The NGSS in Alabama

Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

• Changes in Motion

  • 1 Conduct investigations to explain the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces exerted on an object, varying the size, number, and direction of the forces.

    • Identify pushes and pulls (3-G.1)
    • How do balanced and unbalanced forces affect motion? (3-G.2)
    • How do mass and force affect motion? (3-G.3)

  • 2 Observe and measure an object's motion to provide evidence that a pattern of motion can be used to predict future motion.

• Non-Contact Forces

  • 3 Conduct investigations to determine cause and effect relationships between objects not in contact with one another, including magnetic and electrostatic forces.

    • Introduction to static electricity and charged objects (3-I.1)
    • Identify magnets that attract or repel (3-J.1)
    • Label magnets that attract or repel (3-J.2)
    • Compare strengths of magnetic forces (3-J.3)

  • 4 Apply scientific ideas about magnetic interactions to solve a problem using the engineering design process.

    • Solve problems using magnets (3-X.1)

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

• Growth and Development

  • 5 Develop and use models to compare the diverse life cycles of organisms other than humans, including birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

    • Read animal life cycle diagrams (3-L.1)
    • Construct animal life cycle diagrams (3-L.2)
    • Compare stages of an animal's life cycle (3-L.3)
    • Compare different animals' life cycles (3-L.4)
    • Read and construct flowering plant life cycle diagrams (3-M.4)
    • How do flowering plants make new plants? (3-M.5)

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

• Inherited Traits and Environmental Impact

  • 6 Use data to provide evidence that plants and animals have observable traits inherited from parents and that variations of these traits exist in groups of similar organisms.

    • What affects traits? Use observations to support a hypothesis (3-N.2)
    • Match offspring to parents using inherited traits (3-P.1)
    • Identify inherited and acquired traits (3-P.2)
    • Read a plant pedigree chart (3-P.4)
    • Read an animal pedigree chart (3-P.5)

  • 7 Use evidence to support a claim that traits can be influenced by the environment.

    • What affects traits? Use observations to support a hypothesis (3-N.2)
    • Inherited and acquired traits: use evidence to support a statement (3-P.3)

Unity and Diversity

• Fossil Evidence

  • 8 Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the existence of organisms and information about the environments in which they lived.

    • Introduction to fossils (3-S.1)
    • Compare fossils to modern organisms (3-S.2)
    • Compare ancient and modern organisms: use observations to support a hypothesis (3-S.3)

• Biodiversity

  • 9 Construct an explanation from evidence of how variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.

  • 10 Make a claim from evidence that an organism's likelihood of survival depends upon access to sufficient resources in its habitat, including sunlight, air, water, food, and shelter.

    • Introduction to adaptations (3-O.1)
    • Animal adaptations: beaks, mouths, and necks (3-O.2)
    • Animal adaptations: feet and limbs (3-O.3)
    • Animal adaptations: skins and body coverings (3-O.4)
    • Identify ecosystems (3-Q.1)
    • Describe ecosystems (3-Q.2)

  • 11 Construct explanations of how forming groups helps some organisms survive.

    • Benefits of group behavior: North American caribou (3-L.5)
    • Benefits of group behavior: African wild dogs (3-L.6)
    • Benefits of group behavior: leaf-cutter ants (3-L.7)

• Human Impact

  • 12 Obtain and communicate information regarding the impact of existing solutions on plant and animal populations when environmental changes occur.

Earth's Systems

• Weather

  • 13 Represent data in tables or graphical displays to reveal typical weather patterns during a particular season.

    • Read a thermometer (3-T.1)
    • Compare temperatures on thermometers (3-T.2)
    • Collect and graph temperature data (3-T.3)
    • Use climate data to make predictions (3-T.7)
    • Use data to describe U.S. climates (3-T.8)
    • Use data to describe world climates (3-T.9)

• Climate

  • 14 Use information from a variety of sources to describe climates in different regions of the world.

    • What's the difference between weather and climate? (3-T.4)
    • Weather and climate around the world (3-T.5)
    • Weather or climate? Cite text (3-T.6)
    • Use climate data to make predictions (3-T.7)
    • Use data to describe U.S. climates (3-T.8)
    • Use data to describe world climates (3-T.9)

Earth and Human Activity

• Natural Hazard Solutions

  • 15 Obtain and communicate information on the effectiveness of existing solutions designed to reduce the impact of weather-related hazards.

    • Evaluate multiple design solutions to prevent flooding (3-X.3)
    • Identify the best design solution to prevent hurricane damage (3-X.4)