H3 A.1
Instructional Sequence A: 3 year model, discipline specific with ESS integrated into each year
Course #1: Life Science and Earth/Space Science
Unit/Topic
Unit1:
Ecosystems
DCI’s
LS2.A-Interdependent
relationships in ecosystems
LS2.D- Social interactions and
group behavior
LS –PE’s
HS-LS2-1 (carrying capacity)
HS-LS2-2 (biodiversity)
HS-LS2-4 (food webs)
HS-LS2-8 (Group behavior)
ESS/ETS –PE’s
Unit 2:
Evidence of
Evolution
LS4.A- Evidence of common
ancestry and diversity
LS4.B-Natural Selection
LS4.C-Adaptation and human
effects on biodiversity
ESS1.C: The History of Planet
Earth
ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in
Earth’s Surface Processes
LS1.A-Structure and Function
LS1.B- Growth and development of
organisms
HS-LS4-1 (Evidence for
evolution)
HS-LS4-2 (Explain evolution)
HS-LS4-4 (Natural Selection)
HS-LS4-5 (Changes in
environmental conditions)
HS-ESS1-5 (Plate
tectonic evidence)
HS-ESS2-5 (Water &
landforms)
HS-PS1-8
(Fission/radioactive
decay)
Unit 3:
Cells and
Organisms
Unit 4: DNA
and traits
LS1.B- Growth and development of
organisms
LS3.A- Inheritance of traits
LS3.B- Variation of traits
LS4.B-Natural Selection
CA NGSS Rollout #2: High School
HS-LS1-1 (DNA & protein
structure)
HS-LS1-2 (Multicellular
organisms)
HS-LS1-3 (Feedback maintains
homeostasis)
HS-LS1-4 (Model of mitosis)
HS-LS1-4 (Mitosis model,
repeated)
HS-LS3-1 (DNA to traits)
HS-LS3-2 (Genetic combination
& mutations)
HS-LS3-3 (Distribution of traits
within a population)
HS-LS4-2 (Explain how
evolution occurs, repeated)
HS-LS4-3. (Show how genetic
traits alter in populations over
time)
Comments/Notes
Ecosystems represent the setting where
Earth science & life science most
strongly overlap. Starting at this
intermediate scale, rather than at the
cellular or global scale, seems tangible
and relevant to students.
This would be an intro to evolution,
natural selection, geologic time,
paleontology, and plate tectonics all in
one.
Transition: How does evolution
happen? Need to zoom down in and
look at cells and figure out how they
work and begin to zoom out slowly to
multi-celled organisms
Standard life science unit. The Earth
science focus would push these topics
towards explaining variations
preserved in the fossil record (which
would push you to more Darwin’s
finch-like examples), but I feel like the
human population issues are more
relevant and appropriate for high
school students.
H3 A.2
Unit/Topic
Unit 5: History
of Earth’s
Atmosphere:
Photosynthesis
& Respiration
DCI’s
LS1.C- Organization for matter
and energy flow in organisms
LS2.B- Cycles of matter and energy
transfer in ecosystems
ESS1.C: The History of Planet
Earth
ESS2.D: Weather and Climate
ESS2.E: Biogeology
Unit 6:
Ecosystem
Stability & the
Response to
climate change
LS2.C- Ecosystem dynamics,
functioning, and resilience
LS4.C-Adaptation and human
effects on biodiversity
ESS3.D: Global Climate Change
CA NGSS Rollout #2: High School
LS –PE’s
ESS/ETS –PE’s
HS-LS1-5 (Photosynthesis)
HS-ESS1-6 (Earth’s
HS-LS1-6 (Sugars to amino
early history)
acids)
HS-ESS2-6 (Carbon
HS-LS1-7 (Respiration)
cycle)
HS-LS2-3 (Aerobic & Anaerobic HS-ESS2-7 (Corespiration)
evolution of life &
HS-LS2-5 (Photosynthesis,
atmosphere)
respiration, & carbon cycle)
HS-LS2-6 (Ecosystems stability)
HS-LS2-6 (Ecosystems stability, HS-ESS3-5 (Climate
repeated)
forecasts)
HS-LS2-7 (Human impacts on
HS-ESS3-6
biodiversity)
(Simulations of
HS-LS4-5 (Extinctions &
human-natural
Growth from changes in
interactions)
environment)
HS-ETS1-4
HS-LS4-6 (Mitigating human
(Simulation of
impacts on biodiversity)
proposed solutions)
Comments/Notes
This is a very strong Earth/Life science
connection with a lot of overlap of the
standards.
This is a good way to put life science
standards in the context of an Earth
science problem. Saved until last
because it includes the most
sophisticated applications and serves as
a bridge to the physical science
courses.
H3 A.3
Course #2: Chemistry and Earth/Space Science
Unit
DCI
Chem PEs
ESS/ETS PE’s
Crosscutting
concepts
Summary
Unit 1
Structures and
Properties of Matter
PS1.A – structures &
properties of matter
HS-PS1-1
HS-PS1-2
HS-PS1-3
HS-PS1-4

 Patterns
 Cause and effect
 Energy and
matter
 Structure and
function
The properties of matter are a function of
atomic and molecular structure. Atomic
and molecular structure can be inferred
from the properties of bulk matter.
Unit 2
Chemical Reactions
PS1.B Chemical Reactions
HS-PS1-5
HS-PS1-6
HS-PS1-7

Chemical processes can be predicted and
explained knowing the properties of the
reactants, conditions, and the Law of the
conservation of mass
Unit 3
Conservation of
Energy and Energy
Transfer
PS3.B Conservation of
Energy & Energy Transfer
PS3.D Energy & Chemical
Processes in Everyday Life
ESS1.C, History of Planet
Earth
ESS2.A Earth Materials &
Systems
ESS2.A Earth Materials &
Systems
ESS2.C Roles of Water in
Earth’s Surface Processes
ESS2.D Weather & Climate
ESS3.A Natural Resources
ESS3.D Global Climate
Change
ETS1.B
HS-PS3-1
HS-PS3-4
HS-PS3-3
HS-ESS1-5
 HS-ESS2-3
 Patterns
 Energy and
matter
 Stability and
change
 Cause and effect
 Energy and
matter
 Scale, proportion,
and quantity
Unit 4
Chemistry of
Climate Change
CA NGSS Rollout #2: High School
HS-ESS2-1
HS-ESS2-2
HS-ESS2-4
HS-ESS2-5
HS-ESS2-6
HS-ESS3-1
HS-ESS3-2
HS-ESS3-4
HS-ESS3-6
HS-ETS1-3
HS-ETS1-4
Energy cannot be created nor destroyed,
but may change form. The entropy of an
isolated system increases over time.
Students apply their models of chemical
reactions and energy flows in systems to
the problem of climate change.
H3 A.4
Course #3: Physics and Earth/Space Science
Unit
DCI
PE
ESS/ETS PE’s
Crosscutting
concepts
Summary
Unit 1
Forces and
Motion
PS2.A Forces & Motion
HS-PS2-1
HS-PS2-2
HS-PS2-3

 Cause and
effect
 Systems,
and system
models
Force is equal to the product of mass and
acceleration. In a closed system, the total
momentum is constant.
Unit 2
Types of
Interactions
PS2.B Types of Interactions
HS-PS2-4
HS-PS2-5
HS-PS2-6

Unit 3
Energy
PS1.C Nuclear Processes
PS3.A Definitions of Energy
PS3.B Conservation of Energy
& Entry Transfer
PS3.C Relationship between
Energy & Forces
ESS1.C History of Planet Earth
ESS2.A Earth Materials and
Systems
PS4.AWave Properties
PS4.B Electromagnetic
Radiation
PS4.CInformation Technologies
& Instrumentation
PS3.DEnergy & Chemical
Processes in Everyday Life
HS-PS1-8
HS-PS3-2
HS-PS3-5
HS-PS3-3
HS-ETS1-2
HS-ESS1-5
 HS-ESS2-3
 Cause and
effect
 Structure
and
function
 Energy and
matter:
Flows,
cycles, and
conservatio
n
The inverse-square law applies to gravity
and electromagnetic interactions.
Flowing electrons produce a magnetic
field, and spinning magnets cause
electric currents to flow.
Energy is the capacity for doing work
and may exist in potential, kinetic,
thermal, electrical, chemical, nuclear, or
other various forms. ESS1.C,
ESS2.A
 Energy &
matter
 Cause &
effect
 Systems &
system
models
 Stability
and change
Electromagnetic radiation has many
applications, and can be modeled as a
wave of changing electric and magnetic
fields or as particles called photons.
Unit 4
Waves and
Electromagnetic
Radiation
CA NGSS Rollout #2: High School
HS-PS4-1
HS-PS4-3
HS-PS4-4
HS-PS4-5
HS-PS4-2