The NGSS in Kentucky

PS Physical Science

• PS1 Matter and Its Interactions

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

    • Synthetic materials (8-F.8)

LS Life Science

• LS1 Molecules to Organisms

  • 8-LS1-4 Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.

    • How can animal behaviors affect reproductive success? Identify evidence to support a claim (8-S.1)

  • 8-LS1-5 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.

    • Inherited and acquired traits: use evidence to support a statement (8-R.1)
    • How do genes and the environment affect plant growth? (8-R.10)

• LS2 Ecosystems

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

    • Use food chains to predict changes in populations (8-X.4)
    • Investigate primary succession on a volcanic island (8-X.6)
    • Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: explore a problem (8-Y.1)

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

    • Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: explore a problem (8-Y.1)
    • Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (8-Y.2)

• LS3 Heredity

  • 8-LS3-1 Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism.

    • Genes, proteins, and traits: understanding the genetic code (8-R.8)
    • Describe the effects of gene mutations on organisms (8-R.9)

  • 8-LS3-2 Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.

    • Mitosis and the cell cycle (8-P.7)
    • Genetic variation in sexual reproduction (8-R.2)
    • Genetics vocabulary: genotype and phenotype (8-R.3)
    • Genetics vocabulary: dominant and recessive (8-R.4)
    • Complete and interpret Punnett squares (8-R.5)
    • Use Punnett squares to calculate ratios of offspring types (8-R.6)
    • Use Punnett squares to calculate probabilities of offspring types (8-R.7)
    • Angiosperm and conifer life cycles (8-U.1)
    • Moss and fern life cycles (8-U.2)

• LS4 Biological Evolution

  • 8-LS4-1 Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.

    • Compare ages of fossils in a rock sequence (8-T.2)

  • 8-LS4-2 Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.

    • Compare fossils to modern organisms (8-T.1)

  • 8-LS4-3 Analyze data to compare patterns in the embryological development across multiple species to identify relationships not evident in the fully formed adult anatomy.

  • 8-LS4-4 Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals' probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.

    • Introduction to natural selection (8-S.2)
    • Construct explanations of natural selection (8-S.5)

  • 8-LS4-5 Gather and synthesize information about technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.

  • 8-LS4-6 Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.

    • Calculate the percentages of traits in a population (8-S.3)
    • Calculate the averages of traits in a population (8-S.4)
    • Construct explanations of natural selection (8-S.5)

ESS Earth and Space Science

• ESS1 Earth's Place in the Universe

  • 8-ESS1-4 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history.

    • Compare ages of fossils in a rock sequence (8-T.2)

• ESS3 Earth and Human Activity

  • 8-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.

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

    • Analyze natural hazard maps (8-GG.1)

  • 8-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

    • Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: explore a problem (8-Y.1)
    • Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (8-Y.2)

  • 8-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.

    • Evaluate claims about natural resource use: groundwater (8-Z.1)
    • Evaluate claims about natural resource use: fossil fuels (8-Z.2)

  • 8-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.

    • Evaluate claims about natural resource use: fossil fuels (8-Z.2)
    • The carbon cycle (8-DD.3)
    • The greenhouse effect (8-EE.4)

ETS Engineering Design

• ETS1.A Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem

  • 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.

    • Identify parts of the engineering-design process (8-C.1)
    • Explore the engineering-design process: going to the Moon! (8-C.4)
    • Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (8-Y.2)

• ETS1.B Developing 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.

    • Identify parts of the engineering-design process (8-C.1)
    • Evaluate tests of engineering-design solutions (8-C.2)
    • Explore the engineering-design process: going to the Moon! (8-C.4)
    • Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (8-Y.2)

• ETS1.C Optimizing the Design Solution

  • 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 (8-C.3)
    • Coral reef biodiversity and human uses: evaluate solutions (8-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! (8-C.4)