Common Core Reading (CCSS):

• Informational/Nonfiction Standards R.I. 1-10 for grades 3-5
• Writing Standards W. 3.2 for grades 3-5

Performance Expectations (PE):

• 5-ESS2-1. Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
• 5-ESS2-2. Describe and graph the amounts of saltwater and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.

Science and Engineering Practices (SEP):

• Develop a model using an example to describe a scientific principle.
• Describe and graph quantities such as area and volume to address scientific questions.

Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI):

• ESS2.A.  Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes. The ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shapes landforms, and influences climate. Winds and clouds in the atmosphere interact with the landforms to determine patterns of weather. 
• ESS2.C. Nearly all of Earth’s available water is in the ocean. Most freshwater is in glaciers or underground; only a tiny fraction is in streams, lakes, wetlands, and the atmosphere.
• ESS3.C. Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments.

Crosscutting Concepts (CC):

• A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.