Big+Ideas

This Excel spreadsheet allows you to filter by theme or level. All of the concepts within the Big Ideas are included in [|this GoogleDoc], which allows you to search within your browser.

Newtonian Laws of Force & Motion

 * Big Idea K-2: Changes in an object's motion can be observed and measured.
 * Big Idea 3-4: A forces is required to change an object's speed or direction.
 * Big Idea 3-4: Magnets and electricity produce related forces.
 * Big Idea 5-7: An object's motion is the result of all forces acting on it.

Atomic Molecular Theory of Matter

 * Big Idea K-2: Objects can be described in terms of the materials they are made of and their observable and measurable properties.
 * Big Idea 3-4: The characteristic properties of matter can be used to identify and separate one substance from another.
 * Big Idea 5-7: Matter has observable physical properties and the potential to mix and form new materials.

Evolution of Life over Time

 * Big Idea K-2: Earth is home to a great variety of living things.
 * Big Idea 3-4: Different characteristics of plants and animals help some populations survive and reproduce in greater numbers.
 * Big Idea 5-7: Populations of organisms evolve by natural selection.

Earth Systems Theory

 * Big Idea K-2: The earth is constantly changing and operates in cycles.
 * Big Idea 3-4: The earth system changes constantly as air, water, soil, and rock interact, and the earth is a part of a larger sun, earth, moon system.
 * Big Idea 5-7: Solid, liquid, and gaseous earth materials all circulate in large scale systems at a variety of time scales, giving rise to landscapes, the rock cycle, ocean currents, and weather and climate.

Cell Theory and Organisms

 * Big Idea K-2: Living things are similar and different from each other and nonliving things.
 * Big Idea 3-4: All living things are made of parts that have specific functions.
 * Big Idea 5-7: The cell is the basic unit of structure and function for all living things.

Forms, Sources, Conversions, and Transfer of Energy

 * Big Idea K-2: There are a variety of ways to make things go.
 * Big Idea 3-4: Energy exists in many forms and can be changed from one form to another (transformed) as it moves through a system.
 * Big Idea 5-7: Energy is neither created nor destroyed. Energy can be transformed from one form to another, but transformation between forms often results in the loss of usable energy through the production of heat.

Competencies

 * K-2
 * 3-4
 * 5-7