A student expectation is directly related to the knowledge and skills statement, is more specific about how students demonstrate their learning, and always begins with a verb. Student expectations are further broken down into their component parts, often referred to as “breakouts.”
Vertical alignment shows student expectations in the same subject area at different grade levels that are related to or build upon one another.
investigate and describe how water can move rock and soil particles from one place to another;
investigate and describe how wind and water move soil and rock particles across the Earth's surface such as wind blowing sand into dunes on a beach or a river carrying rocks as it flows;
model and describe rapid changes in Earth's surface such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides.
model and describe slow changes to Earth's surface caused by weathering, erosion, and deposition from water, wind, and ice; and
Patterns are regular sequences that can be found throughout nature.
There are patterns among fossils of plant and animal species in rocks of similar age found on different continents. These patterns are evidence that the continents were once joined. Patterns in layers of rock provide evidence of relative age.
Cause-and-effect relationships are relationships between two or more variables or phenomena whereby one variable or event leads to a predictable response. Events have causes—sometimes simple, sometimes multi-faceted.
The movement of continents by plate tectonics (cause) led to fossils of the same organisms being found in similarly aged rocks on separate continents (effect). Rock layers are laid down, one on top of the other (cause), resulting in the oldest rock being located at the bottom of undisrupted layers (effect).
It is important to consider how changes in scale, proportion, or quantity affect a system’s structure or performance. Scale refers to the size of an object in relation to another object or its environment. Proportion is the ratio of one quantity to another. Quantity is a count of a set of objects or a measurement of a substance.
The rate at which plate movement occurs is small and hard to detect due to the size of the plates in relation to the observer (scale).
Stability describes a system that does not change at the observed scale. In a stable system, a small disturbance will die out and the system will return to a stable state. Change in the system can come from modifying a factor or condition.
The position of continents can seem stable; however, their positions are constantly changing over time.
ELAR.7.5.F make inferences and use evidence to support understanding
ELAR.7.5.H synthesize information to create new understanding
ELAR.7.6.C use text evidence to support an appropriate response