Next Generation Science Standards - Middle School Physical Science

In middle school physical science, students should develop an understanding of the anatomical structure of molecules and how that structure can change when thermal energy is applied or removed; the ways in which people gather natural resources and result in the absorption or release of thermal energy; Newton's laws of motion and how they can be used to describe and explain the behavior of moving objects; the relationship between electrical and magnetic forces; the existence of magnetic fields that can exert force on objects; the relationship between gravity and mass; how an object's mass and speed determine its kinetic energy; how potential energy in a system changes, depending on the arrangement of objects in the system; thermal energy and its relationship to kinetic energy and energy transfer; wave features and the ways in which waves interact with different materials; and the use of waves in technology and information transfer.