MS-ESS1-4: Geologic Time Scale
Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history. (Scale, Proportion, and Quantity)
Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how analyses of rock formations and the fossils they contain are used to establish relative ages of major events in Earth’s history. Examples of Earth’s major events could range from being very recent (such as the last Ice Age or the earliest fossils of homo sapiens) to very old (such as the formation of Earth or the earliest evidence of life). Examples can include the formation of mountain chains and ocean basins, the evolution or extinction of particular living organisms, or significant volcanic eruptions.
Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include recalling the names of specific periods or epochs and events within them.
Science Practices
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth
Crosscutting Concepts
Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
Assessments
The Wonder of Science Assessments
Shared Assessments
The following assessments were shared by teachers implementing the NGSS. Many of these are drafts and should be used accordingly. Feel free to improve these assessments or contribute your own. Learn more here.
Instructional Resources
Mini Lessons
The Wonder of Science Resources
Anchor Charts
Phenomena
Videos
Learning Plans
Storylines
Common Core Connections
ELA/Literacy
RST.6-8.1 - Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
WHST.6-8.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
Mathematics
6.EE.B.6 - Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set.
7.EE.B.4 - Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities.
*Next Generation Science Standards is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it. Visit the official NGSS website.