HS-ESS1-5
Evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust and the theory of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the ability of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks. Examples include evidence of the ages of oceanic crust increasing with distance from mid-ocean ridges as a result of plate spreading and that the North American continental crust contains a much older central ancient core compared to the surrounding continental crust as a result of complex and numerous plate interactions.
Resources
Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-ESS1-5.
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Assessment
What assessment of HS-ESS1-5 might look like on a NY state exam.
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NGSS Dimensions
Performance expectation HS-ESS1-5 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:
- Engaging in argument from evidence: Evaluate evidence behind currently accepted explanations or solutions to determine the merits of arguments.
- The history of planet Earth: Continental rocks, which can be older than 4 billion years, are generally much older than the rocks of the ocean floor, which are less than 200 million years old.
- Plate tectonics and large-scale system interactions: Plate tectonics is the unifying theory that explains the past and current movements of the rocks at Earth’s surface and provides a framework for understanding its geologic history.
- Nuclear processes: Spontaneous radioactive decay follows a characteristic exponential decay law allowing an element’s half-life to be used for radiometric dating of rocks and other materials.
- Patterns: Empirical evidence is needed to identify patterns.