• Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics (LS2)

    • Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacities of ecosystems at different scales.

    • Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.

    • Use a mathematical representation to support claims for the cycling of matter and the flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem.

    • Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.

    • Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.*

  • Earth Systems (ESS2)

    • Develop a model to illustrate how Earth’s internal and surface processes operate at different scales of space and time to form continental and ocean-floor features.

    • Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks and interactions that cause changes to other Earth systems.

    • Develop a model based on evidence of Earth’s interior to describe the cycling of matter by thermal convection.

    • Analyze and interpret data to explore how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems causes changes to the atmosphere and climate.

    • Plan and conduct investigations of how the structure and resulting properties of water interact with the Earth’s materials and surface processes.

    • Develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere.

    • Engage in argument from evidence for how the simultaneous co-evolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth led to periods of stability and change over geologic time.

  • Earth and Human Activities (ESS3)

    • Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate effect human activity.

    • Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost- benefit ratios on large and small scales.*

    • Use computational simulations to illustrate changes between the relationships of natural resources, human populations, and biodiversity and their sustainability within Earth systems.

    • Evaluate design solutions for a major global or local environmental problem that reduces or stabilizes the impacts of human activities on natural systems.*