Download Sixth Grade Pacing Guide

Oceanography Pacing Guide
2011-2012
Time-Line
MP1
Topics-Core
Labs/Activities
Historical Oceanography
and Human Impacts
(3 weeks)
SOL Framework
Core Labs
1.1 The student will understand that oceanography is interdisciplinary and that
exploration, inquiry, and study are required to understand ocean processes.
Currently under revision
1.2 The student will understand the ocean is largely unexplored – less than 5%.
1.3 The student will perform basic math conversions, percentages, and scientific
notation.
1.4 The student will understand the timeline of events and discoveries that
illustrate the history of the study of oceanography and categorize major
events into the four major time periods: Ancient Uses and Exploration,
Middle Ages, European Voyages of Discovery, and the Birth and Growth of
Marine Science.
1.5 The student will discuss the accomplishments and impacts made in
oceanography due to the contributions of such people as Charles Darwin,
James Cook, Matthew Maury, Benjamin Franklin, John Harrison, and Jacques
Cousteau.
1.6 The student will briefly describe the impact of the expeditions of the
following ships on the field of oceanography: the H.M.S. Challenger, the
H.M.S. Challenger II, the Beagle, the Meteor, the Atlantis, the JOIDES
Resolution, and the Alvin.
1.7 The student will discuss the past and current usage of technology in the field
of oceanography including satellites, drifters, buoys, Remotely Operated
Vehicles (ROVs), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), and
submersibles.
1.8 The student will determine geographical locations using latitude and
longitude. This may include the use of GPS technology.
1.9 The student will understand that ocean affects every human life by:
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moderating Earth’s climate and influencing weather;
affecting human health;
providing food, medicine, and mineral energy resources;
provides jobs, supports economy, modes of transportation, and plays a
role in national security;
a source of inspiration, recreation, and an important element in the
heritage of many cultures
1.10
The student will understand that humans affect the ocean in many ways
including human development/pollution and physical modification (changes
to beaches, shores, and rivers), and have removed most of the large
invertebrates.
1.11
The student will understand that coastal regions are susceptible to
natural hazards (tsunamis, hurricanes, cyclones, sea level changes, and
storm surges).
Geological
Oceanography-origins
and seafloor features
(5 weeks)
2.1 The student will explain the origin of the Earth, the atmosphere, and the
oceans.
2.2 The student will locate the oceans and seas (North Atlantic, South Atlantic,
North Pacific, South Pacific, Indian, and Arctic) which covers 70% of the
planet’s surface.
2.3 The student will diagram a convection current.
2.4 The student will locate on a map the plate boundaries.
2.5 The student will construct an ocean floor profile and correctly label the
seafloor features.
2.6 The student will predict future changes of the ocean floor, such as size,
brought about by plate movement.
2.7 The student will investigate the unique characteristics of a hydrothermal
vent ecosystem.
MP2
Geological
OceanographySediments and coast
(3 weeks)
3.1 The student will describe the molecular structure of water and relate it to
the properties of water (adhesion, cohesion, surface tension, latent heat,
freezing, boiling).
3.2 The student will explain where salt comes from (eroding land, volcanic
emissions, reactions at the seafloor, and atmosphere deposition ), define
Chemical Oceanography
(2 weeks)
salinity, describe the factors that affect the salinity of ocean water, and
describe the means of measurement.
3.3 The student will distinguish between major, minor, and trace constituents of
seawater and be able to identify examples of each classification.
3.4 The student will explain the biogeochemical cycle including the water cycle,
nitrogen cycle, and carbon cycle and how it affects the ocean including the
sources and sinks of seawater components.
3.5 The student will identify the three-layered structure of the ocean as it relates
to temperature (thermocline), density (pycnocline), and salinity (halocline).
Ocean physics
(2 weeks)
4.1 The student will explain the importance of the water cycle to the ocean
environment:
 The ocean is connected to major lakes, watersheds, and waterways
because all major watersheds on Earth drain to the ocean
 Most rain that falls on land evaporated from the tropical ocean;
 Ocean absorbs solar radiation that reaches Earth;
 Ocean loses heat by evaporation which is released as water vapor,
condensing, and forming rain;
 Provides energy for hurricane and cyclones.
4.2 The student will describe how ocean temperature changes relate to the
development of hurricanes and explain their formation in respect to air
pressure, temperature, and wind patterns
4.3 The student will identify the formation of global wind patterns based on the
location of primary high and low pressure belts, the Coriolis Effect, and
locate the doldrums, tradewinds, prevailing westerlies, and polar easterlies.
4.4 The student will describe the relationship between global wind patterns and
the circulation of the oceans.
4.5 The student will explain the greenhouse effect.
4.6 The student will track hurricane movement and classify hurricanes based on
Safir-Simpson scale and the impact they have on the natural environment
and the global economy.
4.7 The student will explain how changes in the ocean circulation have produced
large abrupt changes in climate during the last 50,000 years.
4.8 The student will list and give the location of the major surface currents of
the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Indian Ocean.
4.9 The student will label currents as warm or cold and identify the western and
eastern boundary currents of the subtropical gyres.
4.10
The student will understand that the different type of currents and their
causes and their effect on global climate including:
 Surface and subsurface currents and causes;
 Ekman spiral and western intensification of currents;
 El nino/la nina phenomena;
 Upwelling and downwelling;
 Thermohaline currents;
 Antarctic and deep water currents;
 Density and salinity.
4.11
The student will predict how global climate change may affect
thermohaline circulation and the impact this may have on the natural
environment.
4.12
The student will define El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and explain
the changes that occur in world climatic pattern and the environmental,
social and economic impacts.
MP3
Meteorology
(4 weeks)
3.1 The student will explain the importance of the water cycle to the ocean
environment:
 The ocean is connected to major lakes, watersheds, and waterways
because all major watersheds on Earth drain to the ocean
 Most rain that falls on land evaporated from the tropical ocean;
 Ocean absorbs solar radiation that reaches Earth;
 Ocean loses heat by evaporation which is released as water vapor,
condensing, and forming rain;
 Provides energy for hurricane and cyclones.
3.2 The student will describe how ocean temperature changes relate to the
development of hurricanes and explain their formation in respect to air
pressure, temperature, and wind patterns
3.3 The student will identify the formation of global wind patterns based on the
location of primary high and low pressure belts, the Coriolis Effect, and
locate the doldrums, tradewinds, prevailing westerlies, and polar easterlies.
3.4 The student will describe the relationship between global wind patterns and
the circulation of the oceans.
3.5 The student will explain the greenhouse effect.
3.6 The student will track hurricane movement and classify hurricanes based on
Safir-Simpson scale and the impact they have on the natural environment
and the global economy.
Currents/waves/tides
(3 weeks)
3.7 The student will explain how changes in the ocean circulation have produced
large abrupt changes in climate during the last 50,000 years.
3.8 The student will list and give the location of the major surface currents of
the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Indian Ocean.
3.9 The student will label currents as warm or cold and identify the western and
eastern boundary currents of the subtropical gyres.
3.10
The student will understand that the different type of currents and their
causes and their effect on global climate including:
 Surface and subsurface currents and causes;
 Ekman spiral and western intensification of currents;
 El nino/la nina phenomena;
 Upwelling and downwelling;
 Thermohaline currents;
 Antarctic and deep water currents;
 Density and salinity.
3.11
The student will predict how global climate change may affect
thermohaline circulation and the impact this may have on the natural
environment.
3.12
The student will define El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and explain
the changes that occur in world climatic pattern and the environmental,
social and economic impacts.
MP4
Biological/Ecological
Oceanography
(9 weeks)
5.1 The student will understand that most of the oxygen in the atmosphere
originally came from photosynthetic organisms in the ocean.
5.2
The student will understand that the first life is thought to have started in
the ocean and the earliest evidence is found there.
5.3 The student will relate the distribution of life in the oceans to divisions of the
marine environment: benthic - littoral, sublittoral, continental shelf, bathyal,
abyssal, hadal and pelagic - epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathyal pelagic,
abyssalpelagic, hadalpelagic,.
5.4 The student will discuss various environmental factors that control the
distribution and behavior of marine organisms (temperature, salinity, and
pressure).
5.5 The student will compare and contrast the selected adaptive strategies of
the categories of marine life (plankton, nekton, and benthos).
5.6 The student will interpret dichotomous keys and use them to identify fish
and sharks.
5.7 The student will describe the basic classification of marine flora and fauna
including Eubacteria, Rhodophyta, Phaeophyta, Chlorophyta, Porifera,
Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Nemertea, Mollusca, Echinodermata, Arthropoda,
Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and Mammalia
5.8 The student will define primary production and the processes involved
including photosynthetic and chemosynthetic productivity.
5.9 The student will discuss limiting factors for ocean productivity and compare
and contrast productivity between polar, tropical, and temperate regions of
the Earth.
5.10
The student will draw a food web and a food pyramid for the organisms.
5.11
The student will define and discuss tropic levels, biomass pyramids, and
available energy.
5.12
The student will describe the various adaptations characterized by
pelagic organisms.
5.13
The student will distinguish between the various benthic environments
(littoral, sublittoral, continental shelf, bathyal, abyssal, and hadal) and the
adaptations characterized by the organisms inhabiting each environment.
5.14
The student will describe the flora and fauna of mud flats, sandy shores,
rocky bottom areas, coral reefs, and the deep ocean floor.
5.15
The student will understand that the deep ocean ecosystem
(hydrothermal vents and whale fall) rely on chemical energy and
chemosynthetic organisms to support life.
5.16
The student will describe the general conditions of the marine
environment and the biological impact on organisms.
5.17
The student will identify and explain the importance of marine resources
and demonstrate the economic value of the oceans .
5.18
The student will discuss human exploitation of marine resources.
5.19
The student will define and give examples of marine pollution analyze
the causes and effects of pollution on the marine environment.
5.20
The student will identify and evaluate environmental issues facing the
marine environment.
5.21
The student will discuss global climate change and how it is impacting
the marine environment.
The student will investigate coastal population growth and it’s impact on the
marine environment.