Grade 5 Science NJSLS Standards

Ethics and Culture concerns the profound effects that technologies have on people, how those effects can widen or narrow disparities, and the responsibility that people have for the societal consequences of their technological decisions.

Many of engineering and technology’s impacts on society and the environment are widely regarded as desirable. However, other impacts are regarded as less desirable. Effects of Technology on the Natural World concerns the positive and negative ways that technologies affect the natural world.

Human population, patterns and movement focus on the size, composition, distribution, and movement of human populations and how they are fundamental and active features on Earth’s surface. This includes understanding that the expansion and redistribution of the human population affects patterns of settlement, environmental changes, and resource use. Patterns and movements of population also relate to physical phenomena including climate variability, landforms, and locations of various natural hazards and their effects on population size, composition, and distribution.

Societies influence technological development. Societies are characterized by common elements such as shared values, differentiated roles, and cultural norms, as well as by entities such as community institutions, organizations, and businesses. Interaction of Technology and Humans concerns the ways society drives the improvement and creation of new technologies, and how technologies both serve and change society.

People design for enjoyment and to solve problems, extend human capabilities, satisfy needs and wants, and improve the human condition. Engineering Design, a systematic approach to creating solutions to technological problems and finding ways to meet people’s needs and desires, allows for the effective and efficient development of products and systems.

An algorithm is a sequence of steps designed to accomplish a specific task. Algorithms are translated into programs, or code, to provide instructions for computing devices. Algorithms and programming control all computing systems, empowering people to communicate with the world in new ways and solve compelling problems.

Computing systems exist to process data. The amount of digital data generated in the world is rapidly expanding, so the need to process data effectively is increasingly important. Data is collected and stored so that it can be analyzed to better understand the world and make more accurate predictions.

Computing affects many aspects of the world in both positive and negative ways at local, national, and global levels. Individuals and communities influence computing through their behaviors and cultural and social interactions, and, in turn, computing influences new cultural practices.

Computing devices typically do not operate in isolation. Networks connect computing devices to share information and resources and are an increasingly integral part of computing. Networks and communication systems provide greater connectivity in the computing world.

People interact with a wide variety of computing devices that collect, store, analyze, and act upon information in ways that can affect human capabilities both positively and negatively. The physical components (hardware) and instructions (software) that make up a computing system communicate and process information in digital form.

Algorithms & Programming

Individuals develop and follow directions as part of daily life. A sequence of steps can be expressed as an algorithm that a computer can process.

Real world information can be stored and manipulated in programs as data (e.g., numbers, words, colors, images).

Computers follow precise sequences of steps that automate tasks.

Complex tasks can be broken down into simpler instructions, some of which can be broken down even further.

People work together to develop programs for a purpose, such as expressing ideas or addressing problems.The development of a program involves identifying a sequence of events, goals, and expected outcomes, and addressing errors (when necessary).

Computing Systems

Individuals use computing devices to perform a variety of tasks accurately and quickly. Computing devices interpret and follow the instructions they are given literally.

A computing system is composed of software and hardware.

Describing a problem is the first step toward finding a solution when computing systems do not work as expected.

Data & Analysis

Individuals collect, use, and display data about individuals and the world around them.

Computers store data that can be retrieved later. Data can be copied, stored in multiple locations, and retrieved.

Data can be used to make predictions about the world.

Ethics & Culture

The availability of technology for essential tasks varies in different parts of the world.

Engineering Design

Engineering design is a creative process for meeting human needs or wants that can result in multiple solutions.

Limitations (constraints) must be considered when engineering designs.

Effects of Technology on the Natural World

The use of technology developed for the human designed world can affect the environment, including land, water, air, plants, and animals.Technologies that use natural sources can have negative effects on the environment, its quality, and inhabitants.Reusing and recycling materials can save money while preserving natural resources and avoiding damage to the environment.

Impacts of Computing

Computing technology has positively and negatively changed the way individuals live and work (e.g., entertainment, communication, productivity tools).

Interaction of Technology and Humans

Human needs and desires determine which new tools are developed.

Technology has changed the way people live and work.Various tools can improve daily tasks and quality of life.

Networks and the Internet

Computer networks can be used to connect individuals to other individuals, places, information, and ideas. The Internet enables individuals to connect with others worldwide.

Connecting devices to a network or the Internet provides great benefits, but care must be taken to use authentication measures, such as strong passwords, to protect devices and information from unauthorized access.

Nature of Technology

Innovation and the improvement of existing technology involves creative thinking.

Model daily processes by creating and following algorithms to complete tasks.

Model the way programs store and manipulate data by using numbers or other symbols to represent information.

Create programs with sequences and simple loops to accomplish tasks.

Break down a task into a sequence of steps.

Describe a program’s sequence of events, goals, and expected outcomes.

Debug errors in an algorithm or program that includes sequences and simple loops.

Select and operate computing devices that perform a variety of tasks accurately and quickly based on user needs and preferences.

Explain the functions of common software and hardware components of computing systems

Describe basic hardware and software problems using accurate terminology

Collect and present data, including climate change data, in various visual formats.

Store, copy, search, retrieve, modify, and delete data using a computing device.

Identify and describe patterns in data visualizations

Make predictions based on data using charts or graphs.

Compare how individuals live and work before and after the implementation of new computing technology.

Model and describe how individuals use computers to connect to other individuals, places, information, and ideas through a network.

Describe how the Internet enables individuals to connect with others worldwide.

Create a password that secures access to a device. Explain why it is important to create unique passwords that are not shared with others.

Create a password that secures access to a device. Explain why it is important to create unique passwords that are not shared with others.

Identify and compare technology used in different schools, communities, regions, and parts of the world.

Communicate the function of a product or device.

Collaborate to solve a simple problem, or to illustrate how to build a product using the design process.

Select and use appropriate tools and materials to build a product using the design process.

Identify constraints and their role in the engineering design process.

Classify products as resulting from nature or produced as a result of technology.

Identify the natural resources needed to create a product.

Describe or model the system used for recycling technology.

Explain how the disposal of or reusing a product affects the local and global environment.

Identify products that are designed to meet human wants or needs.

Explain the purpose of a product and its value.

Identify how technology impacts or improves life.

Identify how various tools reduce work and improve daily tasks.

Design a solution to a problem affecting the community in a collaborative team and explain the intended impact of the solution.

Model and explain how a product works after taking it apart, identifying the relationship of each part, and putting it back together.

Brainstorm how to build a product, improve a designed product, fix a product that has stopped working, or solve a simple problem.

Ethics and Culture concerns the profound effects that technologies have on people, how those effects can widen or narrow disparities, and the responsibility that people have for the societal consequences of their technological decisions.

Many of engineering and technology’s impacts on society and the environment are widely regarded as desirable. However, other impacts are regarded as less desirable. Effects of Technology on the Natural World concerns the positive and negative ways that technologies affect the natural world.

Human population, patterns and movement focus on the size, composition, distribution, and movement of human populations and how they are fundamental and active features on Earth’s surface. This includes understanding that the expansion and redistribution of the human population affects patterns of settlement, environmental changes, and resource use. Patterns and movements of population also relate to physical phenomena including climate variability, landforms, and locations of various natural hazards and their effects on population size, composition, and distribution.

Societies influence technological development. Societies are characterized by common elements such as shared values, differentiated roles, and cultural norms, as well as by entities such as community institutions, organizations, and businesses. Interaction of Technology and Humans concerns the ways society drives the improvement and creation of new technologies, and how technologies both serve and change society.

People design for enjoyment and to solve problems, extend human capabilities, satisfy needs and wants, and improve the human condition. Engineering Design, a systematic approach to creating solutions to technological problems and finding ways to meet people’s needs and desires, allows for the effective and efficient development of products and systems.

An algorithm is a sequence of steps designed to accomplish a specific task. Algorithms are translated into programs, or code, to provide instructions for computing devices. Algorithms and programming control all computing systems, empowering people to communicate with the world in new ways and solve compelling problems.

Computing systems exist to process data. The amount of digital data generated in the world is rapidly expanding, so the need to process data effectively is increasingly important. Data is collected and stored so that it can be analyzed to better understand the world and make more accurate predictions.

Computing affects many aspects of the world in both positive and negative ways at local, national, and global levels. Individuals and communities influence computing through their behaviors and cultural and social interactions, and, in turn, computing influences new cultural practices.

Computing devices typically do not operate in isolation. Networks connect computing devices to share information and resources and are an increasingly integral part of computing. Networks and communication systems provide greater connectivity in the computing world.

People interact with a wide variety of computing devices that collect, store, analyze, and act upon information in ways that can affect human capabilities both positively and negatively. The physical components (hardware) and instructions (software) that make up a computing system communicate and process information in digital form.

Algorithms & Programming

Different algorithms can achieve the same result.Some algorithms are more appropriate for a specific use than others.

Programming languages provide variables, which are used to store and modify data.

A variety of control structures are used to change the flow of program execution (e.g., sequences, events, loops, conditionals).

Programs can be broken down into smaller parts to facilitate their design, implementation, and review. Programs can also be created by incorporating smaller portions of programs that already exist.

Individuals develop programs using an iterative process involving design, implementation, testing, and review.

Computing Systems

Computing devices may be connected to other devices to form a system as a way to extend their capabilities.

Software and hardware work together as a system to accomplish tasks (e.g., sending, receiving, processing, and storing units of information).

Shared features allow for common troubleshooting strategies that can be effective for many systems.

Data & Analysis

Data can be organized, displayed, and presented to highlight relationships

The type of data being stored affects the storage requirements.

Individuals can select, organize, and transform data into different visual representations and communicate insights gained from the data.

Many factors influence the accuracy of inferences and predictions.

Ethics & Culture

Technological choices and opportunities vary due to factors such as differences in economic resources, location, and cultural values.

Engineering Design

Engineering design is a systematic and creative process of communicating and collaborating to meet a design challenge.Often, several design solutions exist, each better in some way than the others.

Engineering design requirements include desired features and limitations that need to be considered.

Effects of Technology on the Natural World

The technology developed for the human designed world can have unintended consequences for the environment.Technology must be continually developed and made more efficient to reduce the need for nonrenewable resources.

Impacts of Computing

The development and modification of computing technology is driven by people’s needs and wants and can affect individuals differently.

Interaction of Technology and Humans

Societal needs and wants determine which new tools are developed to address real-world problems.

A new tool may have favorable or unfavorable results as well as both positive and negative effects on society. Technology spurs new businesses and careers.

Networks and the Internet

Information needs a physical or wireless path to travel to be sent and received.

Distinguishing between public and private information is important for safe and secure online interactions.Information can be protected using various security measures (i.e., physical and digital).

Nature of Technology

Technology innovation and improvement may be influenced by a variety of factors.Engineers create and modify technologies to meet people’s needs and wants; scientists ask questions about the natural world.

Compare and refine multiple algorithms for the same task and determine which is the most appropriate.

Create programs that use clearly named variables to store and modify data.

Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals.

Break down problems into smaller, manageable sub-problems to facilitate program development.

Modify, remix, or incorporate pieces of existing programs into one’s own work to add additional features or create a new program.

Develop programs using an iterative process, implement the program design, and test the program to ensure it works as intended

Model how computing devices connect to other components to form a system.

Model how computer software and hardware work together as a system to accomplish tasks.

Identify potential solutions for simple hardware and software problems using common troubleshooting strategies.

Collect, organize, and display data in order to highlight relationships or support a claim.

Compare the amount of storage space required for different types of data.

Organize and present collected data visually to communicate insights gained from different views of the data.

Organize and present climate change data visually to highlight relationships or support a claim.

Propose cause and effect relationships, predict outcomes, or communicate ideas using data.

Identify computing technologies that have impacted how individuals live and work and describe the factors that influenced the changes.

Identify possible ways to improve the accessibility and usability of computing technologies to address the diverse needs and wants of users.

Develop models that successfully transmit and receive information using both wired and wireless methods.

Describe physical and digital security measures for protecting sensitive personal information.

Analyze how technology has contributed to or reduced inequities in local and global communities and determine its short- and long-term effects.

Explain the functions of a system and its subsystems.

Collaborate with peers to collect information, brainstorm to solve a problem, and evaluate all possible solutions to provide the best results with supporting sketches or models.

Follow step by step directions to assemble a product or solve a problem, using appropriate tools to accomplish the task.

Explain factors that influence the development and function of products and systems (e.g., resources, criteria, desired features, constraints).

Describe how specifications and limitations impact the engineering design process.

Evaluate and test alternative solutions to a problem using the constraints and trade- offs identified in the design process.

Describe how resources such as material, energy, information, time, tools, people, and capital are used in products or systems.

Describe ways that various technologies are used to reduce improper use of resources.

Explain why human-designed systems, products, and environments need to be constantly monitored, maintained, and improved.

Explain the impact that resources, such as energy and materials used to develop technology, have on the environment.

Identify the impact of a specific technology on the environment and determine what can be done to increase positive effects and to reduce any negative effects, such as climate change.

Explain how societal needs and wants influence the development and function of a product and a system.

Evaluate how well a new tool has met its intended purpose and identify any shortcomings it might have.

Analyze the effectiveness of a new product or system and identify the positive and/or negative consequences resulting from its use.

Describe a technology/tool that has made the way people live easier or has led to a new business or career.

Troubleshoot a product that has stopped working and brainstorm ideas to correct the problem.

Identify new technologies resulting from the demands, values, and interests of individuals, businesses, industries, and societies.

Redesign an existing product for a different purpose in a collaborative team.

Identify how improvement in the understanding of materials science impacts technologies.

Engineering Design

Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Earth's Place in the Universe

Support an argument that differences in the apparent brightness of the sun compared to other stars is due to their relative distances from Earth.

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.

Earth's Systems

Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.

Describe and graph the amounts of salt water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.

Earth and Human Activity

Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources, environment, and address climate change issues.

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

Matter and its Interactions

Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.

Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved.

Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.

Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.

Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.

Energy

Use models to describe that energy in animals' food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.