Georgia S2E3

S2E3 is a Georgia science standard. These are the elements under it.

• S2E3.a

  Ask questions to obtain information about major changes to the environment in your community.

• S2E3.b

  Construct an explanation of the causes and effects of a change to the environment in your community.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students identify changes to land and water caused by storms, plants, animals, and people. They use observations, pictures, or short texts to explain what caused each change.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students match an environmental change to a likely cause and point to evidence. They can explain that some changes happen quickly, while others build over time.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think every environmental change is caused by people or that all changes are harmful. They may also confuse a living thing's response to change with the change it causes.

04

How to Assess It

Show pictures of an eroded riverbank, cracked sidewalk with roots, animal burrow, and cleared field. Ask students to name each cause and cite one visible clue.

1. 01

   Spray water over two soil trays, one bare and one covered with grass, then compare how much soil moves.

2. 02

   Ask students to write which changes a storm and a beaver can cause, using one piece of evidence for each.

3. 03

   Play Cause and Change Match with cards showing roots, burrows, heavy rain, construction, and the environmental changes they produce.

4. 04

   Study photos of a local park before and after a storm, landscaping project, or animal activity, then list the visible changes.

• S6E4

  Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how the sun, land, and water affect climate and weather.

• S7L4

  Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to examine the interdependence of organisms with one another and their environments.

• S3L2

  Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the effects of pollution (air, land, and water) and humans on the environment.

• S1L1

  Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the basic needs of plants and animals.