HS-ESS2-5 | Water and Earth’s Surface Processes

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Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on mechanical and chemical investigations with water and a variety of solid materials to provide the evidence for connections between the hydrologic cycle and system interactions commonly known as the rock cycle. Examples of mechanical investigations include stream transportation (erosion) and deposition using a stream table, infiltration and runoff by measuring permeability and porosity of different materials, or frost wedging by the expansion of water as it freezes. Examples of chemical investigations include chemical weathering and recrystallization (by testing the solubility of different materials) or melt generation (by examining how water lowers the melting temperature of most solids).

Reference Tables

Relevant reference tables:


Assessment

What assessment of HS-ESS2-5 might look like on a NY state exam.

Exam Cluster Question
August 2026 Earth’s Oceans–A Climate Change Indicator Question 15
Dams on the Colorado River Question 19
Dams on the Colorado River Question 20
June 2026 The Slow Carbon Cycle Question 11
The Complex Tectonics of the Western Pacific Question 41
January 2026 Mount Morris Dam in Letchworth State Park Question 38
Mount Morris Dam in Letchworth State Park Question 40
August 2025 The Power of Water Question 6
The Power of Water Question 7
How Did Earth Get Its Water? Question 25
June 2025 New York State's Hudson River Question 21

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 the results of an investigation or information about the chemical and/or physical properties of water (in its different forms) identify an effect that water would have on an Earth material or surface process.
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Level 2: Given the results of an investigation or information of the chemical and/or physical properties of water (in its different forms), describe an effect that water would have on an Earth material or a surface process.
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Level 3: Using a given plan, conduct an investigation of the physical and chemical properties of water and water’s effects on Earth materials and surface processes or given a plan, and the results of an investigation, describe how the properties of water affect an Earth material and a surface process.
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Level 4: Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes.
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Level 5: Plan and conduct an investigation to demonstrate how the water’s structure, in all of its phases, affects its properties, and how water effects on Earth materials and surface processes.

Vocabulary

Terms from the Earth & Space Science Glossary that come from this standard or from the released exam questions that assess it.

From this standard
  • chemical weathering
  • deposition
  • Earth
  • Earth materials
  • Earth’s surface
  • erosion
  • frost wedging
  • hydrologic cycle
  • infiltration
  • melt generation
  • melting temperature
  • permeability
  • physical and chemical properties
  • porosity
  • properties of water
  • recrystallization
  • rock cycle
  • runoff
  • solubility
  • stream deposition
  • stream table
  • stream transportation
  • surface processes
From released exam questions

NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-ESS2-5 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices
  • Planning and carrying out investigations: Plan and conduct an investigation individually and collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence, and in the design: decide on types, how much, and accuracy of data needed to produce reliable measurements and consider limitations on the precision of the data (e.g., number of trials, cost, risk, time), and refine the design accordingly.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes: The abundance of liquid water on Earth’s surface and its unique combination of physical and chemical properties are central to the planet’s dynamics. These properties include water’s exceptional capacity to absorb, store, and release large amounts of energy, transmit sunlight, expand upon freezing, dissolve and transport materials, and lower the viscosities and melting points of rocks.
Crosscutting Concepts
  • Structure and function: The functions and properties of natural and designed objects and systems can be inferred from their overall structure, the way their components are shaped and used, and the molecular substructures of its various materials.
Page contributors: Conrad Richman, Caroline Leonard
Earth and Space Science | HS. Earth's Systems
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