NGSS Chemistry Related Performance
Expectations and Disciplinary Core Ideas

Performance Expectations

HS-PS1 - Matter and Its Interactions

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.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems

      • Science assumes the universe is a vast single system in which basic laws are consistent.

  • Science Knowledge Is Based on Empirical Evidence

      • Science includes the process of coordinating patterns of evidence with current theory.

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.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Science Is a Way of Knowing

      • Science distinguishes itself from other ways of knowing through use of empirical standards, logical arguments, and skeptical review.

  • Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods

      • Scientific inquiry is characterized by a common set of values that include: logical thinking, precision, open-mindedness, objectivity, skepticism, replicability of results, and honest and ethical reporting of findings.

      • The discourse practices of science are organized around disciplinary domains that share exemplars for making decisions regarding the values, instruments, methods, models, and evidence to adopt and use.

  • Science Knowledge Is Based on Empirical Evidence

      • Science arguments are strengthened by multiple lines of evidence supporting a single explanation.

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.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods

      • Science investigations use diverse methods and do not always use the same set of procedures to obtain data.

      • Scientific investigations use a variety of methods, tools, and techniques to revise and produce new knowledge.

  • Scientific Knowledge Is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence

      • Scientific argumentation is a mode of logical discourse used to clarify the strength of relationships between ideas and evidence that may result in revision of an explanation.

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.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Science Models, Laws, Mechanisms, and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena

      • Models, mechanisms, and explanations collectively serve as tools in the development of a scientific theory.

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.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Science Knowledge Is Based on Empirical Evidence

      • Science disciplines share common rules of evidence used to evaluate explanations about natural systems.

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.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems

      • Science assumes the universe is a vast single system in which basic laws are consistent.

HS-PS1-7: Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems

      • Science assumes the universe is a vast single system in which basic laws are consistent.

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.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Science Models, Laws, Mechanisms, and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena

      • Models, mechanisms, and explanations collectively serve as tools in the development of a scientific theory.

HS-PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions (See Physics)

HS-PS3: Energy

HS-PS3-1: (See Physics)

HS-PS3-2: (See Physics)

HS-PS3-3: (See Physics)

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).

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods

      • Science investigations use diverse methods and do not always use the same set of procedures to obtain data.

      • Scientific investigations use a variety of methods, tools, and techniques to revise and produce new knowledge.

HS-PS3-5: (See Physics)

HS-PS4: Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

HS-PS4-1: (See Physics)

HS-PS4-2: (See Physics)

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.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Science Is a Way of Knowing

      • Science is both a body of knowledge that represents a current understanding of natural systems and the processes used to refine, elaborate, revise, and extend this knowledge.

      • Science knowledge has a history that includes the refinement of, and changes to, theories, ideas, and beliefs over time.

  • Science Is a Human Endeavor

      • Science is a result of human endeavors, imagination, and creativity.

      • Individuals and teams from many nations and cultures have contributed to science and to advances in engineering.

      • Technological advances have influenced the progress of science and science has influenced advances in technology.

  • Scientific Knowledge Is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence

      • Scientific explanations can be probabilistic.

      • Most scientific knowledge is quite durable, but is, in principle, subject to change based on new evidence and/or reinterpretation of existing evidence.

  • Science Models, Laws, Mechanisms, and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena

      • A scientific theory is a substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment and the science community validates each theory before it is accepted. If new evidence is discovered that the theory does not accommodate, the theory is generally modified in light of this new evidence.

      • Scientists often use hypotheses to develop and test theories and explanations.

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.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World

      • Science and technology may raise ethical issues for which science, by itself, does not provide answers and solutions.

  • Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods

      • The discourse practices of science are organized around disciplinary domains that share exemplars for making decisions regarding the values, instruments, methods, models, and evidence to adopt and use.

  • Science Knowledge Is Based on Empirical Evidence

      • Science arguments are strengthened by multiple lines of evidence supporting a single explanation.

HS-PS4-5: (See Physics)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

PS1 - Matter and Its Interactions

PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter

  • Each atom has a charged substructure consisting of a nucleus, which is made of protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons. (HS-PS1-1)
  • The periodic table orders elements horizontally by the number of protons in the atom’s nucleus and places those with similar chemical properties in columns. The repeating patterns of this table reflect patterns of outer electron states. (HS-PS1-1), (HS-PS1-2) (Note: This Disciplinary Core Idea is also addressed by HS-PS1-1.)
  • The structure and interactions of matter at the bulk scale are determined by electrical forces within and between atoms. (HS-PS1-3)
  • Stable forms of matter are those in which the electric and magnetic field energy is minimized. A stable molecule as less energy than the same set of atoms separated; one must provide at least this energy in order to take the molecule apart.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Science Is a Way of Knowing

      • Science is both a body of knowledge that represents a current understanding of natural systems and the processes used to refine, elaborate, revise, and extend this knowledge.

  • Science Is a Human Endeavor

      • Science is a result of human endeavors, imagination, and creativity.

      • Individuals and teams from many nations and cultures have contributed to science and to advances in engineering.

  • Science Knowledge Is Based on Empirical Evidence

      • Science includes the process of coordinating patterns of evidence with current theory.

      • Science arguments are strengthened by multiple lines of evidence supporting a single explanation.

  • Science Models, Laws, Mechanisms, and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena

      • A scientific theory is a substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment and the science community validates each theory before it is accepted. If new evidence is discovered that the theory does not accommodate, the theory is generally modified in light of this new evidence.

      • Models, mechanisms, and explanations collectively serve as tools in the development of a scientific theory.

PS1.B: Chemical Reactions

  • Chemical processes, their rates, and whether or not energy is stored or released can be understood in terms of the collisions of molecules and the rearrangements of atoms into new molecules, with consequent changes in the sum of all bond energies in the set of molecules that are matched by changes in kinetic energy. (HS-PS1-4), (HS-PS1-5)
  • In many situations, a dynamic and condition-dependent balance between a reaction and the reverse reaction determines the numbers of all types of molecules present. (HS-PS1-6)
  • The fact that atoms are conserved, together with knowledge of the chemical properties of the elements involved, can be used to describe and predict chemical reactions. (HS-PS1-2), (HS-PS1-7)

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Science Is a Way of Knowing

      • Science is both a body of knowledge that represents a current understanding of natural systems and the processes used to refine, elaborate, revise, and extend this knowledge.

      • Science distinguishes itself from other ways of knowing through use of empirical standards, logical arguments, and skeptical review.

  • Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods

      • Scientific investigations use a variety of methods, tools, and techniques to revise and produce new knowledge.

  • Science Models, Laws, Mechanisms, and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena

      • Scientists often use hypotheses to develop and test theories and explanations.

PS1.C: Nuclear Processes

  • Nuclear processes, including fusion, fission, and radioactive decays of unstable nuclei, involve release or absorption of energy. The total number of neutrons plus protons does not change in any nuclear process. (HS-PS1-8)
  • Spontaneous radioactive decays follow a characteristic exponential decay law. Nuclear lifetimes allow radiometric dating to be used to determine the ages of rocks and other materials.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems

      • Scientific knowledge is based on the assumption that natural laws operate today as they did in the past and they will continue to do so in the future.

  • Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World

      • Not all questions can be answered by science.

      • Science and technology may raise ethical issues for which science, by itself, does not provide answers and solutions.

      • Science knowledge indicates what can happen in natural systems—not what should happen. The latter involves ethics, values, and human decisions about the use of knowledge.

      • Many decisions are not made using science alone, but rely on social and cultural contexts to resolve issues.

  • Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods

      • Science investigations use diverse methods and do not always use the same set of procedures to obtain data.

      • New technologies advance scientific knowledge.

      • Scientific investigations use a variety of methods, tools, and techniques to revise and produce new knowledge.

PS2 - Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions (See Physics)

PS3 - Energy

PS3.A: Definitions of Energy (See Physics)

PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer (See Physics)

PS3.C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces (See Physics)

PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life

  • Although energy cannot be destroyed, it can be converted to less useful forms—for example, to thermal energy in the surrounding environment.
  • Solar cells are human-made devices that likewise capture the sun’s energy and produce electrical energy.
  • The main way that solar energy is captured and stored on Earth is through the complex chemical process known as photosynthesis.
  • Nuclear Fusion processes in the center of the sun release the energy that ultimately reaches Earth as radiation.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems

      • Science assumes the universe is a vast single system in which basic laws are consistent.

  • Science Is a Human Endeavor

      • Technological advances have influenced the progress of science and science has influenced advances in technology.

      • Science and engineering are influenced by society and society is influenced by science and engineering.

  • Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World

      • Science and technology may raise ethical issues for which science, by itself, does not provide answers and solutions.

      • Many decisions are not made using science alone, but rely on social and cultural contexts to resolve issues.

PS4 - Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

PS4.A: Wave Properties (See Physics)

PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation

  • Electromagnetic radiation (e.g., radio, microwaves, light) can be modeled as a wave of changing electric and magnetic fields or as particles called photons. The wave model is useful for explaining many features of electromagnetic radiation, and the particle model explains other features.
  • When light or longer wavelength electromagnetic radiation is absorbed in matter, it is generally converted into thermal energy (heat). Shorter wavelength electromagnetic radiation (ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays) can ionize atoms and cause damage to living cells.
  • Photoelectric materials emit electrons when they absorb light of a high-enough frequency.
  • Atoms of each element emit and absorb characteristic frequencies of light. These characteristics allow identification of the presence of an element, even in microscopic quantities.

Related Nature of Science Standards:

  • Science Is a Way of Knowing

      • Science is both a body of knowledge that represents a current understanding of natural systems and the processes used to refine, elaborate, revise, and extend this knowledge.

      • Science knowledge has a history that includes the refinement of, and changes to, theories, ideas, and beliefs over time.

  • Science Knowledge Is Based on Empirical Evidence

      • Science includes the process of coordinating patterns of evidence with current theory.

      • Science arguments are strengthened by multiple lines of evidence supporting a single explanation.

  • Science Models, Laws, Mechanisms, and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena

      • Models, mechanisms, and explanations collectively serve as tools in the development of a scientific theory.

PS4.C: Information Technologies and Instrumentation (See Physics)