| Core Idea |
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PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter
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PS1.B: Chemical Reactions
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PS1.C: Nuclear Processes
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| PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions |
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PS2.A: Forces and Motion
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PS2.B: Types of Interactions
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PS2.C: Stability and Instability in Physical Systems
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| PS3: Energy |
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PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
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PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer
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PS3.C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces
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PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life
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| PS4: Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer |
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PS4.A: Wave Properties
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PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation
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PS4.C: Information Technologies and Instrumentation
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According to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), performance expectations describe what students who demonstrate understanding should know and be able to do. Performance expectations encompass practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas (DCI). Most performance expectations are accompanied by a clarification statement, which provides examples or explains the emphasis of the performance expectation (Table 2.5). Many performance expectations also have an assessment boundary, indicating an appropriate level of depth for the performance expectation (Table 2.5). Full performance expectations including clarification statements, assessment boundaries, links to common core state standards, and how each expectation is related to practices, crosscutting concepts, and DCI are available on the NGSS website.
| MS-PS1-1. Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on developing models of molecules that vary in complexity. Examples of simple molecules could include ammonia and methanol. Examples of extended structures could include sodium chloride or diamonds. Examples of molecular-level models could include drawings, 3D ball and stick structures, or computer representations showing different molecules with different types of atoms.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include valence electrons and bonding energy, discussing the ionic nature of subunits of complex structures, or a complete depiction of all individual atoms in a complex molecule or extended structure.] |
Performance expectations often encompass a depth and breadth of content that is beyond the scope of any one lesson or activity. For this reason, in Exploring Our Fluid Earth, performance expectations are aligned at the topic level. Each topic contains a combination of content, activities, and/or question sets that build toward the associated performance expectations. For each topic, a linking sentence describes how the contents of the topic address the performance expectations.
Fig. 2.25. The periodic table of the elements (2014). This periodic table shows naturally occurring elements in green. Elements in orange are byproducts of nuclear reactors. Elements in purple are manmade.
Image by Byron Inouye
For example, this curriculum addresses the performance expectation HS-PS1-1 (Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms) in the topic The Nature and Organization of Elements (Fig. 2.25). The linking sentence for this topic describes how the content and activity in the topic, including an activity called Organizing the Elements, work towards building an understanding of the periodic table and how elements are organized.
