Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):
5-LS2-1
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Developing and Using Models – Develop a model to describe phenomena.
Sci. Models, Laws, Mechanisms, and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena – Science explanations describe the mechanisms
for natural events.
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems – The food of almost any kind of animal can be traced back to plants.
Organisms are related in food webs… Decomposition eventually restores (recycles) some materials back to the soil.
LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems – Matter cycles between the air and soil and among plants,
animals, and microbes as these organisms live and die. Organisms obtain gases, and water, from the environment, and
release waste matter back into the environment.
Systems and System Models – A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.
5-ESS2-1
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Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the energy flow that drives this process.
Developing and Using Models: Develop and use a model to describe phenomena.
ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems – All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling within and
among the planet’s systems. The energy that flows and matter that cycles produce chemical and physical changes in Earth’s
materials and living organisms.
Stability and Change – Explanations of stability and change in natural or designed systems can be constructed by examining
the changes over time and processes at different scales, including the atomic scale.
MS-ESS2-2
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Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere,
and/or atmosphere interact.
Developing and Using Models – Develop a model using examples to describe a scientific principle.
ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems – Earth’s major systems are the geosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere. These
systems interact in multiple ways to affect the Earth’s surface materials and processes.
Systems and System Models – A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.
MS-ESS2-1
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Develop a model to describe the movement of matter
among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
Science and Engineering Practices
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Crosscutting Concepts
Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geosciences processes have changed Earth’s
surface at varying time and spatial scales.
Constructing Explanation and Designing Solutions – Construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence
obtained from sources and the assumption that theories and laws that describe nature operate today as they did in the past
and will continue to do so in the future.
ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems – The planet’s systems interact over scales that range from microscopic to global in
size, and they operate over fractions of a second to billions of years. These interactions have shaped Earth’s history and will
determine its future.
ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes, - Water movements – both on the land and underground – cause
weathering and erosion, which changes the land’s surface features and create underground formations.
Scale Proportion and Quantity – Time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed at various scales using models to
study systems that are too large or too small.
Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations (MGLCE):
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S.IP.(05,06).11 Generate scientific questions based on observations, investigations, and research.
S.IP.(05,06).12 Design and conduct scientific investigations.
S.IP.(05,06).13 Use tools and equipment appropriate to scientific investigations.
S.RS.(05,06).15 Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models, exhibits, and activities.
S.RS.(05,06).17 Describe the effect humans and other organisms have on the balance in the natural world.
L.EC.06.41 Describe how human beings are part of the ecosystem of the Earth and that human activity can purposefully, or
accidentally, alter the balance in ecosystems.
E.SE.06.11 Explain how physical and chemical weathering lead to erosion and the formation of soils and sediments.
E.SE.06.13 Describe how soil is a mixture made up of weather eroded rock and decomposed organic material.
E.SE.06.14 Compare different soil samples based on particle size and texture.
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