The NGSS in Alabama

PS Physical Sciences

• Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

  • 1 Investigate the resulting motion of objects when forces of different strengths and directions act upon them (e.g., object being pushed, object being pulled, two objects colliding).

    • Push and pull (K-F.1)
    • Investigate pushes and pulls (K-F.2)

  • 2 Use observations and data from investigations to determine if a design solution (e.g., designing a ramp to increase the speed of an object in order to move a stationary object) solves the problem of using force to change the speed or direction of an object.

    • Design a race car track (K-O.1)

LS Life Sciences

• Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

  • 3 Distinguish between living and nonliving things and verify what living things need to survive (e.g., animals needing food, water, and air; plants needing nutrients, water, sunlight, and air).

    • What do animals need to survive? (K-G.1)
    • What do plants need to survive? (K-H.1)
    • Identify living and nonliving things (K-I.1)

  • 4 Gather evidence to support how plants and animals provide for their needs by altering their environment (e.g., tree roots breaking a sidewalk to provide space, red fox burrowing to create a den to raise young, humans growing gardens for food and building roads for transportation).

    • How do living things change their environments to meet their needs? (K-J.1)
    • How do gray squirrels change the forest to meet their needs? (K-J.2)

  • 5 Construct a model of a natural habitat (e.g., terrarium, ant farm, diorama) conducive to meeting the needs of plants and animals native to Alabama.

    • What do animals need to survive? (K-G.1)
    • Where do dromedary camels and polar bears live? (K-G.4)
    • Where do giraffes and beavers live? (K-G.5)
    • Where do whale sharks and tree frogs live? (K-G.6)
    • What do plants need to survive? (K-H.1)
    • Where do water lilies and saguaros live? (K-H.6)
    • Where do bearberries and powdery strap air plants live? (K-H.7)
    • Where do turtle grass and giant sequoias live? (K-H.8)

  • 6 Identify and plan possible solutions (e.g., reducing, reusing, recycling) to lessen the human impact on the local environment.

    • Reduce, reuse, recycle (K-L.1)

ESS Earth and Space Science

• Earth's Systems

  • 7 Observe and describe the effects of sunlight on Earth's surface (e.g., heat from the sun causing evaporation of water or increased temperature of soil, rocks, sand, and water).

    • Investigate sunlight and shade (K-M.2)

  • 8 Design and construct a device (e.g., hat, canopy, umbrella, tent) to reduce the effects of sunlight.

    • Design a sunshade (K-O.2)

  • 9 Observe, record, and share findings of local weather patterns over a period of time (e.g., increase in daily temperature from morning to afternoon, typical rain and storm patterns from season to season).

    • Describe the weather (K-M.1)
    • Weather patterns (K-M.4)

• Earth and Human Activity

  • 10 Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasts in planning for, preparing for, and responding to severe weather.

    • Severe weather: blizzards (K-M.5)
    • Severe weather: tornadoes (K-M.6)
    • Severe weather: hurricanes (K-M.7)