5.1 Strand
Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). Within these systems, the location of Earth’s land and water can be described. Also, these systems interact in multiple ways. Weathering and erosion are examples of interactions between Earth’s systems. Some interactions cause landslides, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions that impact humans and other organisms. Humans cannot eliminate natural hazards, but solutions can be designed to reduce their impact.
Standard(s) 5.1.1: Analyze and interpret data to describe patterns of Earth’s features. Emphasize most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans while major mountain chains may be found inside continents or near their edges. Examples of data could include maps showing locations of mountains on continents and the ocean floor or the locations of volcanoes and earthquakes. (ESS2.B)
Practices
Analyzing and Interpreting Data Analyzing data in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to introducing quantitative approaches to collecting data and conducting multiple trials of qualitative observations. When possible and feasible, digital tools should be used.
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Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions
The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans. Major mountain chains form inside continents or near their edges. Maps can help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth.
Cross Cutting Concepts
Patterns
Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation.
Storyline Narrative
To begin this storyline students will investigate the phenomenon, a volcano rapidly formed in a field in Paricutin. Students will obtain information about a volcano that grew in a field in Paricutin, Mexico over the course of 9 years, destroying the village.
Then students will obtain information about other North American examples of volcano and earthquake activity and mountain ranges to analyze patterns in the data. They will look at volcanoes in the area of Paricutin to understand and reason that the occurrence of that volcano was part of a pattern rather than a random act. From there, students will look at examples and nonexamples of volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain ranges to further analyze and interpret data to find patterns of Earth’s features. Finally, when given a map with known volcano and/or earthquake occurrences, students identify which location is more likely to have the next occurrence and support their answer using the data from their investigations?
Site Feedback
Utah Science
Curriculum Consortium
Tyson Grover
Annette Nielson
1.2 Strand
Living things (plants and animals, including humans) depend on their surroundings to get what they need, including food, water, shelter, and a favorable temperature. Plants and animals have external features that allow them to survive in a variety of environments. Young plants and animals are similar but not exactly like their parents. In many kinds of animals, parents and offspring engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive.
Standard(s) 1.2.1: Plan and carry out an investigation to determine the effect of sunlight and water on plant growth. Emphasize investigations that test one variable at a time. (LS1.C)
Practices
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations to answer questions or test solutions to problems in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to simple investigations, based on fair tests, which provide data to support explanations or design solutions.
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Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms Plants need water and light to live and grow.
Features of living things supporting organisms in their environment is not discussed in the K-2 NGSS
Cross Cutting Concepts
Cause and Effect: Events have causes that generate observable patterns.
Storyline Narrative
This tells the story of what will happen in the classroom and why students will explore the presented phenomenon. It contains descriptions of student performance (SEP) and how they are being asked to frame their thinking (CCC).
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Note: This storyline needs to have live plants to conduct an investigation. If you choose as a teacher to have students plant seeds to grow into plants, please plan to do that 3-4 weeks before this lesson. Seedlings earlier than two weeks will still have nutrients stored in the seed that could affect the investigation. It would probably be easiest to have small plants ahead of the lesson by purchasing plants ready for the investigation. Also, be aware of any allergies that may cause safety issues when using live plants.
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This storyline starts with students exploring what plants need to grow with the focus on water and sunlight. In a class discussion, students develop questions about the effect observed in videos, and/or photographs of a forgotten plant that has died. Students obtain information about the matter and energy that plants need to grow through readings about the needs of plants. Students plan and carry out an investigation to determine how matter (water) and energy (sunlight) affects a plant’s growth. Students will work in small groups of 2-3 students and decide how they will investigate the effect of no sunlight or no water with the supplies provided and set up their investigation. Over the next few weeks, students analyze data patterns to determine the effects of different amounts of water or sunlight in their data. Students write to communicate their explanation of the effects of water and sunlight on plant growth.
Standard(s) 1.2.2: Construct an explanation by observing patterns of external features of living things that survive in different locations. Emphasize how plants and nonhuman animals, found in specific surroundings, share similar physical characteristics. Examples could include that plants living in dry areas are more likely to have thick outer coatings that hold in water. (LS1.A, LS1.D)
Standard(s) 1.2.3: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the patterns of plants and nonhuman animals that are alike, but not exactly like, their parents. An example could include that most carrots are orange and shaped like a cone but may be different sizes or have differing tastes. (LS3.A, LS3.B)
Practices
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to the use of evidence and ideas in constructing evidence-based accounts of natural phenomena and designing solutions.
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Use tools and materials provided to design and build a device that solves a specific problem or a solution to a specific problem.
Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information in K–2 builds on prior experiences and uses observations and texts to communicate new information.
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Read grade-appropriate texts and/or use media to obtain scientific information to describe patterns in the natural world.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits
Plants also are very much, but not exactly, like their parents.
LS3.B: Variation of Traits
Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal are recognizable as similar but can also vary in many ways.
Cross Cutting Concepts
Patterns in the natural world can be observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence.
Storyline Narrative
This tells the story of what will happen in the classroom and why students will explore the presented phenomenon. It contains descriptions of student performance (SEP) and how they are being asked to frame their thinking (CCC).
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In this storyline, students will be looking at patterns in plants' external features. The first episode has students observing pictures of plants in the garden and in the mountain and compare (patterns) how their external features are similar and different. Students construct an explanation in class discussion about the patterns they have observed in the different locations and communicate by writing and/or drawing the patterns of external features observed in plants in a flower garden versus plants on the mountain.
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The next episode, students observe pictures of gardens in different locations and compare (patterns) how their external features are similar and different. Students construct an explanation in class discussion to describe patterns of external features of plants in different locations. The students will write and/or draw to construct an explanation to describe the similarities and differences of patterns observed of external features of the plants in different locations.
The final episode focuses on how plants are like their parent plant, but not exactly alike. Students begin by observing pictures of a young apple tree versus an mature apple tree and find patterns in their appearances. Students obtain information from a reading about plants and their appearances and evaluate the information from the reading to describe the patterns between the young apple tree and the mature apple tree. Students use evidence in discussion from the apple tree photographs and reading to predict what patterns they would expect if you planted carrot seeds. Students communicate information about patterns between a plant and the plants they came from with pumpkin and sunflower plants.
Standard(s) 1.2.2: Construct an explanation by observing patterns of external features of living things that survive in different locations. Emphasize how plants and nonhuman animals, found in specific surroundings, share similar physical characteristics. Examples could include that plants living in dry areas are more likely to have thick outer coatings that hold in water, animals living in cold locations have longer and thicker fur, or most desert animals are awake at night. (LS1.A, LS1.D)
Standard(s) 1.2.3: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the patterns of plants and nonhuman animals that are alike, but not exactly like, their parents. An example could include that most carrots are orange and shaped like a cone but may be different sizes or have differing tastes. (LS3.A, LS3.B)
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Standard(s) 1.2.4: Construct an explanation of the patterns in the behaviors of parents and offspring which help offspring to survive. Examples of behavioral patterns could include the signals that offspring make such as crying, chirping, and other vocalizations or the responses of the parents such as feeding, comforting, and protecting the offspring. (LS1.B)
Practices
Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information in K–2 builds on prior experiences and uses observations and texts to communicate new information.
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Read grade-appropriate texts and/or use media to obtain scientific information to describe patterns in the natural world.
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to the use of evidence and ideas in constructing evidence-based accounts of natural phenomena and designing solutions.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits
Plants also are very much, but not exactly, like their parents.
LS3.B: Variation of Traits
Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal are recognizable as similar but can also vary in many ways.
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LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms
Adult plants and animals can have young. In many kinds of animals, parents and the offspring themselves engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive.
Cross Cutting Concepts
Patterns in the natural world can be observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence.
Storyline Narrative
This tells the story of what will happen in the classroom and why students will explore the presented phenomenon. It contains descriptions of student performance (SEP) and how they are being asked to frame their thinking (CCC).
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Students will observe multiple pictures and identify patterns of similar features in baby animals and their parents and obtain information by reading about patterns of features between baby animals and their parents. After reading and observing pictures of animals and their babies, students will evaluate in a class discussion the patterns of features they have observed to construct an explanation describing the relationship of features between animal parents and their babies. Finally, students communicate by writing and/or drawing the patterns of features between animal parents and their babies.
This episode has students observing pictures of baby animals in different locations and comparing (patterns) how their external features are similar and different. In a class discussion, students construct an explanation to describe patterns of external features of baby animals in different locations. Then in the student journals, students write and/or draw to communicate patterns of external features of baby animals in two different locations.
This episode focuses on the behaviors animals pass or teach to their offspring to help them to survive. Students obtain information by reading and watching animal videos depicting patterns of behaviors of animal parents and their offspring that help them survive. Then, students evaluate the patterns of animal behaviors to construct an explanation for the purpose of the behavior to help feed, comfort or protect their offspring. Finally, students write and/or draw to communicate their explanations for patterns in animal behaviors between offspring and parent.