Saudi Arabia Grade 6 Science Curriculum - Science

This outlines the learning outcomes and indicators for the Grade 6 Science curriculum in Saudi Arabia.

1. Life Sciences

1.1 Structure and Function in Living Organisms

• Cells: Explaining the concept of a cell, distinguishing between unicellular and multicellular organisms. Identifying and naming cell structures (nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell wall) and linking them to their functions. Comparing animal and plant cells, including their unique structures like the cell wall and chloroplasts, and describing how they perform biological processes such as passive transport, diffusion, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration.
• Body Systems: Identifying the main systems in animal bodies (digestive, circulatory, excretory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, nervous) and their specialized organs, linking them to their functions in growth and survival. Identifying basic plant structures (root, stem, leaves, flowers) and their functions for growth and survival.
• Life Cycles: Describing different life cycle patterns in animals (insects, amphibians, mammals) and plants, comparing them, and describing the changes that occur during these cycles. Predicting changes based on reproduction patterns and the life cycle.

1.2 Organization and Diversity of Living Organisms

• Classification: Classifying local plants into gymnosperms and angiosperms, comparing their phenotypic traits. Determining common characteristics of animals to justify their classification. Classifying local animals and microorganisms based on phenotypic characteristics.

1.3 Ecosystems and Their Interactions

• Biological Communities: Describing biological communities, including populations and organisms, and their survival based on available resources. Identifying interrelationships among organisms and their interaction with abiotic components. Describing the effects of changes in biological communities on species survival and sustainability.
• Ecosystem Components: Describing biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems and their interactions. Determining the causes of habitat changes and their impact on plants and animals. Identifying problems from habitat changes and proposing solutions for ecological balance.
• Matter and Energy Cycles: Representing matter cycles and energy transfer in ecosystems through food chains. Classifying organisms' roles (producer, consumer, predator, decomposer). Classifying organisms as autotrophic or heterotrophic. Explaining photosynthesis and its role in plant energy production.
• Environmental Changes: Identifying physical factors affecting plant and animal survival in specific habitats. Predicting changes in organisms due to environmental changes. Describing how adaptations help survival. Describing climatic conditions and their impact on organisms.
• Human Impact: Inferring the effects of human activity on habitats and populations. Identifying natural environmental events in Saudi Arabia and predicting their impacts. Proposing solutions to protect resources and the environment.

1.4 Genetics

• Inheritance of Traits: Explaining trait inheritance and variation. Using pedigree charts to track trait transmission. Comparing dominant and recessive traits, identifying their letter symbols, and providing examples. Distinguishing genetic traits from acquired traits. Identifying environmental factors affecting acquired traits and the specific traits affected.

2. Physical Sciences

2.1 Matter and Its Interactions

• Physical Properties: Exploring physical properties of matter (mass, volume, density, buoyancy, color, boiling point) and their measurement units. Distinguishing materials based on these properties. Comparing conductors and insulators. Comparing states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) based on molecular structure and movement. Explaining changes of state due to heat.
• Chemical Changes: Explaining changes in matter's composition and properties due to chemical reactions. Understanding mass conservation during reactions and mixture formation. Distinguishing mixtures and compounds, listing mixture types, and giving examples. Defining solutions, their parts, and concentration. Explaining solubility and its influencing factors. Distinguishing physical separation methods for mixtures and solutions, describing distillation and its industrial applications.
• Chemical Reactions: Defining chemical bonds and their role in changing properties. Describing chemical reactions using equations, fulfilling mass conservation. Classifying chemical reactions and giving examples. Distinguishing endothermic and exothermic reactions.
• Chemical Properties: Defining chemical properties and classifying elements accordingly. Distinguishing acids and bases, listing their uses and reagents, and explaining their detection. Defining pH and classifying substances based on pH values. Explaining neutralization reactions and naming salt types, properties, and uses.

2.2 Motion and Forces

• Force and Motion: Describing force's effect on objects. Distinguishing force types (gravity, friction, magnetism). Distinguishing balanced and unbalanced forces.
• Newton's Laws: Determining the relationship between distance, motion, and reference points. Defining velocity and acceleration, calculating them, and differentiating speed and velocity. Explaining Newton's three laws of motion and their applications.
• Factors Affecting Forces: Explaining the relationship between attraction force, weight, and influencing factors. Explaining friction and its influencing factors. Demonstrating air resistance's effect on object movement. Explaining magnetic attraction and repulsion.

2.3 Energy

• Energy and Work: Explaining energy and work, distinguishing between them, and giving real-life examples. Explaining potential and kinetic energy and their relationship to movement. Giving examples of simple machines' benefits and choosing appropriate machines for specific tasks.
• Energy Conservation: Describing energy transfer and explaining the principle of energy conservation. Providing examples and describing models for energy conversion.

2.4 Waves and Vibrations

• Waves: Explaining wave concepts and representing them graphically. Distinguishing properties of sound and light waves. Predicting wave movement under natural influences. Describing sound and light transmission.
• Light and Sound: Explaining light reflection and refraction, giving examples of their applications in mirrors and lenses. Explaining eye vision and color perception. Describing sound transmission through different media. Describing pitch and intensity and their relationship to frequency.

2.5 Electromagnetism

• Electric Charge: Explaining electric charge and the attraction/repulsion of charged bodies. Explaining electric current flow and comparing series and parallel circuits.
• Magnets: Defining magnets, their poles, and formation. Describing magnet properties and giving examples of their uses. Comparing permanent and electromagnets and explaining their use in electricity generation.

3. Earth and Space Sciences

3.1 The Universe and the Solar System

• Moon Phases: Describing the moon's apparent shape changes during its revolution around Earth, naming the phases, and explaining the changes.
• Earth, Moon, and Sun Movement: Explaining the impact of the sun's movement. Explaining night and day, the four seasons, lunar and solar eclipses.
• Gravity and Celestial Bodies: Explaining tides and the moon's influence. Describing celestial body movement in the solar system and their interrelationships. Distinguishing phenomena associated with celestial movement. Relating rotation speed and gravity between celestial bodies.
• Solar System, Galaxy, and Universe: Comparing the solar system, galaxy, and universe in terms of size. Comparing the sun and other stars. Describing the universe's vastness.

3.2 The Earth System

• Atmosphere: Classifying atmospheric layers and comparing their characteristics. Explaining environmental problems from atmospheric changes. Determining the causes of weather fluctuations, their relationship to the water cycle, and their effects. Explaining air mass movement and its effects on weather. Explaining climate change causes and proposing solutions.
• Earth's Spheres: Describing Earth's spheres and plate tectonics, including the lithosphere and biosphere. Describing magma's role in plate movement and the formation of oceans and mountains. Describing Earth's physical features.
• Geological Changes: Explaining geological changes affecting Earth's surface. Describing the impact of earthquakes and volcanoes. Explaining erosion, weathering, and sedimentation and their effects.
• Rocks and Minerals: Describing rock types and their relationship to minerals. Describing local rocks, their characteristics, and uses. Explaining geological events affecting local rocks.
• Earthquakes and Volcanoes: Relating Earth's shape changes to geological processes. Explaining earthquake and volcano causes, predicting their damage, and proposing prevention solutions. Identifying earthquake monitoring stations in Saudi Arabia.