HS-ESS2-7 | Coevolution of Earth and Life
Construct an argument based on evidence about the coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the dynamic causes, effects, and feedbacks between the biosphere and Earth’s other systems, whereby geoscience factors control the evolution of life, which in turn continuously alters Earth’s surface. Examples include how the outgassing of water from Earth’s interior caused the development of Earth’s early oceans leading to the evolution of microorganisms and stromatolites; how photosynthetic life altered the atmosphere through the production of oxygen, which in turn increased weathering rates and allowed for the evolution of animal life; how microbial life on land increased the formation of soil, which in turn allowed for the evolution of land plants; or how the evolution of corals created reefs that altered patterns of erosion and deposition along coastlines and provided habitats for the evolution of new life forms.
Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of how the biosphere interacts with all of Earth’s other systems.
Note: this is a performance expectation for both HS Earth & Space Science and HS Biology. For biology, the focus is on "changes in the atmosphere from plants and other organisms related to carbon cycling and feedback mechanisms related to co-evolution". For Earth & Space Science, the focus is on "changes in the atmosphere from plants and other organisms along with feedback mechanisms" (as per the NYSED high school course maps).
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.
Resources
Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-ESS2-7.
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Assessment
What assessment of HS-ESS2-7 might look like on a NY state exam.
NGSS Dimensions
Performance expectation HS-ESS2-7 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:
- Engaging in argument from evidence: Construct an oral and written argument or counter-arguments based on data and evidence.
- Weather and climate: Gradual atmospheric changes were due to plants and other organisms that captured carbon dioxide and released oxygen.
- Biogeology: The many dynamic and delicate feedbacks between the biosphere and other Earth systems cause a continual co-evolution of Earth’s surface and the life that exists on it.
- Stability and change: Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable.