Next Generation Science Standards: Biodiversity Bonanza

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The Biodiversity Bonanza classroom module helps to fulfill the following concepts in the Next Generation Science Standards:


Third Grade

3-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
• 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
• 3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.


Fourth Grade

4-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity
• 4-ESS3-2. Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.


Fifth Grade

5-PS3 Energy
• 5-PS3-1. Use models to describe that that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.

5-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes 
• 5-LS1-1. Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.

5-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
• 5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

5-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity
• 5-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.


Middle School

MS-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
• MS-LS1-5. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.
• MS-LS1-6. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.

MS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics 
• MS-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
• MS-LS2-2. Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
• MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
• MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

MS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity
• MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
• MS-ESS3-4. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.


High School

HS-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
• HS-LS1-5. Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.

HS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
• HS-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

HS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
• HS-LS4-5. Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.

HS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity
• HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.