2010-2011 Earth Science (6th Grade) Final Exam Study Guide
*This exam will involve interpreting visuals – graphs, charts, tables, images, etc. – much like you see during your chapter exams. An additional preparation would be to review the middle section of previous exams (i.e. not the multiple choice or extended response) and visual portions of the book (tables, graphs, etc.) and be sure you are able to understand and interpret the information.
*The exam format will include multiple choice, short answer, and extended answer questions
Know and understand the following topics listed below (broken up by unit only, not chapter):
Unit: Earth’s Surface
- “Processes involving water affect minerals and rocks and shape Earth’s surface.” Based on this statement, be able to describe the following:
- how water is involved in mineral formation
- how water is involved in rock formation
- the two types of weathering processes water is involved with
- how water is involved in erosion and deposition
- Be familiar with the details of Rock Cycle – be able to label a diagram and understand the processes involved
- Be able to interpret and answer questions based on a geologic map that shows faults, types of rocks at the surface, and other related features
- Related topics: geologic structures are, natural hazards, and the rock cycle
- Other topics to be familiar with:
- Erosion, topographic maps and contour lines, types of igneous rock and magma vs lava, what type of rock fossils are found in, recrystalization, alluvial fan and delta, glacial deposits
Unit: The Changing Earth
- Be prepared to draw a diagram that includes the following items (must be accurately named/labeled):
- a tectonic plate boundaries on both the sea floor
- a sea-floor feature resulting from movement at the plate boundary
- a tectonic plate boundary on land
- a land feature resulting from movement at the plate boundary
- *be sure to know whether your included plate boundaries are convergent, divergent, or transform
- *be sure to be able to explain how your included feature formed (due to movement)
- Be able to identify the layers of the Earth, from surface to core
- Be familiar the general features of each layer, including the different types of crust
- Be familiar with key differences between each layer
- Be able to identify types of tectonic plate boundaries based on the direction of plate movement
- Other topics to be familiar with:
- tectonic plate movement and resulting geologic features/structures, tectonic plate boundaries, fault locations, earthquakes (epicenter, focus), hot spots
Unit: Ecology and Resources
- You will be given a diagram of a ecosystem (specifics revealed at the exam) that includes many different abiotic and biotic factors. You will be required to:
- Accurately label how eachof the following cycles through the ecosystem: water, food energy, nitrogen, and carbon
- Be able to identify producers, primary consumers, and secondary consumers
- Be able to accurately identify a food chain in the diagram
- Analyze how the disappearance or destruction of a specified factor (revealed at the exam) in the diagram can influence many others
- Analyze what impact humans may have on this ecosystem
- Be familiar with the terms and examples of the following:
- fossil fuels, ores, conservation, reducing/reusing/recycling, renewable/non-renewable energy resources
- you will be given a passage to read and answer questions related to:
- food web/chain, symbiotic relations, primary/secondary consumers, predators/prey
- Be able to interpret and answer questions based on a bar graph showing energy sources (different types) and amounts of energy production
- Other topics to be familiar with:
- Biotic vs abiotic factors, energy in an ecosystem, primary/secondary succession, the levels from organism biome, patterns in space and time, symbiotic relationships