Colorado Academic Standards Online
Use the options below to create customized views of the Colorado Academic Standards. For all standards resources, see the Office of Standards and Instructional Support.
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clear Content Area: Science - 2019 // Grade Level: Fifth Grade // Standard Category: 3. Earth and Space Science
Science - 2019
Fifth Grade, Standard 3. Earth and Space Science
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Prepared Graduates:
- 9. Students can use the full range of science and engineering practices to make sense of natural phenomena and solve problems that require understanding the universe and Earth's place in it.
Grade Level Expectation:
1. Stars range greatly in size and distance from Earth, and this can explain their relative brightness.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Support an argument that differences in the apparent brightness of the sun compared to other stars is due to their relative distances from the Earth. (5-ESS1-1) (Clarification Statement: Limited to relative distances, not sizes, of stars. Does not include other factors that affect apparent brightness [such as stellar masses, age and stage].)
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills and Science and Engineering Practices:
- Support an argument with evidence, data or a model (Engaging in Argument from Evidence) (Civic/Interpersonal: Collaboration/Teamwork).
Elaboration on the GLE:
- Students can answer the question: What is the universe, and what goes on in stars?
- ESS1:A The Universe and its Stars: The sun is a star that appears larger and brighter than other stars because it is closer. Stars range greatly in their distance from Earth.
Cross Cutting Concepts:
- Scale, Proportion and Quantity: Natural objects exist from the very small to the immensely large.
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Prepared Graduates:
- 9. Students can use the full range of science and engineering practices to make sense of natural phenomena and solve problems that require understanding the universe and Earth's place in it.
Grade Level Expectation:
2. Earth’s orbit and rotation and the orbit of the moon around earth cause observable patterns.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky. (5-ESS1-2) (Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include the position and motion of Earth with respect to the sun and selected stars that are visible only in particular months.) (Boundary Statement: Does not include causes of seasons.)
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills and Science and Engineering Practices:
- Represent data in graphical displays (bar graphs, pictographs and/or pie charts) to reveal patterns that indicate relationships. (Analyzing and Interpreting Data) (Entrepreneurial: Critical thinking/Problem solving).
Elaboration on the GLE:
- Students can answer the question: What are the predictable patterns caused by Earth’s movement in the solar system?
- ESS1:B Earth and the Solar System: The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon and stars at different times of the day, month and year.
Cross Cutting Concepts:
- Patterns: Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort, classify, communicate and analyze simple rates of change for natural phenomena.
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Prepared Graduates:
- 10. Students can use the full range of science and engineering practices to make sense of natural phenomena and solve problems that require understanding how and why Earth is constantly changing.
Grade Level Expectation:
3. Earth’s major systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and/or atmosphere interact. (5-ESS2-1) (Clarification Statement: Examples could include the influence of the ocean on ecosystems, landform shape, and climate; the influence of the atmosphere on landforms and ecosystems through weather and climate; and the influence of mountain ranges on winds and clouds in the atmosphere. The geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere are each a system.) (Boundary Statement: Limited to the interactions of two systems at a time.)
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills and Science and Engineering Practices:
- Develop a model using an example to describe a scientific principle. (Developing and Using Models) (Personal: Initiative/Self-direction).
Elaboration on the GLE:
- Students can answer the question: How do Earth’s major systems interact? How do the properties and movements of water shape Earth’s surface and affect its systems?
- ESS2:A Earth Materials and Systems: Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes. The ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shapes landforms and influences climate. Winds and clouds in the atmosphere interact with the landforms to determine patterns of weather.
Cross Cutting Concepts:
- Systems and System Models: A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.
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Prepared Graduates:
- 10. Students can use the full range of science and engineering practices to make sense of natural phenomena and solve problems that require understanding how and why Earth is constantly changing.
Grade Level Expectation:
4. Most of Earth’s water is in the ocean and much of Earth’s freshwater in glaciers or underground.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Describe and graph the amounts and percentages of saltwater and freshwater in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth. (5-ESS2-2) (Boundary Statement: Limited to oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, ground water, and polar ice caps, and does not include the atmosphere.)
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills and Science and Engineering Practices:
- Describe and graph quantities such as area and volume to address scientific questions (Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking) (Entrepreneurial: Critical thinking/Problem solving).
Elaboration on the GLE:
- Students can answer the question: How do the properties and movements of water shape Earth’s surface and affect its systems?
- ESS2:C The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes: Nearly all of Earth’s available water is in the ocean. Most fresh water is in glaciers or underground; only a tiny fraction is in streams, lakes, wetlands and the atmosphere.
Cross Cutting Concepts:
- Scale, Proportion, and Quantity: Standard units are used to measure and describe physical quantities such as weight and volume.
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Prepared Graduates:
- 10. Students can use the full range of science and engineering practices to make sense of natural phenomena and solve problems that require understanding how and why Earth is constantly changing.
Grade Level Expectation:
5. Societal activities have had major effects on land, ocean, atmosphere and even outer space
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment. (5-ESS3-1)
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills and Science and Engineering Practices:
- Obtain and combine information from books and/or other reliable media to explain phenomena or solutions to a design problem. (Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information) (Civic/Interpersonal: Communication)
Elaboration on the GLE:
- Students can answer the question: How do humans change the planet?
- ESS3:C Human Impacts on Earth Systems: Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments.
Cross Cutting Concepts:
- Systems and System Models: A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.
- Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World: Science findings are limited to questions that can be answered with empirical evidence.
Need Help? Submit questions or requests for assistance to bruno_j@cde.state.co.us