. (MS-PS2-3)

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Apply scientific ideas or principles to design an object, tool, process or system. (MS-PS2-1)

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Construct and present oral and written arguments supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support or refute an explanation or a model for a phenomenon or a solution to a problem. (MS-PS2-4)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence

Science knowledge is based upon logical and conceptual connections between evidence and explanations. (MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-4)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

PS2.A: Forces and Motion

PS2.B: Types of Interactions

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems. (MS-PS2-3),(MS-PS2-5)

Systems and System Models

Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions—such as inputs, processes and outputs—and energy and matter flows within systems. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-4)

Stability and Change

Explanations of stability and change in natural or designed systems can be constructed by examining the changes over time and forces at different scales. (MS-PS2-2)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Connections to Engineering,Technology,

and Applications of Science

Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World

The uses of technologies and any limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions. (MS-PS2-1)

Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band:

MS.PS3.A (MS-PS2-2); MS.PS3.B (MS-PS2-2); MS.PS3.C (MS-PS2-1); MS.ESS1.A (MS-PS2-4); MS.ESS1.B (MS-PS2-4); MS.ESS2.C (MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-4)

Articulation of DCIs across grade-bands:

Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy -
RST.6-8.1	Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-3)
RST.6-8.3	Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-5)
WHST.6-8.1	Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. (MS-PS2-4)
WHST.6-8.7	Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-5)
Mathematics -
MP.2	Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-3)
6.NS.C.5	Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values; use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation. (MS-PS2-1)
6.EE.A.2	Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2)
7.EE.B.3	Solve multi-step real-life and mathematical problems posed with positive and negative rational numbers in any form, using tools strategically. Apply properties of operations to calculate with numbers in any form; convert between forms as appropriate; and assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2)
7.EE.B.4	Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2)

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

MS-PS2-1.	Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of practical problems could include the impact of collisions between two cars, between a car and stationary objects, and between a meteor and a space vehicle.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to vertical or horizontal interactions in one dimension.]
MS-PS2-2.	Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on balanced (Newton’s First Law) and unbalanced forces in a system, qualitative comparisons of forces, mass and changes in motion (Newton’s Second Law), frame of reference, and specification of units.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to forces and changes in motion in one-dimension in an inertial reference frame and to change in one variable at a time. Assessment does not include the use of trigonometry.]
MS-PS2-3.	Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces. [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices that use electric and magnetic forces could include electromagnets, electric motors, or generators. Examples of data could include the effect of the number of turns of wire on the strength of an electromagnet, or the effect of increasing the number or strength of magnets on the speed of an electric motor.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment about questions that require quantitative answers is limited to proportional reasoning and algebraic thinking.]
MS-PS2-4.	Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence for arguments could include data generated from simulations or digital tools; and charts displaying mass, strength of interaction, distance from the Sun, and orbital periods of objects within the solar system.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include Newton’s Law of Gravitation or Kepler’s Laws.]
MS-PS2-5.	Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact. [Clarification Statement: Examples of this phenomenon could include the interactions of magnets, electrically-charged strips of tape, and electrically-charged pith balls. Examples of investigations could include first-hand experiences or simulations.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to electric and magnetic fields, and limited to qualitative evidence for the existence of fields.]

The performance expectations above were developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Asking questions and defining problems in grades 6–8 builds from grades K–5 experiences and progresses to specifying relationships between variables, and clarifying arguments and models.

Ask questions that can be investigated within the scope of the classroom, outdoor environment, and museums and other public facilities with available resources and, when appropriate, frame a hypothesis based on observations and scientific principles. (MS-PS2-3)

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Apply scientific ideas or principles to design an object, tool, process or system. (MS-PS2-1)

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Construct and present oral and written arguments supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support or refute an explanation or a model for a phenomenon or a solution to a problem. (MS-PS2-4)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence

Science knowledge is based upon logical and conceptual connections between evidence and explanations. (MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-4)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

PS2.A: Forces and Motion

PS2.B: Types of Interactions

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems. (MS-PS2-3),(MS-PS2-5)

Systems and System Models

Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions—such as inputs, processes and outputs—and energy and matter flows within systems. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-4)

Stability and Change

Explanations of stability and change in natural or designed systems can be constructed by examining the changes over time and forces at different scales. (MS-PS2-2)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Connections to Engineering,Technology,

and Applications of Science

Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World

The uses of technologies and any limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions. (MS-PS2-1)

Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band:

MS.PS3.A (MS-PS2-2); MS.PS3.B (MS-PS2-2); MS.PS3.C (MS-PS2-1); MS.ESS1.A (MS-PS2-4); MS.ESS1.B (MS-PS2-4); MS.ESS2.C (MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-4)

Articulation of DCIs across grade-bands:

Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy -
RST.6-8.1	Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-3)
RST.6-8.3	Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-5)
WHST.6-8.1	Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. (MS-PS2-4)
WHST.6-8.7	Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-5)
Mathematics -
MP.2	Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2),(MS-PS2-3)
6.NS.C.5	Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values; use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation. (MS-PS2-1)
6.EE.A.2	Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2)
7.EE.B.3	Solve multi-step real-life and mathematical problems posed with positive and negative rational numbers in any form, using tools strategically. Apply properties of operations to calculate with numbers in any form; convert between forms as appropriate; and assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2)
7.EE.B.4	Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities. (MS-PS2-1),(MS-PS2-2)

Science and Engineering Practices

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Connections to Engineering,Technology,

Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World

Science and Engineering Practices

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Connections to Engineering,Technology,

Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World

Science and Engineering Practices

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Connections to Engineering,Technology,

Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World

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