Next Generation Science Standards - Middle School Earth and Space Science

In middle school earth and space science, students should develop an understanding of Earth's place in the universe by using the Earth-Sun-Moon system to explain the phases of the Moon, eclipses, and seasons; the role of gravity in the motion of solar systems and galaxies; the scale and features of solar-system objects; how an examination of rock strata, continent shapes, the seafloor, distribution of minerals, and location of groundwater can reveal evidence of Earth's history and the processes that have changed Earth's surface over billions of years; the processes that drive the rock cycle and the water cycle; the role of interacting air masses, unequal heating, and Earth's rotation in determining weather conditions and regional climates; the factors that have caused a modern rise in global temperatures; the ways in which people can use forecasting and technologies to minimize the effects of natural disasters; and the causes and effects of a growing human population's use of natural resources and how to mitigate those effects.