Download SOL`s COVERED QUARTER 2

SOL’s COVERED QUARTER 2
Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic (& LS. 1)
6.1
The student will plan and conduct investigations in which
a) observations are made involving fine discrimination between similar objects
and organisms;
a) a classification system is developed based on multiple attributes;
b) precise and approximate measurements are recorded;
c) scale models are used to estimate distance, volume, and quantity;
d) hypotheses are stated in ways that identify the independent (manipulated) and
dependent (responding) variables;
e) a method is devised to test the validity of predictions and inferences;
f) one variable is manipulated over time, using many repeated trials;
g) data are collected, recorded, analyzed, and reported using appropriate metric
measurements;
h) data are organized and communicated through graphical representation
(graphs, charts, and diagrams);
i) models are designed to explain a sequence; and
j)
an understanding of the nature of science is developed and reinforced.
Interrelationships in Earth/Space Systems
6.8
The student will investigate and understand the organization of the solar system
and the relationships among the various bodies that comprise it. Key concepts
include
a) the sun, moon, Earth, other planets and their moons, meteors, asteroids, and
comets;
b) relative size of and distance between planets;
c) the role of gravity;
d) revolution and rotation;
e) the mechanics of day and night and the phases of the moon;
f) the unique properties of Earth as a planet;
g) the relationship of the Earth’s tilt and the seasons;
h) the cause of tides; and
i)
the history and technology of space exploration
Matter
6.5
The student will investigate and understand the unique properties and
characteristics of water and its roles in the natural and human-made environment.
Key concepts include
a) water as the universal solvent;
b) the properties of water in all three states;
c) the action of water in physical and chemical weathering;
d) the ability of large bodies of water to store heat and moderate climate;
e) the origin and occurrence of water on Earth;
f) the importance of water for agriculture, power generation, and public health;
and
g) the importance of protecting and maintaining water resources.
Scheduled Tests: (Dates subject to change)
SOL 6.8 Unit Test – 11/23 & 11/24
SOL 6.5 Unit Test – 12/7 & 12/8
Benchmark Test – 12/26 & 12/27
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Our planet, Earth, is one of the eight planets in our solar system. A planet is a
body in space that moves in a curved path around a star, such as our sun. All of the
planets in our solar system are very different from each other. Our solar system also
contains many other space objects.
A solar system includes all the planets, moons, and other objects that revolve
around a star. Our solar system includes the sun, eight planets, their moons, and various
comets, asteroids, and other small bodies. The solar system also contains large clouds of
dust and gas.
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are called the inner planets because they are
closest to the sun. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are called the outer planets.
The inner planets are relatively small. They are made mainly of rock and iron,
and have few or no moons. The outer planets are large, gaseous, and made mainly of
hydrogen, helium, and ices. The outer planets have rings and moons.
Until recently, a small, rocky body beyond Neptune called Pluto was considered a
planet. In 2006, a group of astronomers, scientists who study the universe, voted to
redefine what makes a space object a planet. As a result, they reclassified Pluto as a
dwarf planet. Two other small bodies, Ceres and Eris, have also been classified as dwarf
planets. However, not all scientists agree with the new definitions.
A moon is a natural object that revolves around a planet. Earth has one moon.
The outer planets each have many moons. Only two planets, Mercury and Venus, have
no moons. Most moons are solid or partly solid. Earth’s moon and the two moons of
Mars are mode of rocky material.
Asteroids are large pieces of space rock with irregular shapes. Most are found in
the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. They can collide with objects such as Earth’s
moon, creating huge craters on the surface.
Comets are bodies made up of ice, dust, and small gritty particles. As they
approach the sun, the ice turns to gas, producing a spectacular streak that is often referred
to as a tail. Comets come from a region beyond Pluto’s orbit called the Oort cloud. This
region is filled with billions of comets.
Meteoroids are pieces of rock or dust that are smaller than asteroids. When
meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere, the usually burn up and produce streaks of light
called meteors. Those that land on Earth are called meteorites.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION –
Why can you see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn with your eyes alone
but not Uranus or Neptune?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
SOL QUESTIONS –
1. Which characteristics do all the inner planets share?
a. They all have moons
b. They all are gaseous
c. They are all solid and rocky
d. They are all larger than Earth
2. Which characteristics do all the outer planets share?
a. They all have moons
b. They all are gaseous
c. They are all solid and rocky
d. They are all larger than Earth
3. Which gives the correct order of the outer planets, starting with the planets closest to
the sun?
a. Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
b. Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune
c. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
d. Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus
WORD OF THE DAY –
PLANET ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
NOTES – GALAXIES: Fill in the blank with the correct term.
Enormous
Elliptical
Spiral
Core
Milky Way
Gravitational
Irregular
Stars
Shapes
A galaxy is a large group of ______________________, dust, and gases that hold
together because of their ____________________ pull on one another. There are three
principal types of galaxies. _______________________ galaxies have spiral arms that
wind outward from a central ________________________. Our galaxy, the
_________________________________, is this type. _____________________
galaxies are the most common type of galaxy. They are shaped sort of like footballs.
Some are ________________________, and others are relatively small.
______________________ galaxies have a variety of ___________________________
and sizes that are less common than the other types.
PLANETARY MOVEMENT & GRAVITY
If you could travel far above the solar system and look down on it, you would see
all of the planets moving around the sun in a counterclockwise direction. The movement
of a body in space around another body is called a revolution. The path that a revolving
body takes is called its orbit. One revolution is one complete path, or orbit.
In addition, all of the planets except Venus and Uranus rotate, or spin, on their
axes in the same direction as seen from above. The movement of a space object turning
on its own axis is called a rotation. An axis is an imaginary line that runs through the
center of a planet or another body. One rotation is one complete turn on an axis.
If you could look at the solar system form the side, you would see that the solar
system looks relatively mostly flat, like a pancake, because most of the planets orbit in
the same plane. Only Mercury and the dwarf planet Pluto have inclined (slanted) planes.
In general, the mini systems of the planets and their moons follow the same
pattern. The moons mostly orbit in flat around their planets in a counterclockwise
direction (as seen from above). But some of the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune
have slanted and/or clockwise orbits.
The sun is the center of our solar system. The eight planets, including Earth,
revolve around it. What keeps the planets in orbit? What keeps them from flying off into
space? The answer is a force called gravity. The force of gravity is a force that pulls
objects towards each other.
The force of attraction between two objects depends on two things – mass and
distance. Mass is the amount of matter in an object. The more mass two objects have,
the larger the force of gravity. Earth has a large mass, so the gravitational force between
Earth your body is large, even though your mass is quite small.
The mass of the sun is much greater than the mass of the Earth. So why do you
stay on Earth instead of flying off into the sun? The answer is distance. The larger the
distance between two objects, the smaller the gravitational force between them. The sun
is so far away from you that you do not feel the pull of gravity between the sun and your
body. The force is not zero, but too small to detect.
Earth, too, is far from the sun. But the Earth’s mass is much greater than the mass
of your body. The masses of Earth and sun make the pull of gravity between them largelarge enough to keep Earth in its orbit.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION –
How is the planet Mercury able to stay in its orbit without falling into the sun or
speeding off into space?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
SOL QUESTIONS –
1. Which statement describes how the sun and a planet are related?
a. A planet revolves around the sun
b. The sun revolves around a planet
c. A planet rotates on its axis
d. The sun rotates on its axis
2. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
a. All planets revolve around the sun in the same direction
b. All moons revolve directly around the sun
c. Most planets orbit the sun in the same plane.
d. Most planets rotate on their axes in the same direction.
3. Where in the universe does gravity act?
a. nowhere
c. only on Earth
b everywhere
d. only between the sun and planets
4. Which statement about the force of gravity is TRUE?
a. the smaller the masses of two objects, the larger the force of gravity
between them
b. the smaller the distance between two objects, the larger the force of
gravity between them
c. distance affects the force of gravity, but distance does not
d. mass affects the force of gravity, but distance does not
WORD OF THE DAY –
REVOLUTION ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
ROTATION –
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
EARTH’S ROTATION & REVOLUTION
Why is a day always 24 hours long? Why is it night in one part of the Earth and
day in another? Why is a year not 380 or 250 days? These questions can all be answered
by looking at the movements of Earth.
When you wake up in the morning, it is daylight. At the end of the day, when you
go to sleep, it is dark. This pattern repeats day after day. The reason for day and night is
the movement of the Earth. Earth rotates on its axis.
During the day, the sun seems to move across the sky. But it is really Earth that is
moving. The sun stays in one place, and the sun spins east on it axis. Earth’s rotation
causes the sun to appear in the east at sunrise. As the Earth keeps spinning, the sun
appears to move across the sky and finally set in the west. The next morning the cycle
repeats.
Earth rotates fast – at a speed about 1670 km/hr at the equator. But you do not
feel the motion because the speed does not change. Think of the way you feel when you
ride in a car. You may be speeding down the road, but you do not feel yourself moving
forward as long as your speed is consistent. You feel the motion only when the car slows
down, speeds up, or turns. You would feel Earth spinning only if the motion changed
suddenly. Luckily that does not happen.
Earth is constantly rotating. At the same time, it is also moving in a path around
the sun. Imagine you are in an empty classroom with only a lamp in the center of the
room. You start spinning around in place. At the same time that you are spinning
around, you begin to circle the lamp. Every time you spin and face the lamp, another day
has passed. When you have completed a circle around the lamp, a year has passed.
Earth’s movement around the sun is called its revolution. We call one revolution
around the sun in one year. Earth completes 365 ¼ rotations during the time the planet
takes to complete one revolution. SO one year on Earth lasts 365 ¼ days.
Other objects in the solar system also revolve around the sun. All planets,
including Earth, revolve in elliptical, or oval, paths in the same direction. Each planet
has its own path. The time a planet takes to complete one revolution depends on the
planet’s distance to the sun. One year on Jupiter takes almost 12 Earth years, while one
year on Mars takes almost 2 Earth years.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION –
Would we experience day and night if Earth did not rotate? Explain your answer.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
SOL QUESTIONS –
1. As Earth rotates on its axis, what does the part facing the sun experience?
a. winter
b. daytime
c. summer
d. nighttime
2. How long does it take Earth to take one complete rotation?
a. 1 year
b. 20 hours
c. 24 hours
d. 36 hours
3. What defines one year on Earth?
a. the time Earth takes to complete one rotation
b. the time Earth takes to complete on revolution
c. the time the moon takes to complete one revolution around Earth
d. the time Earth take to complete 365 revolutions
4. How does one revolution of Mars compare with one revolution of Earth?
a. Mar’s revolution takes longer to complete
b. Mar’s revolution follows the same path around the sun
c. Mar’s revolution takes less time to complete
d. Mar’s revolution follows a path in the opposite direction
WORD OF THE DAY –
SATELLITE ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
NOTES – Draw a picture describing the Earth’s rotation and revolution around the sun.
Be sure to label each.
PHASES OF THE MOON
Sometimes the moon is full and looks round. At other times, it is only a small
sliver in the sky. The moon goes through phases, or different shapes from out viewpoint
on Earth.
When the moon is full, moonlight shines down on Earth. Sometimes the light is
so bright during a full moon that you can see shadows in the moonlight. However, this
light does not come from the moon itself. The surface of the moon acts like a mirror.
The light that seems to come from the moon is actually light form the sun reflected off
the moon. The sun always shines on half of the moon. During a full moon, the moon’s
bright side faces Earth.
The moon itself is always a round ball in space, with one-half lit by the sun. So
why the moon’s shapes seem to change when we look at it from Earth? The apparent
shape of the moon depends on its position in relation to Earth and the sun. As the moon
moves in its orbit around Earth, we see different amounts of the half lit by the sun. The
different shapes that the moon appears to have as seen from the Earth are called the
moon’s phases.
The full moon is one of these phases. The average time from one full moon to the
next full moon is 29.5 days. That is because the moon takes about 29.5 days to make one
revolution around Earth. We call this a month. During this time, the moon appears to
shrink and grow. When the shape that we see is getting smaller the moon is said to be
waning. When the shape is getting larger, the moon is said to be waxing.
The phase called a new moon happens when the moon is between Earth and sun.
The bright side of the moon always faces away form Earth, so all we see from Earth is
the dark side. A new moon looks like no moon at all.
As it moves in its orbit, it is no longer directly between Earth and the sun. We
can see more of its lit half. The next phase after a new moon is called a waxing crescent.
It is a crescent shape that gradually gets bigger.
Another few days pass, half of the bright side of the moon is visible from Earth.
The phase is called a first-quarter moon because the moon has completed one-quarter of a
full revolution. The next phase, when most of the moon’s bright side faces Earth is called
a waxing gibbous moon.
When the moon has moved halfway around its orbit, the whole lit side of the
moon faces Earth. At this point, we see the phase called a full moon.
After a full moon, we begin to see less of the lit half of the moon. The moon is
said to be waning. As the bright side of the moon starts facing away from the Earth, we
see a waning gibbous.
After a few more days pass, more of the bright side of the moon is facing away
from us. When half of the bright surface of the moon is facing away form us, we see
third-quarters of a revolution. This phase is also called a last-quarter moon because the
moon is at the beginning of the last quarter of its orbit. As the moon wanes more, we see
a waning crescent. Finally, the bright side of the moon is turned completely away form
us, and we see a new moon again. The cycle starts over.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION –
What causes the part of the moon we see each night to change?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
SOL QUESTIONS –
1. About how long does it take for the moon to go from one new moon to the next new
moon?
a. 24 hours
b. 45 days
c. 29.5 days
d. 60 days
2. How long much of the lit side of the moon is visible during a full moon?
a. none
b. most
c. half
d. all
3. Which of these phases is seen right before the full moon?
a. new moon
b. waxing gibbous
c. third quarter
d. waning gibbous
4. What’s the source of the moon’s light?
a. Earth
c. the sun
b. the moon
d. the stars
WORD OF THE DAY –
WANING ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
WAXING –
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
NOTES – Phases of the moon
EARTH’S SEASONS
In many parts of the Earth, the temperature changes with the seasons during the
year. Earth’s title on its axis and the planet’s movement around the sun cause the
temperature changes that create winter, spring, summer, and fall.
As the seasons change, you notice changes in the weather. The summer is hot.
The winter is much cooler. Why does the temperature change during different seasons?
The changes occur because the Earth’s movement and tilt. You know that the
Earth rotates on its axis. This causes day and night. Earth also revolves around the sun.
The path around the sun is the planet’s orbit. Earth takes one year to go all the way
around the sun one time. One trip around the sun is one revolution.
How does the tilt cause the difference in temperatures that results in seasons?
Because Earth is tilted, the sun’s rays strike Earth at different angles at different times of
the year. The hemisphere, or half, of the Earth tilted toward the sun has summer. The
hemisphere tilted away from the sun has winter. When neither hemisphere is tilted
toward the sun, it is called spring or fall.
In simmer in Virginia, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun. The tilt
makes the sun’s rays more direct in the summer. Think of the sun shining down directly
overhead on a hot summer day. The sun’s rays shine down on you directly and make you
feel hot. When the sun is shining on you from lower in the sky, such as at the end of the
day or on a winter day, the sun’s rays do not warm you as much. The rays come from a
different angle. They are less direct, so less energy reaches you.
In winter in Virginia, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun. The
sun’s rays are less direct than in summer, and the temperatures are not as warm. The
length of daylight each day also changes with the seasons. This has an effect on the
temperature of the seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere, the period of daylight gets
longer every day from December 21 to June 21. In the summer, there are more hours of
daylight than winter. So not only are the sun’s rays more direct, but the sun also heats the
Earth’s surface longer each day. From June 21 to December 21, the period of daylight
gets shorter each day. In winter, the sun’s rays are less direct, and there are fewer hours
of daylight. As a result, temperatures are lower in winter.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION –
How does the Earth’s tilt explain mild temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
SOL QUESTIONS –
1. Why is summer warmer than winter in Virginia?
a. because Virginia is closer to the sun in summer than in winter
b. because Earth’s tilt changes the weather patterns on Earth
c. because Earth’s tilt causes Earth to revolve more slowly in the summer
d. because Earth’s tilt causes Virginia to receive more direct, stronger
light in the summer
2. What is the main difference between seasons in some tropical areas near the equator?
a. amount of precipitation
b. temperature
c. length of daylight and darkness d. amount of vegetation
3. What day is the longest day of the year?
a. December 21
c. June 21
b. September 21
d. March 21
4. what day is the shortest day of the year?
a. December 21
c. June 21
b. September 21
d. March 21
WORD OF THE DAY –
SOLSTICE ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
EQUINOX –
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
NOTES – Label the descriptions with June solstice, December solstice, March/September
equinox.
1. Both of the Earth’s hemispheres receive the same amount of energy .
________________________________
2. The south end of the Earth’s axis is tilted towards the sun.
________________________________
3. The north end of the Earth’s axis is tilted towards the sun.
________________________________
EXPLORATION OF SPACE
Space exploration truly began October 4, 1957, when the first artificial satellite
was launched. A satellite is any object that revolves around another object. The moon is
often described as a natural satellite of Earth. An artificial satellite is a spacecraft sent
into orbit around Earth or another body so that scientists can gather information about the
universe. Named Sputnik, the first satellite was launched by the Soviet Union.
Today, thousands of artificial satellites orbit Earth. Gravity and inertia keep these
satellites orbiting the planet. Some satellites are used to gather scientific data about such
things as the planet’s weather and magnetic field. Others are used to transmit radio and
television waves.
On April 12, 1961, the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth in a
spaceship Vostok. His was the first piloted space flight. The United States launched the
Apollo 8 spacecraft in 1968. It was the first piloted voyage to the moon. Apollo 8 orbited
the moon 10 times before returning safely to Earth. The Apollo 11 lunar module landed
on the moon July 20, 1969. Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot
on the moon. United States astronauts made five more such landings by 1972, when the
Apollo lunar program ended
Since then, astronauts have preformed missions on space stations and have used
space shuttles. In the 1970s, astronauts worked aboard the Skylab and Salyut space
stations in orbit around the Earth. In 1981, the United States launched the space shuttle
Columbia, the first reusable spacecraft. Space shuttles carry crews and supplies to and
from the International Space Station. It has been under construction since 1998.
Although people have not yet traveled past the moon, unpiloted spacecraft called
space probes have been very useful in exploring more distant space. A space probe is a
space craft that carries scientific instruments to gather data but does not have a human
crew. These vehicles relay data back to Earth about other parts of the solar system.
Usually each space probe is designed with a specific type of mission in mind.
Some are designed to land on planets. Other probes are designed to travel around
planets. Each probe also includes special scientific instruments to collect data to perform
experiments. Space probes have collected data on the sun, Mercury, Mars, the moon,
Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and many of the moons of the planets. Recent
space probes have explored asteroids and comets.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION –
Why do you think scientists put greetings from Earth onto the Pionees space
probes?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
SOL QUESTIONS –
1. What advantage does the Hubble Space Telescope have in space?
a. its larger than other telescopes
b. the sun’s energy can keep it from freezing
c. the atmosphere cannot block light from reaching it
d. it does not move, so it takes better pictures of space
2. Which of these is NOT a satellite of Earth?
a. Pioneer 10
b. Hubble Space Telescope
c. moon
d. International Space Station
3. Which of the following is a spacecraft that carries scientific instruments to gather data
but does not have a human crew?
a. space probe
b. space shuttle
c. radio telescope
d. space station
WORD OF THE DAY –
TELESCOPE ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
SATELLITE –
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
NOTES – Do you think that it is important for human beings to explore space? Why or
why not?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________