Wyoming Science HS-ESS3-3
The Standard
Use computational tools to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.
2023 Wyoming Science Content and Performance Standards · ESS3 Earth and Human Activity
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use a spreadsheet to show how a watershed’s water is shared among farms, households, and a river. They calculate household water per person and water left for the river, then compare those figures with recorded fish species counts.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can change water-use figures, check the spreadsheet’s calculations, and explain how a growing population affects water per person. They can use fish species counts as evidence without claiming the spreadsheet predicts how many species will survive.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may count individual fish instead of fish species. They may assume that water saved by farms automatically reaches the river, or divide household water by the number of homes instead of people.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A watershed receives 100 million liters yearly; farms use 50 million, homes use 30 million for 1,000 people, and observers count 12 fish species. If farm use falls to 40 million while home use stays fixed, calculate household liters per person and river water, then explain why you cannot calculate a new species count.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Use a 1-liter pitcher and marked cups to allocate water to farms, homes, and river habitat; record each share.
Ask: If farms cut water use by 15%, should the saved water go to households or the river? Defend a split using spreadsheet results.
Give pairs three watershed data rows; have them calculate water per person and river flow, then compare the recorded fish species counts.
Read a sample household water bill, calculate liters per person per day, and test a 10% reduction in the watershed spreadsheet.
Keep exploring
Related Standards
- HS-LS4-6
Create and/or use a simulation to evaluate the impacts of human activity on biodiversity.
- MS-ETS2-2
Develop a model defining and prioritizing the impacts of human activity on a particular aspect of the environment, identifying positive and negative consequence...
- MS-ESS3-3
Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring, evaluating, and managing a human impact on the environment.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.
Also for this standard:Make a WorksheetMake a QuizMake a Sub Lesson