MS-ESS1-4

Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic timescale is used to organize Earth’s 4.6-billion-year-old history.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on how analyses of rock formations and the fossils they contain are used to establish relative ages of major events in Earth’s history. Examples of Earth’s major events or evidence could include very recent events or evidence (such as the last Ice Age or the earliest fossils of Homo sapiens) to very old events or evidence (such as the formation of Earth or the earliest evidence of life). Examples of evidence could include the formation of mountain chains and ocean basins, the evolution or extinction of particular living organisms, or significant volcanic eruptions.

Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include recalling the names of specific periods or epochs and events within them, radiometric dating using half-lives, and defining index fossils.

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of MS-ESS1-4.

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Assessment

What assessment of MS-ESS1-4 might look like on a NY state exam.

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NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation MS-ESS1-4 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Connections to Other Standards

MS-ESS1-4 connections to ELA, math, and other science standards as outlined by the NYS Education Department:

Page contributors: Caroline Leonard, Conrad Richman, Shirley Shameen

P-8 | MS. History of Earth