Boss Battle-Description

Patterns: Observed patterns in nature guide organization and classification and prompt questions about relationships and causes underlying them. (Do you see any patterns in what you read to the real world or to other science topics?)

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I can observe patterns in the natural and human designed world, use them to describe phenomena, and as evidence.	I can see similarities and differences in patterns and use them to sort, classify, communicate and analyze simple rates of change for natural phenomena and designed products.   I can use patterns of change to make predictions.   I can use patterns as evidence to support an explanation.	I can explain how macroscopic patterns are related to the nature of microscopic and atomic-level structure.   I can use patterns in rates of change and other numerical relationships to provide information about natural and human designed systems.   I can use patterns to identify cause and effect relationships.   I can use graphs, charts, and images to identify patterns in data.

Cause and Effect: Mechanism and Prediction: Events have causes, sometimes simple, sometimes multifaceted. Deciphering causal relationships, and the mechanisms by which they are mediated, is a major activity of science and engineering. (Do you see variables that you could test?  Does one variable cause an effect on the other variable?)

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I notice how events have causes that generate observable patterns.   I can design a simple test that can be used to gather evidence to support or refute my ideas about causes.	I can routinely identify and test cause and effect relationships and use them to explain change.   I can explain how events that occur together with regularity might or might not be a cause and effect relationship.	I can classify relationships as causal or correlational, and explain how correlation does not necessarily imply causation.   I can use cause and effect relationships to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.   I can explain how phenomena may have more than one cause, and determine why some cause and effect relationships  in systems can only be described using probability.

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity: In considering phenomena, it is critical to recognize what is relevant at different size, time, and energy scales, and to recognize proportional relationships between different quantities as scales change. (If you changed the variables to a different size, amount of time, or energy, would there be a proportional change to another variable?)

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I use relative scales to compare and describe objects and events (e.g., bigger and smaller; hotter and colder; faster and slower). I can use standard units to measure length.	I can demonstrate my understanding that natural objects and/or observable phenomena exist from the very small to the immensely large or from very short to very long time periods. I can use standard units to measure and describe physical quantities such as weight, time, temperature, and volume	I understand that time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed at various scales using models to study systems that are too large or too small.   I can explain how the observed function of natural and designed systems may change with scale.   I can use proportional relationships (e.g., speed as the ratio of distance traveled to time taken) among different types of quantities to provide information about the magnitude of properties and processes.   I can represent scientific relationships through the use of algebraic expressions and equations. I can demonstrate that phenomena that can be observed at one scale may not be observable at another scale.

Systems and System Models: A system is an organized group of related objects or components; models can be used for understanding and predicting the behavior of systems (Could you design a system or use a current system to predict changes or design a solution to a current societal need or want?)

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I can describe objects and organisms in terms of their parts.   I can illustrate how systems in the natural and designed world have parts that work together	I can illustrate different systems as a groups of related parts that make up a whole and can carry out functions its individual parts cannot. I can describe a system in terms of its components and their interactions.	I can explain how systems may interact with other systems; they may have sub-systems and be a part of larger complex systems.   I can use models to represent systems and their interactions—such as inputs, processes and outputs—and energy, matter, and information flows within systems. I can explain how models are limited in that they only represent certain aspects of the system under study.

Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation: Tracking energy and matter flows, into, out of, and within systems helps one understand their system’s behavior. (If you were to track how the energy transferred or how the matter changed, could it help you understand how a system works or make any new conclusions?)

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I can explain that objects may break into smaller pieces, be put together into larger pieces, or change shapes.	I can describe matter I can track matter through different processes, and explain how this relates to conservation of matter. I can explain how matter is transported into, out of, and within systems.   I can explain how energy can be transferred in various ways and between objects.	I can explain how matter (and its components) is conserved in physical and chemical processes.   I can illustrate natural and designed systems that show how the transfer of energy drives the motion and/or cycling of matter.   I can explain different forms of energy (e.g. energy in fields, thermal energy, energy of motion). I can track the transfer of energy as energy flows through a designed or natural system.

Structure and Function: The way an object is shaped or structured determines many of its properties and functions. (Can you see any way that the structures are shaped relate to the job they have to do or the way they behave?)

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I can explain how the shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their function(s).	I can explain that different materials have different substructures, which can sometimes be observed.   I can give examples of the different shapes and parts of substructures  that serve specific functions	I can visualize and model complex and microscopic structures and systems and use them to describe how their function depends on the shapes, composition, and relationships among its parts. I can analyze complex natural and designed structures/systems to determine how they function.   I can design structures to serve particular functions by taking into account properties of different materials, and how materials can be shaped and used.

Stability and Change: For both designed and natural systems, conditions that affect stability and factors that control rates of change are critical elements to consider and understand. (Can you see a way that a system is working to reach stability?  Or, can you see how changes to a system can affect the stability of a system?)

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I can explain how some things stay the same while other things change.   I understand that things may change slowly or rapidly.	I can measure change in terms of differences over time and can explain that change may occur at different rates.   I can illustrate how some systems appear stable, but over long periods of time will eventually change.	I can construct explanations of stability and change in natural or designed systems by examining the changes over time and forces at different scales, including the atomic scale.   I can demonstrate how small changes in one part of a system might cause large changes in another part.   I can give varied examples of how stability might be disturbed either by sudden events or gradual changes that accumulate over time.   I can exemplify  how systems in dynamic equilibrium are stable due to a balance of feedback mechanisms.