MS-ESS2-4 lessons
Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity. (A first, upper-elementary version: students build and test simple models and name the Sun and gravity as the drivers, without the energy-transfer detail expected in middle school.)
The Next Generation Science Standards code MS-ESS2-4 asks students to: “Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity. (A first, upper-elementary version: students build and test simple models and name the Sun and gravity as the drivers, without the energy-transfer detail expected in middle school.)” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
The Water Cycle, Start to Finish Grades 3–6 · partly supports this standard
- Where has the water in your glass been? 45–60 min
Every student becomes a water drop and travels between eight stations around the room (ocean, cloud, glacier, river, lake, groundwater, plant and animal), spinning a printed spinner to find out what happens next and logging each step. The class then compares journeys and finds that the water cycle is a tangle of paths, not one neat circle.
- Can you make a mini water cycle? 45 min, plus 5-minute look-backs later that day and the next morning
Teams seal a little coloured water in two zip-top bags, tape one to a sunny window and one in the shade, and watch water evaporate, condense into drops and run back down. Comparing the two bags gives the evidence that the Sun drives the water cycle and gravity brings the water back.
NGSS is used as written in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming, so the code MS-ESS2-4 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
More NGSS standards for middle school
All standards we teach · Curriculum alignment by state and province
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