Unpack NGSS Standard

Domain: Disciplinary Core Idea: Grade Level:

Biological Evolution: Evidence of Common Ancestry 3rd-Grade

Unity and Diversity and Diversity
Performance Expectation

3-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the
environments in which they lived long ago.

Science & Engineering Discipline Core Ideas Cross Cutting Concepts

Practice

Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Evidence of Common Ancestry Cause and Effect:
and Diversity:
Analyzing data in 3–5 builds on Fossil evidence of organisms long Cause and effect relationships
K–2 experiences and progresses ago some kinds of plants and are routinely identified and used
to introducing quantitative animals that once lived on Earth to explain change.
approaches to collecting data and are no longer found anywhere.
conducting multiple trials of Fossils provide evidence about the
qualitative observations. When types of organisms that lived long
possible and feasible, digital ago and also about the nature of
tools should be used. Analyze their environments.
and interpret data to make sense
of phenomena using logical
reasoning.

Student understandings Student knowledge and How will you

(what will students skills (what will students be apply/include other
understand; big ideas): able to know and do) disciplines

Students can organize data in
graphic organizers regarding
fossils plants and animals: size,
type, and land.
Identify relationships fossils and
time, fossils and environments,
inference current environments
Relationship between organisms
and environment.
Interpreting data-Fossil evidence
of extinction, dinosaurs,
mammoth, that have no clear
counterpart now. Types of
environments fossils were alive in.
The concept of change in
environments.
Basic Math-counting up the total
number of organisms studied.
English-writing a paper on fossil
evidence.
Art-Drawing a picture of what
the students think the fossilized
remains looked like long ago.

Common Misconceptions Technology

Understanding Graphic Organizer, tables, charts and graphs to

 Importance of environment to an organism organize data, calculators.
The explanation of changing environment over Interactive technology touch screen graphics of
time. prehistoric animals and plants.
The concept of Evolution. Google Docs for recording data

National Geographic Video:

https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/10
1-videos/00000164-27f1-d726-a5fd-
3fff994b0000

Vocabulary Academic Language

Fossil Summarizing and Informing

Fossil Evidence
Ecosystem
Compare and Contrast
Organism Sequencing and Ordering
Environment Classifying
Interdependent Analyzing
Animal Inferring, Predicting, and Hypothesizing
Plant
Justifying and Persuading
Evolution

(vocabulary relates to the content i.e. mitosis) (academic relates to the process & practices i.e.
interpret data) Suitcase words, you can pack them up
and use them in other curricular areas.