Clarification Statement - S.HS.ESS.1.5.CS:
Emphasis is on the ability of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks. Examples of evidence could include that the age of oceanic crust increases with distance from mid-ocean ridges as a result of plate spreading and that the North American c

Science and Engineering Practices - 9-12.SEP7.2:
Evaluate the evidence behind currently accepted explanations or solutions to determine the merits of arguments.

Disciplinary Core Ideas - S.HS.ESS.1.5.DCI:
ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth •Continental rocks, which can be older than 4 billionyears, are generally much older than the rocks of the ocean floor, which are less than 200 million years old. ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions •Plate tectonics is the unifying theory that explains the past and current movements of the rocks at Earth’s surface and provides a framework for understanding its geologic history. (secondary to HS-ESS1-5) PS1.C: Nuclear Processes •(NYSED) Spontaneous radioactive decay follows a characteristic exponential decay law allowing an element’s half-life to be used for radiometric dating of rocks and other materials. (secondary to HS-ESS1-5)

Crosscutting Concepts - CC1.15:
Empirical evidence is needed to identify patterns.

Clarification Statement - S.HS.ESS.1.6.CS:
Emphasis is on using available evidence within the solar system to reconstruct the early history of Earth, which formed along with the rest of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. Examples of evidence could include the absolute ages of ancient material

Science and Engineering Practices - 9-12.SEP6.5:
Apply scientific reasoning to link evidence to the claims to assess the extent to which the reasoning and data support the explanation or conclusion.

Disciplinary Core Ideas - S.HS.ESS.1.6.DCI:
ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth •Although active geologic processes, such as plate tectonics and erosion, have destroyed or altered most of the very early rock record on Earth, other objects in the solar system, such as lunar rocks, asteroids, and meteorites, have changed little over billions of years. Studying these objects can provide information about Earth’s formation and early history. PS1.C: Nuclear Processes •(NYSED) Spontaneous radioactive decay follows a characteristic exponential decay law allowing an element’s half-life to be used for radiometric dating of rocks and other materials. (secondary to HS-ESS1-6)

Crosscutting Concepts - CC6.6:
Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable.

Clarification Statement - S.HS.ESS.2.1.CS:
Emphasis is on how the appearance of land features (such as mountains, valleys, and plateaus) and sea-floor features (such as trenches, ridges, and seamounts) are a result of both constructive processes (such as volcanism, tectonic uplift, and deposition)

Assessment Boundary - S.HS.ESS.2.1.AB:
Assessment does not include memorization of the details of the formation of specific geographic features of Earth’s surface.

Science and Engineering Practices - 9-12.SEP2.1:
Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the relationships between systems or between components of a system.

Disciplinary Core Ideas - S.HS.ESS.2.1.DCI:
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems •Earth’s systems, being dynamic and interacting, cause feedback effects that can increase or decrease the original changes. (Note: This Disciplinary Core Idea is also addressed by HS-ESS2-2.) ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions •Plate tectonics is the unifying theory that explains the past and current movements of the rocks at Earth’s surface and provides a framework for understanding its geologic history. •Plate movements are responsible for most continental and ocean-floor features and for the distribution of most rocks and minerals within Earth’s crust.

Crosscutting Concepts - CC6.9:
Change and rates of change can be quantified and modeled over very short or very long periods of time. Some system changes are irreversible.