HS-ESS2-3

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HS-ESS2-5 →

Develop a model based on evidence of Earth’s interior to describe the cycling of matter by thermal convection.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on both a one-dimensional model of Earth, with radial layers determined by density, and a three- dimensional model, which is controlled by mantle convection and the resulting plate tectonics. Rocks and minerals can be identified and classified using various tests and protocols that determine their physical and chemical properties. Examples of evidence include maps of Earth’s three-dimensional structure obtained from seismic waves, records of the rate of change of Earth’s magnetic field (as constraints on convection in the outer core), and identification of the composition of Earth’s layers from high-pressure laboratory experiments.

Performance Level Descriptions

PLDs communicate the knowledge and skills expected of students to demonstrate proficiency in each Learning Standard. NYS assessments classify student performance into one of five levels.

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Level 1: Given a model of Earth’s interior, identify the evidence, from those provided, that shows the cycling of matter by thermal convection or given a model with evidence, identify a stage of recycling of Earth materials by surface processes or by convection currents in the mantle.

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Level 2: Given a model of Earth’s interior, identify the evidence that shows the cycling of matter by thermal convection or given a model with evidence, identify stages of recycling of Earth materials by surface processes or by convection currents in the mantle or identify a rock or mineral using evidence from a given a model of physical and chemical properties of rocks or minerals.

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Level 3: Given a model, describe the cycling of matter (e.g., minerals and rock cycle) by thermal convection based on evidence of Earth’s interior or given a model with evidence, describe stages of recycling of Earth materials by surface processes or by convection currents in the mantle or identify the location of the formation of rock types using evidence from a given model.

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Level 4: Develop a model based on evidence of Earth’s interior to describe the cycling of matter by thermal convection.

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Level 5: Develop a complex model of Earth’s interior using multiple pieces of evidence to illustrate the relationships between systems and/or the components of a system in order to describe the cycling of matter by thermal convection.

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-ESS2-3.

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Assessment

What assessment of HS-ESS2-3 might look like on a NY state exam.

Exam	Cluster	Question
August 2026	Chesapeake Bay Impact Event	Question 9
	Canary Islands Hotspot	Question 12
June 2026	The Slow Carbon Cycle	Question 10
	The Complex Tectonics of the Western Pacific	Question 39
	The Complex Tectonics of the Western Pacific	Question 40
	The Siberian Traps	Question 47
	The Siberian Traps	Question 48
January 2026	Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State	Question 14
August 2025	Northern New York's Pyrites Complex	Question 26
	Northern New York's Pyrites Complex	Question 28
Sample clusters (Fall 2024)	Theia and the Moon	Question 6
Sample clusters (Spring 2024)	Modeling of Earth's Interior	Question 1
	Modeling of Earth's Interior	Question 2
	Modeling of Earth's Interior	Question 3
	Modeling of Earth's Interior	Question 4
	Plate Tectonics	Question 4
	Modeling of Earth's Interior	Question 5
	Modeling of Earth's Interior	Question 6

NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-ESS2-3 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

• Developing and using models: Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the relationships between systems or between components of a system.
• Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence: Science knowledge is based on empirical evidence.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• Earth materials and systems: Evidence from deep probes and seismic waves, reconstructions of historical changes in Earth’s surface and its magnetic field, and an understanding of physical and chemical processes lead to a model of Earth with a hot but solid inner core, a liquid outer core, a solid mantle and crust. Motions of the mantle and its plates occur primarily through thermal convection, which involves the cycling of matter due to the outward flow of energy from Earth’s interior and gravitational movement of denser materials toward the interior.
• Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions: Residual heat from Earth’s formation and the radioactive decay of unstable isotopes in Earth’s interior continually generate energy that is absorbed by Earth’s mantle and crust, driving mantle convection. Plate tectonics can be viewed as the surface expression of mantle convection.
• Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions: Minerals are the building blocks of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and can be identified using physical and chemical characteristics. These rock types are evidence of stages of constant recycling of Earth material by surface processes and convection currents in the mantle.
• Wave properties: Geologists use seismic waves and their reflection at interfaces between layers to probe structures deep in the planet.

Crosscutting Concepts

• Energy and matter: Energy drives the cycling of matter within and between systems.
• Interdependence of science, technology, and engineering: Science and engineering complement each other in the cycle known as research and development (R&D). Many R&D projects may involve scientists, engineers, and others with wide ranges of expertise.

Page contributors: Conrad Richman, Caroline Leonard

Earth and Space Science | HS. Earth's Systems