Oklahoma Science EN.ESS3.3

ScienceGrades 9–12Earth and Human Activities

The Standard

Use computational simulations to illustrate changes in the relationships between natural resources, human populations, and biodiversity and their sustainability within Earth’s systems.*

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science (2026)

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students change population, resource use, and renewal rates in a computer model. They compare how resource supply and biodiversity change over time, then explain which patterns can continue without running down resources.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can run two scenarios, compare the graphs, and explain how a change in resource use affects habitat and biodiversity. They can name an assumption in the model and explain why its numbers are not exact predictions.
Common Misconceptions: Students may assume resources are renewed as quickly as people use them, or that population size alone determines resource use. They may also treat a model's biodiversity number as an exact count of species.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: In the class spreadsheet, change tree use from 0.3 to 0.5 trees per person, run 20 years, and compare tree stock and the biodiversity index with the original run. Name one assumption that limits the prediction.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Build a spreadsheet with 1,000 trees, 40 regrown yearly, and 0.3 cut per person; graph tree stock and a tree-based biodiversity index.
Compare two runs with equal populations but different wood use per person. Which run keeps more trees and habitat, and why?
Give pairs the spreadsheet and challenge them to keep tree stock and the biodiversity index above 60% for 20 years by adjusting use.
Model a town reservoir with 1,000 water units and 100 households; simulate 40 units refilled yearly, then test watering limits and fish habitat.

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