Our PBL Experiences Cover all the NGSS k-5 Standards

3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the

motion of an object.

3-PS2-2. Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to

predict future motion.

3-PS2-3. Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two

objects not in contact with each other.

3-PS2-4. Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets.

Core Connections:

PS2.A: Forces and Motion

 Each force acts on one particular object and has both strength and a direction. An object at rest typically has multiple forces acting on it, but they add to give zero net force on the object. Forces that do not sum to zero can cause changes in the object’s speed or direction of

motion. (3-PS2-1)

 The patterns of an object’s motion in various situations can be observed and measured; when that past motion exhibits a regular pattern, future motion can be predicted from it. (3-PS2-2)

PS2.B: Types of Interactions

 Objects in contact exert forces on each other. (3-PS2-1)

 Electric and magnetic forces between a pair of objects do not require that the objects be in contact. The sizes of the forces in each situation depend on the properties of the objects and their distances apart and, for forces between two magnets, on their orientation relative to

each other. (3-PS2-3),(3-PS2-4)

3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.

3-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago.

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.

Core Connections:

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Analyzing data in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to introducing quantitative approaches to collecting data and conducting multiple trials of qualitative observations. When possible and feasible, digital tools should be used.

 Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning. (3-LS4-1)

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Engaging in argument from evidence in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to critiquing the scientific explanations or solutions proposed by peers by citing relevant evidence about the natural and designed worlds.

 Construct an argument with evidence, data, and/or a model. (3-LS2-1)

 Construct an argument with evidence. (3-LS4-3)

 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem by citing relevant evidence about how it meets the criteria and constraints of the problem. (3-LS4-4)

3-LS1-1. Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.

3-LS3-2. Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.

3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same

species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.

Core Connections:

LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms

 Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. (3-LS1-1)

LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits

 Many characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents. (3-LS3-1)

 Other characteristics result from individuals’ interactions with the environment, which can range from diet to learning. Many characteristics involve both inheritance and environment. (3-

LS3-2)

LS3.B: Variation of Traits

 Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information. (3-LS3-1)

 The environment also affects the traits that an organism develops. (3-LS3-2)

3-ESS2-1. Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.

3-ESS2-2. Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.

3-ESS3-1. Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.

Core Connections:

ESS2.D: Weather and Climate

 Scientists record patterns of the weather across different times and areas so that they can make predictions about what kind of weather might happen next. (3-ESS2-1)

 Climate describes a range of an area's typical weather conditions and the extent to which those conditions vary over years. (3-ESS2-2)

ESS3.B: Natural Hazards

 A variety of natural hazards result from natural processes. Humans cannot eliminate natural hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts. (3-ESS3-1)

4-PS3-1. Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.

4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

4-PS3-3. Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.

4-PS3-4. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

4-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and that their uses affect the environment.

Core Connections:

PS3.A: Definitions of Energy

 The faster a given object is moving, the more energy it possesses. (4-PS3-1)

 Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects or through sound, light, or electric currents. (4-PS3-2),(4-PS3-3)

PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

 Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light, orheat. When objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another, thereby changing their motion. In such collisions, some energy is typically also transferred to the surrounding air; as a result,

the air gets heated and sound is produced. (4-PS3-2),(4-PS3-3)

PS3.C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces

 When objects collide, the contact forces transfer energy so as to change the objects’ motions. (4-PS3-3)

PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life

 The expression “produce energy” typically refers to the conversion of stored energy into a desired form for practical use. (4-PS3-4)

ESS3.A: Natural Resources

 Energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources, and their use affects the environment in multiple ways. Some resources are renewable over time, and others are not. (4-ESS3-1)

ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems

 Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria).

4-PS4-1. Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move.

4-PS4-3. Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information.

Core Connections:

PS4.A: Wave Properties

 Waves, which are regular patterns of motion, can be made in water by disturbing the surface. When waves move across the surface of deep water, the water goes up and down in place; there is no net motion in the direction of the wave except when the water meets a beach. (Note:

This grade band endpoint was moved from K–2). (4-PS4-1)

 Waves of the same type can differ in amplitude (height of the wave) and wavelength (spacing between wave peaks). (4-PS4-1)

PS4.C: Information Technologies and Instrumentation

 Digitized information can be transmitted over long distances without significant degradation. High-tech devices, such as computers or cell phones, can receive and decode information—convert it from digitized form to voice—and vice versa. (4-PS4-3)

ETS1.C: Optimizing The Design Solution

 Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints. (secondary to 4-PS4-3)

 4-PS4-2. Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen.

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

4-LS1-2. Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.  

Core Connections:

Developing and Using Models

Modeling in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to

building and revising simple models and using models to represent

events and design solutions.

 Develop a model to describe phenomena. (4-PS4-2)

 Use a model to test interactions concerning the functioning of a

natural system. (4-LS1-2)

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Engaging in argument from evidence in 3–5 builds on K–2

experiences and progresses to critiquing the scientific explanations

or solutions proposed by peers by citing relevant evidence about

the natural and designed world(s).

 Construct an argument with evidence, data, and/or a model.

(4-LS1-1)

4-ESS1-1. Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.

4-ESS2-1. Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.

4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.

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

Core Connections:

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test solutions to problems in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to include investigations that control variables and provide evidence to support explanations or design solutions.

 Analyze and interpret data to make sense of

phenomena using logical reasoning. (4-ESS2-2)

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to the use of evidence in constructing explanations that specify variables that describe and predict phenomena and in designing multiple solutions to design problems.

 Identify the evidence that supports particular points in an explanation. (4-ESS1-1)

 Generate and compare multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the design solution. (4-ESS3-2)

5-PS1-1. Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.

5-PS1-2. Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved.

5-PS1-3. Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.

5-PS1-4. Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances

Core Connections:

PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter

 Matter of any type can be subdivided into particles that are too

small to see, but even then the matter still exists and can be

detected by other means. A model showing that gases are made

from matter particles that are too small to see and are moving

freely around in space can explain many observations, including

the inflation and shape of a balloon and the effects of air on

larger particles or objects. (5-PS1-1)

 The amount (weight) of matter is conserved when it changes

form, even in transitions in which it seems to vanish. (5-PS1-2)

 Measurements of a variety of properties can be used to identify

materials.

PS1.B: Chemical Reactions

 When two or more different substances are mixed, a new

substance with different properties may be formed. (5-PS1-4)

 No matter what reaction or change in properties occurs, the total

weight of the substances does not change. (Boundary: Mass

and weight are not distinguished at this grade level.) (5-PS1-2)

5-ESS2-1. Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.

5-ESS2-2. Describe and graph the amounts of salt water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.

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

Core Connections:

ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems

 Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things,

including humans). These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes. The ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shapes landforms, and influences climate. Winds and clouds in the atmosphere interact with the landforms to determine patterns of weather. (5-ESS2-1)

ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

 Nearly all of Earth’s available water is in the ocean. Most fresh water is in glaciers or underground; only a tiny fraction is in streams, lakes, wetlands, and the atmosphere. (5-

ESS2-2)

ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

 Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect

5-PS2-1. Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.

5-ESS1-1. Support an argument that differences in the apparent brightness of the sun compared to other stars is due to their relative distances from Earth.

5-ESS1-2. Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.

Core Connections:

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Analyzing data in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses

to introducing quantitative approaches to collecting data and

conducting multiple trials of qualitative observations. When

possible and feasible, digital tools should be used.

 Represent data in graphical displays (bar graphs, pictographs

and/or pie charts) to reveal patterns that indicate

relationships. (5-ESS1-2)

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Engaging in argument from evidence in 3–5 builds on K–2

experiences and progresses to critiquing the scientific

explanations or solutions proposed by peers by citing relevant

evidence about the natural and designed world(s).

 Support an argument with evidence, data, or a model. (5-

PS2-1),(5-ESS1-1)

3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and

constraints on materials, time, or cost.

3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the

criteria and constraints of the problem.

3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify

aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Core Connections:

ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems

 Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account. (3-5-ETS1-1)

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

 Research on a problem should be carried out before beginning to design a solution. Testing a solution involves investigating how well it performs under a range of likely conditions. (3-5 ETS1-2)

 At whatever stage, communicating with peers about proposed solutions is an important part of the design process, and shared ideas can lead to improved designs. (3-5-ETS1-2)

 Tests are often designed to identify failure points or difficulties, which suggest the elements of the design that need to be improved. (3-5-ETS1-3)

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution

 Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints. (3-5-ETS1-3)