MS-ESS2-4 | The Water Cycle
Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the Sun and the force of gravity.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the ways water changes its state as it moves through the multiple pathways of the hydrologic cycle. Examples of models could include conceptual or physical models.
Assessment boundary: A quantitative understanding of the latent heats of vaporization and fusion is not assessed.
Grade 8 Science Test Questions
Released New York State Grade 8 science test questions that assess MS-ESS2-4 are listed here by test and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.
| Exam | Cluster | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | The Changing Landscape of Niagara Falls | Question 10 |
| Spring 2025 | Mount Lyell and the Lyell Glacier | Question 6 |
| Spring 2024 | Death Valley | Question 36 |
Performance Level Descriptions
Every Grade 8 Science Test question on MS-ESS2-4 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.
Resources
Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of MS-ESS2-4.
This section could be expanded upon. You can help out by adding to this section.
NGSS Dimensions
Performance expectation MS-ESS2-4 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:
- Developing and Using Models
- Develop a model to describe unobservable mechanisms.
- ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth's Surface Processes
- (NYSED) Water continually cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere via transpiration, evaporation, condensation, sublimation, deposition, precipitation, infiltration, and runoff.
- (NYSED) Global movements of water and its changes in form are driven by sunlight and gravity.
- Energy and Matter
- Within a natural or designed system, the transfer of energy drives the motion and/or cycling of matter.