Curriculum

The Performance Expectations in Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems help students formulate answers to the questions: “How do organisms obtain and use matter and energy? How do matter and energy move through an ecosystem?” Middle school students can use conceptual and physical models to explain the transfer of energy and cycling of matter as they construct explanations for the role of photosynthesis in cycling matter in ecosystems. They can construct explanations for the cycling of matter in organisms and the interactions of organisms to obtain the matter and energy from the ecosystem to survive and grow. Students have a grade-appropriate understanding and use of the practices of investigations, constructing arguments based on evidence, and oral and written communication. They understand that sustaining life requires substantial energy and matter inputs and the structure and functions of organisms contribute to the capture, transformation, transport, release, and elimination of matter and energy.

The Performance Expectations in Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems help students formulate an answer to the question, “How do organisms interact with other organisms in the physical environment to obtain matter and energy? To answer the question, middle school students construct explanations for the interactions in ecosystems and the scientific, economic, political, and social justifications used in making decisions about maintaining biodiversity in ecosystems. Students can use models, construct evidence-based explanations, and use argumentation from evidence. Students understand that organisms and populations of organisms are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other organisms and with nonliving factors. They also understand the limits of resources influence the growth of organisms and populations, which may result in competition for those limited resources.

The performance expectations in Earth’s Systems help students formulate answers to the questions: “How does water influence weather, circulate in the oceans, and shape Earth’s surface?” Students understand how Earth’s geosystems operate by modeling the flow of energy and cycling of matter within and among different systems. Students can investigate the controlling properties of important materials and construct explanations based on the analysis of real geoscience data. Of special importance in both topics are the ways that geoscience processes provide resources needed by society but also cause natural hazards that present risks to society; both involve technological challenges, for the identification and development of resources and for the mitigation of hazards. The crosscutting concepts of cause and effect, energy and matter, and stability and change are called out as organizing concepts for these disciplinary core ideas. In the MS.Earth’s Systems performance expectations, students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in developing and using models and constructing explanations; and to use these practices to demonstrate understanding of the core ideas.