Physical Science Progression Map

NGSSGrades K to 1272 core standards · 99 connections

Matter, forces, energy, and waves as they articulate across elementary, middle, and high school.

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Matter and its interactions

Select a standard to trace its exact verified connections.

Grade 2

4 standards

Grade 5

4 standards

Middle School

6 standards

High School

8 standards

How to Read This Map

Start in the focused explorer, where standards are grouped into human-readable skill threads and placed in grade order. Select a standard to see what it builds on and what it unlocks. The full network preserves every verified connection: solid lines are essential prerequisites and dashed lines are supporting connections. Cross-topic foundations appear in a selected standard's details. Every standard links to a full breakdown with teaching ideas. How these connections are verified.

All standards on this map, as a list

Matter and its interactions

  • 2-PS1-1Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
  • 2-PS1-2Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.
  • 2-PS1-3Make 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-PS1-4Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot.
  • 5-PS1-1Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.
  • 5-PS1-2Measure 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-PS1-3Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
  • 5-PS1-4Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.
  • HS-PS1-1Use 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-PS1-2Construct 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...
  • HS-PS1-3Plan 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-PS1-4Develop 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-PS1-5Apply 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-PS1-6Refine the design of a chemical system by specifying a change in conditions that would produce increased amounts of products at equilibrium.
  • HS-PS1-7Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.
  • HS-PS1-8Develop 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.
  • MS-PS1-1Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
  • MS-PS1-2Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
  • MS-PS1-3Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
  • MS-PS1-4Develop 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-PS1-5Develop 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-PS1-6Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.

Motion and stability

  • 3-PS2-1Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
  • 3-PS2-2Make observations and/or measurements of an object's motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.
  • 3-PS2-3Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.
  • 3-PS2-4Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets.
  • 5-PS2-1Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.
  • HS-PS2-1Analyze 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-PS2-2Use mathematical representations 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-PS2-3Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.
  • HS-PS2-4Use mathematical representations of Newton's Law of Gravitation and Coulomb's Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.
  • HS-PS2-5Plan 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-PS2-6Communicate scientific and technical information about why the molecular-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.
  • K-PS2-1Plan 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-PS2-2Analyze 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.
  • MS-PS2-1Apply Newton's Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
  • MS-PS2-2Plan 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-PS2-3Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
  • MS-PS2-4Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.
  • MS-PS2-5Conduct 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.

Energy

  • 4-PS3-1Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.
  • 4-PS3-2Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
  • 4-PS3-3Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.
  • 4-PS3-4Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.
  • 5-PS3-1Use 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.
  • HS-PS3-1Create 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-PS3-2Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as either motions of particles or energy stored in fields.
  • HS-PS3-3Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
  • HS-PS3-4Plan 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...
  • HS-PS3-5Develop 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.
  • K-PS3-1Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth's surface.
  • K-PS3-2Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.
  • MS-PS3-1Construct 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.
  • MS-PS3-2Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.
  • MS-PS3-3Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.
  • MS-PS3-4Plan 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...
  • MS-PS3-5Construct, 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.

Waves and information

  • 1-PS4-1Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.
  • 1-PS4-2Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be seen only when illuminated.
  • 1-PS4-3Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light.
  • 1-PS4-4Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance.
  • 4-PS4-1Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move.
  • 4-PS4-2Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen.
  • 4-PS4-3Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information.
  • HS-PS4-1Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.
  • HS-PS4-2Evaluate questions about the advantages of using a digital transmission and storage of information.
  • HS-PS4-3Evaluate 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...
  • HS-PS4-4Evaluate the validity and reliability of claims in published materials of the effects that different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation have when absorbed by matter.
  • HS-PS4-5Communicate 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.
  • MS-PS4-1Use 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-PS4-2Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
  • MS-PS4-3Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals (sent as wave pulses) are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information.

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