HS-ESS1-6 | Formation and Early History of Earth
Apply scientific reasoning and evidence from ancient Earth materials, meteorites, and other planetary surfaces to construct an account of Earth’s formation and early history.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on using available evidence within the solar system to reconstruct the early history of Earth, which formed along with the rest of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. Examples of evidence include the absolute ages of ancient materials (obtained by radiometric dating of meteorites, moon rocks, and Earth’s rocks and minerals), the sizes and compositions of solar system objects, and the impact cratering record of planetary surfaces.
Assessment
What assessment of HS-ESS1-6 might look like on a NY state exam.
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-ESS1-6.
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NGSS Dimensions
Performance expectation HS-ESS1-6 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:
- Constructing explanations and designing solutions: Apply scientific reasoning to link evidence to the claims to assess the extent to which the reasoning and data support the explanation or conclusion.
- Science models, laws, mechanisms, and theories explain natural phenomena: A scientific theory is a substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment and the science community validates each theory before it is accepted. If new evidence is discovered that the theory does not accommodate, the theory is generally modified in light of this new evidence.
- Science models, laws, mechanisms, and theories explain natural phenomena: Models, mechanisms, and explanations collectively serve as tools in the development of a scientific theory.
- The history of planet Earth: Although active geologic processes, such as plate tectonics and erosion, have destroyed or altered most of the very early rock record on Earth, other objects in the solar system, such as lunar rocks, asteroids, and meteorites, have changed little over billions of years. Studying these objects can provide information about Earth’s formation and early 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.
- Stability and change: Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable.