HS-ESS3-6
The standard
Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
Next Generation Science Standards
What this standard means
Students need to read and use outputs from climate or Earth system models, not build the models themselves. They should explain how one human action can change more than one Earth system, such as carbon dioxide affecting air, oceans, plants, ice, and animal populations.
Mastery looks like tracing cause and effect across systems using graphs, maps, tables, or model diagrams. Students should cite model evidence and explain limits or uncertainty. Common trouble spots are treating systems as separate, confusing correlation with cause, and making claims without pointing to specific data.
Ways to teach it
- Hands-on activity: give groups printed model graphs for CO2, ocean pH, ice extent, and biomass, then have them draw linked cause-and-effect arrows.
- Discussion prompt: Which Earth system changes first when fossil fuel use rises, and which changes show up later in the model results?
- Quick assessment: show one model output graph and ask students to write one claim, two data points, and one linked system impact.
- Real-world connection: use NOAA ocean acidification maps to connect local seafood, shellfish health, and changing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Plan a lesson for HS-ESS3-6
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