WISCONSIN STANDARDS FOR
Science
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Carolyn Stanford Taylor, State Superintendent
Madison, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Standards for Science ii
This publication is available from:
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
125 South Webster Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-8960
http://dpi.wi.gov/science
November 2017 Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, creed, age, national origin,
ancestry, pregnancy, marital status or parental status, sexual orientation, or ability and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America
and other designated youth groups.
Wisconsin Standards for Science iii
Table of Contents
Foreword ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... v
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... vi
Section I: Wisconsin’s Approach to Academic Standards ........................................................................................................................... 1
Purpose of the Document ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2
What Are Academic Standards? .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Relating the Academic Standards to All Students ......................................................................................................................... 4
Ensuring a Process for Student Success ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Section II: Wisconsin Standards for Science ...................................................................................................................................................... 7
What is Science Education? .................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Science Education in Wisconsin .......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Standards Structure ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Section III: Standards .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Crosscutting Concepts .......................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Science and Engineering Practices .................................................................................................................................................... 26
Disciplinary Core Idea: Life Science ................................................................................................................................................... 49
Disciplinary Core Idea: Physical Science .......................................................................................................................................... 63
Disciplinary Core Idea: Earth and Space Science .......................................................................................................................... 78
Disciplinary Core Idea: Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science (ETS) ................................................ 89
Section IV: Disciplinary Literacy: Literacy for Learning in Science ............................................................................................................. 103
What is Disciplinary Literacy? .............................................................................................................................................................. 104
Why is Disciplinary Literacy Important? .......................................................................................................................................... 104
Wisconsin Foundations for Disciplinary Literacy ......................................................................................................................... 106
What Research and Resources Are Available? .............................................................................................................................. 117
Wisconsin Standards for Science iv
Foreword
On November 13, 2017, I formally adopted the Wisconsin Standards for Science. This revised set of
academic standards provides a foundational framework that identifies what students should know and
be able to do in science.
The adoption of the Wisconsin Standards for Science was part of a concerted effort led by Wisconsin
educators and stakeholders who shared their expertise in science and teaching from kindergarten
through higher education. The public and legislature provided feedback for the writing committee to
consider as part of Wisconsin’s Academic Standards review and revision process.
Science is an essential part of a comprehensive PK-12 education for all students. The knowledge, techniques, and citizenry skills
gained through science education in Wisconsin schools support the overall goal of helping all students become college and
career ready. Scientific literacy is a critical element of being able to make sense of the world around us, including the abundant
information shared in our ever-changing world.
The knowledge and skills described provide a framework with actionable indicators for science classroom experiences. The key
goal of the standards is for students make sense of phenomena and solve problems using scientific content understanding,
practices, and ways of thinking. Teaching content for the purpose of “covering” a set range of topics is not the intent of these
standards; instead, as research suggests, students should be learning scientific ideas through deeply exploring scientific
phenomena and solving culturally relevant, local problems.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will continue to build on this work to support implementation of the standards
with resources for the field. I am excited to share the Wisconsin Standards for Science, which aim to build science skills,
knowledge, ways of thinking, and engagement opportunities for all Wisconsin students.
Tony Evers, PhD
State Superintendent
Wisconsin Standards for Science v
Acknowledgements
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) wishes to acknowledge the ongoing work, commitment, and various
contributions of individuals to revise our state’s academic standards for science. Thank you to the State Superintendent’s
Standards Review Council for their work and guidance through the standards process. A special thanks to the Science Writing
Committee for taking on this important project that will shape the classrooms of today and tomorrow. Thanks to the many staff
members across the division and other teams at DPI who have contributed their time and talent to this project. Finally, a special
thanks to Wisconsin educators, businesspeople, parents, and citizens who provided comment and feedback to drafts of these
standards.
Wisconsin Standards for Science Writing Team
Co-Chairs: Eric Brunsell, Associate Professor, UW–Oshkosh; Chief Operations Officer, WI Society of Science Teachers
Christine Pratt, Coordinator of Science, Kenosha Unified SD
DPI Liaison: Kevin J. B. Anderson, Science Education Consultant, Teaching and Learning
Sarah Adumat
Oshkosh Area SD
David Bergerson
WI Rapids Public Schools
Tony Borden
Lakeland Union HS
Juan Botella
Monona Grove HS
Kathy Cady
Winneconne HS
Faith Fitzpatrick
USGS Water Sciences
Becca Franzen
UW-Stevens Point
Jay Garvey Shah
Sun Prairie SD
Adam Keeton
Eau Claire Area SD
Ryan King
Waunakee Area SD
Annie Kotenberg
Oshkosh Corporation
Mike LeDocq
Western Technical College
Karen Mesmer
Independent Consultant
Emily Miller
UW–Madison
Kevin Niemi
UW–Madison and WSST
Dennis Rohr
Seymour SD and WESTA
Rochelle Sandrin
Milwaukee Public Schools
Kaleb Santy
Pulaski SD
Patti Schaefer
Madison Metropolitan SD
Hope Schultz
Promega
Robert Shannon
Edgewood HS
Jennifer Wilfrid
WCER and WIDA
Wisconsin Standards for Science vi
Department of Public Instruction, Academic Standards
• John W. Johnson, Director, Literacy and Mathematics, and Director for Academic Standards
• Meri Annin, Lead Visual Communications Designer
• Marci Glaus, Strategic Communications Consultant
• David McHugh, Strategic Planning and Professional Learning Consultant
Department of Public Instruction Leaders
• Sheila Briggs, Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Academic Excellence
• Emilie Amundson, Chief of Staff, Office of the State Superintendent
• Scott Jones, Special Assistant, Office of the State Superintendent
Section I
Wisconsin’s Approach to Academic Standards
Wisconsin Standards for Science 2
Purpose of the Document
The purpose of this guide is to improve science education for students and for communities. The Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction (DPI) has developed standards to assist Wisconsin educators and stakeholders in understanding, developing, and
implementing science course offerings and curriculum in school districts across Wisconsin.
This publication provides a vision for student success and follows The Guiding Principles for Teaching and Learning (2011). In brief,
the principles are:
1. Every student has the right to learn.
2. Instruction must be rigorous and relevant.
3. Purposeful assessment drives instruction and affects learning.
4. Learning is a collaborative responsibility.
5. Students bring strengths and experiences to learning.
6. Responsive environments engage learners.
Program leaders will find the guide valuable for making decisions about:
• Program structure and integration
• Curriculum redesign
• Staffing and staff development
• Scheduling and student grouping
• Facility organization
• Learning spaces and materials development
• Resource allocation and accountability
• Collaborative work with other units of the school, district, and community
Wisconsin Standards for Science 3
What Are the Academic Standards?
Wisconsin Academic Standards specify what students should know and be able to do in the classroom. They serve as goals for
teaching and learning. Setting high standards enables students, parents, educators, and citizens to know what students should
have learned at a given point in time. In Wisconsin, all state standards serve as a model. Locally elected school boards adopt
academic standards in each subject area to best serve their local communities. We must ensure that all children have equal
access to high-quality education programs. Clear statements about what students must know and be able to do are essential in
making sure our schools offer opportunities to get the knowledge and skills necessary for success beyond the classroom.
Adopting these standards is voluntary. Districts may use the academic standards as guides for developing local grade-by-grade
level curriculum. Implementing standards may require some school districts to upgrade school and district curriculums. This may
result in changes in instructional methods and materials, local assessments, and professional development opportunities for the
teaching and administrative staff.
What Is the Difference Between Academic Standards and Curriculum?
Standards are statements about what students should know and be able to do, what they might be asked to do to give evidence
of learning, and how well they should be expected to know or do it. Curriculum is the program devised by local school districts
used to prepare students to meet standards. It consists of activities and lessons at each grade level, instructional materials, and
various instructional techniques. In short, standards define what is to be learned at certain points in time, and from a broad
perspective, what performances will be accepted as evidence that the learning has occurred. Curriculum specifies the details of
the day-to-day schooling at the local level.
Developing the Academic Standards
DPI has a transparent and comprehensive process for reviewing and revising academic standards. The process begins with a
notice of intent to review an academic area with a public comment period. The State Superintendent’s Standards Review Council
examines those comments and may recommend revision or development of standards in that academic area. The state
superintendent authorizes whether or not to pursue a revision or development process. Following this, a state writing
committee is formed to work on those standards for all grade levels. That draft is then made available for open review to get
feedback from the public, key stakeholders, educators, and the Legislature with further review by the State Superintendent’s
Standards Review Council. The state superintendent then determines adoption of the standards.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 4
Aligning for Student Success
To build and sustain schools that support every student in achieving success, educators must work together with families,
community members, and business partners to connect the most promising practices to the most meaningful contexts. The
release of the Wisconsin Standards for Science provides a set of important academic standards for school districts to implement.
This is connected to a larger vision of every child graduating college, career, and community ready. The graphic below illustrates
the relationship between academic standards and other critical principles and efforts that function together to educate every
child to graduate future ready. Here, the vision and set of Guiding Principles form the foundation for building a supportive
process for teaching and learning rigorous and relevant content. The following sections articulate this integrated approach to
increasing student success in Wisconsin schools and communities.
Relating the Academic Standards to All Students
Grade-level standards should allow ALL students to engage, access, and be assessed in ways that fit their strengths, needs, and
interests. This applies to the achievement of students with IEPs (individualized education plans), English learners, and gifted and
talented pupils, consistent with all other students. Academic standards serve as the foundation for individualized programming
decisions for all students.
Academic standards serve as a valuable basis for establishing concrete, meaningful goals as part of each student’s developmental
progress and demonstration of proficiency. Students with IEPs must be provided specially designed instruction that meets their
individual needs. It is expected that each individual student with an IEP will require unique services and supports matched to
their strengths and needs in order to close achievement gaps in grade-level standards. Alternate standards are only available for
students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
Gifted and talented students may achieve well beyond the academic standards and move into advanced grade levels or into
advanced coursework.
Our Vision: Every Child a Graduate, College and Career Ready
We are committed to ensuring every child graduates from high school academically prepared and socially and emotionally
competent. A successful Wisconsin student is proficient in academic content and can apply their knowledge through skills such
as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. The successful student will also possess critical habits such as
perseverance, responsibility, adaptability, and leadership. This vision for every child as a college, career, and community ready
graduate guides our beliefs and approaches to education in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 5
Guided by Principles
All educational initiatives are guided and impacted by important and often unstated attitudes or principles for teaching and
learning. The Guiding Principles for Teaching and Learning (2011) emerge from research and provide the touchstone for practices
that truly affect the vision of Every Child a Graduate Prepared for College and Career. When made transparent, these principles
inform what happens in the classroom, direct the implementation and evaluation of programs, and most importantly, remind us
of our own beliefs and expectations for students.
Ensuring a Process for Student Success
For Wisconsin schools and districts, implementing the Framework for
Equitable Multi-Level Systems of Supports (2017) means providing equitable
services, practices, and resources to every learner based upon
responsiveness to effective instruction and intervention. In this system,
high-quality instruction, strategic use of data, and collaboration interact
within a continuum of supports to facilitate learner success. Schools provide
varying types of supports with differing levels of intensity to proactively
and responsibly adjust to the needs of the whole child. These include the
knowledge, skills, and habits learners need for success beyond high school,
including developmental, academic, behavioral, social, and emotional skills.
Connecting to Content: Wisconsin Academic Standards
Within this vision for increased student success, rigorous, internationally
benchmarked academic standards provide the content for high-quality
curriculum and instruction and for a strategic assessment system aligned to those standards. With the adoption of the standards,
Wisconsin has the tools to design curriculum, instruction, and assessments to maximize student learning. The standards
articulate what we teach so that educators can focus on how instruction can best meet the needs of each student. When
implemented within an equitable multi-level system of support, the standards can help to ensure that every child will graduate
college and career ready.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 6
References
The Guiding Principles for Teaching and Learning. 2011. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved from
https://dpi.wi.gov/standards/guiding-principles.
Framework for Equitable Multi-Level Systems of Supports. 2017. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Retrieved from https://dpi.wi.gov/rti.
Section II
Wisconsin Standards for Science
What is Science Education?
Wisconsin defines science as an academic discipline encompassing the study of the natural world. Our science standards also
include engineering applications, where science understanding informs problem solving and design thinking within the human-
built world. Engineering ideas encompass the interactions of science, technology, and society. The standards outlined here
provide an important foundation to prepare students for post-secondary education, careers, and community involvement.
Science Education in Wisconsin
Science drives job growth and innovation throughout the economy and society. Demand for healthcare and other science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) based careers exceed other occupation categories, and this growth is
projected to continue. The need for science education integrated with design thinking is increasing because all students will need
some foundational knowledge in science and engineering to be future-ready problem solvers, regardless of their occupational
path. Being competent citizens in a world of abundant information (and misinformation) requires strong scientific thinking skills.
At the elementary level, science content and concepts can be integrated throughout the curriculum, but these standards require
that students also have opportunities to engage in rigorous scientific investigation and argumentation from evidence. Teachers
can effectively use science concepts and practices in instruction to develop foundational skills for secondary science. Research
suggests that significant aspects of a scientific or STEM identity are formed by the end of the elementary years, making effective
instruction through these grade levels critical (Archer, et al., 2010).
Wisconsin’s Vision for Science
The Wisconsin vision for science learning is shaped by Wisconsin practitioners and experts, and is informed by work at the
national level and in other states. The overarching goal for science is to work together to create a scientifically literate populace.
Wisconsin’s vision for K-12 science learning states that:
“[By] the end of 12th grade, all students have some appreciation of the beauty and wonder of science; possess sufficient
knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on related issues; are careful consumers of
scientific and technological information related to their everyday lives; are able to continue to learn about science
outside school; and have the skills to enter careers of their choice, including (but not limited to) careers in science,
Wisconsin Standards for Science 9
engineering, and technology” (National Research Council, 2012).
Wisconsin’s Approach to Academic Standards for Science
With the release of the Wisconsin Standards for Science, Wisconsin science teachers have access to the foundational knowledge
and skills needed to educate students for college, career, and community readiness. Vetted by industry and education
professionals, these academic standards guide Wisconsin schools, teachers, and community partners toward development and
continuous improvement of world-class science courses.
Our standards are built from the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next
Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013). A group of national experts across science disciplines and engineering,
along with science and engineering educators, developed this framework and released it in 2012. Another group of experts,
including representatives of 26 states, took that framework and developed the NGSS. Further information about this process
can be found on the Next Generation Science Standards website. Several groups of Wisconsin educators provided feedback on
multiple drafts of these standards. Based on survey data, by 2016, at least 80 percent of districts across Wisconsin had adopted
the NGSS as their science standards or were using them to inform instruction in some way.
In 2017, Wisconsin educators, higher education experts, and industry professionals gathered to create the Wisconsin Standards
for Science (WSS), heavily using these national documents. Notably, while some wording changes were made here and there for
clarity, the core aspects of the WSS and the NGSS are the same. Districts can choose to solely use the NGSS in place of the WSS
and expect that students will be well-prepared for the Wisconsin Forward Exam.
Like the NGSS, the Wisconsin Standards for Science include three main dimensions:
• Crosscutting Concepts — big ideas of science that provide lenses for viewing phenomena and understanding problems in
the world around us, and which apply across all areas of science and engineering;
• Science and Engineering Practices — the skills required for the work done in science; and
• Disciplinary Core Ideas — content understanding across the disciplines of life science, physical science, earth and space
science, and engineering.
Critically, these three dimensions are not meant to be taught in isolation. The standards are formed as instruction and learning
integrate them into “three-dimensional learning” that requires students to use all three to make sense of phenomena and solve
relevant problems.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 10
The Wisconsin Standards for Science may be taught through a variety of classes and experiences. Each district, school, and
program area should determine the means by which students meet these standards. The Forward Exam at grades 4 and 8, ACT
Aspire at grades 9 and 10, and the ACT + Writing at grade 11 all provide useful large-scale information about learning related to
these standards. Classroom and school or department-level assessments connected to these standards are other important
aspects of the strategic assessment system that should be in place to fully gauge students’ science learning and support
individual students.
Standards Structure
All new Wisconsin standards are formatted from a common template to support educators in reading and interpreting them. The
specific discipline is stated at the top of each template. In the case of the science standards, there are three sections
(dimensions): crosscutting concept standards, science and engineering practice standards, and disciplinary core ideas (science
and engineering content). The three sections are color coded. Crosscutting concept standards are in green. Science and
engineering practice standards are in blue. Content standards are in orange. Every series of lessons should integrate these three
dimensions; they should not be taught or assessed in isolation.
Structure, Development, and Language of the Science Content Standards
The science content standards are further divided into disciplinary core ideas in life science (LS); physical science (PS); earth and
space science (ESS); and engineering, technology, and science applications (ETS). The figure below shows a sample standard from
the life science content area:
The code, “Standard SCI.LS1” is translated as follows: Science.Life Science Content Area Standard 1 — which pertains to the
content area of structures and processes.
The standards statements for content (disciplinary core ideas), practices, and crosscutting concepts are based on the
foundational phrase, “Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of content to
make sense of phenomena and solve problems.” Depending on the standard, the specific crosscutting concept, practice, or
Wisconsin Standards for Science 11
content topic will appear in bold. In this case, the content of “structures and processes (on a scale from molecules to organisms),”
is italicized as it is the focus of the following section (LS1).
These standards statements emphasize students should be engaging in three-dimensional science learning from kindergarten
through grade 12, meaning they learn the content by engaging in the scientific and engineering practices while using the
perspectives of the crosscutting concepts to think like scientists.
Each content standard statement is further divided into learning priorities and performance indicators. In the figure below, the
code SCI.LS1.A refers to learning priority A of life science standard statement 1. Each standard statement has from 1-5 learning
priorities, which are subareas of the overarching content, practice, or crosscutting concept on the page. The performance
indicators provide a learning progression from grade band to grade band for each learning priority. Notably, these disciplinary
core ideas statements only become “performance indicators” when placed in the context of the standards statement at the top
of each page: “Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of [insert content] to
make sense of phenomena and solve problems.” Each performance indicator is associated with a suggested grade level within the
elementary school grade bands; the code for the performance indicator notes the appropriate grade level at the end. For
example, SCI.LS1.A.1 refers to the developmentally appropriate understanding of structure and function for the K-2 grade band,
and it is suggested that
this content be learned in
grade 1. These grade
levels are recommended
to support consistency
across the state, state
standardized assessment
preparation, and student
transfers between
districts. With local
control, districts can
assign performance
indicators to elementary
grade levels that best fit
their needs.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 12
Performance indicators for the middle school and high school grade bands are not associated with suggested grade levels, so the
grade level codes for these grade bands are “m” for middle school and “h” for high school. Some districts may choose an
integrated course format while others may choose to organize classes by discipline. There is not a recommended method.
Appendix K of the Next Generation Science Standards includes several ideas for structuring secondary science courses.
The high school standards include content, skills, and ways of thinking (i.e. disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering
practices, and crosscutting concepts), forming the core learning for all students. Advanced and elective science coursework
should move beyond the content noted here, though the practice and crosscutting concept standards should remain an integral
part of instruction.
It bears repeating that all standards statements have a similar structure with a blank that is filled by a specific grade level
disciplinary core idea from each learning priority. The performance indicators should be read as appropriately filling in the
overarching standards statement at the beginning of each section. For example, performance indicator SCI.LS1.A.1 can be read
as “Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding that all organisms have
external parts that they use to perform daily functions to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.” When considered
within this three-dimensional framework, performance indicators provide a measurable component(s) for educators to use in
assessing student learning.
Some learning priorities boxes are intentionally left blank where it is not developmentally appropriate to teach a particular
science topic at that grade level.
It is important to note that there are no performance indicators listed for Four-Year-Old Kindergarten (4K). Our committee
suggests that educators use the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards to guide their work as they take advantage of the
natural connections to science that come up daily in an effective 4K experience. Some suggestions for 4K teachers include
supporting student experiences by encouraging students to ask questions and make observations as they play. 4K classes in
which teachers ask, “What did you notice?” “What do you wonder?” “What does this remind you of?” and “What does it feel like,
sound like, smell like, taste like, look like?” are more likely to come alive with authentic exploration. Such exploration and
wondering allows young children opportunities to figure things out and develop their own explanations as they interact with
their world.
As stated earlier, these standards are designed to encourage instruction and learning that is “three-dimensional,” i.e., includes
content taught through engagement in science and engineering practices in the context of crosscutting concepts. This three
dimensionality is a new means of doing business in the world of science education. The standards documents include
performance indicators that are provided as examples of ways to weave together particular content, practices, and modes of
Wisconsin Standards for Science 13
thinking for the purpose of assessing student learning in a three-dimensional context. With the exception of the ETS3 standards,
which were developed in Wisconsin, these example performance indicators come from the Next Generation Science Standards.
While these performance indicators provide guidance for the development of the 4th and 8th grade Forward Exam, they are not
meant to dictate curriculum and instruction. That development process should be guided by local leaders discussing how to best
connect the three dimensions based on local instructional preferences and students’ needs. Groups of science educators may
wish to create their own three-dimensional performance indicators. See the figure below for the K-2 LS1 examples.
The statements are coded to indicate grade levels and the associated content standard. For example, the performance indicator
K-LS1-1 was created as an example of a kindergarten (K) indicator associated with standard LS1. To assist in labeling and
communication, the number at the end specifies that this is kindergarten sample performance indicator number 1.
Structure, Development, and Language of the Crosscutting Concepts Standards
There are seven crosscutting concepts standards built from Appendix G of the Next Generation Science Standards. These
crosscutting concepts are lenses through which scientists and engineers view phenomena and problems. Thus, they should form
the basis for the types of questions students ask and the analysis students do as they engage in authentic professional practice to
understand core science ideas. The standards page starts with a foundational, three-dimensional phrase, and each performance
indicator should be imbedded into this phrase. For instance, the example below states, “Students use science and engineering
practices, disciplinary core ideas, and patterns to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.” For a K-2 teacher, they would
further put their specific crosscutting concept statement into this sentence, so it would read, “Students use science and
engineering practices and disciplinary core ideas to recognize that patterns in the natural and human designed world can be
observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence. Therefore, every performance indicator statement in each grade
band would be read within this phrase, taking the place of the segment in bold. The coding of the crosscutting concepts
performance indicators follows the same pattern as the content standards (disciplinary core ideas), with one exception. Since the
Wisconsin Standards for Science 14
crosscutting concept (CC) standards are not divided into separate “learning priorities,” the codes have one fewer numerical part.
A sample (CC1: Patterns) is shown in the figure below.
Structure, Development, and Language of the Science and Engineering Practice Standards
There are eight science and engineering practice standards built from Appendix F of the Next Generation Science Standards. These
practice standards detail the work of scientists and engineers. They suggest the types of skills students should be using as they
learn core concepts and how to think like scientists and engineers. Each standard is further divided into learning priorities and
performance indicators. The standards page starts with a foundational, three-dimensional phrase, and each performance
indicator should be read as part of this phrase. For example, the standard below states, “Students ask questions and define
problems, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve
problems.” Like the above standards dimensions, each performance indicator statement would be read within this phrase, using
Wisconsin Standards for Science 15
the grade-level statement in place of the segment in bold. The science and engineering practices are not intended as the focus of
a stand-alone lesson or unit, but should be integrated with the other two dimensions in the course of science instruction. The
coding of the science and engineering practice standards statements, learning priorities, and performance indicators follows the
same pattern as the content standards with one exception: The performance indicators for K-2 and 3-5 are identified by grade
band and not grade level, as is done with the disciplinary core ideas. A sample is shown in the figure below.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 16
Summary: How to read the standards codes for a performance indicator
“Content areas” in this code structure include:
● LS — Life Science
● PS — Physical Science
● ESS — Earth and Space Science
● ETS — Engineering, Technology, and Society
● SEP — Science and Engineering Practices
● CC — Crosscutting Concepts
SCI.ESS1.A.1
Discipline
Content
Area
Standard
Learning
Priority
Grade
Level
Wisconsin Standards for Science 17
Standards Formatting
• Standard: Broad statement that tells what students are expected to know or be able to do
• Learning Priority: Breaks down the broad statement into smaller learning pieces
• Performance Indicator by Grade Level or Grade Band: Measurable degree to which a standard has been developed or met
References
National Research Council. 2012. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13165.
NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington DC: The National Academies Press.
Archer, L., J. Dewitt, J. Osborne, J. Dillon, B. Willis, B. Wong. 2010. “’Doing’ Science Versus ‘Being’ a Scientist: Examining 10/11-
Year-Old Schoolchildren’s Constructions of Science through the Lens of Identity.” Science Education.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/sce.20399
Section III
Science Standards
Wisconsin Standards for Science 19
Science: Crosscutting Concepts (CC) — Patterns
Standard SCI.CC1: Students use science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and patterns to make sense of
phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
CC1:
Patterns
SCI.CC1.K-2
Students recognize that
patterns in the natural and
human-designed world can
be observed, used to
describe phenomena, and
used as evidence.
SCI.CC1.3-5
Students identify
similarities and differences
in order to sort and classify
natural objects and
designed products. They
identify patterns related to
time, including simple rates
of change and cycles, and
use these patterns to make
predictions.
SCI.CC1.m
Students recognize
macroscopic patterns are
related to the nature of
microscopic and atomic-
level structure. They
identify patterns in rates of
change and other numerical
relationships that provide
information about natural
and human-designed
systems. They use patterns
to identify cause and effect
relationships and use
graphs and charts to
identify patterns in data.
SCI.CC1.h
Students observe patterns
in systems at different
scales and cite patterns as
empirical evidence for
causality in supporting their
explanations of
phenomena. They recognize
classifications or
explanations used at one
scale may not be useful or
need revision using a
different scale, thus
requiring improved
investigations and
experiments. They use
mathematical
representations to identify
and analyze patterns of
performance in order to
reengineer a designed
system.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 20
Science: Crosscutting Concepts (CC) — Cause and Effect
Standard SCI.CC2: Students use science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and cause and effect
relationships to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
CC2:
Cause and Effect
SCI.CC2.K-2
Students learn that events
have causes that generate
observable patterns. They
design simple tests to
gather evidence to support
or refute their own ideas
about causes.
SCI.CC2.3-5
Students routinely identify
and test causal
relationships and use these
relationships to explain
change. They understand
events that occur together
with regularity may or may
not signify a cause-and-
effect relationship.
SCI.CC2.m
Students classify
relationships as causal or
correlational, and recognize
correlation does not
necessarily imply causation.
They use cause and effect
relationships to predict
phenomena in natural or
designed systems. They also
understand that
phenomena may have more
than one cause, and some
cause-and-effect
relationships in systems can
only be explained using
probability.
SCI.CC2.h
Students understand
empirical evidence is
required to differentiate
between cause and
correlation and to make
claims about specific causes
and effects. They suggest
cause and effect
relationships to explain and
predict behaviors in
complex natural and
designed systems. They also
propose causal
relationships by examining
what is known about
smaller scale mechanisms
within the system. They
recognize changes in
systems may have various
causes that may not have
equal effects.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 21
Science: Crosscutting Concepts (CC) — Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
Standard SCI.CC3: Students use science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and an understanding of scale,
proportion, and quantity to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
CC3:
Scale,
Proportion, and
Quantity
SCI.CC3.K-2
Students use relative scales
(e.g., bigger and smaller,
hotter and colder, faster
and slower) to describe
objects. They use standard
units to measure length.
SCI.CC3.3-5
Students recognize natural
objects and observable
phenomena exist from the
very small to the immensely
large. They use standard
units to measure and
describe physical quantities
such as mass, time,
temperature, and volume.
SCI.CC3.m
Students observe time,
space, and energy
phenomena at various
scales using models to study
systems that are too large
or too small. They
understand phenomena
observed at one scale may
not be observable at
another scale, and the
function of natural and
designed systems may
change with scale. They use
proportional relationships
(e.g., speed as the ratio of
distance traveled to time
taken) to gather
information about the
magnitude of properties
and processes. They
represent scientific
relationships through the
use of algebraic expressions
and equations.
SCI.CC3.h
Students understand the
significance of a
phenomenon is dependent
on the scale, proportion,
and quantity at which it
occurs. They recognize
patterns observable at one
scale may not be observable
or exist at other scales, and
some systems can only be
studied indirectly as they
are too small, too large, too
fast, or too slow to observe
directly. They use orders of
magnitude to understand
how a model at one scale
relates to a model at
another scale. They use
algebraic thinking to
examine scientific data and
predict the effect of a
change in one variable on
another (e.g., linear growth
vs. exponential growth).
Wisconsin Standards for Science 22
Science: Crosscutting Concepts (CC) — Systems and System Models
Standard SCI.CC4: Students use science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and an understanding of
systems and system models to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
CC4:
Systems and
System Models
SCI.CC4.K-2
Students understand
objects and organisms can
be described in terms of
their parts and that systems
in the natural and designed
world have parts that work
together.
SCI.CC4.3-5
Students understand a
system is a group of related
parts that make up a whole
and can carry out functions
its individual parts cannot.
They also describe a system
in terms of its components
and their interactions.
SCI.CC4.m
Students understand
systems may interact with
other systems: They may
have sub-systems and be a
part of larger complex
systems. They use models
to represent systems and
their interactions — such as
inputs, processes, and
outputs — and energy,
matter, and information
flows within systems. They
also learn that models are
limited in that they only
represent certain aspects of
the system under study.
SCI.CC4.h
Students investigate or
analyze a system by
defining its boundaries and
initial conditions, as well as
its inputs and outputs. They
use models (e.g., physical,
mathematical, computer
models) to simulate the
flow of energy, matter, and
interactions within and
between systems at
different scales. They also
use models and simulations
to predict the behavior of a
system and recognize that
these predictions have
limited precision and
reliability due to the
assumptions and
approximations inherent in
the models. They also
design systems to do
specific tasks.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 23
Science: Crosscutting Concepts (CC) — Energy and Matter
Standard SCI.CC5: Students use science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and an understanding of
energy and matter to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
CC5:
Energy and
Matter
SCI.CC5.K-2
Students observe objects
may break into smaller
pieces, be put together into
larger pieces, or change
shapes.
SCI.CC5.3-5
Students understand
matter is made of particles
and energy can be
transferred in various ways
and between objects.
Students observe the
conservation of matter by
tracking matter flows and
cycles before and after
processes, recognizing the
total mass of substances
does not change.
Note: In this grade band,
students are not expected to
be able to differentiate
between mass and weight.
SCI.CC5.m
Students understand
matter is conserved
because atoms are
conserved in physical and
chemical processes. They
also understand that within
a natural or designed
system the transfer of
energy drives the motion
and cycling of matter.
Energy may take different
forms (e.g. energy in fields,
thermal energy, and energy
of motion). The transfer of
energy can be tracked as
energy flows through a
designed or natural system.
SCI.CC5.h
Students understand that
the total amount of energy
and matter in closed
systems is conserved. They
describe changes of energy
and matter in a system in
terms of energy and matter
flows into, out of, and
within that system. They
also learn that energy
cannot be created or
destroyed. It only moves
between one place and
another place, between
objects and/or fields, or
between systems. Energy
drives the cycling of matter
within and between
systems. In nuclear
processes, atoms are not
conserved, but the total
number of protons plus
neutrons is conserved.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 24
Science: Crosscutting Concepts (CC) — Structure and Function
Standard SCI.CC6: Students use science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and an understanding of
structure and function to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
CC6:
Structure and
Function
SCI.CC6.K-2
Students observe the shape
and stability of structures
of natural and designed
objects are related to their
function(s).
SCI.CC6.3-5
Students understand
different materials have
different substructures,
which can sometimes be
observed, and
substructures have shapes
and parts that serve
functions.
SCI.CC6.m
Students model complex
and microscopic structures
and systems and visualize
how their function depends
on the shapes, composition,
and relationships among
their parts. They analyze
many complex natural and
designed structures and
systems to determine how
they function. They design
structures to serve
particular functions by
taking into account
properties of different
materials and how
materials can be shaped and
used.
SCI.CC6.h
Students investigate
systems by examining the
properties of different
materials, the structures of
different components, and
their interconnections to
reveal the system’s function
and solve a problem. They
infer the functions and
properties of natural and
designed objects and
systems from their overall
structure, the way their
components are shaped and
used, and the molecular
substructures of their
various materials.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 25
Science: Crosscutting Concepts (CC) — Stability and Change
Standard SCI.CC7: Students use science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and an understanding of
stability and change to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
CC7:
Stability and
Change
SCI.CC7.K-2
Students observe some
things stay the same while
other things change, and
things may change slowly or
rapidly.
SCI.CC7.3-5
Students measure change in
terms of differences over
time and observe that
change may occur at
different rates. They
understand some systems
appear stable, but over long
periods of time they will
eventually change.
SCI.CC7.m
Students explain stability
and change in natural or
designed systems by
examining changes over
time and considering forces
at different scales, including
the atomic scale. They
understand changes in one
part of a system might
cause large changes in
another part, systems in
dynamic equilibrium are
stable due to a balance of
feedback mechanisms, and
stability might be disturbed
by either sudden events or
gradual changes that
accumulate over time.
SCI.CC7.h
Students understand much
of science deals with
constructing explanations
of how things change and
how they remain stable.
They quantify and model
changes in systems over
very short or very long
periods of time. They see
some changes are
irreversible, and negative
feedback can stabilize a
system, while positive
feedback can destabilize it.
They recognize systems can
be designed for greater or
lesser stability.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 26
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Asking Questions and Defining Problems
Standard SCI.SEP1: Students ask questions and define problems, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and
disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP1.A:
Asking
Questions
SCI.SEP1.A.K-2
Students ask simple
descriptive questions that
can be tested. This includes
the following:
Ask questions based on
observations to find more
information about the
natural world.
Ask or identify questions
that can be answered by an
investigation.
SCI.SEP1.A.3-5
Students ask questions that
specify qualitative
relationships. This includes
the following:
Ask questions about what
would happen if a variable is
changed.
Identify scientific (testable)
and non-scientific (non-
testable) questions.
Ask questions that can be
investigated and predict
reasonable outcomes based
on patterns such as cause
and effect relationships.
SCI.SEP1.A.m
Students ask questions to
specify relationships
between variables and
clarify arguments and
models. This includes the
following:
Ask questions that arise
from careful observation of
phenomena, models, or
unexpected results to
clarify or seek additional
information.
Ask questions to identify
and clarify evidence and the
premise(s) of an argument.
Ask questions to determine
relationships between
independent and
dependent variables and
relationships in models.
SCI.SEP1.A.h
Students ask questions to
formulate, refine, and
evaluate empirically
testable questions. This
includes the following:
Ask questions that arise
from careful observation of
phenomena, or unexpected
results, to clarify and seek
additional information.
Ask questions that arise
from examining models or
theories to clarify and seek
additional information and
relationships.
Ask questions to determine
relationships, including
quantitative relationships,
between independent and
dependent variables.
Ask questions to clarify and
refine a model or an
explanation.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 27
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Asking Questions and Defining Problems
Standard SCI.SEP1: Students ask questions and define problems, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and
disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP1.A:
Asking
Questions
(cont’d)
SCI.SEP1.A.m
Ask questions to clarify or
refine a model, an
explanation, or an
engineering problem.
Ask questions that require
sufficient and appropriate
empirical evidence to
answer.
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.
Ask questions that
challenge the premise(s) of
an argument or the
interpretation of a data set.
SCI.SEP1.A.h
Evaluate a question to
determine if it is testable
and relevant.
Ask questions that can be
investigated within the
scope of the school
laboratory, research
facilities, or field (e.g.,
outdoor environment) with
available resources and,
when appropriate, frame a
hypothesis based on a
model or theory.
Ask and evaluate questions
that challenge the
premise(s) of an argument,
the interpretation of a data
set, or the suitability of the
design.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 28
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Asking Questions and Defining Problems
Standard SCI.SEP1: Students ask questions and define problems, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and
disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP1.B:
Defining
Problems
SCI.SEP1.B.K-2
Students define simple
problems that can be solved
through the development of
a new or improved object or
tool.
SCI.SEP1.B.3-5
Students use prior
knowledge to describe and
define simple design
problems that can be solved
through the development of
an object, tool, process, or
system. They include
several criteria for success
and constraints on
materials, time, or cost.
SCI.SEP1.B.m
Students define a design
problem that can be solved
through the development of
an object, tool, process, or
system, and includes
multiple criteria and
constraints, including
scientific knowledge that
may limit possible solutions.
SCI.SEP1.B.h
Students formulate, refine,
and evaluate design
problems using models and
simulations. This includes
the following:
Define a design problem
that involves the
development of a process
or system with interacting
components and criteria
and constraints that may
include social, technical,
and environmental
considerations.
Clarify and refine an
engineering problem.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 29
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Developing and Using Models
Standard SCI.SEP2: Students develop and use models, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and disciplinary
core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP2:
Developing and
Using Models
SCI.SEP2.K-2
Students use and develop
models (i.e., diagrams,
drawings, physical replicas,
dioramas, dramatizations,
or storyboards) that
represent concrete events
or design solutions. This
includes the following:
Distinguish between a
model and the actual object,
process, or events the
model represents.
Compare models to identify
common features and
differences.
Develop or use models to
represent amounts,
relationships, relative
scales (bigger, smaller), and
patterns in the natural and
designed world(s).
SCI.SEP2.3-5
Students build and revise
simple models and use
models to represent events
and design solutions. This
includes the following:
Identify limitations of
models.
Collaboratively develop
and/or revise a model based
on evidence that shows the
relationships among
variables for frequent and
regular occurring events.
Develop a model using an
analogy, example, or
abstract representation to
describe a scientific
principle or design solution.
Develop and/or use models
to describe or predict
phenomena.
SCI.SEP2.m
Students develop, use, and
revise models to describe,
test, and predict more
abstract phenomena and
design systems. This
includes the following:
Evaluate limitations of a
model for a proposed object
or tool.
Develop or modify a model
— based on evidence — to
match what happens if a
variable or component of a
system is changed.
Use and develop a model of
simple systems with
uncertain and less
predictable factors.
SCI.SEP2.h
Students use, synthesize,
and develop models to
predict and show
relationships among
variables and between
systems and their
components in the natural
and designed world. This
includes the following:
Evaluate merits and
limitations of two different
models of the same
proposed tool, process,
mechanism, or system in
order to select or revise a
model that best fits the
evidence or design criteria.
Design a test of a model to
ascertain its reliability.
Develop, revise, and use
models based on evidence
to illustrate and predict the
relationships between
systems or between
components of a system.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 30
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Developing and Using Models
Standard SCI.SEP2: Students develop and use models, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and disciplinary
core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP2:
Developing and
Using Models
(cont’d)
SCI.SEP2.K-2
Develop a simple model
based on evidence to
represent a proposed
object or tool.
SCI.SEP2.3-5
Develop a diagram or
simple physical prototype
to convey a proposed
object, tool, or process.
Use a model to test cause
and effect relationships or
interactions concerning the
functioning of a natural or
designed system.
SCI.SEP2.m
Develop and/or revise a
model to show the
relationships among
variables, including those
that are not observable but
predict observable
phenomena.
Develop and use a model to
predict and describe
phenomena.
Develop a model to
describe unobservable
mechanisms.
Develop and use a model to
generate data to test ideas
about phenomena in
natural or designed
systems, including those
representing inputs and
outputs, and those at
unobservable scales.
SCI.SEP2.h
Develop and use multiple
types of models to provide
mechanistic accounts and
predict phenomena. Move
flexibly between these
model types based on
merits and limitations.
Develop a complex model
that allows for manipulation
and testing of a proposed
process or system.
Develop and use a model
(including mathematical
and computational) to
generate data to support
explanations, predict
phenomena, analyze
systems, and solve
problems.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 31
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Planning and Conducting Investigations
Standard SCI.SEP3: Students plan and conduct investigations, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and
disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP3:
Planning and
Conducting
Investigations
SCI.SEP3.K-2
Students plan and carry out
simple investigations, based
on fair tests, which provide
data to support
explanations or design
solutions. This includes the
following:
With guidance, plan and
conduct an investigation in
collaboration with peers
(for K).
Plan and conduct an
investigation
collaboratively to produce
data to serve as the basis
for evidence to answer a
question.
Evaluate different ways of
observing and measuring a
phenomenon to determine
which way can answer the
question being studied.
SCI.SEP3.3-5
Students plan and carry out
investigations that control
variables and provide
evidence to support
explanations or design
solutions. This includes the
following:
Collaboratively plan and
conduct an investigation to
produce data to serve as
the basis for evidence, using
fair tests in which variables
are controlled and the
number of trials considered.
Evaluate appropriate
methods and tools for
collecting data.
Make observations and
measurements to produce
data to serve as the basis
for evidence for an
explanation of a
phenomenon or test a
design solution.
SCI.SEP3.m
Students plan and carry out
investigations that use
multiple variables and
provide evidence to support
explanations or solutions.
This includes the following:
Individually and
collaboratively plan an
investigation, identifying:
independent and
dependent variables and
controls, tools needed to do
the gathering, how
measurements will be
recorded, and how many
data are needed to support
a claim.
Conduct an investigation.
Evaluate and revise the
experimental design to
produce data that serve as
the basis for evidence to
meet the goals of the
investigation.
SCI.SEP3.h
Students plan and carry out
investigations that provide
evidence for and test
conceptual, mathematical,
physical, and empirical
models: This includes the
following:
Individually and
collaboratively plan an
investigation or test a
design to produce data that
can serve as evidence to
build and revise models,
support explanations for
phenomena, and refine
solutions to problems.
Consider possible variables
or effects and evaluate the
investigation’s design to
ensure variables are
controlled.
Individually and
collaboratively plan and
conduct an investigation to
produce data to serve as
the basis for evidence.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 32
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Planning and Conducting Investigations
Standard SCI.SEP3: Students plan and conduct investigations, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and
disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP3:
Planning and
Conducting
Investigations
(cont’d)
SCI.SEP3.K-2
Make observations
(firsthand or from media)
and measurements to
collect data that can be
used to make comparisons.
Make observations
(firsthand or from media)
and measurements of a
proposed object or tool or
solution to determine if it
solves a problem or meets a
goal.
SCI.SEP3.3-5
Make predictions about
what would happen if a
variable changes.
Test two different models
of the same proposed
object, tool, or process to
determine which better
meets criteria for success.
SCI.SEP3.m
Evaluate the accuracy of
various methods for
collecting data.
Collect data under a range
of conditions that serve as
the basis for evidence to
answer scientific questions
or test design solutions.
Collect data about the
performance of a proposed
object, tool, process, or
system under a range of
conditions.
SCI.SEP3.h
In the design, decide on
types, how much, and
accuracy of data needed to
produce reliable
measurements. Consider
limitations on the precision
of the data (e.g., number of
trials, cost, risk, time) and
refine the design
accordingly.
Plan and conduct an
investigation or test a
design solution in a safe and
ethical manner including
considerations of
environmental, social, and
personal impacts.
Select appropriate tools to
collect, record, analyze, and
evaluate data.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 33
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Planning and Conducting Investigations
Standard SCI.SEP3: Students plan and conduct investigations, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and
disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP3:
Planning and
Conducting
Investigations
(cont’d)
SCI.SEP3.h
Make directional
hypotheses that specify
what happens to a
dependent variable when
an independent variable is
manipulated.
Manipulate variables and
collect data about a
complex model of a
proposed process or system
to identify failure points, or
to improve performance
relative to criteria for
success.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 34
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Analyze and Interpret Data
Standard SCI.SEP4: Students analyze and interpret data, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and disciplinary
core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP4:
Analyzing and
Interpreting
Data
SCI.SEP4.K-2
Students collect, record,
and share observations.
This includes the following:
Record information
(observations, thoughts,
and ideas).
Use and share pictures,
drawings, or writings of
observations.
Use observations (firsthand
or from media) to describe
patterns or relationships in
the natural and designed
worlds in order to answer
scientific questions and
solve problems.
Compare predictions
(based on prior
experiences) to what
occurred (observable
events).
SCI.SEP4.3-5
Students begin to use
quantitative approaches to
collect data and conduct
multiple trials of qualitative
observations. (When
possible, digital tools should
be used.) This includes the
following:
Represent data in tables or
various graphical displays
(bar graphs, pictographs,
and pie charts) to reveal
patterns that indicate
relationships.
Analyze and interpret data
to make sense of
phenomena, using logical
reasoning, mathematics, or
computation.
Compare and contrast data
collected by different
groups in order to discuss
similarities and differences
in their findings.
SCI.SEP4.m
Students extend
quantitative analysis to
investigations,
distinguishing between
correlation and causation,
and basic statistical
techniques of data and
error analysis. This includes
the following:
Construct, analyze, or
interpret graphical displays
of data and large data sets
to identify linear and
nonlinear relationships.
Use graphical displays (e.g.,
maps, charts, graphs, and
tables) of large data sets to
identify temporal and
spatial relationships.
Distinguish between causal
and correlational
relationships in data.
SCI.SEP4.h
Students engage in more
detailed statistical analysis,
the comparison of data sets
for consistency, and the use
of models to generate and
analyze data. This includes
the following:
Analyze data using tools,
technologies, and models
(e.g., computational,
mathematical) in order to
make valid and reliable
scientific claims or
determine an optimal
design solution.
Apply concepts of statistics
and probability to scientific
and engineering questions
and problems, using digital
tools when feasible.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 35
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Analyze and Interpret Data
Standard SCI.SEP4: Students analyze and interpret data, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and disciplinary
core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP4:
Analyzing and
Interpreting
Data (cont’d)
SCI.SEP4.K-2
Analyze data from tests of
an object or tool to
determine if the object or
tool works as intended.
SCI.SEP4.3-5
Analyze data to refine a
problem statement or the
design of a proposed object,
tool, or process.
Use data to evaluate and
refine design solutions.
SCI.SEP4.m
Analyze and interpret data
to provide evidence for
explanations of phenomena.
Apply concepts of statistics
and probability (including
mean, median, mode, and
variability) to analyze and
characterize data, using
digital tools when feasible.
Consider limitations of data
analysis (e.g., measurement
error), and seek to improve
precision and accuracy of
data with better
technological tools and
methods (e.g., multiple
trials).
Analyze and interpret data
to determine similarities
and differences in findings.
SCI.SEP4.h
Concepts should include
determining the fit of
functions, slope, and
intercepts to data, along
with correlation
coefficients when the data
is linear.
Consider and address more
sophisticated limitations of
data analysis (e.g., sample
selection) when analyzing
and interpreting data.
Compare and contrast
various types of data sets
(e.g., self-generated,
archival) to examine
consistency of
measurements and
observations.
Evaluate the impact of new
data on a working
explanation or model of a
proposed process or
system.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 36
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Analyze and Interpret Data
Standard SCI.SEP4: Students analyze and interpret data, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and disciplinary
core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP4:
Analyzing and
Interpreting
Data (cont’d)
SCI.SEP4.m
Analyze data to define an
optimal operational range
for a proposed object, tool,
process, or system that best
meets criteria for success.
SCI.SEP4.h
Analyze data to optimize
design features or
characteristics of system
components relative to
criteria for success.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 37
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Mathematics and Computational Thinking
Standard SCI.SEP5: Students use mathematics and computational thinking, in conjunction with using crosscutting
concepts and disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP5:
Using
Mathematics
and
Computational
Thinking
SCI.SEP5.K-2
Students recognize that
mathematics can be used to
describe the natural and
designed world. This
includes the following:
Use counting and numbers
to identify and describe
patterns in the natural and
designed worlds.
Describe, measure, or
compare quantitative
attributes of different
objects and display the data
using simple graphs.
Use qualitative and/or
quantitative data to
compare two alternative
solutions to a problem.
SCI.SEP5.3-5
Students extend
quantitative measurements
to a variety of physical
properties, using
computation and
mathematics to analyze
data and compare
alternative design solutions.
This includes the following:
Organize simple data sets
to reveal patterns that
suggest relationships.
Describe, measure,
estimate, and/or graph
quantities such as area,
volume, weight, and time to
address scientific and
engineering questions and
problems.
Create and use graphs or
charts generated from
simple algorithms to
compare alternative
solutions to an engineering
problem.
SCI.SEP5.m
Students identify patterns
in large data sets and use
mathematical concepts to
support explanations and
arguments. This includes
the following:
Decide when to use
qualitative vs. quantitative
data.
Use digital tools (e.g.,
computers) to analyze very
large data sets for patterns
and trends.
Use mathematical
representations to describe
and support scientific
conclusions and design
solutions.
Create algorithms (a series
of ordered steps) to solve a
problem.
SCI.SEP5.h
Students use algebraic
thinking and analysis, a
range of linear and
nonlinear functions
(including trigonometric
functions, exponentials, and
logarithms), and
computational tools for
statistical analysis to
analyze, represent, and
model data. Simple
computational simulations
are created and used based
on mathematical models of
basic assumptions. This
includes the following:
Decide if qualitative or
quantitative data are best
to determine whether a
proposed object or tool
meets criteria for success.
Create and/or revise a
computational model or
simulation of a
phenomenon, designed
device, process, or system.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 38
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Mathematics and Computational Thinking
Standard SCI.SEP5: Students use mathematics and computational thinking, in conjunction with using crosscutting
concepts and disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP5:
Using
Mathematics
and
Computational
Thinking (cont’d)
SCI.SEP5.m
Apply mathematical
concepts and processes
(such as ratio, rate, percent,
basic operations, and simple
algebra) to scientific and
engineering questions and
problems.
Use digital tools and
mathematical concepts and
arguments to test and
compare proposed
solutions to an engineering
design problem.
SCI.SEP5.h
Use mathematical,
computational, and
algorithmic representations
of phenomena or design
solutions to describe and
support claims and
explanations.
Apply techniques of algebra
and functions to represent
and solve scientific and
engineering problems.
Use simple limit cases to
test mathematical
expressions, computer
programs, algorithms, or
simulations of a process or
system to see if a model
“makes sense” by
comparing the outcomes
with what is known about
the real world.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 39
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Mathematics and Computational Thinking
Standard SCI.SEP5: Students use mathematics and computational thinking, in conjunction with using crosscutting
concepts and disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP5:
Using
Mathematics
and
Computational
Thinking (cont’d)
SCI.SEP5.h
Apply ratios, rates,
percentages, and unit
conversions in the context
of complicated
measurement problems
involving quantities with
derived or compound units
(such as mg/mL, kg/m
3
,
acre-feet, and others).
Wisconsin Standards for Science 40
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Construct Explanations and Design Solutions
Standard SCI.SEP6: Students construct explanations and design solutions, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts
and disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP6.A:
Constructing an
Explanation
SCI.SEP6.A.K-2
Students use evidence and
ideas in constructing
evidence-based accounts of
natural phenomena. This
includes the following:
Use information from
observations (firsthand and
from media) to construct an
evidence-based account for
natural phenomena.
SCI.SEP6.A.3-5
Students use evidence to
construct explanations that
specify variables that
describe and predict
phenomena. This includes
the following:
Construct an explanation of
observed relationships (e.g.,
the distribution of plants in
the back yard).
Use evidence (e.g.,
measurements,
observations, patterns) to
construct or support an
explanation.
Identify the evidence that
supports particular points
in an explanation.
SCI.SEP6.A.m
Students construct
explanations supported by
multiple sources of
evidence consistent with
scientific ideas, principles,
and theories. This includes
the following:
Construct an explanation
that includes qualitative or
quantitative relationships
between variables that
predict and describe
phenomena.
Construct an explanation
using models or
representations.
SCI.SEP6.A.h
Students create
explanations that are
supported by multiple and
independent student-
generated sources of
evidence consistent with
scientific ideas, principles,
and theories. This includes
the following:
Make quantitative and
qualitative claims regarding
the relationship between
dependent and
independent variables.
Construct and revise an
explanation based on valid
and reliable evidence
obtained from a variety of
sources, including students’
own investigations, models,
theories, simulations, and
peer review.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 41
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Construct Explanations and Design Solutions
Standard SCI.SEP6: Students construct explanations and design solutions, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts
and disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP6.A:
Constructing an
Explanation
(cont’d)
SCI.SEP6.A.m
Construct a scientific
explanation based on valid
and reliable evidence
obtained from sources,
including the students’ own
experiments. Solutions
should build on the
following assumption:
Theories and laws that
describe the natural world
operate today as they did
in the past and will
continue to do so in the
future.
Apply scientific ideas,
principles, and evidence to
construct, revise, or use an
explanation for real world
phenomena, examples, or
events.
SCI.SEP6.A.h
Explanations should reflect
the assumption that
theories and laws that
describe the natural world
operate today as they did in
the past and will continue to
do so in the future.
Apply scientific ideas,
principles, and evidence to
provide an explanation of
phenomena taking into
account possible,
unanticipated effects.
Apply scientific reasoning,
theory, and models to link
evidence to the claim and to
assess the extent to which
the reasoning and data
support the explanation.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 42
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Construct Explanations and Design Solutions
Standard SCI.SEP6: Students construct explanations and design solutions, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts
and disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP6.B:
Designing
Solutions
SCI.SEP6.B.K-2
Students use evidence and
ideas in designing solutions.
This includes the following:
Use tools and materials to
design and/or build a device
that solves a specific
problem or a solution to a
specific problem.
Generate and compare
multiple solutions to a
problem.
SCI.SEP6.B.3-5
Students use evidence to
create multiple solutions to
design problems. This
includes the following:
Apply scientific ideas to
solve design problems.
Generate multiple solutions
to a problem and compare
how well they meet the
criteria and constraints.
SCI.SEP6.B.m
Students design solutions
supported by multiple
sources of evidence
consistent with scientific
ideas, principles, and
theories. This includes the
following:
Apply scientific ideas or
principles to design,
construct, and test a design
of an object, tool, process,
or system.
Undertake a design project,
engaging in the design
cycle, to construct and
implement a solution that
meets specific design
criteria and constraints.
Optimize performance of a
design by prioritizing
criteria, making trade-offs,
testing, revising, and
retesting.
SCI.SEP6.B.h
Students create designs
that are supported by
multiple and independent
student-generated sources
of evidence consistent with
scientific ideas, principles,
and theories. This includes
the following:
Design, evaluate, and refine
a solution to a complex real-
world problem, based on
scientific knowledge,
student-generated sources
of evidence, and prioritized
criteria. Consider trade-
offs.
Apply scientific ideas,
principles, and evidence to
solve design problems,
taking into account possible
unanticipated effects.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 43
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Engage in Argument from Evidence
Standard SCI.SEP7: Students engage in argument from evidence, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and
disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP7:
Arguing from
Evidence
SCI.SEP7.K-2
Students compare ideas
and representations about
the natural and designed
world. This includes the
following:
Identify arguments that are
supported by evidence.
Distinguish between
explanations that account
for all gathered evidence
and those that do not.
Analyze why some evidence
is relevant to a scientific
question and some is not.
Distinguish between
opinions and evidence in
one’s own explanations.
Listen actively to
arguments to indicate
agreement or disagreement
based on evidence, or to
retell the main points of the
argument.
SCI.SEP7.3-5
Students critique the
scientific explanations or
solutions proposed by peers
by citing relevant evidence
about the natural and
designed world. This
includes the following:
Compare and refine
arguments based on an
evaluation of the evidence
presented.
Distinguish among facts,
reasoned judgment based
on research findings, and
speculation in an
explanation.
Respectfully provide and
receive critiques from peers
about a proposed
procedure, explanation, or
model by citing relevant
evidence and posing
specific questions.
SCI.SEP7.m
Students construct a
convincing argument that
supports or refutes claims
for either explanations or
solutions about the natural
and designed world. This
includes the following.
Compare and critique two
arguments on the same
topic. Analyze whether they
emphasize similar or
different evidence and
interpretations of facts.
Respectfully provide and
receive critiques about
one’s explanations,
procedures, models, and
questions by citing relevant
evidence and posing and
responding to questions
that elicit pertinent
elaboration and detail.
SCI.SEP7.h
Students use appropriate
and sufficient evidence and
scientific reasoning to
defend and critique claims
and explanations about the
natural and designed world.
Arguments may also come
from current scientific or
historical episodes in
science. This includes the
following:
Compare and evaluate
competing arguments or
design solutions in light of
currently accepted
explanations, new evidence,
limitations (e.g., trade-offs),
constraints, and ethical
issues.
Evaluate the claims,
evidence, and reasoning
behind currently accepted
explanations or solutions to
determine the merits of
arguments.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 44
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Engage in Argument from Evidence
Standard SCI.SEP7: Students engage in argument from evidence, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and
disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP7:
Arguing from
Evidence
(cont’d)
SCI.SEP7.K-2
Construct an argument
with evidence to support a
claim.
Make a claim about the
effectiveness of an object,
tool, or solution that is
supported by relevant
evidence.
SCI.SEP7.3-5
Construct and/or support
an argument with evidence,
data, or a model.
Use data to evaluate claims
about cause and effect.
Make a claim about the
merit of a solution to a
problem by citing relevant
evidence about how it
meets the criteria and
constraints of the problem.
SCI.SEP7.m
Construct, use, 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.
Make an oral or written
argument that supports or
refutes the advertised
performance of a device,
process, or system. Based
the argument on empirical
evidence concerning
whether or not the
technology meets relevant
criteria and constraints.
Evaluate competing design
solutions based on jointly
developed and agreed-upon
design criteria.
SCI.SEP7.h
Respectfully provide and
receive critiques on
scientific arguments by
probing reasoning and
evidence, by challenging
ideas and conclusions, by
responding thoughtfully to
diverse perspectives, and
by determining what
additional information is
required to resolve
contradictions.
Construct, use, and present
oral and written arguments
or counter-arguments
based on data and evidence.
Make and defend a claim
based on evidence about
the natural world or the
effectiveness of a design
solution that reflects
scientific knowledge and
student-generated
evidence.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 45
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Engage in Argument from Evidence
Standard SCI.SEP7: Students engage in argument from evidence, in conjunction with using crosscutting concepts and
disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP7:
Arguing from
Evidence
(cont’d)
SCI.SEP7.h
Evaluate competing design
solutions to a real-world
problem based on scientific
ideas and principles,
empirical evidence, and
logical arguments. Consider
relevant factors (e.g.
economic, societal,
environmental, and ethical
considerations).
Wisconsin Standards for Science 46
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Obtain, Evaluate, and Communicate
Information
Standard SCI.SEP8: Students obtain, evaluate, and communicate information, in conjunction with using crosscutting
concepts and disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP8:
Obtaining,
Evaluating, and
Communicating
Information
SCI.SEP8.K-2
Students use observations
and texts to communicate
new information. This
includes the following:
Read developmentally
appropriate texts or use
media to obtain scientific
and technical information.
Use the information to
determine patterns in or
evidence about the natural
and designed worlds.
Describe how specific
images (e.g., a diagram
showing how a machine
works) support a scientific
or engineering idea.
SCI.SEP8.3-5
Students evaluate the merit
and accuracy of ideas and
methods. This includes the
following:
Read and comprehend
grade-appropriate complex
texts and other reliable
media to summarize and
obtain scientific and
technical ideas, and
describe how they are
supported by evidence.
Compare and/or combine
information across complex
texts and other reliable
media to support the
engagement in scientific
and engineering practices.
SCI.SEP8.m
Students evaluate the merit
and validity of ideas and
methods. This includes the
following:
Critically read scientific
texts adapted for classroom
use to determine the
central ideas, to obtain
scientific and technical
information, and to
describe patterns in and
evidence about the natural
and designed world(s).
Clarify claims and findings
by integrating text-based
qualitative and quantitative
scientific information with
information contained in
media and visual displays.
SCI.SEP8.h
Students evaluate the
validity and reliability of
claims, methods, and
designs. This includes the
following:
Critically read scientific
literature adapted for
classroom use to determine
the central ideas or
conclusions, and to obtain
scientific and technical
information. Summarize
complex evidence,
concepts, processes, or
information presented in a
text by paraphrasing them
in simpler but still accurate
terms.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 47
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Obtain, Evaluate, and Communicate
Information
Standard SCI.SEP8: Students obtain, evaluate, and communicate information, in conjunction with using crosscutting
concepts and disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP8:
Obtaining,
Evaluating, and
Communicating
Information
(cont’d)
SCI.SEP8.K-2
Obtain information using
various texts, text features
(e.g., headings, tables of
contents, glossaries,
electronic menus, icons),
and other media that will be
useful in answering
scientific questions or
supporting scientific claims.
Communicate information
or design ideas and
solutions with others in oral
or written forms. Use
models, drawings, writing,
or numbers that provide
detail about scientific ideas,
practices, or design ideas.
SCI.SEP8.3-5
Combine information in
written text with that
contained in corresponding
tables, diagrams, or charts
to support the engagement
in other scientific and
engineering practices.
Obtain and combine
information from books or
other reliable media to
explain phenomena or
solutions to a design
problem.
Communicate scientific and
technical information orally
or in written formats,
including various forms of
media, which may include
tables, diagrams, and charts.
SCI.SEP8.m
Gather, read, and
synthesize information
from multiple appropriate
sources and assess the
credibility, accuracy, and
possible bias of each
publication. Describe how
they are supported or not
supported by evidence and
evaluate methods used.
Evaluate data, hypotheses,
and conclusions in scientific
and technical texts in light
of competing information or
accounts.
Communicate scientific and
technical information (e.g.
about a proposed object,
tool, process, or system) in
writing and through oral
presentations.
SCI.SEP8.h
Compare, integrate, and
evaluate sources of
information presented in
different media or formats
(e.g., visually, quantitatively,
or text-based) in order to
address a scientific
question or solve a problem.
Gather, read, and evaluate
scientific and technical
information from multiple
authoritative sources,
assessing the evidence and
usefulness of each source.
Synthesize and evaluate the
validity and reliability of
multiple claims, methods, or
designs that appear in
scientific and technical
texts or media reports.
Verify the data when
possible.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 48
Science: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) — Obtain, Evaluate, and Communicate
Information
Standard SCI.SEP8: Students obtain, evaluate, and communicate information, in conjunction with using crosscutting
concepts and disciplinary core ideas, to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SEP8:
Obtaining,
Evaluating, and
Communicating
Information
(cont’d)
SCI.SEP8.h
Communicate scientific and
technical information in
multiple formats, including
orally, graphically, textually,
and mathematically.
Examples of information
could include ideas about
phenomena or the design
and performance of a
proposed process or
system.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 49
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Life Science 1 (LS1) — Structures and Processes
Standard SCI.LS1: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
structures and processes (on a scale from molecules to organisms) to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Reminder: Throughout the Life Science section, the individual disciplinary core ideas in the boxes only become performance indicators when
inserted into the sentence above, in this case replacing the overall topic words, “structures and processes (on a scale from molecules to
organisms).” For example with LS1.A.1, it would read, “Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an
understanding that all organisms have external parts that they use to perform daily functions to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.”
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.LS1.A:
Structure and
Function
SCI.LS1.A.1
All organisms have external
parts that they use to
perform daily functions.
SCI.LS1.A.4
Plants and animals have
both internal and external
macroscopic structures that
allow for growth, survival,
behavior, and reproduction.
SCI.LS1.A.m
All living things are made
up of cells. In organisms,
cells work together to
form tissues and organs
that are specialized for
particular body functions.
SCI.LS1.A.h
Systems of specialized cells
within organisms help
perform essential functions
of life. Any one system in an
organism is made up of
numerous parts. Feedback
mechanisms maintain an
organism’s internal
conditions within certain
limits and mediate
behaviors.
SCI.LS1.B:
Growth and
Development of
Organisms
SCI.LS1.B.1
Parents and offspring often
engage in behaviors that
help the offspring survive.
SCI.LS1.B.3
Reproduction is essential to
every kind of organism.
Organisms have unique and
diverse life cycles.
SCI.LS1.B.m
Animals engage in
behaviors that increase
the odds of reproduction.
An organism’s growth is
affected by both genetic
and environmental
factors.
SCI.LS1.B.h
Growth and division of cells
in organisms occurs by
mitosis and differentiation
for specific cell types.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 50
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Life Science 1 (LS1) — Structures and Processes
Standard SCI.LS1: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
structures and processes (on a scale from molecules to organisms) to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.LS1.C:
Organization for
Matter and
Energy Flow in
Organisms
SCI.LS1.C.K
Animals obtain food they
need from plants or other
animals. Plants need water
and light.
SCI.LS1.C.5
Food provides animals with
the materials and energy
they need for body repair,
growth, warmth, and
motion. Plants acquire
material for growth chiefly
from air, water, and process
matter, and obtain energy
from sunlight, which is used
to maintain conditions
necessary for survival.
SCI.LS1.C.m
Plants use the energy from
light to make sugars
through photosynthesis.
Within individual
organisms, food is broken
down through a series of
chemical reactions that
rearrange molecules and
release energy.
SCI.LS1.C.h
The molecules produced
through photosynthesis are
used to make amino acids
and other molecules that
can be assembled into
proteins or DNA. Through
cellular respiration, matter
and energy flow through
different organizational
levels of an organism as
elements are recombined to
form different products and
transfer energy.
SCI.LS1.D:
Information
Processing
SCI.LS1.D.1
Animals sense and
communicate information
and respond to inputs with
behaviors that help them
grow and survive.
SCI.LS1.D.4
Different sense receptors
are specialized for
particular kinds of
information; animals use
their perceptions and
memories to guide their
actions.
SCI.LS1.D.m
Each sense receptor
responds to different
inputs, transmitting them as
signals that travel along
nerve cells to the brain. The
signals are then processed
in the brain resulting in
immediate behavior or
memories.
SCI.LS1.D.h
Organisms can process and
store a variety of
information through
specific chemicals and
interconnected networks.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 51
SCI.LS1: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
K-LS1-1. Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
1-LS1-1. Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants or animals use their external
parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
1-LS1-2. Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring
survive.
Grades 3-5
3-LS1-1. Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles, but all have in common birth,
growth, reproduction, and death.
4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to
support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
4-LS1-2. Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the
information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.
5-LS1-1. Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.
Grades 6-8
MS-LS1-1. Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells, either one cell or many
different numbers and types of cells.
MS-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to
the function.
MS-LS1-3. Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of
groups of cells.
MS-LS1-4. Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how
characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of
animals and plants respectively.
MS-LS1-5. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence
the growth of organisms.
MS-LS1-6. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter
and flow of energy into and out of organisms.
MS-LS1-7. Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules
that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.
NOTE: Sample Performance Indicators continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 52
SCI.LS1: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators (cont’d)
Grades 9-12
HS-LS1-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of
proteins which carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells.
HS-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide
specific functions within multicellular organisms.
HS-LS1-3. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis.
HS-LS1-4. Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and
maintaining complex organisms.
HS-LS1-5. Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.
HS-LS1-6. Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar
molecules may combine with other elements to form amino acids and other large carbon-based molecules.
HS-LS1-7. Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food
molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of
energy.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 53
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Life Science 2 (LS2) — Interactions, Energy, and
Dynamics Within Ecosystems
Standard SCI.LS2: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
interactions, energy, and dynamics within ecosystems to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.LS2.A:
Interdependent
Relationships in
Ecosystems
SCI.LS2.A.2
Plants depend on water and
light to grow. Plants depend
on animals for pollination or
to move their seeds around.
SCI.LS2.A.5
The food of almost any
animal can be traced back
to plants. Organisms are
related in food webs in
which some animals eat
plants for food and other
animals eat the animals that
eat plants, while
decomposers restore some
materials back to the soil.
SCI.LS2.A.m
Organisms and populations
are dependent on their
environmental interactions
both with other living things
and with nonliving factors,
any of which can limit their
growth. Competitive,
predatory, and mutually
beneficial interactions vary
across ecosystems but the
patterns are shared.
SCI.LS2.A.h
Ecosystems have carrying
capacities resulting from
biotic and abiotic factors.
The fundamental tension
between resource
availability and organism
populations affects the
abundance of species in any
given ecosystem. The
combination of the factors
that affect an organism's
success can be measured as
a multidimensional niche.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 54
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Life Science 2 (LS2) — Interactions, Energy, and
Dynamics Within Ecosystems
Standard SCI.LS2: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
interactions, energy, and dynamics within ecosystems to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.LS2.B:
Cycles of Matter
and Energy
Transfer in
Ecosystems
SCI.LS2.B.5
Matter cycles between the
air and soil and among
organisms as they live and
die.
SCI.LS2.B.m
The atoms that make up
the organisms in an
ecosystem are cycled
repeatedly between the
living and nonliving parts of
the ecosystem. Food webs
model how matter and
energy are transferred
among producers,
consumers, and
decomposers as the three
groups interact within an
ecosystem.
SCI.LS2.B.h
Photosynthesis and cellular
respiration provide most of
the energy for life
processes. Only a fraction
of matter consumed at the
lower level of a food web is
transferred up, resulting in
fewer organisms at higher
levels. At each link in an
ecosystem, elements are
combined in different ways,
and matter and energy are
conserved. Photosynthesis
and cellular respiration are
key components of the
global carbon cycle.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 55
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Life Science 2 (LS2) — Interactions, Energy, and
Dynamics Within Ecosystems
Standard SCI.LS2: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
interactions, energy, and dynamics within ecosystems to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.LS2.C:
Ecosystem
Dynamics,
Functioning, and
Resilience
SCI.LS2.C.3
When the environment
changes, some organisms
survive and reproduce,
some move to new
locations, some move into
transformed environments,
and some die.
SCI.LS2.C.m
Ecosystem characteristics
vary over time. Disruptions
to any part of an ecosystem
can lead to shifts in all of its
populations. The
completeness or integrity of
an ecosystem’s biodiversity
is often used as a measure
of its health.
SCI.LS2.C.h
If a biological or physical
disturbance to an
ecosystem occurs, including
one induced by human
activity, the ecosystem may
return to its more or less
original state or become a
very different ecosystem,
depending on the complex
set of interactions within
the ecosystem.
SCI.LS2.D:
Social
Interactions and
Group Behavior
SCI.LS2.D.3
Being part of a group helps
animals obtain food, defend
themselves, and cope with
changes.
SCI.LS2.D.m
Changes in biodiversity can
influence humans’
resources, such as food,
energy, and medicines, as
well as ecosystem services
that humans rely on — for
example, water purification
and recycling.
SCI.LS2.D.h
Group behavior has evolved
because membership can
increase the chances of
survival for individuals and
their genetic relatives.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 56
SCI.LS2: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
2-LS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.
2-LS2-2. Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.
Grades 3-5
3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.
5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the
environment.
Grades 6-8
MS-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and
populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
MS-LS2-2. Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple
ecosystems.
MS-LS2-3. Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an
ecosystem.
MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components
of an ecosystem affect populations.
MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Grades 9-12
HS-LS2-1. Use mathematical and computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect
carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.
HS-LS2-2. Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors
affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.
HS-LS2-3. Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in
aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
HS-LS2-4. Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among
organisms in an ecosystem
HS-LS2-5. Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon
among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.
HS-LS2-6. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain
relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new
ecosystem.
HS-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and
biodiversity.
HS-LS2-8. Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and
reproduce.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 57
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Life Science 3 (LS3) — Heredity
Standard SCI.LS3: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
heredity to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.LS3.A:
Inheritance of
Traits
SCI.LS3.A.1
Young organisms are very
much, but not exactly, like
their parents, and also
resemble other organisms
of the same kind.
SCI.LS3.A.3
Many characteristics of
organisms are inherited
from their parents. Other
characteristics result from
individuals’ interactions
with the environment. Many
characteristics involve both
inheritance and
environment.
SCI.LS3.A.m
Genes chiefly regulate a
specific protein, which
affect an individual’s traits.
SCI.LS3.A.h
DNA carries instructions
for forming species’
characteristics. Each cell in
an organism has the same
genetic content, but genes
expressed by cells can
differ.
SCI.LS3.B:
Variation of
Traits
SCI.LS3.B.1
Individuals of the same kind
of plant or animal are
recognizable as similar, but
can also vary in many ways.
SCI.LS3.B.3
Different organisms vary in
how they look and function
because they have different
inherited information; the
environment also affects the
traits that an organism
develops.
SCI.LS3.B.m
In sexual reproduction,
each parent contributes
half of the genes acquired
by the offspring resulting in
variation between parent
and offspring. Genetic
information can be altered
because of mutations,
which may result in
beneficial, negative, or no
change to proteins in or
traits of an organism.
SCI.LS3.B.h
The variation and
distribution of traits in a
population depend on
genetic and environmental
factors. Genetic variation
can result from mutations
caused by environmental
factors or errors in DNA
replication, or from
chromosomes swapping
sections during meiosis.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 58
SCI.LS3: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
1-LS3-1. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not
exactly like, their parents.
Grades 3-5
3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents
and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.
3-LS3-2. Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.
Grades 6-8
MS-LS3-1. Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes
may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the
organism.
MS-LS3-2. Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic
information, and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.
Grades 9-12
HS-LS3-1. Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions
for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.
HS-LS3-2. Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from: (1) new
genetic combinations through meiosis, (2) viable errors occurring during replication, and (3) mutations caused by
environmental factors.
HS-LS3-3. Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a
population.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 59
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Life Science 4 (LS4) — Biological Evolution
Standard SCI.LS4: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
biological evolution to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.LS4.A:
Evidence of
Common
Ancestry and
Diversity
SCI.LS4.A.3
Some living organisms
resemble organisms that
once lived on Earth. Fossils
provide evidence about the
types of organisms and
environments that existed
long ago.
SCI.LS4.A.m
The fossil record
documents the existence,
diversity, extinction, and
change of many life forms
and their environments
through Earth’s history.
The fossil record and
comparisons of anatomical
similarities between
organisms enables the
inference of lines of
evolutionary descent.
SCI.LS4.A.h
The ongoing branching that
produces multiple lines of
descent can be inferred by
comparing DNA sequences,
amino acid sequences, and
anatomical and
embryological evidence of
different organisms.
SCI.LS4.B:
Natural
Selection
SCI.LS4.B.3
Differences in
characteristics between
individuals of the same
species provide advantages
in surviving and
reproducing.
SCI.LS4.B.m
Both natural and artificial
selection result from
certain traits giving some
individuals an advantage in
surviving and reproducing,
leading to predominance of
certain traits in a
population.
SCI.LS4.B.h
Natural selection occurs
only if there is variation in
the genes and traits
between organisms in a
population. Traits that
positively affect survival
can become more common
in a population.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 60
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Life Science 4 (LS4) — Biological Evolution
Standard SCI.LS4: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
biological evolution to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.LS4.C:
Adaptation
SCI.LS4.A.3
Particular organisms can
only survive in particular
environments.
SCI.LS4.C.m
Species can change over
time in response to changes
in environmental conditions
through adaptation by
natural selection acting
over generations. Traits
that support successful
survival and reproduction in
the new environment
become more common.
SCI.LS4.C.h
Evolution results primarily
from genetic variation of
individuals in a species,
competition for resources,
and proliferation of
organisms better able to
survive and reproduce.
Adaptation means that the
distribution of traits in a
population, as well as
species expansion,
emergence, or extinction,
can change when conditions
change.
SCI.LS1.D:
Biodiversity and
Humans
SCI.LS1.D.2
There are many different
kinds of living things in any
area, and they exist in
different places on land and
in water.
SCI.LS4.D.3
Populations of organisms
live in a variety of habitats.
Change in those habitats
affects the organisms living
there.
SCI.LS4.D.m
Changes in biodiversity can
influence humans’
resources and ecosystem
services they rely on.
SCI.LS4.D.h
Biodiversity is increased by
formation of new species
and reduced by extinction.
Humans depend on
biodiversity but also have
adverse impacts on it.
Sustaining biodiversity is
essential to supporting life
on Earth.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 61
SCI.LS4: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
Grades 3-5
3-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which
they lived long ago.
3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the
same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.
3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some
survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types
of plants and animals that live there may change.
Grades 6-8
MS-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity,
extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws
operate today as in the past.
MS-LS4-2. Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among
modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
MS-LS4-3. Analyze displays of pictorial data to compare patterns of similarities in the embryological development
across multiple species to identify relationships not evident in the fully formed anatomy.
MS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population
increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
MS-LS4-5. Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence
the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
MS-LS4-6. Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases
and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.
NOTE: Sample Performance Indicators continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 62
SCI.LS4: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators (cont’d)
Grades 9-12
HS-LS4-1. Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by
multiple lines of empirical evidence.
HS-LS4-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four
factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a
species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of
those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
HS-LS4-3. Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous
heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait.
HS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.
HS-LS4-5. Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1)
increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the
extinction of other species.
HS-LS4-6. Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on
biodiversity.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 63
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Physical Science 1 (PS1) — Matter and Its Interactions
Standard SCI.PS1: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
matter and its interactions to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Reminder: Throughout the Physical Science section, the individual disciplinary core ideas in the boxes only become performance indicators
when inserted into the sentence above, in this case replacing the overall topic words, “matter and its interactions.” For example with PS1.A.2,
it would read, “Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding that matter exists as different
substances that have different observable properties to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.”
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.PS1.A:
Structure and
Function
SCI.PS1.A.2
Matter exists as different
substances that have
different observable
properties. Different
properties are suited to
different purposes. Objects
can be built up from smaller
parts.
SCI.PS1.A.5
Matter exists as particles
that are too small to see.
Matter is always conserved
even if it seems to
disappear. Measurements
of a variety of observable
properties can be used to
identify particular
materials.
SCI.PS1.A.m
The fact that matter is
composed of atoms and
molecules can be used to
explain the properties of
substances, diversity of
materials, states of matter,
phase changes, and
conservation of matter.
SCI.PS1.A.h
The sub-atomic structural
model and interactions
between electric charges at
the atomic scale can be
used to explain the
structure and interactions
of matter, including
chemical reactions and
nuclear processes.
Repeating patterns of the
periodic table reflect
patterns of outer electrons.
A stable molecule has less
energy than the same set of
atoms separated; one must
provide at least this energy
to take the molecule apart.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 64
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Physical Science 1 (PS1) — Matter and Its Interactions
Standard SCI.PS1: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
matter and its interactions to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.PS1.B:
Chemical
Reactions
SCI.PS1.B.2
Heating or cooling a
substance may cause
changes that can be
observed. Sometimes these
changes are reversible, and
sometimes they are not.
SCI.PS1.B.5
Chemical reactions that
occur when substances are
mixed can be identified by
the emergence of
substances with different
properties.
In chemical reactions the
total mass remains the
same.
Note: At this level, students
are not expected to
differentiate between mass
and weight.
SCI.PS1.B.m
Reacting substances
rearrange to form different
molecules, but the number
of atoms is conserved. Some
reactions release energy
and others absorb energy.
SCI.PS1.B.h
Chemical processes are
understood in terms of
collisions of molecules,
rearrangement of atoms,
and changes in energy as
determined by properties of
elements involved.
SCI.PS1.C:
Nuclear
Processes
SCI.PS1.C.h
Nuclear processes,
including fusion, fission, and
radioactive decays of
unstable nuclei, involve
release or absorption of
energy.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 65
SCI.PS1: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable
properties.
2-PS1-2. Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties
that are best suited for an intended purpose.
2-PS1-3. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces
can be disassembled and made into a new object.
2-PS1-4. Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and
some cannot.
Grades 3-5
5-PS1-1. Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.
5-PS1-2. 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.
5-PS1-3. Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
5-PS1-4. Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new
substances.
Grades 6-8
MS-PS1-1. Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
MS-PS1-2. Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to
determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
MS-PS1-3. Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources
and impact society.
MS-PS1-4. Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure
substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
MS-PS1-5. Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical
reaction, and thus, mass is conserved.
MS-PS1-6. Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal
energy by chemical processes.
NOTE: Sample Performance Indicators continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 66
SCI.LS1: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators (cont’d)
Grades 9-12
HS-PS1-1. Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of
electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
HS-PS1-2. Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost
electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.
HS-PS1-3. Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the bulk
scale to infer the strength of electrical forces between particles.
HS-PS1-4. Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system
depends upon the changes in total bond energy.
HS-PS1-5. Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the
temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.
HS-PS1-6. Refine the design of a chemical system by specifying a change in conditions that would produce increased
amounts of products at equilibrium.
HS-PS1-7. Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved
during a chemical reaction.
HS-PS1-8. Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy
released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 67
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Physical Science 2 (PS2) — Forces, Interactions, Motion,
and Stability
Standard SCI.PS2: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
forces, interactions, motion, and stability to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.PS2.A:
Forces and
Motion
SCI.PS2.A.K
Pushes and pulls can have
different strengths and
directions, and can change
the speed or direction of an
object’s motion, or start or
stop it.
A bigger push or pull makes
things speed up or slow
down more quickly.
SCI.PS2.A.3
Qualities of motion and
changes in motion require
description of both size and
direction.
The effect of unbalanced
forces on an object results
in a change of motion.
Patterns of motion can be
used to predict future
motion.
SCI.PS2.A.m
Motion and changes in
motion can be qualitatively
described using concepts of
speed, velocity, and
acceleration (including
speeding up, slowing down,
and/or changing direction).
The role of the mass of an
object must be qualitatively
accounted for in any change
of motion due to the
application of a force
(Newton’s first and second
law).
For any pair of interacting
objects, the force exerted
by the first object on the
second object is equal in
strength to the force that
the second object exerts on
the first, but in the opposite
direction (Newton’s third
law).
SCI.PS2.A.h
Motion and changes in
motion can be
quantitatively described
using concepts of speed,
velocity, and acceleration
(including speeding up,
slowing down, and/or
changing direction).
Newton’s second law of
motion (F=ma) and the
conservation of momentum
can be used to predict
changes in the motion of
macroscopic objects.
If a system interacts with
objects outside itself, the
total momentum of the
system can change;
however, any such change
is balanced by changes in
the momentum of objects
outside the system.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 68
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Physical Science 2 (PS2) — Forces, Interactions, Motion,
and Stability
Standard SCI.PS2: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
forces, interactions, motion, and stability to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.PS2.B:
Types of
Interactions
SCI.PS2.B.K
When objects touch or
collide, they push on one
another and can result in a
change of motion.
SCI.PS2.B.3
Some forces act through
contact, some forces (e.g.
magnetic, electrostatic) act
even when the objects are
not in contact.
SCI.PS2.B.5
The gravitational force of
Earth acting on an object
near Earth’s surface pulls
that object toward the
planet’s center.
SCI.PS2.B.m
Forces that act at a
distance involve fields that
can be mapped by their
relative strength and effect
on an object.
SCI.PS2.B.h
Forces at a distance are
explained by fields that can
transfer energy and can be
described in terms of the
arrangement and
properties of the
interacting objects and the
distance between them.
These forces can be used to
describe the relationship
between electrical and
magnetic fields.
Attraction and repulsion
between electric charges at
the atomic scale explain the
structure, properties, and
transformations of matter,
as well as the contact forces
between material objects.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 69
SCI.PS2: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
K-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of
pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.
K-PS2-2. Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an
object with a push or a pull.
Grades 3-5
3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on
the motion of an object.
3-PS2-2. Make observations and measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used
to predict future motion.
3-PS2-3. Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two
objects not in contact with each other.
3-PS2-4. Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets.
5-PS2-1. Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.
Grades 6-8
MS-PS2-1. Apply Newton’s third law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
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.
MS-PS2-3. Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
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.
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.
NOTE: Sample Performance Indicators continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 70
Grades 9-12
HS-PS2-1. Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical
relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
HS-PS2-2. Use mathematical representations (qualitative and quantitative) to support the claim that the total
momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system.
HS-PS2-3. Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a
macroscopic object during a collision.
HS-PS2-4. Use mathematical representations (qualitative and quantitative) of Newton’s law of gravitation and
Coulomb’s law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.
HS-PS2-5. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that an electric current can produce a magnetic field
and that a changing magnetic field can produce an electric current.
HS-PS2-6. Communicate scientific and technical information about why the molecular-level structure is important in
the functioning of designed materials.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 71
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Physical Science 3 (PS3) — Energy
Standard SCI.PS3: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
energy to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.PS3.A:
Definitions of
Energy
SCI.PS3.A.4
Moving objects contain
energy. The faster the
object moves, the more
energy it has.
SCI.PS3.A.m
Kinetic energy can be
distinguished from the
various forms of potential
energy.
SCI.PS3.A.h
Systems move towards
more stable states.
SCI.PS3.B:
Conservation of
Energy and
Energy Transfer
SCI.PS3.B.4
Energy can be moved from
place to place by moving
objects, or through sound,
light, or electrical currents.
Energy can be converted
from one form to another
form.
SCI.PS3.B.m
Energy changes to and from
each type can be tracked
through physical or
chemical interactions. The
relationship between the
temperature and the total
energy of a system depends
on the types, states, and
amounts of matter.
SCI.PS3.B.h
The total energy within a
system is conserved. Energy
transfer within and
between systems can be
described and predicted in
terms of energy associated
with the motion or
configuration of particles
(objects).
SCI.PS3.C:
Relationships
between Energy
and Forces
SCI.PS3.C.K
Bigger pushes and pulls
cause bigger changes in an
object’s motion or shape.
SCI.PS3.C.4
When objects collide,
contact forces transfer
energy so as to change
objects’ motions.
SCI.PS3.C.m
When two objects interact,
each one exerts a force on
the other, and these forces
can transfer energy
between the interacting
objects.
SCI.PS3.C.h
Fields contain energy that
depends on the
arrangement of the objects
in the field.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 72
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Physical Science 3 (PS3) — Energy
Standard SCI.PS3: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
energy to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.PS3.D:
Energy in
Chemical
Processes and
Everyday Life
SCI.PS3.D.K
Sunlight warms Earth’s
surface.
SCI.PS3.D.4, 5
Plants capture energy from
sunlight which can be used
as fuel or food.
Stored energy in food or
fuel can be converted to
useable energy.
SCI.PS3.D.m
Sunlight is captured by
plants and used in a
chemical reaction to
produce sugar molecules
for storing this energy. This
stored energy can be
released by respiration or
combustion, which can be
reversed by burning those
molecules to release
energy.
SCI.PS3.D.h
Photosynthesis is the
primary biological means of
capturing radiation from
the sun; energy cannot be
destroyed, but it can be
converted to less useful
forms.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 73
SCI.PS3: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
K-PS3-1. Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface.
K-PS3-2. Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an
area.
Grades 3-5
4-PS3-1. Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.
4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light,
heat, and electric currents.
4-PS3-3. Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.
4-PS3-4. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.
5-PS3-1. 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.
Grades 6-8
MS-PS3-1. Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the
mass of an object and to the speed of an object (emphasis on qualitative descriptions of relationships).
MS-PS3-2. Develop a model to describe that when the distance between two objects changes, different amounts of
potential energy are stored in the system (e.g. gravitational, magnetic, or electrostatic potential energy).
MS-PS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes
thermal energy transfer.
MS-PS3-4. Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the
mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.
MS-PS3-5. Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object
changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.
NOTE: Sample Performance Indicators continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 74
Grades 9-12
HS-PS3-1. Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when
the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
HS-PS3-2. Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a
combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative
position of particles (objects).
HS-PS3-3. Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into
another form of energy.
HS-PS3-4. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two
components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy
distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).
HS-PS3-5. Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric or magnetic fields to illustrate the
forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 75
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Physical Science 4 (PS4) — Waves and Their
Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer
Standard SCI.PS4: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of waves
and their applications in technologies for information transfer to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.PS4.A:
Wave Properties
SCI.PS4.A.1
Sound can make matter
vibrate, and vibrating
matter can make sound.
SCI.PS4.A.4
Waves are regular patterns
of motion, which can be
made in water by disturbing
the surface. Waves of the
same type can differ in
amplitude and wavelength.
Waves can make objects
move.
SCI.PS4.C.m
A simple wave model has a
repeating pattern with a
specific wavelength,
frequency, and amplitude,
and mechanical waves need
a medium through which
they are transmitted. This
model can explain many
phenomena including sound
and light. Waves can
transmit energy.
SCI.PS4.A.h
The wavelength and
frequency of a wave are
related to one another by
the speed of the wave,
which depends on the type
of wave and the medium
through which it is passing.
Waves can be used to
transmit information and
energy.
SCI.PS4.B:
Electro-
magnetic
Radiation
SCI.PS4.B.1
Objects can be seen only
when light is available to
illuminate them.
SCI.PS4.B.4
Objects can be seen when
light reflected from their
surface enters our eyes.
SCI.PS4.B.m
The construct of a wave is
used to model how light
interacts with objects.
SCI.PS4.B.h
Both an electromagnetic
wave model and a photon
model explain features of
electromagnetic radiation
broadly and describe
common applications of
electromagnetic radiation.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 76
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Physical Science 4 (PS4) — Waves and Their
Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer
Standard SCI.PS4: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of waves
and their applications in technologies for information transfer to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.PS4.C:
Information
Technologies
and Instru-
mentation
SCI.PS4.C.1
People use devices to send
and receive information.
SCI.PS4.C.4
Patterns can encode, send,
receive, and decode
information.
SCI.PS4.C.m
Waves can be used to
transmit digital information.
Digitized information is
comprised of a pattern of 1s
and 0s.
SCI.PS4.C.h
Large amounts of
information can be stored
and shipped around as a
result of being digitized.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 77
SCI.PS4: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
1-PS4-1. Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound
can make materials vibrate.
1-PS4-2. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be seen only when illuminated.
1-PS4-3. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in
the path of a beam of light.
1-PS4-4. Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of
communicating over a distance.
Grades 3-5
4-PS4-1. Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can
cause objects to move.
4-PS4-2. Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen.
4-PS4-3. Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information.
Grades 6-8
MS-PS4-1. Use mathematical representations to describe a simple model for waves that includes how the amplitude
of a wave is related to the energy in a wave.
MS-PS4-2. Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various
materials.
MS-PS4-3. Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a
more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals.
Grades 9-12
HS-PS4-1. Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency,
wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.
HS-PS4-2. Evaluate questions about the advantages of using a digital transmission and storage of information.
HS-PS4-3. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be
described either by a wave model or a particle model, and that for some situations one model is more useful than the
other.
HS-PS4-4. Evaluate the validity and reliability of claims in published materials of the effects that different frequencies
of electromagnetic radiation have when absorbed by matter.
HS-PS4-5. Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave
behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 78
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Earth and Space Science 1 (ESS1) — Earth’s Place in the
Universe
Standard SCI.ESS1: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
earth’s place in the universe to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Reminder: Throughout the Earth and Space Science section, the individual disciplinary core ideas in the boxes only become performance
indicators when inserted into the sentence above, in this case replacing the overall topic words, “Earth’s place in the universe.” For example
with ESS1.A.1, it would read, “Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding that patterns of
movement of the sun, moon, and stars, as seen from the Earth, can be observed, described, and predicted to make sense of phenomena and solve
problems.”
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ESS1.A:
The Universe
and Its Stars
SCI.ESS1.A.1
Patterns of movement of
the sun, moon, and stars, as
seen from Earth, can be
observed, described, and
predicted.
SCI.ESS1.A.5
Stars range greatly in size
and distance from Earth,
and this can explain their
relative brightness.
SCI.ESS1.A.m
The solar system is part of
the Milky Way, which is one
of many billions of galaxies.
SCI.ESS1.A.h
Light spectra from stars are
used to determine their
characteristics, processes,
and lifecycles. Solar activity
creates the elements
through nuclear fusion. The
development of
technologies has provided
the astronomical data that
provide the empirical
evidence for the Big Bang
theory.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 79
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Earth and Space Science 1 (ESS1) — Earth’s Place in the
Universe
Standard SCI.ESS1: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
earth’s place in the universe to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ESS1.B:
Earth and the
Solar System
SCI.ESS1.B.1
Seasonal patterns of
sunrise and sunset can be
observed, described, and
predicted.
SCI.ESS1.B.5
The Earth’s orbit and
rotation, and the orbit of
the moon around the Earth
cause observable patterns.
SCI.ESS1.B.m
The solar system contains
many varied objects held
together by gravity. Solar
system models explain and
predict eclipses, lunar
phases, and seasons.
SCI.ESS1.B.h
Kepler’s laws describe
common features of the
motions of orbiting objects.
Observations from
astronomy and space
probes provide evidence for
explanations of solar
system formation. Cyclical
changes in Earth’s tilt and
orbit, occurring over tens to
hundreds of thousands of
years, cause cycles of ice
ages and other gradual
climate changes.
SCI.ESS1.C:
The History of
Planet Earth
SCI.ESS1.C.2
Some events on Earth occur
very quickly; others can
occur very slowly.
SCI.ESS1.C.4
Certain features on Earth
can be used to order events
that have occurred in a
landscape.
SCI.ESS1.C.m
Rock strata and the fossil
record can be used as
evidence to organize the
relative occurrence of
major historical events in
Earth’s history.
SCI.ESS1.C.h
The rock record resulting
from tectonic and other
geoscience processes as
well as objects from the
solar system can provide
evidence of Earth’s early
history and the relative
ages of major geologic
formations.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 80
SCI.ESS1: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
1-ESS1-1. Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.
1-ESS1-2. Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year.
2-ESS1-1. Use information from several sources to provide evidence that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly.
Grades 3-5
4-ESS1-1. Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for
changes in a landscape over time.
5-ESS1-1. Support an argument that differences in the apparent brightness of the sun compared to other stars is due
to their relative distances from Earth.
5-ESS1-2. 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.
Grades 6-8
MS-ESS1-1. Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases,
eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.
MS-ESS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar
system.
MS-ESS1-3. Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.
MS-ESS1-4. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is
used to organize Earth’s 4.6-billion-year-old history.
Grades 9-12
HS-ESS1-1. Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the life span of the sun and the role of nuclear fusion in
the sun’s core to release energy that eventually reaches Earth in the form of radiation.
HS-ESS1-2. Construct an explanation of the Big Bang theory based on astronomical evidence of light spectra, motion
of distant galaxies, and composition of matter in the universe.
HS-ESS1-3. Communicate scientific ideas about the way stars, over their life cycle, produce elements.
HS-ESS1-4. Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar
system.
HS-ESS1-5. Evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust and the theory of
plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks.
HS-ESS1-6. Apply scientific reasoning and evidence from ancient Earth materials, meteorites, and other planetary
surfaces to construct an account of Earth’s formation and early history.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 81
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Earth and Space Science 2 (ESS2) — Earth’s Systems
Standard SCI.ESS2: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
earth’s systems to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ESS2.A:
Earth Materials
and Systems
SCI.ESS2.A.2
Wind and water change the
shape of the land.
SCI.ESS2.A.4,5
Four major Earth systems
interact. Rainfall helps to
shape the land and affects
the types of living things
found in a region. Water,
ice, wind, organisms, and
gravity break rocks, soils,
and sediments into smaller
pieces and move them
around.
SCI.ESS2.A.m
Energy flows and matter
cycles within and among
Earth’s systems, including
the sun and Earth’s interior
as primary energy sources.
Plate tectonics is one result
of these processes.
SCI.ESS2.A.h
Feedback effects exist
within and among Earth’s
systems.
SCI.ESS2.B:
Plate Tectonics
and Large-Scale
System
Interactions
SCI.ESS2.B.2
Maps show where things
are located. One can map
the shapes and kinds of land
and water in any area.
SCI.ESS2.B.4
Earth’s physical features
occur in patterns, as do
earthquakes and volcanoes.
Maps can be used to locate
features and determine
patterns in those events.
SCI.ESS2.B.m
Plate tectonics is the
unifying theory that
explains movements of
rocks at Earth’s surface and
geological history. Maps are
used to display evidence of
plate movement.
SCI.ESS2.B.h
Radioactive decay within
Earth’s interior contributes
to thermal convection in
the mantle.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 82
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Earth and Space Science 2 (ESS2) — Earth’s Systems
Standard SCI.ESS2: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
earth’s systems to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ESS2.C:
The Roles of
Water in Earth’s
Surface
Processes
SCI.ESS2.C.2
Water is found in many types
of places and in different forms
on Earth.
SCI.ESS2.C.5
Most of Earth’s water is in the
ocean, and much of the Earth’s
freshwater is in glaciers or
underground.
SCI.ESS2.C.m
Water cycles among land,
ocean, and atmosphere, and is
propelled by sunlight and
gravity. Density variations of
sea water drive interconnected
ocean currents. Water
movement causes weathering
and erosion, changing
landscape features.
SCI.ESS2.C.h
The planet’s dynamics are
greatly influenced by water’s
unique chemical and physical
properties.
SCI.ESS2.D:
Weather and
Climate
SCI.ESS2.D.K
Weather is the combination of
sunlight, wind, snow or rain,
and temperature in a particular
region and time. People record
weather patterns over time.
SCI.ESS2.D.3
Climate describes patterns of
typical weather conditions
over different scales and
variations. Historical weather
patterns can be analyzed.
SCI.ESS2.D.m
Complex interactions
determine local weather
patterns and influence climate,
including the role of the ocean.
SCI.ESS2.D.h
The role of radiation from the
sun and its interactions with
the atmosphere, ocean, and
land are the foundation for the
global climate system. Global
climate models are used to
predict future changes,
including changes influenced
by human behavior and natural
factors.
SCI.ESS2.E:
Biogeology
SCI.ESS2.E.K
Plants and animals can change
their local environment.
SCI.ESS2.E.4
Living things can affect the
physical characteristics of their
environment.
SCI.ESS2.E.m
The fossil record documents
the existence, diversity,
extinction, and change of many
life forms throughout history
(linked to content in LS4.A).
SCI.ESS2.E.h
The biosphere and Earth’s
other systems have many
interconnections that cause a
continual coevolution of
Earth’s surface and life on it.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 83
SCI.ESS2: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
K-ESS2-1. Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.
K-ESS2-2. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change
the environment to meet their needs.
2-ESS2-1. Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.
2-ESS2-2. Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area.
2-ESS2-3. Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth, and that it can be solid or liquid.
Grades 3-5
3-ESS2-1. Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a
particular season.
3-ESS2-2. Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.
4-ESS2-1. Make observations and measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of
erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.
5-ESS2-1. Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and
atmosphere interact.
5-ESS2-2. Describe and graph the amounts and percentages of water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide
evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.
Grades 6-8
MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives plate
tectonics.
MS-ESS2-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface
at varying time and spatial scales.
MS-ESS2-3. Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor
structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.
MS-ESS2-4. Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun
and the force of gravity.
MS-ESS2-5. Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in
changes in weather conditions.
MS-ESS2-6. Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of
atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
NOTE: Sample Performance Indicators continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 84
SCI.ESS2: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators (cont’d)
Grades 9-12
HS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to illustrate how Earth’s internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and
temporal scales to form continental and ocean-floor features.
HS-ESS2-2. Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that
cause changes to other Earth systems.
HS-ESS2-3. Develop a model based on evidence of Earth’s interior to describe the cycling of matter by thermal
convection.
HS-ESS2-4. Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in
changes in climate.
HS-ESS2-5. Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface
processes.
HS-ESS2-6. Develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere,
geosphere, and biosphere.
HS-ESS2-7. Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth’s systems and life
on Earth.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 85
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Earth and Space Science 3 (ESS3) — Earth and Human
Activity
Standard SCI.ESS3: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
earth and human activity to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ESS3.A:
Natural
Resources
SCI.ESS3.A.K
Living things need water,
air, and resources from the
land, and they live in places
that have the things they
need. Humans use natural
resources for everything
they do.
SCI.ESS3.A.4
Energy and fuels humans
use are derived from
natural sources, and their
use affects the
environment. Some
resources are renewable
over time, others are not.
SCI.ESS3.A.m
Humans depend on Earth’s
land, oceans, fresh water,
atmosphere, and biosphere
for different resources,
many of which are limited
or not renewable.
Resources are distributed
unevenly around the planet
as a result of past geologic
processes.
SCI.ESS3.A.h
Resource availability has
guided the development of
human society and use of
natural resources has
associated costs, risks, and
benefits.
SCI.ESS3.B:
Natural Hazards
SCI.ESS3.B.K
In a region, some kinds of
severe weather are more
likely than others.
Forecasts allow
communities to prepare for
severe weather.
SCI.ESS3.B.3,4
A variety of hazards result
from natural processes;
humans cannot eliminate
hazards but can reduce
their impacts.
SCI.ESS3.B.m
Patterns can be seen
through mapping the
history of natural hazards in
a region and understanding
related geological forces.
SCI.ESS3.B.h
Natural hazards and other
geological events have
shaped the course of human
history at local, regional,
and global scales.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 86
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Earth and Space Science 3 (ESS3) — Earth and Human
Activity
Standard SCI.ESS3: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
earth and human activity to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ESS3.C:
Human Impacts
on Earth
Systems
SCI.ESS3.C.K
Things people do can affect
the environment but they
can make choices to reduce
their impacts.
SCI.ESS3.C.5
Societal activities have had
major effects on the land,
ocean, atmosphere, and
even outer space. Societal
activities can also help
protect Earth’s resources
and environments.
SCI.ESS3.C.m
Human activities have
altered the hydrosphere,
atmosphere, and
lithosphere which in turn
has altered the biosphere.
Changes to the biosphere
can have different impacts
for different living things.
Activities and technologies
can be engineered to
reduce people’s impacts on
Earth.
SCI.ESS3.C.h
Sustainability of human
societies and the
biodiversity that supports
them requires responsible
management of natural
resources, including the
development of
technologies.
SCI.ESS3.D:
Global Climate
Change
SCI.ESS3.D.m
Evidence suggests human
activities affect global
warming. Decisions to
reduce the impact of global
warming depend on
understanding climate
science, engineering
capabilities, and social
dynamics.
SCI.ESS3.D.h
Global climate models used
to predict changes continue
to be improved, although
discoveries about the global
climate system are ongoing
and continually needed.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 87
SCI.ESS3: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
K-ESS3-1. Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including
humans) and the places they live.
K-ESS3-2. Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond
to, severe weather.
K-ESS3-3. Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, or other living things
in the local environment.
Grades 3-5
3-ESS3-1. Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.
4-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and
their uses affect the environment.
4-ESS3-2. Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.
5-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the
Earth’s resources and environment.
Grades 6-8
MS-ESS3-1. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth’s mineral,
energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.
MS-ESS3-2. Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the
development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the
environment.
MS-ESS3-4. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita
consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s systems.
MS-ESS3-5. Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the
past century.
NOTE: Sample Performance Indicators continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 88
SCI.ESS3: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators (cont’d)
Grades 9-12
HS-ESS3-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of
natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-2. Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources
based on cost-benefit ratios.
HS-ESS3-3. Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural
resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.
HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
HS-ESS3-5. Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast
of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.
HS-ESS3-6. Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those
relationships are being modified due to human activity.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 89
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
1 (ETS) — Engineering Design
Standard SCI.ETS1: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
engineering design to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Reminder: Throughout the Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science section, the individual disciplinary core ideas in the boxes
only become performance indicators when inserted into the sentence above, in this case replacing the overall topic words, “engineering
design.” For example with ETS1.A.K-2, it would read, “Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an
understanding that a situation that people want to change or create can be approached as a problem to solved through engineering to make sense of
phenomena and solve problems.” Additionally, these engineering ideas are meant to be integrated with related science learning, not taught in
isolation.
Performance Indicators (by Grade Band)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS1.A:
Defining and
Delimiting
Engineering
Problems
SCI.ETS1.A.K-2
A situation that people
want to change or create
can be approached as a
problem to be solved
through engineering.
Asking questions, making
observations, and gathering
information are helpful in
thinking about problems.
Before beginning to design
a solution, it is important to
clearly understand the
problem.
SCI.ETS1.A.3-5
Possible solutions to a
problem are limited by
available materials and
resources (constraints). The
success of a designed
solution is determined by
considering the desired
features of a solution
(criteria). Different
proposals for solutions can
be compared on the basis of
how well each one meets
the specified criteria for
success or how well each
takes the constraints into
account.
SCI.ETS1.A.m
The more precisely a design
task’s criteria and
constraints can be defined,
the more likely it is that the
designed solution will be
successful. Specification of
constraints includes
consideration of scientific
principles and other
relevant knowledge that
are likely to limit possible
solutions.
SCI.ETS1.A.h
Criteria and constraints
also include satisfying any
requirements set by
society, such as taking
issues of risk mitigation into
account, and they should be
quantified to the extent
possible and stated in such
a way that one can tell if a
given design meets them.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 90
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
1 (ETS1) — Engineering Design
Standard SCI.ETS1: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
engineering design to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS1.A:
Defining and
Delimiting
Engineering
Problems
(cont’d)
SCI.ETS1.A.h
Humanity faces major
global challenges today,
such as the need for
supplies of clean water and
food or for energy sources
that minimize pollution,
which can be addressed
through engineering. These
global challenges also may
have manifestations in local
communities.
SCI.ETS1.B:
Developing
Possible
Solutions
SCI.ETS1.B.K-2
Designs can be conveyed
through sketches, drawings,
or physical models. These
representations are useful
in communicating ideas for
a problem’s solutions to
other people.
SCI.ETS1.B.3-5
Research on a problem
should be carried out
before beginning to design
a solution. Testing a
solution involves
investigating how well it
performs under a range of
likely conditions.
SCI.ETS1.B.m
A solution needs to be
tested and then modified on
the basis of the test results
in order to improve it.
There are systematic
processes for evaluating
solutions with respect to
how well they meet the
criteria and constraints of a
problem.
SCI.ETS1.B.h
When evaluating solutions,
it is important to take into
account a range of
constraints, including cost,
safety, reliability, and
aesthetics, and to consider
social, cultural, and
environmental impacts.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 91
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
1 (ETS1) — Engineering Design
Standard SCI.ETS1: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
engineering design to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS1.B:
Developing
Possible
Solutions
(cont’d)
SCI.ETS1.B.3-5
At whatever stage,
communicating with peers
about proposed solutions is
an important part of the
design process, and shared
ideas can lead to improved
designs.
Tests are often designed to
identify failure points or
difficulties, which suggest
the elements of the design
that need to be improved.
SCI.ETS1.B.m
Sometimes parts of
different solutions can be
combined to create a
solution that is better than
any of its predecessors.
Models of all kinds are
important for testing
solutions.
SCI.ETS1.B.h
Both physical models and
computers can be used in
various ways to aid in the
engineering design process.
Computers are useful for a
variety of purposes, such as
running simulations to test
different ways of solving a
problem or to see which
one is most efficient or
economical. They are also
useful in making a
persuasive presentation to
a client about how a given
design will meet his or her
needs.
SCI.ETS1.C:
Optimizing the
Design Solution
SCI.ETS1.C.K-2
Because there is more than
one possible solution to a
problem, it is useful to
compare and test designs.
SCI.ETS1.C.3-5
Different solutions need to
be tested in order to
determine which of them
best solves the problem,
given the criteria and the
constraints.
SCI.ETS1.C.m
Although one design may
not perform the best across
all tests, identifying the
characteristics of the design
that performed the best in
each test can provide useful
information for the
redesign process —
SCI.ETS1.C.h
Criteria may need to be
broken down into simpler
ones that can be
approached systematically,
and decisions about the
priority of certain criteria
over others (trade-offs)
may be needed.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 92
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
1 (ETS1) — Engineering Design
Standard SCI.ETS1: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of
engineering design to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS1.C:
Optimizing the
Design Solution
(cont’d)
SCI.ETS1.C.m
That is, some of those
characteristics may be
incorporated into the new
design.
The iterative process of
testing the most promising
solutions and modifying
what is proposed on the
basis of the test results
leads to greater refinement
and ultimately to an
optimal solution.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 93
SCI.ETS1: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to
define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it
function as needed to solve a given problem.
K-2-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and
weaknesses of how each performs.
Grades 3-5
3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and
constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2. 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.
3-5-ETS1-2. 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.
Grades 6-8
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful
solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural
environment that may limit possible solutions.
MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the
criteria and constraints of the problem.
MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to
identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for
success.
MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or
process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
Grades 9-12
HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for
solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable
problems that can be solved through engineering.
HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that
account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural,
and environmental impacts.
HS-ETS1-4. Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem
with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 94
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
2 (ETS2) — Links Among Engineering, Technology, Science, and Society
Standard SCI.ETS2: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of links
among engineering, technology, science, and society to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS2.A:
Interdepen-
dence of Science,
Engineering, and
Technology
SCI.ETS2.A.K-2
Designs can be conveyed
through sketches, drawings,
or physical models. These
representations are useful
in communicating ideas for
a problem’s solutions to
other people.
SCI.ETS2.A.3-5
Research on a problem
should be carried out
before beginning to design
a solution. Testing a
solution involves
investigating how well it
performs under a range of
likely conditions.
SCI.ETS2.A.m
A solution needs to be
tested and then modified on
the basis of the test results
in order to improve it.
There are systematic
processes for evaluating
solutions with respect to
how well they meet the
criteria and constraints of a
problem.
SCI.ETS2.A.h
When evaluating solutions,
it is important to take into
account a range of
constraints, including cost,
safety, reliability, and
aesthetics, and to consider
social, cultural, and
environmental impacts.
SCI.ETS2.B:
Influence of
Engineering,
Technology, and
Science on
Society and the
Natural World
SCI.ETS2.B.K-2
Every human-made product
is designed by applying
some knowledge of the
natural world and is built by
using natural materials.
Taking natural materials to
make things impacts the
environment.
SCI.ETS2.B.3-5
People’s needs and wants
change over time, as do
their demands for new and
improved technologies.
Engineers improve existing
technologies or develop
new ones to increase their
benefits, decrease known
risks, and meet societal
demands.
SCI.ETS2.B.m
All human activity draws on
natural resources and has
both short- and long-term
consequences, positive as
well as negative, for the
health of people and the
natural environment.
SCI.ETS2.B.h
Modern civilization
depends on major
technological systems, such
as agriculture, health,
water, energy,
transportation,
manufacturing,
construction, and
communications.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 95
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
2 (ETS2) — Links Among Engineering, Technology, Science, and Society
Standard SCI.ETS2: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of links
among engineering, technology, science, and society to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS2.B:
Influence of
Engineering,
Technology, and
Science on
Society and the
Natural World
(cont’d)
SCI.ETS2.B.3-5
When new technologies
become available, they can
bring about changes in the
way people live and interact
with one another.
SCI.ETS2.B.m
The uses of technologies
are driven by people’s
needs, desires, and values;
by the findings of scientific
research; and by
differences in such factors
as climate, natural
resources, and economic
conditions.
Technology use varies over
time and from region to
region.
SCI.ETS2.B.h
Engineers continuously
modify these systems to
increase benefits while
decreasing costs and risks.
New technologies can have
deep impacts on society and
the environment, including
some that were not
anticipated.
Analysis of costs and
benefits is a critical aspect
of decisions about
technology.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 96
SCI.ETS2: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
K-ESS3-3. Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, or other living things
in the local environment.
1-LS1-1. Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants or animals use their external
parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
Grades 3-5
3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types
of plants and animals that live there may change.
4-ESS3-2. Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.
Grades 6-8
MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
MS-LS4-5. Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence
the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the
environment.
Grades 9-12
HS-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and
biodiversity.
HS-LS4-6. Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on
biodiversity.
HS-ESS3-2. Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources
based on cost-benefit ratios.
HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 97
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
3 (ETS3) — Nature of Science and Engineering
Standard SCI.ETS3: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of the
nature of science and engineering to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS3.A:
Science and
Engineering Are
Human
Endeavors
SCI.ETS3.A.K-2
People of diverse
backgrounds can become
scientists and engineers.
People have practiced
science and engineering for
a long time.
Creativity and imagination
are important to science
and engineering.
SCI.ETS3.A.3-5
Science and engineering
knowledge have been
created by many cultures.
People use the tools and
practices of science and
engineering in many
different situations (e.g.
land managers, technicians,
nurses, and welders).
Science and engineering
affect everyday life.
SCI.ETS3.A.m
Individuals and teams from
many nations, cultures, and
backgrounds have
contributed to advances in
science and engineering.
Scientists and engineers are
persistent, use creativity,
reasoning, and skepticism,
and remain open to new
ideas.
Science and engineering are
influenced by what is
valued in society.
SCI.ETS3.A.h
Individuals from diverse
backgrounds bring unique
perspectives that are
valuable to the outcomes
and processes of science
and engineering.
Scientists’ and engineers’
backgrounds, perspectives,
and fields of endeavor
influence the nature of
questions they ask, the
definition of problems, and
the nature of their findings
and solutions.
Some cultures have
historically been
marginalized in science and
engineering discourse.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 98
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
3 (ETS3) — Links Among Engineering, Technology, Science, and Society
Standard SCI.ETS3: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of the
nature of science and engineering to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS3.A:
Science and
Engineering Are
Human
Endeavors
(cont’d)
SCI.ETS3.A.h
Scientists and engineers
embrace skepticism and
critique as a community.
Deliberate deceit in science
is rare and is likely exposed
through the peer review
process. When discovered,
intellectual dishonesty is
condemned by the scientific
community.
SCI.ETS3.B:
Science and
Engineering Are
Unique Ways of
Thinking With
Different
Purposes
SCI.ETS3.B.K-2
Scientists use evidence to
explain the natural world.
Science assumes natural
events happen today as
they happened in the past.
Engineers solve problems
to meet the needs of people
and communities.
SCI.ETS3.B.3-5
Science and engineering are
both bodies of knowledge
and processes that add new
knowledge to our
understanding.
Scientific findings are
limited to what can be
supported with evidence
from the natural world.
SCI.ETS3.B.m
Science asks questions to
understand the natural
world and assumes that
objects and events in
natural systems occur in
consistent patterns that are
understandable through
measurement and
observation. Science
carefully considers and
evaluates anomalies in data
and evidence.
SCI.ETS3.B.h
Science is both a body of
knowledge that represents
current understanding of
natural systems and the
processes used to refine,
elaborate, revise, and
extend this knowledge.
These processes
differentiate science from
other ways of knowing.
NOTE: This standard continued on next page.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 99
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
3 (ETS3) — Links Among Engineering, Technology, Science, and Society
Standard SCI.ETS3: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of the
nature of science and engineering to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS3.B:
Science and
Engineering Are
Unique Ways of
Thinking With
Different
Purposes
(cont’d)
SCI.ETS3.B.3-5
Basic laws of nature are the
same everywhere in the
universe (e.g. gravity,
conservation of matter,
energy transfer, etc.).
Engineering solutions often
have drawbacks as well as
benefits.
SCI.ETS3.B.m
Engineering seeks solutions
to human problems,
including issues that arise
due to human interaction
with the environment. It
uses some of the same
practices as science and
often applies scientific
principles to solutions.
Science and engineering
have direct impacts on the
quality of life for all people.
Therefore, scientists and
engineers need to pursue
their work in an ethical
manner that requires
honesty, fairness, and
dedication to public health,
safety, and welfare.
SCI.ETS3.B.h
Science knowledge has a
history that includes the
refinement of, and changes
to, theories, ideas, and
beliefs over time.
Science and engineering
innovations may raise
ethical issues for which
science and engineering, by
themselves, do not provide
answers and solutions.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 100
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
3 (ETS3) — Links Among Engineering, Technology, Science, and Society
Standard SCI.ETS3: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of the
nature of science and engineering to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS3.C:
Science and
Engineering Use
Multiple
Approaches to
Create New
Knowledge and
Solve Problems
SCI.ETS3.C.K-2
Science and engineers use
many approaches to answer
questions about the natural
world and solve problems.
Scientific explanations are
strengthened by being
supported with evidence.
An engineering problem can
have many solutions. The
strength of a solution
depends on how well it
solves the problem.
SCI.ETS3.C.3-5
The products of science and
engineering are not
developed through one set
“scientific method” or
“engineering design
process.” Instead, they use a
variety of approaches
described in the Science
and Engineering Practices.
Science explanations are
based on a body of evidence
and multiple tests, and
describe the mechanisms
for natural events. Science
explanations can change
based on new evidence.
There is no perfect design in
engineering. Designs that
are best in some ways (e.g.
safety or ease of use) may
be inferior in other ways
(e.g. cost or aesthetics).
SCI.ETS3.C.m
A theory is an explanation
of some aspect of the
natural world. Scientists
develop theories by using
multiple approaches.
Validity of these theories
and explanations is
increased through a peer
review process that tests
and evaluates the evidence
supporting scientific claims.
Theories are explanations
for observable phenomena
based on a body of evidence
developed over time. A
hypothesis is a statement
that can be tested to
evaluate a theory. Scientific
laws describe cause and
effect relationships among
observable phenomena.
SCI.ETS3.C.h
Scientists use a variety of
methods, tools, and
techniques to develop
theories. A scientific theory
is an explanation of some
aspect of the natural word,
based on evidence that has
been repeatedly confirmed
through observation,
experimentation
(hypothesis-testing), and
peer review.
The certainty and durability
of science findings varies
based on the strength of
supporting evidence.
Theories are usually
modified if they are not able
to accommodate new
evidence.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 101
Science: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) — Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science
3 (ETS3) — Links among Engineering, Technology, Science, and Society
Standard SCI.ETS3: Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of the
nature of science and engineering to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. (cont’d)
Performance Indicators (by Grade in K-5, Grade Band in 6-12)
Learning Priority
K-2
3-5
6-8 (m)
9-12 (h)
SCI.ETS3.C:
Science and
Engineering Use
Multiple
Approaches to
Create New
Knowledge and
Solve Problems
(cont’d)
SCI.ETS3.C.m
Engineers develop solutions
using multiple approaches
and evaluate their solutions
against criteria such as cost,
safety, time, and
performance. This
evaluation often involves
trade-offs between
constraints to find the
optimal solution.
SCI.ETS3.C.h
Engineers use a variety of
approaches, tools, and
techniques to define
problems and develop
solutions to those
problems. Successful
engineering solutions meet
stakeholder needs and
safety requirements, and
are economically viable.
Trade-offs in design aspects
balance competing
demands.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 102
SCI.ETS3: Example Three-Dimensional Performance Indicators
Grades K-2
K-ETS3-1. Compare data from two types of investigations (e.g. hands-on and computer-based games) to show that
pushes and pulls of different strengths have different effects (PS2.A.K).
1-ETS3-1. Construct an argument with evidence that humans today and long ago have used ideas from plants and
animals to help them survive (LS1.A.1).
2-ETS3-1. Design creative solutions to a problem caused when there is a quick change to the earth’s surface (e.g.
natural disasters) (ESS1.C.2).
Grades 3-5
3-ETS3-1. Obtain and evaluate information showing that different cultures have created different tools and
technologies to survive in different types of environments (LS2.C.3).
4-ETS3-1. Construct an explanation for how energy is transferred in a system, and then revise that explanation based
on new evidence (PS3.B.4).
5-ETS3-1. Investigate properties of materials to provide evidence as to which would best work within an engineering
design solution (PS1.A.5).
Grades 6-8
MS-ETS3-1. Construct an argument supported by evidence about the values held by different societies based on the
resources expended for exploration and understanding of the universe (ESS1.B.m).
MS-ETS3-2. Evaluate information and evidence about issues related to genetically modifying organisms and identify
questions that can, and cannot, be answered by science (LS3.B.m).
MS-ETS3-3. Mathematically evaluate products of chemical and physical changes to support ideas of atomic theory
(PS1.A.m).
Grades 9-12
HS-ETS3-1. Ask questions to clarify an author’s motivation for promoting unscientific or falsified information on
science topics (e.g. climate change, vaccines, GMOs, nuclear energy) (SEP.1.h).
HS-ETS3-2. Create simulations of antibiotic resistance, showing how varying use of antibiotics over time has affected
evolution of bacteria, and reflecting on how an understanding of the pros and cons of antibiotic use has changed over
time (LS4.C.h).
HS-ETS3-3. Provide evidence that multiple approaches to understanding climate change have resulted in stronger
theories of why change happens over time (ESS3.D.h).
Section IV
Disciplinary Literacy:
Literacy for Learning in Science
Wisconsin Standards for Science 104
What is Disciplinary Literacy?
Scientists and engineers have unique ways of accessing and communicating information through specialized language and text
specific to science and within the various disciplines of science and engineering. Students benefit from educators who
understand science and engineering practices in order to link language skills to this complex content. Disciplinary literacy in
science focuses on the unique ways that scientists and engineers interact with texts such as data sheets and journal articles.
In Wisconsin, disciplinary literacy is defined as the confluence of content knowledge, experiences, and skills merged with the
ability to read, write, listen, speak, think critically, and perform in a way that is meaningful within the context of a given field.
Scientists and other STEM professionals have unique ways of accessing and communicating information. Students generally do
not gain those skills in an English course. They benefit from explicit instruction by someone who understands scientific practices
in order to link language skills to this complex content. For example, having students read a text and identify main points and key
vocabulary is not disciplinary literacy; disciplinary literacy in science focuses on the unique ways that scientists interact with
texts.
The Wisconsin Academic Standards for Literacy in All Subjects are connected to each set of content-specific standards to guide
educators as they strive to help students meet the literacy challenges within each particular field of study. This national effort is
referred to as disciplinary literacy.
Disciplinary literacy is important in ALL courses and subjects at all grade levels. Therefore, the Wisconsin Academic Standards for
Literacy in All Subjects provide standards for cross-discipline literacy in all disciplines and every grade level K-12. This literacy
focus must begin as soon as children have access to formal education and continue intentionally as college and career readiness
goals advance for all children in Wisconsin.
Elementary classroom teachers build the foundational literacy skills necessary for students to access all learning. Additionally,
they develop content-specific literacy skills to read, write, listen, speak, and think critically in each discipline beginning at an
early age. The applicable K-5 standards help educators in Wisconsin build a ladder of skills and dispositions that lead to
accelerated achievement across disciplines.
Why is Disciplinary Literacy Important?
The modern global society, of which our students are a part, requires postsecondary learning. An analysis of workforce trends by
Georgetown University economist Anthony Carnevale and his colleagues found that likely 65 percent of all job openings in 2020
Wisconsin Standards for Science 105
will require some postsecondary education. Postsecondary success depends on students’ ability to
comprehend and produce the kinds of complex texts found in all disciplines. Therefore, the
economic future of our state, as well as our students and their success as productive citizens and
critical thinkers, links to disciplinary literacy.
Textbooks, articles, manuals, and primary source documents create specialized challenges for
learners. These texts often include abstracts, figures, tables, diagrams, and specialized vocabulary.
The ideas are complex and build across a number of paragraphs requiring focus and strategic
processing. To comprehend and produce this type of text, students must be immersed in the
language and thinking processes of science, and they must be supported by an expert guide, their
teacher (Carnegie Report, 2010).
A focus at the elementary level on foundational reading, when expanded to include engaging experiences connected to
informational texts, vocabulary, and writing for content-specific purposes, builds background knowledge and skills in each
discipline. This increases opportunities for success as students approach more rigorous content in those disciplines (Alliance for
Excellent Education, 2011). Notably, reading and writing about science, which are most often only literacy experiences, cannot
substitute for hands-on experiences in science investigation, which is critical from K through 12, not only secondary courses.
Reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking must be integrated into each discipline across all grades so that all
students gradually build knowledge and skills toward college and career readiness. Collaboration among institutes of higher
education, CESA Statewide Network, districts, schools, teachers, and family and community will guide the implementation of the
standards in Wisconsin.
All Wisconsin standards require educators to support literacy in each classroom across the state. In science that specifically
relates to learning the disciplinary literacy of scientists and engineers, not general literacy instruction such as grammar or
reading comprehension. Since the impact of this disciplinary literacy effort is significant, it is essential that resources and
supports be accessible to all educators. To build consistent understanding, DPI convened a statewide Disciplinary Literacy
Leadership Team in 2011 comprised of educators from many content areas and educational backgrounds. This team was
charged with examining standards, identifying the needs in the field for support, and gathering materials and resources to
address those needs.
Literacy is Critical —
Literacy is integral to
attainment of science
content knowledge, and
science content is essential
background knowledge for
literacy development. This
interdependent relationship
exists in all disciplines.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 106
Wisconsin Foundations for Disciplinary Literacy
To guide understanding and professional learning, a set of foundations, developed in concert with
Wisconsin’s Guiding Principles for Teaching and Learning, directs Wisconsin’s approach to
disciplinary literacy.
Our goals for Wisconsin students are:
1. Demonstrate independence.
2. Build strong content and knowledge.
3. Respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.
4. Comprehend as well as critique.
5. Value evidence.
6. Use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
7. Come to understand other perspectives and cultures.
Academic learning begins in early childhood and develops across all disciplines.
Each discipline has its own specific vocabulary, text types, and ways of communicating. Children begin learning these context-
and content-specific differences early in life and continue through high school and beyond. While gardening, small children
observe the form and function of a root, stem, leaf, and soil; or measure, mix, and blend while baking a cake. School offers all
students opportunities to develop the ability to, for example, think like a scientist, write like a historian, critique like an artist,
problem solve like an engineer, or analyze technological advances like a health care technician. As literacy skills develop,
educators gradually shift the responsibility for reading, writing, listening, speaking, and critical thinking to students through
guided supports in both individual and collaborative learning experiences.
Content knowledge is strengthened when educators integrate discipline-specific literacy into teaching and learning.
Educators help students recognize and understand the nuances of a discipline by using strategies that “make their thinking
visible.” They promote classroom reading, writing, listening, speaking, and critical thinking using authentic materials that support
the development of content-specific knowledge. They guide students through these complex texts by using strategies that
The literacy skills of reading,
writing, listening, speaking,
and critical thinking improve
when content-rich learning
experiences motivate and
engage students.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 107
develop conceptual understanding of language and set expectations for relevant application of
skills. These literacy practices deepen students’ content knowledge, strategies, and skills so that
their learning transfers to real-world situations.
Educators who foster disciplinary literacy develop experiences that integrate rigorous content
with relevant collaborative and creative literacy processes to motivate and engage students.
Setting high expectations, they structure routines and supports that empower students to take
charge of their own learning. When students work in teams to research science and mathematics
concepts in the development of an invention or a graphic arts design, or when they collaboratively
build a blog that contains their recent marketing venture, they use specific literacy skills and
strategies to solidify learning. Students need these opportunities over time to develop the precise and complex reading, writing,
listening, speaking, and critical thinking skills demanded in today’s careers.
Students demonstrate their content knowledge through reading, writing, listening, and speaking as part of a content-literate community.
Students who are literate in a particular discipline are able to successfully read, write, and speak about that discipline and can
listen to and think critically as others communicate in that community. Performance tasks that allow students to present the
complexity of a content area in a way that is meaningful to the field become authentic approaches to assessing mastery within a
discipline. Such tasks empower students to discover the real-world connections across disciplines and to actively participate in
communities of discipline-literate peers.
What Research and Resources Are Available?
The Wisconsin Academic Standards for Literacy in All Subjects reflect the importance of literacy in both the oral and written
language and in both productive (speaking and writing) and receptive (listening and reading) discourse. Clearly, critical and
precise thinking are required to develop all of these specific strategies and skills. The standards also address the learning and
functioning of language in a technological, media-driven world because the language that we use is selective depending upon the
context of the conversation.
The following section offers relevant research and resources to support professional learning in reading, writing, speaking,
listening, and language across disciplines. Collegial conversation and learning, both cross-discipline and within-discipline, will
help make the Wisconsin Academic Standards more applicable to schools and districts and will address the needs of unique
programs within those contexts. A collection of online resources will continue to develop as support materials emerge.
“The ability to comprehend
written texts is not a static
or fixed ability, but rather
one that involves a dynamic
relationship between the
demands of texts and prior
knowledge and goals of the
reader.”
Wisconsin Standards for Science 108
Reading Connections
While early reading focuses on learning that letters make sounds and that words carry meaning, reading quickly develops to a
point where the message taken from text depends on what the reader brings to it. The Carnegie Report, Reading in the Disciplines
(2010), describes this phenomenon:
Therefore, a musician reading a journal article that describes concepts in music theory will take more information
away from the text than a music novice because of their knowledge and experience in music. As well, an individual
who spends a significant amount of time reading automotive manuals will more easily navigate a cell phone
manual because of familiarity with that type of text.
A chart excerpted from the Carnegie Report (2010) details a few of the generic and more discipline-specific strategies that
support students as they attempt to comprehend complex text. While the generic strategies pertain across content areas,
discipline-specific ones must be tailored to match the demands of the content area.
Both generic and discipline-focused strategies and knowledge must be applied to the comprehension and evaluation of:
• textbooks
• journal and magazine articles
• historically situated primary documents
• full-length books
• newspaper articles
• book chapters
• multimedia and digital texts
Generic reading strategies*
• Monitoring comprehension
• Pre-reading
• Setting goals
Wisconsin Standards for Science 109
• Thinking about what one already knows
• Asking questions
• Making predictions
• Testing predictions against the text
• Re-reading
• Summarizing
Discipline-specific reading strategies*
• Building prior knowledge
• Building specialized vocabulary
• Learning to deconstruct complex sentences
• Using knowledge of text structures and genres to predict main and subordinate ideas
• Mapping graphic (and mathematical) representations against explanations in the text
• Posing discipline-relevant questions
• Comparing claims and propositions across texts
• Using norms for reasoning within the discipline (i.e. what counts as evidence) to evaluate claims
*Source: Carnegie Report, (2010)
Additional resources support reading in specific subjects. Content Counts! Developing Disciplinary Literacy Skills, K–6 by Jennifer L.
Altieri (2011) is a guide for discipline-specific literacy at the elementary level and offers strategies to balance the demands of
literacy while continuing to make content count and help students meet the reading, writing, speaking, and listening demands of
the content areas as they advance in school.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 110
A resource by Doug Buehl (2011), Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines, describes what it
means to read, write, and think through a disciplinary lens in the adolescent years. This teacher-
friendly guide helps connect literacy with disciplinary understandings to bridge academic
knowledge gaps, frontload instruction, and build critical thinking through questioning.
Note on range and content of student reading
The Wisconsin Academic Standards for Literacy in All Subjects require that “students must read
widely and deeply from among a broad range of high-quality, increasingly challenging...text.” This
type of reading—included in an intentionally developed curriculum — supports students in
building a base of content-specific knowledge while developing skills to read increasingly complex
text.
Wisconsin uses a three-part model for text complexity, considering qualitative, quantitative, and reader-and-task demands (see
https://dpi.wi.gov/reading/professional-learning/text-complexity for more information). In addition, a well-developed collection
of complex texts carefully considers representation and diversity, including diversity in the creators and topics of texts.
Writing Connections
The Wisconsin Academic Standards for Literacy in All Subjects call for emphasis on three types of writing: narrative, informational,
and argument. Writing that presents a logical argument is especially appropriate to discipline-specific work since credible
evidence differs across content areas. The ability to consider multiple perspectives, assess the validity of claims, and present a
point of view is required in argumentative writing. These thinking and communication skills are “critical to college and career
readiness.”
The study found writing to learn was equally effective for all content areas in the study (social studies, math, and science) and at
every grade (4-12).
Note on range and content of student writing
The Wisconsin Academic Standards for Literacy in All Subjects require that students “write routinely over extended time frames
(time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-
specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.” This breadth and depth of writing ensures students are able to flexibly select a format to
meet the needs of a specific audience and purpose. This is accomplished through significant amounts of time dedicated to varied
writing.
Writing Next: Effective
Strategies to Improve
Writing of Adolescents in
Middle and High Schools
(2007), detailed research on
writing to learn, rather than
only for assessment, as
having a significant impact
on content learning.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 111
Speaking, Listening, and Language Connections
The ability to share ideas and orally communicate with credibility in a specific academic discourse
empowers students and allows access to specialized groups. In Situated Language and Learning: A
Critique of Traditional Schooling, James Paul Gee (2004) describes the need to prioritize these skills
so that students are at ease as they enter situations connected to a specific content area and are
more likely to continue their learning in that discipline.
As expertise develops, students feel more and more comfortable applying knowledge and skills
while speaking and listening in a specific discipline.
• A media course may teach students appropriate expression, tone, and rate of speech when
addressing a large audience.
• Listening carefully to questions posed is a specialized skill that debate facilitators develop.
• Scientists learn to listen for bias in the perspectives presented by peers to determine the reliability of scientific outcomes.
• Artists have very specialized and specific ways of speaking about the many aspects of a piece.
A policy brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education, Engineering Solutions to the National Crisis in Literacy describes “a staircase
of literacy demands” and emphasizes the importance of a progressive development of language and literacy over time.
The conceptual understanding of “functions” in mathematics may begin to develop in elementary school in its simplest form. As
the concept develops over the years, students will use the word “function” in a meaningful way when speaking and writing to
describe the mathematical concept they apply. When educators explicitly connect a mathematical term to its application and
repeatedly expose students to the concept connected to the term, a specialized language becomes second nature to the
mathematics classroom.
Skills in determining or clarifying the meaning of words and phrases encountered, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies,
and seeing an individual word as part of a network of other words that, for example, have similar denotations but different
connotations, allow students to access information and support their own learning.
Students must have
extensive vocabularies, built
through reading and explicit
instruction embedded in the
context of content learning.
This enables them to
comprehend complex texts,
engage in purposeful writing
and communicate effectively
within a discipline.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 112
Literacy in Multiple Languages
Increasing economic, security, cross-cultural, and global demands underscore the value of literacy in more than one language.
Students who think, read, write, and communicate in multiple languages are an asset to our own country and can more easily
interact and compete in the world at large.
English learners in our classrooms face significant challenges as they add a new language and work to grasp content at the same
rate as their English-speaking peers. In a report to the Carnegie Corporation, Double the Work: Challenges and Solutions to
Acquiring Academic Literacy for Adolescent English Language Learners (2007), researchers found that a focus on academic literacy is
crucial for English language learners’ success in school. In their description of academic literacy, they include reading, writing,
and oral discourse that:
• varies from subject to subject;
• requires knowledge of multiple genres of text, purposes for text use, and text media;
• is influenced by students’ literacies in context outside of school; and
• is influenced by students’ personal, social, and cultural experiences.
The needs of our English learners are addressed when we embed disciplinary literacy strategies into our subject area teaching.
These high impact strategies and skills allow English language learners and all students to more readily access content
knowledge and connect it to the prior knowledge they bring to the classroom. When educators take the initiative to understand
and embed these strategies and skills, they offer additional opportunities for success to all of our students.
References
Altieri, Jennifer. 2011. Content Counts! Developing Disciplinary Literacy Skills, K–6. International Reading Association.
Buehl, Doug. 2011. Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines. International Reading Association.
Carnevale, Anthony, Nicole Smith, and Jeff Strohl. 2013. Recovery: Job Growth and Education Requirements Through 2020.
Washington, DC: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
Fitzsimmons, Shannon, and Deborah J. Short. 2007. Double the Work: Challenges and Solutions to Acquiring Academic Literacy for
Adolescent English Language Learners. New York: Carnegie Corporation.
Wisconsin Standards for Science 113
Gee, James Paul. 2004. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge.
Graham, Steve, and Dolores Perin. 2007. Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High
Schools. New York: Carnegie Corporation.
Haynes, Mariana. 2011. Engineering Solutions to the National Crisis in Literacy: How to Make Good on the Promise of the Common Core
State Standards. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Lee, Carol, and Anika Spratley. 2010. Reading in the Disciplines: The Challenges of Adolescent Literacy. New York: Carnegie
Corporation.
State Superintendent’s Adolescent Literacy Plan. 2008. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Untitled Presentation. 2010. Washington, DC: Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce.
http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/CEW_press_conference_ppt.pdf (accessed June 7, 2011)
Vygotsky, Lev S. 1978. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. 14
th
edition. Cambridge MA: Harvard
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