Focal Performance Expectations

• MS-PS3-1. Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on descriptive relationships between kinetic energy and mass separately from kinetic energy and speed. Examples could include riding a bicycle at different speeds, rolling different sizes of rocks downhill, and getting hit by a wiffle ball versus a tennis ball.]

   

• MS-PS3-2. Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on relative amounts of potential energy, not on calculations of potential energy. Examples of objects within systems interacting at varying distances could include: the Earth and either a roller coaster cart at varying positions on a hill or objects at varying heights on shelves, changing the direction/orientation of a magnet, and a balloon with static electrical charge being brought closer to a classmate’s hair. Examples of models could include representations, diagrams, pictures, and written descriptions of systems.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to two objects and electric, magnetic, and gravitational interactions.]

Connections to Other Performance Expectations

This unit supports students in making connections to the disciplinary core ideas represented in these additional Performance Expectations, which are also addressed in other Amplify Science units.

• MS-PS3-5. Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object. [Clarification Statement: Examples of empirical evidence used in arguments could include an inventory or other representation of the energy before and after the transfer in the form of temperature changes or motion of object.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculations of energy.]

   

• MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

   

• MS-ESS3-1. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth's mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how these resources are limited and typically non-renewable, and how their distributions are significantly changing as a result of removal by humans. Examples of uneven distributions of resources as a result of past processes include but are not limited to petroleum (locations of the burial of organic marine sediments and subsequent geologic traps), metal ores (locations of past volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with subduction zones), and soil (locations of active weathering and/or deposition of rock).]

   

Science and Engineering Practices

As with all Amplify Science units, the Harnessing Human Energy unit provides students with exposure to most of the science and engineering practices described in the Next Generation Science Standards. This unit particularly emphasizes the following practices:

• Practice 1: Asking Questions. As students build models of energy systems, they question how energy from the human body’s motion can be captured to power small electronic devices. They also have many opportunities to pose their own questions. In particular, the Active Reading approach, an approach to reading based on curiosity and inquiry, supports students in asking thoughtful questions as they read science articles.

• Practice 2: Developing and Using Models. In order to investigate how energy from the body’s motion can be captured for later use, students use the Harnessing Human Energy Simulation and physical materials to create models of energy systems. They also create visual models, called Energy Transfer Diagrams, that represent ideas about how energy is transferred and converted.

• Practice 6: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions. Students learn about scientific explanations and have multiple opportunities to make increasingly complex explanations about how systems can transfer, convert, and store energy over the course of the unit. Students also design an energy solution that can help rescue workers transfer kinetic energy to power their electronic devices.

• Practice 7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence. Students receive instruction about the structure of a scientific argument and are supported in investigating claims and engaging in scientific reasoning. Students engage in oral argumentation and produce a written argument about the effectiveness of a proposed energy solution.

• Practice 8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information. Students are introduced to Active Reading—an approach to obtaining information from science texts—and have multiple opportunities to engage in this practice. Students also evaluate evidence to determine its relevance to a particular claim.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Focal Disciplinary Core Ideas

This unit addresses the following core ideas:

PS3.A: Definitions of Energy:

• Motion energy is properly called kinetic energy; it is proportional to the mass of the moving object and grows with the square of its speed. (MS-PS3-1)

• A system of objects may also contain stored (potential) energy, depending on their relative positions. (MS-PS3-2)

PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer:

• When the motion energy of an object changes, there is inevitably some other change in energy at the same time. (MS-PS3-5)

Connections to Other Disciplinary Core Ideas

This unit provides opportunities to make connections to these core ideas, which are also addressed in other Amplify Science units.

ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems:

• The more precisely a design task’s criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed solution will be successful. Specification of constraints includes consideration of scientific principles and other relevant knowledge that are likely to limit possible solutions. (MS-ETS1-1)

ESS3.A: Natural Resources:

• Humans depend on Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere for many different resources. Minerals, fresh water, and biosphere resources are limited, and many are not renewable or replaceable over human lifetimes. These resources are distributed unevenly around the planet as a result of past geologic processes. (MS-ESS3-1)