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4-ESS3

Earth and Human Activity

 

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

Performance Expectations
 

 

Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment. 4-ESS3-1

Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

Clarification Statement: Examples of renewable energy resources could include wind energy, water behind dams, and sunlight; non-renewable energy resources are fossil fuels and fissile materials. Examples of environmental effects could include loss of habitat due to dams, loss of habitat due to surface mining, and air pollution from burning of fossil fuels.

Assessment Boundary: none

 

Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans. 4-ESS3-2

Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

Clarification Statement: Examples of solutions could include designing an earthquake resistant building and improving monitoring of volcanic activity.

Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

Science and Engineering Practices

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to the use of evidence in constructing explanations that specify variables that describe and predict phenomena and in designing multiple solutions to design problems.

Generate and compare multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the design solution. (4-ESS3-2)

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to evaluating the merit and accuracy of ideas and methods.

Obtain and combine information from books and other reliable media to explain phenomena. (4-ESS3-1)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS3.A:  Natural Resources

Energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources, and their use affects the environment in multiple ways. Some resources are renewable over time, and others are not. (4-ESS3-1)

ESS3.B:  Natural Hazards

A variety of natural hazards result from natural processes. Humans cannot eliminate natural hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts. (4-ESS3-2)

ETS1.B:  Developing Possible Solutions

Testing a solution involves investigating how well it performs under a range of likely conditions. (secondary to 4-ESS3-2)

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change. (4-ESS3-2)

Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change. (4-ESS3-1)

Common Core State Standards Connections

ELA/Literacy
  • RI.4.1 - Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. (4-ESS3-2)
  • RI.4.9 - Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. (4-ESS3-2)
  • W.4.7 - Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. (4-ESS3-1)
  • W.4.8 - Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. (4-ESS3-1)
  • W.4.9 - Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (4-ESS3-1)
Mathematics
  • 4.OA.A.1 - Interpret a multiplication equation as a comparison, e.g., interpret 35 = 5 x 7 as a statement that 35 is 5 times as many as 7 and 7 times as many as 5. Represent verbal statements of multiplicative comparisons as multiplication equations. (4-ESS3-1), (4-ESS3-2)
  • MP.2 - Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (4-ESS3-1), (4-ESS3-2)
  • MP.4 - Model with mathematics. (4-ESS3-1), (4-ESS3-2)