The NGSS in California

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Skills available for California seventh-grade science standards

Standards are in black and IXL science skills are in dark green. Hold your mouse over the name of a skill to view a sample question. Click on the name of a skill to practice that skill.

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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
California Common Core Content Standards: Grades 6-8 Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects California Common Core Content Standards: Grades 6-8 Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects

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LS Life Sciences

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems
- MS-LS1-6 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.
  - How do plants use and change energy? (7-U.1)
  - Identify the photosynthetic organism (7-U.2)
- MS-LS1-7 Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.
  - Understanding the chemistry of cellular respiration (7-N.2)
- MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
  - Describe populations, communities, and ecosystems (7-W.1)
- MS-LS2-3 Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
- MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
- MS-LS2-2 Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
  - Classify symbiotic relationships (7-X.5)
- MS-LS2-5 Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
  - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: explore a problem (7-Y.1)
  - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (7-Y.2)

ESS Earth and Space Systems

History of Earth
- MS-ESS2-2 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.
- MS-ESS2-3 Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.
  - Label Earth features at tectonic plate boundaries (7-BB.2)
  - Describe tectonic plate boundaries around the world (7-BB.3)
Earth's Systems
- MS-ESS2-1 Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
- MS-ESS3-1 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth's mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.
Human Impacts
- MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
  - Analyze natural hazard maps (7-GG.1)

PS Physical Sciences

Structure and Properties of Matter
- MS-PS1-1 Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
- MS-PS1-3 Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
- MS-PS1-4 Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
Chemical Reactions
- MS-PS1-2 Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
- MS-PS1-5 Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.
  - Count atoms and molecules in chemical reactions (7-F.2)
  - Calculate amounts of reactants or products in chemical reactions (7-F.3)
- MS-PS1-6 Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.

ETS Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science

Engineering Design
- MS-ETS1-1 Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
- MS-ETS1-2 Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- MS-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
  - Use data from tests to compare engineering-design solutions (7-C.3)
  - Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (7-Y.2)
- MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
  - Explore the engineering-design process: going to the Moon! (7-C.4)

The NGSS in California

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Actions

LS Life Sciences

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

MS-LS1-6 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.

MS-LS1-7 Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.

MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

MS-LS2-3 Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

MS-LS2-2 Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.

MS-LS2-5 Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

ESS Earth and Space Systems

History of Earth

MS-ESS2-2 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

MS-ESS2-3 Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.

Earth's Systems

MS-ESS2-1 Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.

MS-ESS3-1 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth's mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.

Human Impacts

MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

PS Physical Sciences

Structure and Properties of Matter

MS-PS1-1 Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.

MS-PS1-3 Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.

MS-PS1-4 Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

Chemical Reactions

MS-PS1-2 Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.

MS-PS1-5 Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.

MS-PS1-6 Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes.

ETS Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science

Engineering Design

MS-ETS1-1 Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

MS-ETS1-2 Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

MS-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.

MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.