COURSE: Earth/Environmental Science

I. Grade Level/Unit Number: 9 - 12 Unit 5

II: Unit Title: HYDROLOGY

III. Unit Length: 15 – 18 days (on a 90 min per day block schedule)

IV.  Major Learning Outcomes:

The student will gain an understanding of:

·  The role of the hydrosphere in shaping Earth’s surface

·  The mechanisms that generate ocean currents

·  The various processes and features of active shorelines the features that form there

·  Water resources and issues affecting water quality

·  The role of an increasing population on water demands

V.  Content Objectives Included (with RBT Tags):

Objective Number / Objective / RBT Tag
1.01 / Identify questions and problems in the earth and environmental sciences that can be answered through scientific investigations / B1
1.02 / Design and conduct scientific investigations to answer questions related to earth and environmental science:
·  Create testable hypotheses,
·  Identify variables,
·  Use a control or comparison group when appropriate, Select and use appropriate measurement tools,
·  Collect and record data,
·  Organize data into charts and graphs,
·  Analyze and interpret data,
·  Communicate findings. / B6
1.03 / Evaluate the use of satellite images and imaging techniques in Earth/Environmental Sciences / A4, B4
1.04 / Apply safety procedures in the laboratory and in field studies:
·  Recognize and avoid potential hazards.
·  Safely manipulate materials and equipment needed for scientific investigations. / C3
2.01 / Analyze the dependence of the physical properties of minerals on the arrangement and bonding of their atoms. / B4
2.03 / Investigate and analyze the processes responsible for the rock cycle:
·  Analyze the origin, texture and mineral composition of rocks.
·  Trace the path of elements through the rock cycle.
·  Relate rock formation to plate tectonics.
·  Identify forms of energy that drive the rock cycle.
·  Analyze the relationship between the rock cycle and processes in the atmosphere and hydrosphere. / B4
2.05 / Create and interpret topographic, soil, and geologic maps using scales and legends (flooding, deposition in delta, wetland buffers, primary and secondary streams, etc)
/ B6
4.01 / Evaluate erosion and depositional processes: formation of stream channels, nature and characteristic of sediments, effects on water quality, and effects of human choices on the rate of erosion.
/ A4
B4
4.02 / Analyze mechanisms for generating ocean currents and upwelling: Temperature, Coriolis Effect, Climatic influences.
/ B4
4.03 / Analyze the mechanisms that produce the various types of shorelines and their resultant landforms: Nature of underlying geology, Long and short term sea-level history, Formation and breaking of waves on adjacent topography, Human impact. / B4
4.04 / Evaluate water resources: storage and movement of groundwater, ecological services provided by the ocean and fresh water bodies, impacts of growing human population, natural and manmade contamination.
/ A4
B4
4.05 / Investigate and analyze environmental issues and solutions for North Carolina's river basins, wetlands, and tidal environments: Water quality, Shoreline changes, Habitat preservation. / B4
B6

VI. English Language Development Objectives (ELD) Included:

NC English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standard 4 (2008) for Limited English Proficiency Students (LEP)- English Language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of science.

Suggestions for modified instruction and scaffolding for LEP students and/or students who need additional support are embedded in the unit plan and/or are added at the end of the corresponding section of the lessons. The amount of scaffolding needed will depend on the level of English proficiency of each LEP student. Therefore, novice level students will need more support with the language needed to understand and demonstrate the acquisition of concepts than intermediate or advanced students.

VII.  Materials/Equipment Needed:

Activity / Materials
What is the role of water in the images / PowerPoint
projector
computer
Water Cycle / Drawing supplies such as: small poster paper,
Colored pencils,
Markers
Sample of water cycle on slide or transparency
Water Budget with SASinSchool / Access information for SASinschool
Computers with Internet access
One handout:
Balancing the (Water) Budget Handout
Spreadsheet program, such as Excel 2003, or graph paper
Calculator
Colored pencils
Virtual River / Access information for SASinschool
Computers with Internet access
Virtual River student pages
Stream Ecology / Access information for SASinschool
Computers with Internet access
Student worksheets
Project Wet: Get the Groundwater Picture / Computers with Internet access
Student worksheets
How many people can an aquifer support? / Computers with Internet access
Student worksheet
Watersheds: connecting weather to the environment / Computers with Internet access
Student worksheets
Water Quality For Freshwater Organisms / Cold, aerated pond water
800 ml beaker
minnow
hot plate
Celsius thermometer
ring stand
cork
stirring rod
Hach Dissolved Oxygen test kit
data table
graph paper

VIII.  Detailed Content Description:

Please see the detailed content description for each objective in the Earth/Environmental Science support document. The link to this downloadable document is in the Earth/Environmental Science Standard Course of Study at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/science/scos/2004/25earth

IX.  Unit Notes

Overview Of Unit Five

This unit is focused on the use of energy from the sun as it fuels the Water Cycle to replenish the Earth’s hydrology system. The Water Budget is an essential concept since we observe and record many human impacts in this category. While nature has a way of keeping things in check, human beings are known for having negative impacts on the natural cycling of water in Earth Systems. While learning about the water budget students will begin to see water as a resource worthy of protection. All living things depend on clean water and our climates are dependent on the availability of water in the atmosphere. Fresh Water is delivered to Earth’s surface via a variety of precipitation types. The intensity, frequency, and duration of water delivery impacts Earth’s surface through a number of stream and river systems, and erosion and deposition patterns. The interaction between the atmosphere and Earth’s surface is perhaps one of the most intriguing areas of study. It is in this area that humans have had a tremendous impact. Earth’s Oceans, The sun, wind, and Coriolis Effect provide the variables necessary for heat energy to be distributed around the globe. Water and air are the only “types of matter” that move from one place to another transporting characteristics of their areas of origin to new destinations.

Specifically, students will gain an understanding of:

ü  basic movement of water in the atmosphere, on the surface, and in the lithosphere

ü  the limited resource of water on the Earth

ü  how humans interact with and impact the water budget

ü  the purpose for conservation of water resources here in North Carolina

ü  the force of currents which shape shorelines

ü  the causes of heat energy distribution around the globe

9

Earth/Environmental Science- Unit 5 DRAFT

Vocabulary
Abyssal Plain
Alluvial Fan
Aquifer
Barrier Island
Beach
Benthic
Cone of Depression
Continental Margin
Continental Shelf
Coriolis Effect
Deep Ocean Basin
Deep Ocean Current
Delta
Desalination
Discharge
Fetch
Flood plain
Gradient
Groundwater
Headwaters
Hydrosphere
Impermeable
Levee
Longshore current
Meander
Neap Tide
Oxbow lake
Pelagic
Permeability
Plankton
Porosity
Reef
Refraction
Rip Current
River system
Salinity
Sea level change
Sediment load
Shoreline
Spring Tide
Stream load
Surface Currents
Thermocline
Tide
Trench
Turbidity Current
Undertow
Upwelling
Water Budget
Water cycle
Watershed
Wave characteristics

9

Earth/Environmental Science- Unit 5 DRAFT

In each unit, Goal 1 objectives which relate to the process of scientific investigation are included. In each of the units, students will be practicing the processes of science: observing, hypothesizing, collecting data, analyzing, and concluding.

The unit guide gives an overview of the activities that are suggested to meet the Standard Course of Study Goals for Unit Five. The guide includes activities, teacher notes on how to weave the activities into the content, and supplementary notes related to other issues such as preparation time and time to complete the activity. If a teacher follows this unit (s)he will have addressed the goals and objectives of the SCOS. However, teachers may want to substitute other activities that teach the same concept.

Teachers should also refer to the support document for Earth/Environmental Science at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/science/scos/2004/25earth for the detailed content description for each objective to be sure they are emphasizing the specified concepts for each objective.

Essential Questions for Unit Five:

Following are the essential questions for this unit. Essential questions are those questions that lead to enduring understanding. These are the questions that students should be able to answer at some level years after the course. These questions are designed to incorporate multiple concepts. Students will work on answering these questions throughout the unit. Teachers are advised to put these questions up in a prominent place in the classroom and refer to them during the teaching of the unit.

1)  Where is water located on Earth? How does it move?

2)  What is the role of water in shaping Earth’s surface?

3)  How do the variables in a given area influence the balancing of the water budget?

4)  How will water use in our river basin change over time?

5)  How might population growth impact water use in my river basin?

Modified Activities for LEP Students:

Those activities marked with a O have a modified version or notes designed to assist teachers in supporting students who are English language learners. Teachers should also consult the Department of Public Instruction website for English as a Second Language at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/esl/ to find additional resources.

Computer Based Activities

Several of the recommended activities are computer based and require students to visit various internet sites and view animations of various processes. These animations require various players and plug-ins which may or may not already be installed on your computers. Additionally some districts have firewalls that block downloading these types of files. Before assigning these activities to students it is essential for the teacher to try them on the computers that the students will use and to consult with the technology or media specialist if there are issues. Some of these animations also have sound. Teachers may wish to provide headphones if possible.

X.  Global Content: Aligned with 21st Century Skills

One of the goals of the unit plans is to provide strategies that will enable educators to develop the 21st Century skills for their students. As much as students need to master the NCSOS goals and objectives, they need to master the skills that develop problem solving strategies, as well as the creativity and innovative thinking skills that have become critical in today’s increasingly interconnected workforce and society. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills website is provided below for more information about the skills and resources related to the 21st Century classroom.

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=120

NC SCS Biology

/ 21st Century Skills / Activity
Communication Skills
1.01, 1.02, 2.01, 2.02, 2.04 / Conveying thought or opinions effectively
When presenting information, distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information
Explaining a concept to others
Interviewing others or being interviewed
Computer Knowledge
Using word-processing and database programs
Developing visual aides for presentations
Using a computer for communication
4.01, 4.05, 4.06 / Learning new software programs / ·  Water Budget
·  Stream Ecology
Employability Skills
Assuming responsibility for own learning / All activities
Persisting until job is completed / All activities
Working independently
Developing career interest/goals
Responding to criticism or questions
Information-retrieval Skills
4.04, 4.05 / Searching for information via the computer / ·  Water Budget
Searching for print information
Searching for information using community members
Language Skills - Reading
Following written directions / Most of the activities can be presented as opportunities for students to follow written directions. The teacher will have to work with most students to develop this skill over time. The following activities are well suited to developing skills in following directions:
§ 
4.01, 4.05 / Identifying cause and effect relationships / ·  Stream Ecology
Summarizing main points after reading
Locating and choosing appropriate reference materials
Reading for personal learning
Language Skill - Writing
Using language accurately
Organizing and relating ideas when writing
Proofing and Editing
Synthesizing information from several sources
Documenting sources
Developing an outline
Writing to persuade or justify a position
Creating memos, letters, other forms of correspondence
Teamwork
Taking initiative
Working on a team / Most of the activities are designed to be done and discussed in teams. The following activities are well suited to developing team interdependence skills:
Thinking/Problem-Solving Skills
4.01, 4.04 / Identifying key problems or questions /

·  Virtual River

4.01, 4.04 / Evaluating results /

·  Virtual River

4.01, 4.05 / Developing strategies to address problems / ·  Stream Ecology
Developing an action plan or timeline

Unit Guide: HYDROSPHERE

Total: 15 - 90 min days

ENGAGE: What is the role of water in the images? Show the PowerPoint with the images and ask the students to decide whether or not the feature is from fresh water processes or ocean water processes. The answers are found on the last 2 slides of the power point.

Time: 15 min

Slide 1
Slide 2
Slide 3
Slide 4
Slide 5
Slide 6
Slide 7
Slide 8
Slide 9
Slide 10

Alternative: Activate prior knowledge by opening up a short discussion on water movement (cycle). Have students brainstorm all the words they can think of that are part of the cycle with a short description of where and how it moves in and around the planet. Students should include the following vocabulary: evaporation, condensation, water vapor, precipitation, (hail, sleet, snow, rain, fog) run-off, infiltration, transpiration, etc. You could then collect all the words by writing them on the board for all the groups to use and group. Depending on the timeframe you have, the students could then draw a graphic organizer to show how each of these words are related.

Time: 15 min

Alternative: Activate prior knowledge:

Have students make a quick sketch of the water cycle. This is information that is taught in the 7th and 8th grade. Review terms such as precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, runoff, surface water, and groundwater. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclehi.html