MS-ESS1-4   Earth's Place in the Universe

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

MS-ESS1-4. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how analyses of rock formations and the fossils they contain are used to establish relative ages of major events in Earth’s history. Examples of Earth’s major events could range from being very recent (such as the last Ice Age or the earliest fossils of homo sapiens) to very old (such as the formation of Earth or the earliest evidence of life). Examples can include the formation of mountain chains and ocean basins, the evolution or extinction of particular living organisms, or significant volcanic eruptions.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include recalling the names of specific periods or epochs and events within them.]
The performance expectation above was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to include constructing explanations and designing solutions supported by multiple sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth

Crosscutting Concepts

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band:

MS.LS4.A ; MS.LS4.C

Articulation of DCIs across grade-bands:

3.LS4.A ; 3.LS4.C ; 3.LS4.D ; 4.ESS1.C ; HS.PS1.C ; HS.LS4.A ; HS.LS4.C ; HS.ESS1.C ; HS.ESS2.A

Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy -
RST.6-8.1Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. (MS-ESS1-4)
WHST.6-8.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. (MS-ESS1-4)
Mathematics -
6.EE.B.6Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set. (MS-ESS1-4)
7.EE.B.6Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities. (MS-ESS1-4)

MS-ESS1-4   Earth's Place in the Universe

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

MS-ESS1-4. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how analyses of rock formations and the fossils they contain are used to establish relative ages of major events in Earth’s history. Examples of Earth’s major events could range from being very recent (such as the last Ice Age or the earliest fossils of homo sapiens) to very old (such as the formation of Earth or the earliest evidence of life). Examples can include the formation of mountain chains and ocean basins, the evolution or extinction of particular living organisms, or significant volcanic eruptions.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include recalling the names of specific periods or epochs and events within them.]
The performance expectation above was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to include constructing explanations and designing solutions supported by multiple sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth

Crosscutting Concepts

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band:

MS.LS4.A ; MS.LS4.C

Articulation of DCIs across grade-bands:

3.LS4.A ; 3.LS4.C ; 3.LS4.D ; 4.ESS1.C ; HS.PS1.C ; HS.LS4.A ; HS.LS4.C ; HS.ESS1.C ; HS.ESS2.A

Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy -
RST.6-8.1Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. (MS-ESS1-4)
WHST.6-8.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. (MS-ESS1-4)
Mathematics -
6.EE.B.6Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set. (MS-ESS1-4)
7.EE.B.6Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities. (MS-ESS1-4)

MS-ESS1-4   Earth's Place in the Universe

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

MS-ESS1-4. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how analyses of rock formations and the fossils they contain are used to establish relative ages of major events in Earth’s history. Examples of Earth’s major events could range from being very recent (such as the last Ice Age or the earliest fossils of homo sapiens) to very old (such as the formation of Earth or the earliest evidence of life). Examples can include the formation of mountain chains and ocean basins, the evolution or extinction of particular living organisms, or significant volcanic eruptions.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include recalling the names of specific periods or epochs and events within them.]
The performance expectation above was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to include constructing explanations and designing solutions supported by multiple sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth

Crosscutting Concepts

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band:

MS.LS4.A ; MS.LS4.C

Articulation of DCIs across grade-bands:

3.LS4.A ; 3.LS4.C ; 3.LS4.D ; 4.ESS1.C ; HS.PS1.C ; HS.LS4.A ; HS.LS4.C ; HS.ESS1.C ; HS.ESS2.A

Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy -
RST.6-8.1Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. (MS-ESS1-4)
WHST.6-8.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. (MS-ESS1-4)
Mathematics -
6.EE.B.6Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set. (MS-ESS1-4)
7.EE.B.6Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities. (MS-ESS1-4)

* The performance expectations marked with an asterisk integrate traditional science content with engineering through a Practice or Disciplinary Core Idea.

The section entitled “Disciplinary Core Ideas” is reproduced verbatim from A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Cross-Cutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Integrated and reprinted with permission from the National Academy of Sciences.

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Related Evidence Statements
MS-ESS1-4-1 Evidence Statements
Related Quality Units
Middle School: K-12 Alliance: Understanding White Sharks
Middle School: OpenSciEd Unit 6.4: How and Why Does Earth’s Surface Change?
Related Example Bundles
Middle School Phenomenon Model Course 3: Bundle 1
Middle School Topic Model Course 3: Bundle 4

How to Read the Standards

The standards integrate three dimensions within each standard and have intentional connections across standards. More...