Science Think Labs: Standards Connections

85 retained activities, organized around Virginia 2018 content 6.2–6.7, including two related activities already under review. These short labs are learning supports, not complete standard assessments.

Partial: a selected part of the expectation. Supporting: preparation that needs an additional task. Connections are editorial judgments based on the revised student questions. The student worksheets and printable keys contain no state-standard labels.

Coverage boundaries: The four composition charts remain staged for data analysis, so this release does not claim coverage of 6.5g. Water weathering in 6.6d needs additional instruction. Chemical-reaction pictures alone do not fully assess chemical equations in 6.5f. Eclipse labs are enrichment related to the Earth-Sun-Moon system. The greenhouse-effect activity is paused, so that part of 6.4b needs other instruction. Freshwater availability and irrigation are also outside the current selection. The collection is not a complete course.

References: VDOE-authored 2018 Grade 6 framework (district-hosted); official NGSS expectations; official Texas science TEKS, 2021 adoption / 2024 implementation.

Activity / original file number	Virginia SOL	NGSS	Texas TEKS
001. Barringer Crater	Selected content connection: 6.2a. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	7.9A · Partial Activity focus: Which visible features support the idea that an impact formed this crater? Use the word impact in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
002. What Makes a Meteor Glow?	Selected content connection: 6.2a. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	7.9A · Partial Activity focus: What happens when a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere that causes us to see a meteor? Use the words meteoroid and meteor in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
003. Planet Paths Around the Sun	Selected content connection: 6.2b. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-3 · Partial Activity focus: Which planet in the model completes an orbit first? What pattern do you notice between distance from the Sun and orbital period? Use the words orbit and orbital period. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add numerical size and distance data and analyze scale relationships.	7.9A · Partial Activity focus: Which planet in the model completes an orbit first? What pattern do you notice between distance from the Sun and orbital period? Use the words orbit and orbital period. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
004. How Big Are Space Systems?	Selected content connection: 6.2a, 6.2b. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-3 · Partial Activity focus: Put the four items shown in order from smallest to largest. Explain how you know. Use the term solar system correctly in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add numerical size and distance data and analyze scale relationships.	7.9A · Partial Activity focus: Put the four items shown in order from smallest to largest. Explain how you know. Use the term solar system correctly in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
005. How Do Solar System Objects Compare in Size?	Selected content connection: 6.2a, 6.2b. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-3 · Partial Activity focus: Put these solar-system objects in order from smallest to largest: asteroid, Earth, Earth's Moon, Jupiter, Mercury, Pluto, and the Sun. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add numerical size and distance data and analyze scale relationships.	7.9A · Partial Activity focus: Put these solar-system objects in order from smallest to largest: asteroid, Earth, Earth's Moon, Jupiter, Mercury, Pluto, and the Sun. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
006. How Far Apart Are the Planets?	Selected content connection: 6.2b. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-3 · Partial Activity focus: What does the model show about how the spacing between planets changes as you move farther from the Sun? Use distances in AU to support your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add numerical size and distance data and analyze scale relationships.	7.9A · Partial Activity focus: What does the model show about how the spacing between planets changes as you move farther from the Sun? Use distances in AU to support your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
007. How Has Our Solar System Model Changed?	Selected content connection: 6.2d. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
008. How Has Technology Changed What We Know About Space?	Selected content connection: 6.2d. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	8.8B · Partial Activity focus: How can a better telescope provide new evidence that changes or improves a scientific explanation? Use the word evidence in your response. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
009. Why Does Earth Keep Orbiting?	Selected content connection: 6.2c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-2 · Partial Activity focus: How does the Sun's gravity help keep Earth in orbit instead of moving in a straight line? Use the words gravity and orbit in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Extend the gravity model to additional objects and systems; explain how gravity organizes their motion.	7.9B · Partial Activity focus: How does the Sun's gravity help keep Earth in orbit instead of moving in a straight line? Use the words gravity and orbit in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
010. What Makes Earth Able to Support Life?	Selected content connection: 6.3a. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	7.9C · Partial Activity focus: What properties of Earth help make life possible? Use at least two of these vocabulary terms in your explanation: liquid water, atmosphere, magnetic field, solar radiation, habitable. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
011. Why Is Earth Different from Venus and Mars?	Selected content connection: 6.3a. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	7.9C · Partial Activity focus: Why is Earth better able to support life as we know it than Venus or Mars? Use at least two pieces of evidence. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
012. What Causes Day and Night?	Selected content connection: 6.3b. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
013. Why Does the Sun Appear to Move Across the Sky?	Selected content connection: 6.3b. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
014. What Pattern Do You Notice in Moon Phases?	Selected content connection: 6.3c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-1 · Partial Activity focus: Describe the repeating pattern in the Moon’s appearance. What causes it? Use the word orbit or revolution in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add the other Earth-Sun-Moon patterns and use spatial models to explain their cycles.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
015. Why Do We Have Seasons?	Selected content connection: 6.3d. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-1 · Partial Activity focus: How do Earth’s tilt and revolution cause opposite seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres? Use sunlight angle and daylight length in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add the other Earth-Sun-Moon patterns and use spatial models to explain their cycles.	6.9A · Partial Activity focus: How do Earth’s tilt and revolution cause opposite seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres? Use sunlight angle and daylight length in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
016. What Pattern Do You Notice in the Tides?	Selected content connection: 6.3e. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	6.9B · Partial Activity focus: What repeating pattern do you notice in the tide data? What do you think could be causing it? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
017. How Does the Moon Affect Tides?	Selected content connection: 6.3e. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	6.9B · Partial Activity focus: How does the Moon affect Earth's tides? Use the word gravity in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
018. What Causes a Solar Eclipse?	Earth-Sun-Moon enrichment related to 6.3. Eclipses are not an explicit 6.3 lettered target in the referenced 2018 standard.	MS-ESS1-1 · Partial Activity focus: What causes a solar eclipse? Use the word shadow in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add the other Earth-Sun-Moon patterns and use spatial models to explain their cycles.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
019. What Causes a Lunar Eclipse?	Earth-Sun-Moon enrichment related to 6.3. Eclipses are not an explicit 6.3 lettered target in the referenced 2018 standard.	MS-ESS1-1 · Partial Activity focus: What causes a lunar eclipse? Use the word shadow in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add the other Earth-Sun-Moon patterns and use spatial models to explain their cycles.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
020. Rotation or Revolution?	Selected content connection: 6.3b, 6.3d. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-1 · Partial Activity focus: Which motion, A or B, shows rotation, and which shows revolution? Explain how Earth's rotation causes day and night and how its tilt as it revolves around the Sun causes seasons. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add the other Earth-Sun-Moon patterns and use spatial models to explain their cycles.	6.9A · Partial Activity focus: Which motion, A or B, shows rotation, and which shows revolution? Explain how Earth's rotation causes day and night and how its tilt as it revolves around the Sun causes seasons. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
021. Earthrise From the Moon	Selected content connection: 6.3c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-1 · Supporting Activity focus: Why does part of Earth look bright while another part looks dark in this photograph? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add the other Earth-Sun-Moon patterns and use spatial models to explain their cycles.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
022. Solar vs. Lunar Eclipse	Earth-Sun-Moon enrichment related to 6.3. Eclipses are not an explicit 6.3 lettered target in the referenced 2018 standard.	MS-ESS1-1 · Partial Activity focus: Why can a lunar eclipse be seen from many places where the Moon is above the horizon, while a total solar eclipse can be seen only along a narrow path on Earth? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add the other Earth-Sun-Moon patterns and use spatial models to explain their cycles.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
023. What Can Shadows Tell Us About the Sun’s Apparent Motion?	Selected content connection: 6.3b. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
024. Why Can We See the Moon During the Day?	Selected content connection: 6.3c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-1 · Supporting Activity focus: How can the Moon be visible during the day? Use reflected sunlight in your answer. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add the other Earth-Sun-Moon patterns and use spatial models to explain their cycles.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
025. Why Do Stars Appear to Move Across the Night Sky?	Selected content connection: 6.3b. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
026. What Causes the Moon's Phases?	Selected content connection: 6.3c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS1-1 · Partial Activity focus: What causes the Moon to appear to change shape over time? Use the word orbit or revolution in your explanation. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Add the other Earth-Sun-Moon patterns and use spatial models to explain their cycles.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.
027. Beach: Land and Water	Selected content connection: 6.4b, 6.4c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS2-6 · Supporting Activity focus: On a sunny afternoon, sand often gets warmer than nearby ocean water. Which way would cooler air near the surface move: toward the land or toward the water? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Extend the local example to global atmospheric or ocean circulation and regional climate.	8.10A · Partial Activity focus: On a sunny afternoon, sand often gets warmer than nearby ocean water. Which way would cooler air near the surface move: toward the land or toward the water? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
028. Blacktop and Grass on a Sunny Day	Selected content connection: 6.4b. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-PS3-4 · Supporting Activity focus: Blacktop often gets warmer than grass in the same sunlight. How could absorbing or reflecting sunlight help explain this difference? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Plan an investigation and measure temperature while controlling the relevant variables.	7.8A · Partial Activity focus: Blacktop often gets warmer than grass in the same sunlight. How could absorbing or reflecting sunlight help explain this difference? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
029. Convection Current Demo	Selected content connection: 6.4c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-PS3-4 · Supporting Activity focus: In this demo, where does water rise and where does it sink? How does heating or cooling help explain the pattern? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Plan an investigation and measure temperature while controlling the relevant variables.	7.8A · Partial Activity focus: In this demo, where does water rise and where does it sink? How does heating or cooling help explain the pattern? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
030. How Satellites Track Earth's Energy	Selected content connection: 6.4b. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	8.10A · Partial Activity focus: Bright clouds reflect more sunlight than dark ocean water. How could satellite measurements help scientists compare these two surfaces? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
031. Thermal Image of a Building and Parking Lot	Selected content connection: 6.4b, 6.4c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-PS3-3 · Supporting Activity focus: Use the color key to find one warmer area and one cooler area. Name them and describe their colors. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Build and test the proposed solution with temperature measurements.	7.8A · Partial Activity focus: Use the color key to find one warmer area and one cooler area. Name them and describe their colors. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
032. How Can Convection Happen Inside Earth?	Selected content connection: 6.4c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS2-1 · Supporting Activity focus: How would the circulation change if the temperature difference inside Earth became smaller? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Connect the thermal-energy model with a complete account of Earth-material cycling.	7.8A · Partial Activity focus: How would the circulation change if the temperature difference inside Earth became smaller? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
033. How Can Fossil Fuels Be Connected to the Sun?	Selected content connection: 6.4a, 6.4d. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS3-1 · Supporting Activity focus: Why are fossil fuels called nonrenewable if new living things keep growing today? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Use evidence to explain how geologic processes lead to uneven resource locations.	6.8B · Partial Activity focus: Why are fossil fuels called nonrenewable if new living things keep growing today? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
034. How Can Sunlight Make a Fan Spin?	Selected content connection: 6.4d. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	6.8B · Partial Activity focus: How does energy change from sunlight at the panel to the moving fan? Use light energy, electrical energy, and motion. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
035. How Do Ocean Currents Move Thermal Energy?	Selected content connection: 6.4c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS2-6 · Supporting Activity focus: How can a warm ocean current affect the temperature of a nearby coast? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Extend the local example to global atmospheric or ocean circulation and regional climate.	8.10A · Partial Activity focus: How can a warm ocean current affect the temperature of a nearby coast? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
036. How Can Unequal Heating Cause Wind?	Selected content connection: 6.4c, 6.7d. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-ESS2-6 · Supporting Activity focus: During the day, land often warms faster than water. How does rising warm air over land help cause a sea breeze? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Extend the local example to global atmospheric or ocean circulation and regional climate.	8.10A · Partial Activity focus: During the day, land often warms faster than water. How does rising warm air over land help cause a sea breeze? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
037. How Can Wind Energy Be Traced Back to the Sun?	Selected content connection: 6.4a, 6.4d. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	6.8B · Partial Activity focus: How can electricity from a wind turbine be traced back to unequal heating by the Sun? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
038. How Do Convection Currents Form in Air?	Selected content connection: 6.4c. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-PS3-4 · Supporting Activity focus: Why does warmer air rise while cooler air sinks in a convection current? Use density in your answer. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Plan an investigation and measure temperature while controlling the relevant variables.	7.8A · Partial Activity focus: Why does warmer air rise while cooler air sinks in a convection current? Use density in your answer. Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
039. How Do Plants Connect Living Systems to the Sun?	Selected content connection: 6.4a. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	MS-LS1-6 · Supporting Activity focus: How can energy in an apple and energy in a chicken egg both be traced back to sunlight? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation. Extend: Connect the energy pathway with evidence about photosynthesis and matter entering and leaving organisms.	6.8B · Partial Activity focus: How can energy in an apple and energy in a chicken egg both be traced back to sunlight? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.
040. How Does Energy Change Form in a Flashlight?	Selected content connection: 6.4d. The activity addresses the question and model shown; it is not a complete standard assessment.	No direct content match assigned. Science practices still apply.	6.8B · Partial Activity focus: A flashlight gives off light and also becomes warm. What does this show about how its energy changes? Selected content only; this short activity does not assess the entire expectation.