2014 Iredell-Statesville Schools – Earth Science
High School Earth Science
Table of Contents
Purpose and Use of Documents 3
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading 4
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing 5
Science as Inquiry 6
Year at a Glance 7-8
Earth in the Universe – Objective 1.1: Earth’s role as a body in space. 9-11
Earth Systems, Structures, Processes – Objective 2.1: Processes and forces that affect the lithosphere. 12-14
Earth Systems, Structures, Processes – Objective 2.2: How human influences impact the lithosphere. 14-15
Earth Systems, Structures, Processes – Objective 2.3: Structure and processes within the hydrosphere. 15-16
Earth Systems, Structures, Processes – Objective 2.4: How humans use water. 16-17
Earth Systems, Structures, Processes – Objective 2.5: Structure and processes within our atmosphere. 18-19
Earth Systems, Structures, Processes – Objective 2.6: Patterns of global change over time. 20-21
Earth Systems, Structures, Processes – Objective 2.7: How the various spheres affect the overall biosphere. 22-23
Earth Systems, Structures, Processes – Objective 2.8: Human behaviors effect on sustainable life on Earth. 23-24
Teacher Instructional Resources 25-31
Formative Assessment Resources 31-32
Purpose and Use of the Documents
The Curriculum Guide represents an articulation of what students should know and be able to do. The Curriculum Guide supports teachers in knowing how to help students achieve the goals of the new standards and understanding each standard conceptually. It should be used as a tool to assist teachers in planning and implementing a high quality instructional program.
· The “At-a-Glance” provides a snapshot of the recommended pacing of instruction across a semester or year.
· Learning targets (“I can” statements) and Criteria for Success (“I will” statements) have been created by ISS teachers and are embedded in the Curriculum Guide to break down each standard and describe what a student should know and be able to do to reach the goal of that standard.
· The academic vocabulary or content language is listed under each standard. There are 30-40 words in bold in each subject area that should be taught to mastery.
· The unpacking section of the Curriculum Guide contains rich information and examples of what the standard means; this section is an essential component to help both teachers and students understand the standards.
Teachers will be asked to give feedback throughout the year to continually improve their Curriculum Guides.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
The K-12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements – the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity – that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.
Key ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g. a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.*
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
* Please see “Research to Build and Present Knowledge” in writing and “Comprehension and Collaboration” in Speaking and Listening for additional standards relevant to gathering, assessing, and applying information from print and digital sources.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
The K-12 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements – the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity – that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.
Text Types and Purposes*
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
Production and Distribution of Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
6. Use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
8. Gaither relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
9. Draw evidence from literacy or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
* These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for definitions of key writing types.’
Taken from Common Core Standards (www.corestandards.org)
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2014 Iredell-Statesville Schools – Earth Science
Science as Inquiry
Traditional laboratory experiences provide opportunities to demonstrate how science is constant, historic, probabilistic, and replicable. Although there are no fixed steps that all scientists follow, scientific investigations usually involve collections of relevant evidence, the use of logical reasoning, the application of imagination to devise hypotheses, and explanations to make sense of collected evidence. Student engagement in scientific investigation provides background for understanding the nature of scientific inquiry. In addition, the science process skills necessary for inquiry are acquired through active experience. The process skills support development of reasoning and problem-solving ability and are the core of scientific methodologies.
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/standards/new-standards/science/6-8.pdf
Year at a Glance:
1st Half of Semester -
EEn.1.1 Explain the Earth’s role as a body in space.
1.1.3 I can explain how the sun produces energy which is transferred to the Earth by radiation.
EEn.2.1 Explain how processes and forces affect the lithosphere.
2.1.1 I can explain how the rock cycle, plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes impact the lithosphere.
2.1.2 I can demonstrate the locations of volcanoes, earthquakes, and faults based on information contained in a variety of
maps.
2.1.3 I can describe how weathering, erosion, and soil formation affects Earth’s surface.
2.1.4 I can explain the probability of and preparation for geohazards such as landslides, avalanches, earthquakes and
volcanoes in a particular area based on available data.
EEn.2.2 Understand how human influences impact the lithosphere.
2.2.1 I can describe the consequences of human activities on the lithosphere focusing on mining, deforestation, agriculture,
overgrazing, urbanization, and land use.
2.2.2 I can compare the various methods humans use to acquire traditional energy sources (such as peat, coal, oil, natural
gas, nuclear fission, and wood)
EEn.2.8 Evaluate human behaviors in terms of how likely they are to ensure the ability to live sustainably on
Earth.
2.8.1 I can evaluate alternative energy technologies for use in North Carolina.
2.8.2 I can recognize the various agriculture/aquaculture techniques and their advantages and disadvantages.
2.8.3 I can explain how the human population impacts natural resources.
2.8.4 I can propose the reasons citizens should reduce, recycle, and reuse to reduce the impact on natural resources.
EEn.2.3 Explain the structure and processes within the hydrosphere.
2.3.2 I can make connections between surface water and groundwater and be able to use the water cycle to illustrate and
model those connections.
EEn.2.4 Evaluate how humans use water.
2.4.1 I can understand how humans use water, and the consequences of population growth, misuse and pollution of water.
2.4.2 I can understand the role of saltwater and wetlands in aquatic systems.
2nd Half of Semester –
EEn.2.3 Explain the structure and processes within the hydrosphere.
2.3.1 I can explain how water is an energy agent (currents and heat transfer).
EEn.2.5 Understand the structure of and processes within our atmosphere.
2.5.2 I can apply the basic concepts of atmospheric heating, air pressure, and relative humidity to the formation of air masses
and movement and interaction of fronts.
2.5.3 I can explain how circular storms form based on the interaction of air masses.
2.5.4 I can explain how weather maps are used to predict local weather patterns.
EEn.2.6 Analyze patterns of global climate change over time.
2.6.1 I can explain the difference between weather and climate.
2.6.2 I can explain changes in global climate due to natural processes.
EEn.2.5 Understand the structure of and processes within our atmosphere.
2.5.1 I can describe the structure and composition of Earth’s atmosphere.
2.5.5 I can explain how human activities affect air quality.
EEn.2.6 Analyze patterns of global climate change over time.
2.6.3 I can explain how deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels contribute to global climate change.
2.6.4 I can list and describe natural processes and man’s impacts on those processes that have led to more rapid sea level
rise.
EEn.2.7 Explain how the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere individually and collectively affect the
biosphere.
2.7.1 I can explain how biotic and abiotic factors determine biome classification (temperature, rainfall, altitude, type of plant,
latitude, type of animals).
2.7.2 I can explain why biodiversity is important to the biosphere.
2.7.3 I can explain how human activities impact the biosphere.
EEn.1.1 Explain the Earth’s role as a body in space.
1.1.1 I can explain how the formation of the solar system created the sequence of bodies and the relative motion that
defines our solar system. I can explain the hierarchy of the solar system compared to the Universe.
1.1.2 I can explain how the relative motions of the earth, sun, and moon cause ocean tides. I can explain the reason that
earth has four seasons based on the tilt of earth’s axis of rotation and earth’s motion relative to the sun. I can relate earth’s initial formation to its present day spherical shape.
1.1.4 I can explain how incoming solar energy makes life possible on Earth.
Earth Science x1st Half of Semester x 2nd Half of Semester
Earth in the UniverseEssential Standard:
Clarifying Objectives:
EEn.1.1 Explain the Earth’s role as a body in space.
EEn.1.1.1 Explain the Earth’s motion through space, including precession, nutation, the barycenter, and its path about the galaxy.
EEn.1.1.2 Explain how the Earth’s rotation and revolution about the Sun affect its shape and is related to seasons and tides.
EEn.1.1.3 Explain how the sun produces energy which is transferred to the Earth by radiation.
EEn.1.1.4 Explain how incoming solar energy makes life possible on Earth.
Unpacking: What does this standard mean that a student will know and be able to do?
EEn.1.1.1
• Explain the origin of the Earth’s motion based on the origin of the galaxy and its solar system.
• Recall Earth’s role in the hierarchy of organization within the universe and in the developmental continuum. (Universe is made of
galaxies which are made of many stars. Some stars have planetary systems similar to our solar system. Earth is a satellite planet of one
particular star.)
• Explain planetary orbits, especially that of the Earth, using Kepler’s laws.
• Explain relative motion of the Earth in the solar system, the solar system in the galaxy, and the galaxy in the universe—including the
expanding nature of the universe; Orbital motion (Earth around the Sun- once/year, seasons depend upon an approximate 23.5 degree
tilt); Rotation around our axis (day/night,)
• Explain Precession—change in direction of the axis, but without any change in tilt—this changes the stars near (or not near) the Pole,
but does not affect the seasons (as long as the angle of 23.5 degrees stays the same)
• Explain nutation—wobbling around the precessional axis (This is a change in the angle—½ degree one way or the other. This occurs
over an 18 year period and is due to the Moon exclusively. This would very slightly increase or decrease the amount of seasonal
effects.)
• Explain barycenter—the point between two objects where they balance each other (For example, it is the center of mass where two or more celestial bodies orbit each other. When a moon orbits a planet, or a planet orbits a star, both bodies are actually orbiting around a
point that lies outside the center of the primary (the larger body). For example, the moon does not orbit the exact center of the Earth,
but a point on a line between the Earth and the Moon approximately 1,710 km below the surface of the Earth, where their respective
masses balance. This is the point about which the Earth and Moon orbit as they travel around the Sun.
• Summarize that the Sun is not stationary in our solar system. It actually moves as the planets tug on it, causing it to orbit the solar system's barycenter. The Sun never strays too far from the solar system barycenter.
EEn.1.1.2
• Describe daily changes due to rotation, seasonal changes due to the tilt and revolution of the Earth, and tidal impact due to the gravitational interaction between the Earth and moon.
• Develop a cause and effect model for the shape of the Earth explaining why the circumference around the equator is larger than that around the poles.
EEn.1.1.3
• Compare combustion and nuclear reactions (fusion and fission) on a conceptual level. Identify fusion as the process that produces radiant energy of stars.
• Identify the forms of energy (electromagnetic waves) produced by the sun and how some are filtered by the atmosphere (X-rays, cosmic rays, etc.).
• Summarize how energy flows from the sun to the Earth through space.
EEn.1.1.4
• Explain how the tilt of the Earth’s axis results in seasons due to the amount of solar energy impacting the Earth’s surface.
• Explain differential heating of the earth’s surface (water temperature vs. land temperature)
• Explain how solar energy is transformed into chemical energy through photosynthesis.
• Explain how the earth’s magnetic field protects the planet from the harmful effects of radiation.
Essential Vocabulary: procession, barycenter, nutation, nuclear fusion
Learning Targets: “I Can” / Criteria For Success: “I Will”
1.1.1 I can explain how the formation of the solar system created the sequence of bodies and the relative motion that defines our solar system.
I can explain the hierarchy of the solar system compared to the Universe. / I will be able to describe the motions of precession and nutation and their effect on Earth’s orbit around the sun.
I will be able to describe Earths primary motions relative to those of the solar system and galaxy.
I will be able to demonstrate how bodies in space both create and are affected by the gravitational attraction of adjacent bodies, resulting in elliptical orbits (motion).
I will be able to explain barycenter.
1.1.2 I can explain how the relative motions of the earth, sun, and moon cause ocean tides.
I can explain the reason that earth has four seasons based on the tilt of earth’s axis of rotation and earth’s motion relative to the sun.
I can relate earth’s initial formation to its present day spherical shape. / I will be able to demonstrate the relative positions of the earth during different seasons.
1.1.3 I can explain how the sun produces energy which is transferred to the Earth by radiation. / I will identify combustion and burning objects.
I will describe compare and contrast nuclear fusion and fission.
I will be able to explain the process of energy transference in a star.
I will be able to explain the equilibrium between gravity and particle motion in the core of a star.
I will navigate the electromagnetic spectrum and identify features of associated wave energy.
1.1.4 I can explain how incoming solar energy makes life possible on Earth. / I will explain how the seasons are a result of the Earth’s tilted axis and the amount of solar energy that Earth receives.
x1st Half of Semester o 2nd Half of Semester