Mississippi Science ESS.3

ESS.3 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• ESS.3.1

  Use mathematical representations (e.g., latitude, longitude, and maps) to calculate the angle of noon solar incidence and relate the value to day length, distri...

• ESS.3.2

  Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to explore the concepts of passive solar architecture to design a structure that best utilizes solar incidence. *

• ESS.3.3

  Explain how temperature and density of ocean water influence circulation.

• ESS.3.4

  Research and communicate information to explain the importance of the transfer of thermal energy among the hydrosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere. Include the u...

• ESS.3.5

  Analyze and interpret weather data using maps and global weather systems to explain and communicate the relationships among air masses, pressure systems, and fr...

• ESS.3.6

  Construct an explanation from data sets to obtain and evaluate scientific information to construct scientific arguments on changes in climate caused by various ...

• ESS.3.7

  Cite evidence and develop logical arguments to identify the cause-and-effect relationships of the evolutionary milestones (e.g., photosynthesis and the atmosphe...

• ESS.3.8

  Analyze and interpret the record of shared ancestry, evolution, and extinction as related to natural selection using fossils.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students calculate noon Sun angles and connect them to daylight and seasons. They use water properties, weather maps, and cycle diagrams to explain how water and heat move through Earth’s systems. They compare climate records and fossils to explain climate change, shared ancestry, extinction, and ways life has changed Earth.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student calculates the noon Sun angle for a given latitude and date, then explains the daylight pattern. They use temperature and salinity data to predict ocean flow, read a weather map to predict conditions, and trace heat through water and rock cycles. They cite climate data and fossils to distinguish natural from human causes of change and explain how organisms changed Earth’s air and land.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think seasons happen because Earth moves closer to the Sun, or that warm water always floats regardless of its salt content. They may think fronts stop air from moving or that wind alone drives ocean circulation. They may treat a fossil sequence as a direct family tree or assume that past natural climate changes rule out human causes now.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: At 40° N, calculate the noon Sun angle on June 21 using a solar declination of 23.5° N. Explain why June has longer days there, then predict whether cold, salty water or warm, fresh water will sink.

1. 01

   Slowly inject blue, cold saltwater beneath red, warm freshwater in a clear tray; have students sketch where each moves and explain why.

2. 02

   Compare an orbital cycle graph with recent CO2 and temperature graphs, then write what each can and cannot explain about recent warming.

3. 03

   Give pairs a weather map with two fronts and pressure centers; have them predict tomorrow’s temperature, wind, and rainfall for one marked town.

4. 04

   Measure a noon shadow at a south-facing window, then use solstice Sun angles to sketch a shade that blocks summer light.

• E.3.9

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of how the Earth’s systems (i.e., geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere) interact in multiple ways to aff...

• ESS.2B

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

• E.K.8A

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the pattern of seasonal changes on the Earth.

• ESS.4

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