Download The Crosscutting Concepts identified for Grades 3-5 are

Rocks and Minerals
Crosscutting Concepts
The Crosscutting Concepts identified for Grades 3-5 are:
Patterns: Observed patterns in nature guide organization and classification and prompt questions about
relationships and causes underlying them.
● Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort, classify, communicate and analyze simple
rates of change for natural phenomena and designed products.
● Patterns of change can be used to make predictions.
● Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation.
Cause and Effect - Mechanism and explanation: Events have causes, sometimes simple, sometimes
multifaceted. Deciphering causal relationships, and the mechanisms by which they are mediated, is a major
activity of science and engineering.
● Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change.
● Events that occur together with regularity might or might not be a cause and effect relationship.
Structure and Function: The way an object is shaped or structured determines many of its properties and
functions.
● Different materials have different substructures, which can sometimes be observed.
● Substructures have shapes and parts that serve functions.
Systems and System Models: A system is an organized group of related objects or components; models can
be used for understanding and predicting the behavior of systems.
● A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.
● A system is a group of related parts that make up a whole and can carry out functions its individual
parts cannot.
(From NGSS@NSTA)
Sentences in italics are stems that help facilitate the link between the activity and crosscutting
concept(s). (From Regional Science Coordinator Crosscutting Concepts cards)
Lesson
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3
Crosscutting Concept(s)
●
Teacher Notes/Tips
Structure and function
Students identify observable properties of rocks
●
Patterns
Similarities and differences in physical properties are
used to sort rock samples
● I noticed that...is similar to....
● I noticed that...is different from...
●
Cause and effect
●
Stability and change
Through reading, visuals, observation, modeling students
learn how fossils are formed
●
Structure and function
Fossil structures indicate function and habitat
● The parts of...help it to...
Through reading, visuals, observation, modeling students
learn rocks are formed in different ways
● ...changed because of...I know this because…
● ...changed (slowly/quickly)
9.1.16 by Cynthia Smith-Kueble. Edited by Michael Brown. Crosscutting Concept information obtained from NGSS@NSTA,
1
Lesson
4
Crosscutting Concept(s)
Teacher Notes/Tips
Students review ideas about rocks, and compare rocks
to mineral samples
● Identify observable properties of minerals
● I noticed that...is similar to....
● I noticed that...is different from...
●
Patterns
●
Patterns
Identification of similarities and differences in mineral
samples is encouraged
●
Structure and function
First reading: Feldspar (includes uses of)
● The best material for...is...because...
●
●
Cause and effect
Patterns
●
Structure and function
●
●
Cause and effect
Patterns
●
Structure and function
●
Cause and effect
●
Patterns
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6
7
8
●
Structure and function
●
Cause and effect
●
Patterns
●
Structure and function
●
Cause and effect
●
Patterns
●
Structure and function
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10
Begin mineral field guide by observing and recording
appearance, texture, odor of 12 minerals
Students tend to categorize minerals by similarities (large
crystalline structure, for ex.)
Reading: Sulfur (includes uses of)
● The best material for...is...because...
Continue mineral field guide by testing powdered versus
observable color through use of streak plate
● I noticed that...is similar to....
● I noticed that...is different from...
Reading: Hematite and Graphite (includes uses of)
● The best material for...is...because...
●
●
●
●
●
Continue mineral field guide by testing
transparent, translucent, opaque properties of
light transmission
I noticed that...is similar to....
I noticed that...is different from...
Reading: Calcite and Muscovite (includes uses of)
The best material for...is...because...
Continue mineral field guide by testing the property of
luster (surface reflectivity of light)
● I noticed that...is similar to....
● I noticed that...is different from...
Reading: Galena (no longer included in mineral samples
due to safety) and Gypsum (includes uses of)
● The best material for...is...because...
Continue mineral field guide by testing the property of
hardness
● I noticed that...is similar to....
● I noticed that...is different from...
Reading: Diamonds and Talc (includes uses of)
● The best material for...is...because...
9.1.16 by Cynthia Smith-Kueble. Edited by Michael Brown. Crosscutting Concept information obtained from NGSS@NSTA,
2
Lesson
Crosscutting Concept(s)
●
Cause and effect
●
Patterns
●
●
Structure and function
Systems and system
models
●
Cause and effect
●
●
Patterns
Structure and function
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12
Teacher Notes/Tips
Continue mineral field guide by testing the property of
magnetism
● I noticed that...is similar to....
● I noticed that...is different from...
Reading: Lodestones Lead the Way (includes uses of)
● The best material for...is...because…
● The...would not function without...
Finish the testing portion of the mineral field guide by
observing the property of shape (cleavage/fracture)
● The pattern I see is...
Final readings: Quartz and Fluorite (includes uses of)
● The best material for...is...because…
13
●
Patterns
With mineral field guide, identify distinctive mineral
properties, then comparing and contrasting new set of
same minerals
● I noticed that...is similar to…
● The pattern I see is…
● If this pattern continues, I predict…
14
●
Patterns
Apply field guide and deductive reasoning to identify
minerals by name (classify)
15
●
Patterns
Apply previous tests to identify new minerals
● I noticed that...is similar to....
● I noticed that...is different from...
●
Patterns
●
Structure and function
16
Identify similarities and differences of rocks and
minerals
● I noticed that...is similar to....
● I noticed that...is different from...
Research and report on how rocks and minerals are
used
9.1.16 by Cynthia Smith-Kueble. Edited by Michael Brown. Crosscutting Concept information obtained from NGSS@NSTA,
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