NYSSLS Language

Language Use in Assessments and Instruction

NYSSLS uses specific language. To prepare students, I recommend using the same language in your instruction and your assessments!

Drawbacks/tradeoffs - negative or undesirable results that occur when choosing one solution or design feature over another.
Cost-Benefit Ratios - Evaluating design solutions for resource management.
Wants and needs of society - the collective desires and basic requirements that influence engineering design and resource use.
- - Needs are essential for survival and well-being (e.g., clean water, reliable energy).
  - Wants are desires for improved quality of life (e.g., faster internet, luxury goods).
Constraint - a limitation or restriction placed on an engineering design process.
- - Common constraints include materials, cost (budget), time, size, and available technology.
Criteria - requirements or standards that a design solution must meet to be considered successful.
- - Criteria define the specific goals, such as required safety, efficiency, or functionality.
Problems/Solutions - In science, a problem is a question or phenomenon that needs to be explained through investigation. In engineering, a problem is a human need or want that can be addressed by designing a solution (a device, system, or process).

Spatial scales - the dimension of space or size at which a phenomenon or system is being observed. It relates to how far, how big, or where something is.
- - Example: The spatial scale of plate tectonics is continental/global; the spatial scale of mineral formation is microscopic.
Temporal scales - the dimension of time over which a process occurs. It describes how much time something takes, how fast it happens, or the sequence of events.
- - Example: The temporal scale of an earthquake is seconds; the temporal scale of mountain building is millions of years.

Flows / Fluxes - the way energy or matter is transferred or exchanged between parts of a system or between systems
- - Examples: energy flux from the sun to Earth; matter flow in the water cycle
Feedbacks - processes within a system where the result of an initial change ultimately influences the continuation or suppression of that same change
- - Positive feedback intensifies change
  - Negative feedback stabilizes it
System - a group of interacting or interdependent elements forming a complex whole
- - Examples: the Earth System, a chemical reaction system, a machine
Component / Boundary - The distinct parts that make up a system, the defined limits that separate a system from its environment.

Equilibrium - a state of balance within a system where opposing forces or influences are equal, resulting in no net change (can be static or dynamic).
Dynamic - constantly changing, a key descriptor of Earth's systems.
Reversible / Irreversible - types of system changes over time; a reversible change can return a system to its original state, while an irreversible change cannot.
Perturbation - A temporary disturbance of a system from its normal state or path (often leading to change).
Threshold - The critical point in a system at which a small change causes a large, abrupt, or irreversible shift in its state.
Anamoly - a deviation or observation that differs significantly from the expected pattern, norm, or prediction based on an established scientific idea, model, or baseline data set.

Analyze - examine data or evidence to identify patterns, relationships, or essential features.
Evaluate - judge the merit or worth of an idea, evidence, or design solution (e.g., competing solutions).
Construct (an Explanation/Argument) - create a justification or claim using evidence and reasoning.
Reasoning - the logical thought process that connects evidence to a claim or explanation.
Justify - to provide sound reasoning and evidence to show why a claim or method is valid or correct.
Develop (a Model) - create, revise, or refine a representation to describe or predict a phenomenon.
Model - A representation of a system or phenomenon used to test hypotheses, make predictions, or communicate ideas.
Evidence - data, observations, or facts that support or refute a claim or hypothesis.
Claim - an assertion or conclusion that answers a scientific question or addresses an engineering problem.
Variable (Independent/Dependent) - factors that are manipulated (independent) or measured (dependent) in an investigation.
Predict / Forecast - use patterns, data, or models to state an expected outcome.

Complete the model by…
Identify the change in relative…
Use the model to compare the temporal scale…
Identify the process…
How does … affect …
Using (…), construct an explanation for why…
Construct an argument based on evidence that describes … (especially about cause/effect)
Justify … by providing evidence from …
Use evidence from … to describe…
Which explanation about… provides evidence for …
Describe how … would affect…
Which statement/explanation/model/claim best/most accurately/correctly describes/identifies/represents/summarizes…
Make an evidence-based forecast…
Which… would be the most accurate prediction for…
Identify the numerical values…
Which … supports the claim by…
Explain how the … supports the claim
Use evidence from … to make a claim about…
Analyze the … to make a claim about…
Which statement, based on evidence from … would refute/support the claim?
Describe the economic benefit…
Discuss how the wants and needs of society are affected by…

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