Earth Science Curriculum: 6th Grade
Georgia Performance Standards: Year Curriculum Map
This document is part of a framework that is designed to support the major concepts addressed in the 6th Grade Curriculum of the Georgia Performance Standards through the processes of inquiry prior to the CRCT Testing period. These units are written to be stand alone units that may be taught in any sequence. The length of each unit is a suggestion. Unit length should be based on student performance. This framework includes approximately two weeks for review prior to CRCT testing.
1st 9 weeks / 2nd 9 weeks / 3rd 9 weeks
4
Unit 1 Intro to Earth Science / Unit:2
Universe and Solar System / Unit: 3
Earth, Moon, and Sun / Unit:4
Rocks and Minerals / Unit:5
Weathering and Erosion / Unit 6
Inside the Earth / Unit:7
Water in Earth’s Processes / Unit:8
Climate and Weather / Unit: 9
Human Impact / Life Science
Preview
1 Week / 2 weeks /

2 Weeks

/ 4 weeks / 3 Weeks / 4 weeks / 5 weeks / 5 weeks / 1 weeks / 4th 9 weeks
Process skills / Focus:
Historical scientific models
Solar System
Planets
Gravity
Comets, asteroids, and meteors / Focus:
Motion of objects in day/night sky
Relative position of earth, moon, and sun
Related Topic:
Tides / Focus:
Rock compositions
Classification of rocks
Rock formation processes / Focus:
Weathering, erosion, and deposition
Soil
Human activity/erosion
Conserving natural resources / Focus:
Earth’s crust, mantle, and core
Plate tectonics
Fossil evidence / Focus:
Earth’s water
Factors affecting water cycle
Subsurface topography
Currents, waves, and tides / Focus:
Tilt of the Earth
Effect of heat on weather patterns
Unequal heating of land and water
Sun’s relationship to wind and water energy
Wind and water energy
Ocean’s moisture and evaporation
Related Topics
Factors affecting water cycle / Focus:
Effects of human activity on erosion
Conserving natural resources
Renewable and nonrenewable resources

Earth Science Curriculum: 6th Grade

Georgia Performance Standards: Required Performance Assessments and Culminating Activities
Unit 1
Introduction to Earth science / Unit: 4
Rocks and Minerals
5 weeks / Unit: 5
Weathering and Erosion
3 Weeks / Unit: 6
Inside the Earth
4 weeks / Unit: 7
Water in Earth’s Processes / Unit: 8
Climate and Weather / Unit: 2 Universe and Solar System / Unit: 3
Earth, Moon, and Sun / Unit: 9
Human Impact
Performance Assessments
Select a minimum of three activities from the following list per unit or choose 3 comparable activities.
(Comparable activities must be sent to science coach for approval). Attached (A)
Using graduated cylinder McDougall GA 37 / Let’s Get Sedimental Holt Lab p. 645
Metamorphic Mash Holt Lab p. 647
Edible Rocks (chocolate, crayons, sugar)
Mineral ID McD. Pg 58-59
How do Rocks differ from minerals McD pg 75 / Sugar cubes in baby food jars Scan
Dune Movement, Holt Lab p. 676
Gliding Glaciers, Holt Lab p. 677
How Can Rocks Disappear McD pg 73
(This Performance assessment is for Unit 4)
/ Convection Connection Holt p. 656
Candy Bar Earthquake Deformation

Earth's Interior and Plate Tectonics Theory:
Watching a Pot Boil McD pg 183
Earth’s Moving Surface McD pg 183
Will Denser material sink or float? McD pg 185
Earth’s different layers McD pg 188
Movement of Continents McD pg 190
Chapter Investigation McD pg 196
What happens when plates move apart? McD pg 198
Explore Tectonic plates McD pg 206
Investigate convergent boundaries McD pg 209
How does pressure affect a solid material? McD pg 221
How can roks move along faults? McD pg 223
How does energy travel? McD pg 227
Why are some earthquakes deeper?McD pg 228
Investigate relative and absoulute age McD pg 298
What happens as materials are shaken? McD pg 236
Chapter investigation McD Pg 244
Making Mountains McD pg 251
Under Pressure McD pg 251
How does rocks fold? McD pg 253
How do fault block mt.Form? McD pg 258
What happens when a volcano erupts?McD pg 262
How does the shape of land affect mud flows? McD pg 275 / Water Cycle Holt p. 670
How NASA Studies Water
Air Pressure
McD Lab page 395 (Earth’s Water)
McD Lab page 364 (factors affecting water cycle)
McD lab page 427(factors affecting water cycle)
McD lab page 430 (subsurface topography)
McD lab pae 439 (currents, waves & tides)
(This Performance Assessment is for Unit 6)
/ Weather tracking Assignment Scan
Modeling Seasons McD pg 690
How does Earth’s shape affect solar heating McD p 543
What happens when air masses collide McD p 577
How does weather move McD p 573
How does Earth’s rotation affect wind? McD pg 545
How does reflection affect temperature? McD pg 513
How does heating affect air? McD pg 503
Janice VanCleave’s Tilted pg 180
Heating the atmosphere
/ How far is the Sun, Holt p.712
Why do they wander pg 714 Holt
I see the Light! Holt p.720
Size of Jupiter McD pg717
Planet formation McD pg 719
Football Field Scale (A)
Planet Layers McD pg 728
Crater Formation McD pg 746
Galaxy movement mcd pg 753
View of Galaxies McD pg 770
Galaxies Shapes McD pg 771
How big is a billion McD pg 775
Universe Expansion McD pg 778 / .Eclipses Holt p. 716
Phase of the Moon, Holt p. 717

Shadows Move McD pg 681
Moon bright McD pg 681
Day & Night McD pg 684
Seasons McD pg 690
Moon rotation McD pg 692
Moon phases McD pg 702 / Global Impact p. 700 Holt
Observing particulates McD pg 530
One part per million McD pg 402
Water Quality McD pg 410
Dripping Faucet McD pg 415
Required Culminating Activity
For Units 1-3
Rock and Roll
/
For Units 4-5
/
For Units 6-7

Each unit integrates laboratory experiences and field work using the process of inquiry.
NOTE:There are several strategies that are common throughout the units such as the use of a laboratory notebook, written laboratory reports, and common teaching strategies. Keeping in mind that the standards are recursive in nature, it should be noted that many of the standards are revisited in different units throughout the year. / GPS/End of Course
CRCT Testing
Geology Virtual Field Trips
/
  • Assorted trips from Antarctica to Ascension Island
  • A virtual field trip to Iceland. This site has several possible trip "itineraries" that can take a few hours to work through. Quizzes and teaching exercises are included.
  • Union College virtual field trip page
  • Helderbergs, MohawkValley area of New YorkState.

Earth Science Software (freeware and shareware)
/
  • Earth Centered Universe: Sky object location and animation software.
  • Graphmatica: Easy to use, yet powerful, graphing software.
  • Astronomy workshop tools, orbits, viewers, etc.

Title
/ URL
3-D Tour of the Solar System
/
Analyzing Meteorological Data From Mars
/
Ask a Geologist (US)
/
Can We Predict Volcanic Eruptions?
/
Carolina Coastal Science
/
Cool Fact of the Day
/
Dive and Discover: Expeditions to the Seafloor
/
Earth and Moon Viewer
/
Earth's History Is Just a Piece of Cake
/
Earth From Space
/
Earth History Resources
/

Earth, Moon, and Stars (GEMS)

/

Earth Today

/

The Environment (TV Series)

/

Exploring the Environment - Volcanoes

/

Exploring Wetlands with Satellite Remote Sensing

/

Fluffy Snow to Glacier Ice

/

Galapagos Geology on the Web

/

Geologic Animations and Paper Models

/

Geosphere Activities (Network Montana)

/

Glacier

/

Glacier Power

/

Glacier

/

GLOBE Soil Science

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GLOBE Program

/

Ice Ages

/

Investigating the Changing Polar Ice Caps

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Journey II the Center of the Earth

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Kids Do Ecology

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Landforms

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Learning Web

/

Exploring the Environment Mars Landing

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Model of Three Faults

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Exploring the Environment Mountain Gorillas

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The Noon Day Project: Measuring the Circumference of the

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Ocean Oasis - Baja California

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Paleomap Project

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Polar Connections

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Project IMAGE: A Manual of Image-based Activities Concerning Our Planet

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Rock Hounds With Rocky

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Science Netlinks

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Shake, Rattle, and Fall into the Ocean?

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Students and Teachers Exchanging Data, Information, and

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Exploring the Environment Strangers in Paradise

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Thursday's Classroom

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U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Home Page

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Volcanoes!

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Water Science for Schools

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