Water for Schools
Menu

NGSS · Middle School (6–8)

MS-ESS2-2 Explain how geoscience processes reshape Earth's surface over time

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on how processes change Earth's surface at time and spatial scales that can be large (such as slow plate motions or the uplift of large mountain ranges) or small (such as rapid landslides or microscopic geochemical reactions), and how many geoscience processes (such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and meteor impacts) usually behave gradually but are punctuated by catastrophic events. Examples of geoscience processes include surface weathering and deposition by the movements of water, ice, and wind. Emphasis is on geoscience processes that shape local geographic features, where appropriate.

Why water teaches this standard well

The clarification names weathering and deposition by moving water as core examples, and one of the standard's two core ideas is the roles of water in surface processes. Explaining how a local river carved its valley, or how a flash flood reshaped a bank overnight, lets students study water as the agent behind both slow and sudden change.

Materials tagged with this code are written to the full standard , including its clarification statement , and each carries a written note explaining the alignment. See how we review materials.

3 materials aligned to MS-ESS2-2

Lesson plans

Worksheets