Physical Science · California Grade 6

MS-PS3-4

Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.

Clarification statement: Examples of experiments could include comparing final water temperatures after different masses of ice melted in the same volume of water with the same initial temperature, the temperature change of samples of different materials with the same mass as they cool or heat in the environment, or the same material with different masses when a specific amount of energy is added.

Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred.

Source: California Department of Education, NGSS Preferred Integrated Course Model, Grade 6 (accessed 2026-10-18)

Chapters

Chapter 23: The Motion of Particlessupports

This is a Grade 6 PE in the California integrated sequence, taught before this lesson. The chapter leans on its core idea, that a thermometer reports the average motion of particles, to explain why warm water spreads dye faster (Lab 1), but no activity here plans the mass-and-energy investigation the PE describes.

Chapter 24: Heat, Temperature, and State Changessupports

This is a California Grade 6 PE, so seventh graders are revisiting it. Lab 2 (which cup can melt the most ice) and the bath data in Lab 1 lean on its core idea that the energy a sample can transfer depends on its mass as well as its temperature, but students do not plan the full investigation the PE describes, and nothing calculates the total thermal energy transferred.

Worksheets (7)

Chapter	Worksheet	Role	How it connects
Ch. 23	W3 · The Jiggle That Would Not Stop: Reading the Evidence for Moving Particles Reading with evidence	supports	This is a Grade 6 PE in the California integrated sequence. The reading relies on its core idea, that temperature reports the average kinetic energy of a sample's particles, without asking students to plan the energy investigation the PE describes.
Ch. 23	W5 · Timing the Spread: Dye, Temperature and the Shape of the Curve Data and graphing	supports	This is a Grade 6 PE in the California integrated sequence. The sheet relies on its central idea, that temperature reports the average kinetic energy of a sample's particles, but students analyze given data rather than plan the energy-transfer investigation the PE describes, and no energy is calculated.
Ch. 24	W2 · Word Webs: Heat, Temperature, Thermal Energy and Six Changes of State Vocabulary in action	supports	MS-PS3-4 is a California Grade 6 PE, learned before this lesson. Part A leans on its core idea that a thermometer reads the average kinetic energy of particles, while total thermal energy also depends on how much matter there is. Students sort and apply terms only; they do not plan an investigation or calculate energy.
Ch. 24	W3 · The Thermometer That Stopped Climbing Reading with evidence	supports	MS-PS3-4 is a California Grade 6 PE, taught before this lesson. Paragraph 2 and question 2 rely on its core idea that temperature tracks average kinetic energy while total thermal energy also depends on mass. No question asks students to plan an investigation or calculate energy.
Ch. 24	W5 · Twice the Ice: What Changes When the Sample Is Bigger? Data and graphing	supports	MS-PS3-4 is a California Grade 6 PE. Comparing a 100 g and a 200 g sample on identical heaters revisits its idea that the energy needed depends on mass. Students analyze a given dataset; they do not plan the investigation, and no question calculates an amount of energy.
Ch. 24	W7 · Fixing Jordan's Notebook: Heat, Cold and the Missing Flat Lines Error analysis	supports	MS-PS3-4 is a California Grade 6 PE. Statements 1 and 2 rely on its idea that temperature measures average kinetic energy while total thermal energy also depends on mass. No item asks students to plan an investigation or calculate energy.
Ch. 24	W10 · Heat, Temperature and State Changes: Mastery Check Retrieval and mastery check	supports	MS-PS3-4 is a California Grade 6 PE. Items 2 and 10 revisit its idea that thermal energy and the energy a change needs depend on mass as well as temperature. Students do not plan an investigation or calculate energy.

Labs (4)

Chapter	Lab	Role	How it connects
Ch. 23	Lab 1 · The Three-Cup Mystery: Rank the Temperatures by Watching Dye Evidence-based mystery	supports	This is a Grade 6 PE in the California integrated sequence. The lab relies on its core idea that a thermometer reading reflects the average motion of particles, but students do not plan the energy, mass and type-of-matter investigation the PE describes.
Ch. 23	Lab 3 · Energy Tokens: Act Out Melting and Boiling, Then Graph It Collaborative systems modeling	supports	This Grade 6 PE in the California sequence supplies the idea behind the model's thermometer: temperature is the average motion per particle, and Part C shows individual particles differing from that average. Students do not plan the energy, mass and type-of-matter investigation the PE describes.
Ch. 24	Lab 1 · The Bath and the Melting Ice: Where Does the Energy Go? Collaborative systems modeling	supports	This is a California Grade 6 PE. The falling bath temperature serves as evidence that energy is being transferred into the cup, which draws on the Grade 6 idea that a sample's temperature change reflects energy gained or lost; students do not plan an investigation of mass and energy here.
Ch. 24	Lab 2 · Which Cup Holds More Thermal Energy? The Four-Cup Ice Mystery Evidence-based mystery	supports	This is a California Grade 6 PE, and the lab resembles its clarification example (ice melted by water samples). Here it supports the Grade 7 work: the investigation is designed for students rather than planned by them, and no one calculates the energy transferred, which the assessment boundary excludes.