This unit builds toward the following NGSS Performance Expectations (PEs):

• 4-PS4-1: Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move.
• 4-ESS1-1: Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.
• 4-ESS2-2: Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.
• 4-ESS2-1: Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
• 4-ESS3-2: Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.
• 3-5 ETS1-2: Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

This unit builds towards the following Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs):

ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interaction

• The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans. Major mountain chains form inside continents or near their edges. Maps can help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth.

ESS1.C: History of Planet Earth

• Local, regional, and global patterns of rock formations reveal changes over time due to Earth forces, such as earthquakes. The presence and location of certain fossil types indicate the order in which rock layers were formed.

PS4.A: Wave Properties

• Waves of the same type can differ in amplitude (height of the wave) and wavelength (spacing between wave peaks).
• Waves, which are regular patterns of motion, can be made in water by disturbing the surface. When waves move across the surface of deep water, the water goes up and down in place; there is no net motion in the direction of the wave except when the water meets a beach.

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

• Research on a problem should be carried out before beginning to design a solution. Testing a solution involves investigating how well it performs under a range of likely conditions.
• At whatever stage, communicating with peers about proposed solutions is an important part of the design process, and shared ideas can lead to improved designs.

ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems

• Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around.

ESS2.E: Biogeology

• Living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions.

ESS3.B: Natural Hazards

• A variety of hazards result from natural processes (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions). Humans cannot eliminate the hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts.

This unit intentionally develops students’ engagement in these practice elements:

Developing and Using Models

• Develop a model using an analogy, example, or abstract representation to describe a scientific principle or design solution. (MOD-E3)

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

• Identify the evidence that supports particular points in an explanation. (CEDS-E3)
• Generate and compare multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the design solution. (CEDS-E5)

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

• Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena, using logical reasoning, mathematics, and/or computation. (DATA-E2)

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

• Make observations and/or measurements to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence for an explanation of a phenomenon or test a design solution. (INV-E3)

In this unit, there are opportunities to practice the following Science and Engineering Practices:

• Asking Questions and Defining Problems
• Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

This unit intentionally develops students’ engagement in these Crosscutting Concepts:

Patterns

• Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort, classify, communicate and analyze simple rates of change for natural phenomena and designed products. (PAT-E1)
• Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation. (PAT-E3)

Cause and Effect

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change (CE-E1)

In this unit, there are opportunities to practice the following Crosscutting Concepts:

• Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
• Stability and Change

This unit makes these connections to the Nature of Science:

• Science explanations describe the mechanisms for natural events.
• Basic laws of nature are the same everywhere in the universe.
• Most scientists and engineers work in teams.
• Science assumes consistent patterns in natural systems.
• Science explanations can change based on new evidence.
• Science is a way of knowing that is used by many people.
• People from all cultures and backgrounds choose careers as scientists and engineers.
• Science affects everyday life.

The anchoring phenomenon for this unit is a natural event that damaged a road and caused changes to land in Acadia National Park. Students initially explore this phenomenon by observing photographs of the damage to the road and wondering what could have caused the damage. Their initial ideas about possible causes and mechanisms are collected on a How Land and Things on it Can Change chart, which becomes a driver and record of the exploration of many other changes to land that students investigate in other National Parks throughout the unit. Students broaden their wonderings about changes to land and possible causes in Acadia and other parks by connecting to changes to land they have experienced directly or in media, and their questions about the possible causes for these changes drive the work of the unit. This phenomenon was chosen as the unit anchor for the following reasons:

• The anchoring phenomenon lesson was tested in multiple fourth-grade classrooms in different locations around the country and students were engaged, asked important questions, and made helpful connections with the world around them.
• This unit’s bundle of Performance Expectations is large and calls for students to identify patterns in worldwide ocean and land features, explore a variety of hazards and natural processes, and identify evidence of landscapes changing over time. Starting with one compelling change to land that inspires curiosity about many different changes to land offers students the opportunity to begin their investigations in one place, but to also be curious about exploring changes in other places around the country and the world.
• This phenomenon allows for community-based work around students’ own experiences and communities. At several points in the unit, students explore and consider how natural hazards and natural processes affect their own locations. Then, in the later lessons of the unit, students investigate how Earth’s processes (such as they have observed in National Parks and their own communities) affect humans and if there is a way to reduce the impacts. Students research and learn about how scientists and communities are developing solutions to hazards caused by Earth processes. They then design and evaluate possible solutions to prevent road damage like they observed in Acadia, and in a transfer task they consider solutions for land changes at Indiana Dunes National Park.
• Exploring changes to land in various National Parks gives students the opportunity to make sense of many different natural processes and hazards while still maintaining a sense of connection between the places they investigate. In addition, using National Parks highlights the natural beauty and diversity of land in the United States and hopefully inspires students to want to protect and explore some of these spaces. While we acknowledge that in-person visits to National Parks will not be accessible to many students, at the time of this unit’s publication, the National Park Service’s Every Kid Outdoors program (everykidoutdoors.gov) grants free access to federal lands, including National Parks, to fourth graders and their families, making these parks a bit more accessible to students in this grade level.

This unit is composed of three lesson sets, summarized in the table that follows.

The goal of integrating literacy within OpenSciEd units is to offer opportunities for practicing reading, writing, speaking, and listening to support science learning. Literacy is fundamental to science because reading, writing, speaking, and listening are the primary means for students to understand and communicate their science ideas. Students use oral (speaking, listening) and written (reading, writing) language to communicate their science ideas and to support their ongoing science sensemaking. Literacy integration throughout the program also helps students learn how to use their oral and written language in a way that mirrors the work of scientists and engineers. The unit teacher materials contain tables that explain the different types of books and texts that students will engage with across the unit to support their sensemaking.

ELA standards are also integrated throughout the unit to highlight the link between literacy and science for teachers and students. Many ELA standards are incorporated into lessons as needed for specific science learning objectives and teacher guides for those lessons include explicit support for teachers and/or students around connecting to those standards. See the Unit Connections to the Common Core Standards matrix for details about where these specific ELA connection standards happen and how they are used to support the science work in those lessons.

The goal of integrating mathematics in the OpenSciEd units is to build a strong base of knowledge to reinforce and strengthen science learning. Mathematics integration is intentional – to help the storyline along, clarify pieces of the puzzle students are figuring out, or provide students with tools to highlight, analyze, model, and interpret important patterns in the data they are exploring. Mathematical practices (MP2, MP4, MP6) along with crosscutting concepts are employed throughout the unit to develop student understanding of science ideas and deepen science practices. In this unit, students will reason abstractly and quantitatively (MP2) to help them make sense of wind speed in Lesson 2 and amount of yearly rainfall on different parts of Hawaii in Lesson 10. Students will also attend to precision (MP6) in Lesson 2 while using a ruler to make sense of the amount of rainfall. In Lesson 6, students will mathematically model (MP4) erosion to help them understand erosion measurements of Thunder Hole. Additionally, in Lesson 8, students will use different representations such as fractions and money amounts to make sense of and compare decimal numbers (4.NF.C.7). See the Teacher Handbook for additional support and differentiation options.

Math standards are incorporated into lessons as needed for specific science learning objectives and teacher guides for those lessons include explicit support for teachers and/or students around connecting to those standards. See the Unit Connections to the Common Core Standards matrix for details about where these specific math standard connections happen and how they are used to support the science work in those lessons. These standards are indicated on that matrix with an asterisk (✱).

• Amy McGreal, Unit Lead, Northwestern University
• Areal Joplin, Field Test Unit Lead, Northwestern University
• Adam Kirn, Writer, Independent Consultant
• Amber N. Warren, Writer, Independent Consultant
• Dan Voss, Writer, Northwestern University
• Douglas Watkins, Writer, Independent Consultant
• Laura Zeller, Writer, BSCS Science Learning
• Morgan Satterfield, Writer, Independent Consultant
• Tommy Clayton, Writer, Northwestern University
• Carla Robinson, CLS Unit Support, The University of Texas at Austin
• Letty Garza, CLS Unit Support, The University of Texas at Austin
• Aristotle Ou, Math & CLS Unit Support, The University of Texas at Austin
• Amanda Dahl, Text Development Lead, Michigan State University
• Christie Morrison Thomas, Assessment Team Support, Michigan State University
• Susan Bartol, Co-Design Teacher, Hillside Elementary School
• Katie McGoogan, Co-Design Teacher, Junction City Elementary School
• Allison Pratt, Co-Design Teacher, Larchmont Charter
• Gail Housman, Coherence Reviewer, Northwestern University
• Karin Klein, Coherence Reviewer, Independent Consultant
• Guy Ollison, PL Designer, BSCS Science Learning

• Gen Zoufal, Project Manager, Northwestern University
• Lexi Newsom, Copy Editor, Independent Consultant
• Lauren Rollins, Copy Editor, Independent Consultant
• Chris Moraine, Graphic Designer, BSCS Science Learning
• Ken Roy, Safety Consultant, National Safety Consultants, LLC

An integral component of OpenSciEd’s development process is external validation of alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards by the NSTA using the EQuIP Rubric for Science. We are proud that this unit has earned the highest score and rating available and has been awarded the NSTA NGSS 3D Design Badge. You can find additional information and read this unit’s review on NSTA’s website.