Teachers Edition
6th Grade Science Bell Ringers
Process Skills: Safety First
6.2D Demonstrate safe practices during laboratory and field investigations as outline in the Texas Safety
Standards.
When using open flames at the lab at Texas Woman’s University, students should know the
location of which of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Fire hose and fire extinguisher
Fire extinguisher and fire blanket
Fire hose and eye wash
Water shower and eye wash
Answer: B) Fire extinguisher and fire blanket is the best answer. Answer A and C both contain a fire
hose. A fire hose is not typically found in a science lab. Answer C and D both contain an eye wash
which is safety equipment found in a lab but it is not typically needed when working with an open
flame. A fire extinguisher and a fire blanket would both be needed should a fire related accident
occur therefore making this the better answer choice.
Matter and Energy: Name That Element
6.5C Differentiate between elements and compounds on the most basic level.
Sam and Marisa are using the following compound in their chemistry class at Tarrant County
College Northwest Campus. How many different elements are represented in the compound?
HC2H3O2
e.
f.
g.
h.
12
7
4
3
Answer: D. 3. The difference between an element and a compound is that an element cannot be
broken down any further to smaller, functional parts. A compound is made up of two or more
elements. The symbol for an element is denoted by one or two letters. The first letter is always a
capital letter. If the element has one letter, then that letter is always capitalized. In the question, you
can first break down the compound into its perspective parts or elements:
H
C2
H3
O2
Teachers Edition
The question asks for the number of different elements. The different elements are H, C, and O.
There are 3 different elements in this compound.
Earth and Space: Let the Force Be With You
6.11B Understand that gravity is the force that governs the motion of our solar system.
Help physics students at Collin College determine which of the following pictures depicts the one that
would experience the least amount of gravitational force between them..
a)
b)
c)
1g
1g
5g
5g
1g
1g
Answer: A) Gravity is a force that draws objects toward each other. Gravitational force increases
between two objects as their mass increases so smaller objects have less force between them.
Gravitational force decreases as the distance between two objects increases. So the gravitational
force between two objects would be the least when their mass is small and their distance is great.
Answer A fits this criterion.
Force, Motion, and Energy: It’s All About Motion
6.8D Measure and graph changes in motion.
The following graph shows the distance and time of students traveling from their hometown to The
University of Texas at Dallas for a college tour and then back to their hometown.
Teachers Edition
What is happening to the student at Point A?
a) The student is moving at a constant rate.
b) The student is slowing down.
c) The student is speeding up.
d) The student is not moving.
Answer: D) The student is not moving. This distance-time graph shows distance on the y-axis and
time on the x-axis. Looking at the graph, students should notice that during Point A the time
continues to increase while the distance remains the same. This indicates that during this time period
the student was not moving.
Organisms and Environments: Name That Kingdom
6.12D Identify the basic characteristics of organisms, including prokaryotic or eukaryotic, unicellular or
multicellular, autotrophic or heterotrophic, and mode of reproduction, that further classify them in the
currently recognized Kingdoms.
Samantha and James classified an organism they found while performing research for a project at The
University of North Texas Dallas campus. Looking at their diagram below, what Kingdom does their
organism most likely belong to?
Cell Type:
Eukaryotic
Number of cells:
Multicellular
Food source:
Heterotroph
Reproduction:
Asexual and Sexual
a) Fungi
b) Plants
c) Bacteria
d) Protists
Answer: A) Fungi. Fungi are typically eukaryotic, multicellular organisms that rely on other organisms
for food (heterotrophs) and reproduce through asexual and sexual means. Plants would not fit this
description because they are autotrophs. Bacteria are unicellular and Protists are usually unicellular
and utilize asexual reproduction.