Mississippi Science ESS.2A

ESS.2A is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• ESS.2A.1

  Analyze and interpret data to explain and communicate the differentiation of Earth’s internal chemical structure (e.g., core, mantle, and crust) using the produ...

• ESS.2A.2

  Analyze and interpret data to explain and communicate the differentiation of Earth’s physical divisions (e.g., lithosphere and asthenosphere) using data from se...

• ESS.2A.3

  Investigate the physical and/or chemical characteristics of mineral specimens to identify minerals and mineral deposits/groups (e.g., oxides, carbonates, halide...

• ESS.2A.4

  Investigate the physical and/or chemical characteristics of rock specimens to identify and categorize igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Include the p...

01

What Students Need to Do

Students use seismic-wave and magnetic-field data to map Earth's chemical and physical layers. They explain how gravity separated dense materials and how radioactive decay adds heat. They identify minerals from tests and formulas, link bonding to properties and uses, and classify rocks by how they form and change.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student uses missing S waves and Earth's magnetic field to infer a moving, liquid outer core. They distinguish the crust from the lithosphere and asthenosphere on a wave-speed graph. They identify a mineral group from its formula and test results, then name a rock and explain how it formed.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students often treat the crust and lithosphere as the same layer or assume the whole mantle is liquid. Some think S waves travel through liquid. Others identify minerals by color alone or assume every rock forms by melting.

04

How to Assess It

Show a wave-speed graph with a shallow low-speed zone and missing S waves at the outer core. Ask students to label the asthenosphere and outer core and cite one graph feature for each.

1. 01

   Test quartz, calcite, and halite with a scratch kit and vinegar; compare their formulas, bonding, properties, and uses.

2. 02

   Show an S-wave shadow-zone diagram and a magnetic-field map; ask, 'What evidence points to a moving, liquid outer core?'

3. 03

   Give pairs wave-speed graphs and layer cards; have them match crust, mantle, core, lithosphere, and asthenosphere, then defend their matches.

4. 04

   Compare a granite countertop, slate tile, and sandstone paver; identify each rock and sketch the process that formed it.

• ESS.2B

  Students will develop an understanding of the history and evolution of the earth.

• ESS.3

  Students will develop an understanding of Earth’s systems and cycles.

• E.3.7B

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the composition of Earth and the processes which change Earth's landforms.

• ESS.4

  Students will develop an understanding of Earth’s resources and the impact of human activities.