Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions - a breakdown of this NGSS DCI by Grade Level

All information has been obtained from http://www.nextgenscience.org/overview-dci and the subpages contained under that URL domain.

DCI:  Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions

(1.) Middle School 

1. Maps of ancient land and water patterns, based on investigations of rocks and fossils, make clear how Earth’s plates have moved great distances, collided, and spread apart. (MS-ESS2-3)

(2.) 5th-grade students do not study the DCI known as Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions

(3.) 4th Grade

1. The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. 
1. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans. 
2. Major mountain chains form inside continents or near their edges. 
2. Maps can help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth. (4-ESS2-2)

(4.) 3rd-grade students do not study the DCI known as Earth Materials and Systems

(5.) 2nd Grade

1. Maps show where things are located. One can map the shapes and kinds of land and water in any area. (2-ESS2-2)

(6.) 1st-grade and Kindergarten students do not study the DCI known as Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions

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Earth's Systems - Link to NGSS Grade Levels

Kindergarten | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | Middle School

NOTE: 1st Graders do not study Earth's Systems

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Earth Materials and Systems - a breakdown of this NGSS DCI by Grade Level

All information has been obtained from http://www.nextgenscience.org/overview-dci and the subpages contained under that URL domain.

DCI: Earth Materials and Systems

(1.) Middle School 

1. All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling within and among the planet’s systems. 
1. This energy is derived from the sun and Earth’s hot interior. 
2. The energy that flows and matter that cycles produce chemical and physical changes in Earth’s materials and living organisms. (MS-ESS2-1)
2. The planet’s systems interact over scales that range from microscopic to global in size, and they operate over fractions of a second to billions of years. 
1. These interactions have shaped Earth’s history and will determine its future. (MS-ESS2-2)

(2.) 5th Grade

1. Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans).
1. These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes.
2. The ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shapes landforms, and influences climate. 
3. Winds and clouds in the atmosphere interact with the landforms to determine patterns of weather. (5-ESS2-1)

(3.) 4th Grade

1. Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around. (4-ESS2-1)

(4.) 3rd-grade students do not study the DCI known as Earth Materials and Systems

(5.) 2nd Grade

1. Wind and water can change the shape of the land. (2-ESS2-1)

(6.) 1st-grade and Kindergarten students do not study the DCI known as Earth Materials and Systems

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Biogeology - a breakdown of this NGSS DCI by Grade Level

All information has been obtained from http://www.nextgenscience.org/overview-dci and the subpages contained under that URL domain.

DCI: Biogeology

(1.) Middle School and 5th-grade students do not study the DCI known as Biogeology

(2.) 4th Grade

1. Living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions. (4-ESS2-1)

(3.) 3rd, 2nd and 1st-grade students do not study the DCI known as Biogeology

(4.) Kindergarten

1. Plants and animals can change their environment. (K-ESS2-2)

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Weather and Climate - a breakdown of this NGSS DCI by Grade Level

All information has been obtained from http://www.nextgenscience.org/overview-dci and the subpages contained under that URL domain.

DCI: Weather and Climate

(1.) Middle School

1. Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns. (MS-ESS2-6)
2. Because these patterns are so complex, weather can only be predicted probabilistically. (MS-ESS2-5)
3. The ocean exerts a major influence on weather and climate by absorbing energy from the sun, releasing it over time, and globally redistributing it through ocean currents. (MS-ESS2-6)

(2.) 5th and 4th-grade students do not study the DCI known as Weather and Climate

(3.) 3rd Grade

1. Scientists record patterns of the weather across different times and areas so that they can make predictions about what kind of weather might happen next. (3-ESS2-1)
2. Climate describes a range of an area's typical weather conditions and the extent to which those conditions vary over years. (3-ESS2-2)

(4.) 2nd and 1st-grade students do not study the DCI known as Weather and Climate

(5.) Kindergarten

1. Weather is the combination of sunlight, wind, snow or rain, and temperature in a particular region at a particular time. People measure these conditions to describe and record the weather and to notice patterns over time. (K-ESS2-1)

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The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes - a breakdown of this NGSS DCI by Grade Level

All information has been obtained from http://www.nextgenscience.org/overview-dci and the subpages contained under that URL domain.

DCI: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

(1.) Middle School

1. Water continually cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere via transpiration, evaporation, condensation and crystallization, and precipitation, as well as downhill flows on land. (MS-ESS2-4)
2. The complex patterns of the changes and the movement of water in the atmosphere, determined by winds, landforms, and ocean temperatures and currents, are major determinants of local weather patterns. (MS-ESS2-5)
3. Global movements of water and its changes in form are propelled by sunlight and gravity. (MS-ESS2-4)
4. Variations in density due to variations in temperature and salinity drive a global pattern of interconnected ocean currents. (MS-ESS2-6)
5. Water’s movements—both on the land and underground—cause weathering and erosion, which change the land’s surface features and create underground formations. (MS-ESS2-2)

(2.) 5th Grade

1. Nearly all of Earth’s available water is in the ocean. Most freshwater is in glaciers or underground; only a tiny fraction is in streams, lakes, wetlands, and the atmosphere. (5-ESS2-2)

(3.) 4th and 3rd students do not study the DCI known as the Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

(4.) 2nd Grade

1. Water is found in the ocean, rivers, lakes, and ponds. Water exists as solid ice and in liquid form. (2-ESS2-3)

(5.) 1st and K students do not study the DCI known as the Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

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Human Impacts on Earth Systems - a breakdown of this NGSS DCI by Grade Level

All information has been obtained from http://www.nextgenscience.org/overview-dci and the subpages contained under that URL domain.

DCI: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

(1.) Middle School

1. Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things. (MS-ESS3-3)
2. Typically as human populations and per-capita consumption of natural resources increase, so do the negative impacts on Earth unless the activities and technologies involved are engineered otherwise. (MS-ESS3-3),(MS-ESS3-4)

(2.) 5th Grade

1. Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments. (5-ESS3-1)

(3.) 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st-grade students do not study the DCI known as the Human Impacts on Earth Systems

(4.) Kindergarten

1. Things that people do to live comfortably can affect the world around them. But they can make choices that reduce their impacts on the land, water, air, and other living things. (K-ESS3-3)

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