Some people will say that the concept of light is a small idea, and should have been woven into a broader thematic treatment of science. In the California Science Curriculum Framework that was written in the early 90's, science is broken down into broad themes of such as systems and interactions. When these parts combine to form the whole, the whole often has properties that are qualitatively different from the sum of the parts. This type of language is extremely common in science standards across the nation. Students identify a system's inputs and outputs.
Students know the sun is one of many stars in our own Milky Way galaxy.
Stars may differ in size, temperature, and color. I don't think it can be overemphasized that California has made a tremendous leap by demanding content in their standards. I've heard that there may be some visual learners in the audience today, so I've brought a visual aid to try to illustrate a point. If we go back to the analogy of a painting, the California standards are a Cezanne. The painting is representative of Mme.