Discover Your Universe

K-12 Florida Education Standards

The following standards are focused by suggested grade levels and aligned to Florida Department of Education benchmarks.

• 3rd Grade

  SC.3.E.5.1: Explain that stars can be different; some are smaller, some are larger, and some appear brighter than others; all except the Sun are so far away that they look like points of light.

  SC.3.E.5.5: Investigate that the number of stars that can be seen through telescopes is dramatically greater than those seen by the unaided eye.

  SC.3.E.5.3: Recognize that the Sun appears large and bright because it is the closest star to Earth.

• 4th Grade

  SC.4.E.5.1: Observe that the patterns of stars in the sky stay the same although they appear to shift across the sky nightly, and different stars can be seen in different seasons.

  SC.4.E.5.3: Recognize that Earth revolves around the Sun in a year and rotates on its axis in a 24-hour day.

  SC.4.E.5.4: Relate that the rotation of Earth (day and night) and apparent movements of the Sun, Moon, and stars are connected.

• 5th Grade

  SC.5.E.5.1: Recognize that a galaxy consists of gas, dust, and many stars, including any objects orbiting the stars. Identify our home galaxy as the Milky Way.

  SC.5.E.5.2: Recognize the major common characteristics of all planets and compare/contrast the properties of inner and outer planets.

  SC.5.E.5.3: Distinguish among the following objects of the Solar System -- Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets -- and identify Earth's position in it.

• 6th Grade

  SC.6.E.7.5: Explain how energy provided by the sun influences global patterns of atmospheric movement and the temperature differences between air, water, and land.

  SC.6.E.7.8: Describe ways human beings protect themselves from hazardous weather and sun exposure.

  SC.6.E.7.9: Describe how the composition and structure of the atmosphere protects life and insulates the planet.

• 7th Grade

  SC.7.E.6.3: Identify current methods for measuring the age of Earth and its parts, including the law of superposition and radioactive dating.

  SC.7.E.6.6: Identify the impact that humans have had on Earth, such as deforestation, urbanization, desertification, erosion, air and water quality, changing the flow of water.

  SC.7.E.6.4: Explain and give examples of how physical evidence supports scientific theories that Earth has evolved over geologic time due to natural processes.

• 8th Grade

  SC.8.E.5.7: Compare and contrast the properties of objects in the Solar System including the Sun, planets, and moons to those of Earth, such as gravitational force, distance from the Sun, speed, movement, temperature, and atmospheric conditions.

  SC.8.E.5.10: Assess how technology is essential to science for such purposes as access to outer space and other remote locations, sample collection, measurement, data collection and storage, computation, and communication of information.

  SC.8.E.5.12: Summarize the effects of space exploration on the economy and culture of Florida.

• 9th-12th Grade

  SC.912.E.5.5: Explain the formation of planetary systems based on our knowledge of our Solar System and apply this knowledge to newly discovered planetary systems.

  SC.912.E.5.9: Analyze the broad effects of space exploration on the economy and culture of Florida.

  SC.912.E.5.10: Describe and apply the coordinate system used to locate objects in the sky.

  SC.912.E.5.11: Distinguish the various methods of measuring astronomical distances and apply each in appropriate situations.

  SC.912.CS-CC.1.1: Evaluate modes of communication and collaboration.

  SC.912.CS-CC.1.3: Collect, analyze, and present information using a variety of computing devices (e.g., probes, sensors, and handheld devices).

  SC.912.CS-CS.1.5: Represent and understand natural phenomena using modeling and simulation.

  SC.912.CS-CS.3.1: Describe digital tools or resources to use for a real-world task based on their efficiency and effectiveness.

  SC.912.CS-PC.2.2: Identify ways to use technology to support lifelong learning.

  SC.912.CS-PC.2.7: Describe how technology has changed the way people build and manage organizations and how technology impacts personal life.

  SC.912.CS-PC.2.10: Describe and evaluate the challenges (e.g., political, social, and economic) in providing equal access and distribution of technology in a global society.

  SC.912.CS-PC.2.12: Explore a variety of careers to which computing is central.

  SC.912.CS-PC.2.13: Predict future careers and the technologies that may exist based on current technology trends.