GEMS Correlations with the Florida Sunshine State Standards

Grade Level Expectations and Benchmarks for Science
Grades 6–8

Strand E: Earth and Space


Return to Sunshine State Standards Page


Standard 1: The student understands the interaction and organization in the Solar System and the universe and how this affects life on Earth.

Benchmark SC.E.1.3.1: The student understands the vast size of our Solar System and the relationship of the planets and their satellites.

Sixth Grade

2. knows the relative sizes of the planets, Sun, Solar System, galaxy, and universe.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Messages From Space, Moons of Jupiter, The Real Reasons for Seasons

3. understands the positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun during a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Earth, Moon, and Stars

Seventh Grade

1. knows the relative sizes of planets.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Messages From Space, Moons of Jupiter

2. understands the distances of the planets and the asteroid belt from the Sun are vast.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Messages From Space, Moons of Jupiter, The Real Reasons for Seasons

3. understands the relationship between the phases of the Moon and the positions of the Moon, Earth, and Sun as the Moon revolves around the Earth.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Earth, Moon, and Stars

4. understands the revolution and rotation of the Moon relative to the Earth, and knows that the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Earth, Moon, and Stars

5. understands that the tilt of the Earth on its axis as it rotates causes seasonal changes.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: The Real Reasons for Seasons

Benchmark SC.E.1.3.2: The student knows that available data from various satellite probes show the similarities and differences among planets and their moons in the Solar System.

Seventh Grade

1. knows characteristics of the inner planets and outer planets.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Messages From Space, Moons of Jupiter

2. knows basic features of the Moon and the moons of other planets.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Messages From Space, Moons of Jupiter

Eighth Grade

1. knows that available data from various satellite probes show similarities and differences
among planets and their moons in our Solar System.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Messages From Space, Moons of Jupiter

Benchmark SC.E.1.3.3: The student understands that our Sun is one of many stars in our galaxy.

Sixth Grade

1. understands that our Sun is one of many stars in our galaxy.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Earth, Moon, and Stars, Messages From Space, The Real Reasons for Seasons

Seventh Grade

1. knows some of the constellations of stars in the sky.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Earth, Moon, and Stars

2. knows why stars appear to move across the sky.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Earth, Moon, and Stars

Eighth Grade

1. knows the size, temperature, age, and brightness of the Sun compared to some other stars in the Milky Way Galaxy (for example, white dwarfs, red giants).

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Messages From Space

Benchmark SC.E.1.3.4: The student knows that stars appear to be made of similar chemical elements, although they differ in age, size, temperature, and distance.

Seventh Grade

1. knows the life cycle of a star.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Messages From Space

2. knows the process used to determine the age of a star.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Messages From Space

Eighth Grade

1. knows that stars appear to be made of similar chemical elements, although they differ in age, size, temperature, and distance.

Appropriate GEMS Teacher Guides: Messages From Space

Lawrence Hall of Science    © 2015 UC Regents. All rights reserved.    Contact GEMS    Updated February 06, 2021