Download September Topic: Measurements/ Rocks and Minerals Grade: 8th

September
Topic: Measurements/ Rocks and Minerals
Grade: 8th Grade Earth Science
Big Idea:
Measurements can be converted from metric to empirical scale.
Minerals are used to identify specific rocks.
Sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks are formed under unique but interconnected processes
of weathering and erosion.
Essential Information:
Minerals have physical properties determined by their chemical composition and
crystal structure.
 Minerals can be identified by well-defined physical and chemical properties, such as
cleavage, fracture, color, density, hardness, streak, luster, crystal shape, and reaction
with acid.
 Chemical composition and physical properties determine how minerals are used by humans
Minerals are formed inorganically by the process of crystallization as a result of
specific environmental conditions. These include:
 cooling and solidification of magma
 precipitation from water caused by such processes as evaporation, chemical reactions, and
temperature changes
 rearrangement of atoms in existing minerals subjected to conditions of high temperature and
pressure.
Rocks are usually composed of one or more minerals.
 Rocks are classified by their origin, mineral content, and texture.
 Conditions that existed when a rock formed can be inferred from the rocks mineral
content and texture.
 The properties of rocks determine how they are used and also influence land usage
by humans.
Sediments of inorganic and organic origin often accumulate in depositional environments.
Sedimentary rocks form when sediments are compacted and/or cemented
after burial or as the result of chemical precipitation from seawater
Common Core State Standards: RST .6-8.2., RST .6-8.3., RST . 6-8.4., RST .6-8.6., RST .6-8.9.
Vocabulary: Elements, compounds, sedimentary
rock, igneous rock, metamorphic rock,
compaction, sedimentation, weathering, erosion,
crystalline structures, Mohs hardness scale,
cleavage, fracture, meter, isolines
Materials: Earth Science Reference Tables, rock
samples, mineral samples, meter sticks, rock and
mineral testing kits, triple beam balance
Tasks/Learning Objectives:
Determine the key symbols on the periodic table.
Determine the central ideas describing the formation of minerals.
Follow the multistep procedures of identifying minerals.
Follow the multistep procedures of identifying sedimentary rocks.
Follow the multistep procedures of identifying metamorphic rocks.
Follow the multistep procedures of identifying igneous rocks.
Analyze the explanations of erosion and weathering and determine their roles in the rock cycle.
Assessments: Minerals Quiz, Rocks Quiz, Weathering an Erosion Quiz, Earth Materials test
Labs: Lab Safety, Meter Measurement Conversions, Density, Acids and Bases, Identifying Minerals,
Identifying Sedimentary Rocks, Identifying Metamorphic Rocks, Identifying Igneous Rocks,
October
Topic: Plate Tectonics
Grade: 8th Grade Earth Science
Big Idea: The earth has differentiated layers with the earth’s interior. Through internal convection
currents, the surface of the earth is sliding past, colliding or separating creating landforms and
earthquakes.
Essential Information:
The outward transfer of Earth’s internal heat drives convective circulation in the
mantle that moves the lithospheric plates comprising Earth’s surface.
Properties of Earth’s internal structure (crust, mantle, inner core, and outer core)
can be inferred from the analysis of the behavior of seismic waves (including velocity
and refraction).
 Analysis of seismic waves allows the determination of the location of earthquake epicenters,
and the measurement of earthquake magnitude; this analysis leads to the inference
that Earth’s interior is composed of layers that differ in composition and states of matter.
Common Core State Standards: RST .6-8.2., RST .6-8.3., RST . 6-8.4., RST .6-8.7., RST .6-8.8.
Vocabulary: Tectonics, asthenosphere,
Materials: ESRT, Compass, Clay, Foss mapping kits
lithosphere, convection currents, p-waves, swaves, divergent boundary, convergent boundary,
transform boundary, normal fault, strike slip fault,
transform fault, volcano, earthquakes,
seismograph, moho
Tasks/Learning Objectives:
Provide a summary of facts on plate movements due to convection currents in the mantle.
Integrate technical information by creating a scale model of the inner layers of the earth.
Follow the multistep procedure of locating the epicenter of an earthquake.
Distinguish the facts of different plate boundaries and faults.
Determine the definition of subduction, convection, and divergence.
Integrate information onto isoline maps.
Assessments: Plate tectonic quiz, Earth’s Magnetic Field Quiz, Earthquakes and faults Quiz, Plate
Tectonics Test
Labs: Locating Earthquakes-seismic waves, Plotting earthquakes and volcanoes, Modeling Plate
Tectonic Boundaries, Isoline Mapping of a Mountain
November
Topic: Reproduction, Heredity and Evolution
Grade: 8 th Grade Earth Science
Big Idea: Heredity information is passed from parent to child through sexual or asexual reproduction.
Essential Information:
Hereditary information is contained in genes. Genes are composed of DNA that
makes up the chromosomes of cells.
Each gene carries a single unit of information. A single inherited trait of an individual
can be determined by one pair or by many pairs of genes. A human cell contains
thousands of different genes.
Each human cell contains a copy of all the genes needed to produce a human being.
In asexual reproduction, all the genes come from a single parent. Asexually produced
offspring are genetically identical to the parent.
In sexual reproduction typically half of the genes come from each parent. Sexually
produced offspring are not identical to either parent.
Describe simple mechanisms related to the inheritance of some physical traits in offspring.
Major Understandings:
In all organisms, genetic traits are passed on from generation to generation.
Some genes are dominant and some are recessive. Some traits are inherited by
mechanisms other than dominance and recessiveness.
The probability of traits being expressed can be determined using models of
genetic inheritance. Some models of prediction are pedigree charts and Punnett squares.
Some organisms reproduce asexually. Other organisms reproduce sexually. Some
organisms can reproduce both sexually and asexually.
Common Core State Standards: RST .6-8.1., RST .6-8.2., RST . 6-8.4., RST .6-8.3., RST .6-8.7.
Vocabulary: DNA, genetics, nucleus, RNA,
ribosomes, heredity, asexual reproduction, sexual
reproduction, mitosis, meiosis, mutations, cancer,
punnett square, recessive traits, dominant traits,
evolution, Charles Darwin
Materials: DNA kit from Harlem DNA Lab
Tasks/Learning Objectives:
Cite textual evidence describing the parts of a cell.
Determine the central ideas of DNA and chromosomes.
Determine the central ideas of the role of RNA.
Determine the meaning of mutations and its role in evolution.
Follow the multistep procedures of making models of DNA strands.
Follow the multistep procedures of Extracting DNA strands from banana.
Follow the multistep procedure of using a microscope.
Integrate genetic traits in a punnett square and a pedigree chart.
Assessments: Genetics and Traits Quiz, Mitosis and Meiosis Quiz, Heredity Test
Labs: DNA extraction, Microscope: Single cell organisms, Classifying Traits in fruit flies
December
Topic: Geologic Time Grade: 8th Grade Earth Science
Big Idea: The fossil record and special bedrocks interpret Geologic Time.
Essential Information:
The evolution of life caused dramatic changes in the composition of Earth’s
atmosphere. Free oxygen did not form in the atmosphere until oxygen-producing
organisms evolved.
The pattern of evolution of life-forms on Earth is at least partially preserved in the
rock record.
 Fossil evidence indicates that a wide variety of life-forms has existed in the past and
that most of these forms have become extinct.
 Human existence has been very brief compared to the expanse of geologic time.
Geologic history can be reconstructed by observing sequences of rock types and
fossils to correlate bedrock at various locations.
 The characteristics of rocks indicate the processes by which they formed and the environments
in which these processes took place.
 Fossils preserved in rocks provide information about past environmental
conditions.
 Geologists have divided Earth history into time units based upon the fossil
record.
 Age relationships among bodies of rocks can be determined using principles of original
horizontality, superposition, inclusions, cross-cutting relationships, contact metamorphism,
and unconformities. The presence of volcanic ash layers, index fossils, and
meteoritic debris can provide additional information.
 The regular rate of nuclear decay (half-life time period) of radioactive isotopes allows
geologists to determine the absolute age of materials found in some rocks.
Common Core State Standards: RST .6-8.2., RST .6-8.5., RST . 6-8.4., RST .6-8.7.,
Vocabulary: Index Fossils, Periods, Eons, Epochs,
Stromatolites, Half life, Carbon-14, Uranium-238,
Isotopes, Fossils, Orogeny
Materials: Earth Science Reference Table, Salt,
Sand, Tape-register Tape
Tasks/Learning Objectives:
Summarize the role of index fossils in geologic time scales.
Analyze smaller structures of geologic time to understand earth’s history.
Determine the meaning of rock cross-section principals.
Integrate fossil data into the geologic time table.
Determine how we calculate half-lives of radioactive compounds.
Assessments:
Geologic Time Quiz, Geologic Time Test
Labs: Earth Science Reference Table Scavenger Hunt, Modeling Geologic Time, Making Fossils
January
Topic: Landscapes
Grade: 8th Grade Earth Science
Big Idea: Landforms are created by weathering and erosion.
Essential Information:
Landforms are the result of the interaction of tectonic forces and the processes of
weathering, erosion, and deposition.
Topographic maps represent landforms through the use of contour lines that are
isolines connecting points of equal elevation. Gradients and profiles can be determined
from changes in elevation over a given distance.
Climate variations, structure, and characteristics of bedrock influence the development
of landscape features including mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys, ridges,
escarpments, and stream drainage patterns.
Weathering is the physical and chemical breakdown of rocks at or near Earth’s surface.
Soils are the result of weathering and biological activity over long periods of time.
Natural agents of erosion, generally driven by gravity, remove, transport, and
deposit weathered rock particles. Each agent of erosion produces distinctive changes
in the material that it transports and creates characteristic surface features and landscapes.
In certain erosional situations, loss of property, personal injury, and loss of life
can be reduced by effective emergency preparedness.
The natural agents of erosion include:
 Streams (running water): Gradient, discharge, and channel shape influence a
streams velocity and the erosion and deposition of sediments. Sediments transported
by streams tend to become rounded as a result of abrasion. Stream features
include V-shaped valleys, deltas, flood plains, and meanders. A watershed
is the area drained by a stream and its tributaries.
 Glaciers (moving ice): Glacial erosional processes include the formation of
U-shaped valleys, parallel scratches, and grooves in bedrock. Glacial features
include moraines, drumlins, kettle lakes, finger lakes, and outwash plains.
 Wave Action: Erosion and deposition cause changes in shoreline features, including
beaches, sandbars, and barrier islands. Wave action rounds sediments as a
result of abrasion. Waves approaching a shoreline move sand parallel to the
shore within the zone of breaking waves.
 Wind: Erosion of sediments by wind is most common in arid climates and along
shorelines. Wind-generated features include dunes and sandblasted bedrock.
 Mass Movement: Earth materials move downslope under the influence of gravity.
The amount of precipitation that seeps into the ground or runs off is influenced by
climate, slope of the land, soil, rock type, vegetation, land use, and degree of
saturation.
 Porosity, permeability, and water retention affect runoff and infiltration.
Common Core State Standards:
RST .6-8.2., RST .6-8.3., RST . 6-8.4., RST .6-8.7., RST .6-8.6., RST .6-8.9.
Vocabulary: Drumlins, moraines, V-shaped valley, Materials: ESRT, 3 feet tubes, beads, timer, sand,
U-shaped valley, Meander, Kettle lakes,
gravel, silt, clay. River bed kits
Deposition, weathering, Erosion, Mass
movements, Gradient, Profile, Correlations,
Glacier, Leeward, Windward, Dunes, unconformity
Tasks/Learning Objectives:
Determine the processes of erosion and weathering.
Summarize the properties of water based on the text.
Follow the multistep procedure of measuring velocity to size of meanders in a riverbed.
Follow the multistep procedure of measuring the sediment-settling rate due to size of particles.
Follow the multistep procedure of measuring porosity and permeability of different sediment sizes.
Determine the formation of key glacial landforms.
Compare different bedrock layers from different locations to isolate the unconformity.
Follow the multistep procedure of making bedrock layers.
Describe the procedures of creating sand dunes.
Describe the explanation given in the text relating water to mass movements.
Integrate elevation information on an isoline map and calculate the gradient and profile.
Assessments: Weathering Erosion Quiz, Rivers and Oceans Quiz, Glacial Landform Quiz, Landscapes
Test
Labs: Creating river beds, Porosity, Permeability, Particle settling rate, Scale model of the Ocean Floor,
Isoline mapping
February
Topic: Astronomy
Grade: 8th Grade Earth Science
Big Idea: The universe has evidence of the beginning of our solar system and the birth of the Universe
itself. A star gives clues about its stage in the life cycle and other properties through color and size.
Essential Information:
Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion.
 These motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, seasons, phases of the
moon, eclipses, and tides.
 Gravity influences the motions of celestial objects. The force of gravity between two
objects in the universe depends on their masses and the distance between them.
Nine planets move around the Sun in nearly circular orbits.
 The orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the Sun located at one of the foci.
 Earth is orbited by one moon and many artificial satellites.
The universe is vast and estimated to be over ten billion years old. The current theory
is that the universe was created from an explosion called the Big Bang. Evidence for
this theory includes:
 cosmic background radiation
 a red-shift (the Doppler effect) in the light from very distant galaxies.
Stars form when gravity causes clouds of molecules to contract until nuclear fusion
of light elements into heavier ones occurs. Fusion releases great amounts of energy over
millions of years.
 The stars differ from each other in size, temperature, and age.
 Our Sun is a medium-sized star within a spiral galaxy of stars known as the Milky
Way. Our galaxy contains billions of stars, and the universe contains billions of such
galaxies.
 Our solar system formed about five billion years ago from a giant cloud of gas and
debris. Gravity caused Earth and the other planets to become layered according to
density differences in their materials.
 The characteristics of the planets of the solar system are affected by each planets
location in relationship to the Sun.
 The terrestrial planets are small, rocky, and dense. The Jovian planets are large,
gaseous, and of low density.
Asteroids, comets, and meteors are components of our solar system.
 Impact events have been correlated with mass extinction and global climatic change.
 Impact craters can be identified in Earth’s crust.
Common Core State Standards:
RST .6-8.1., RST .6-8.2., RST .6-8.3., RST . 6-8.4., RST .6-8.7., RST .6-8.8.
Vocabulary: H-R diagram, Luminosity, Big Bang
Materials: ESRT, Cardboard, push pins, twine,
Theory, Black Hole, Red Shift, Doppler Effect,
rulers, register tape
Jovian Planets, Terrestrial Planets, Comets,
Asteroids, Eccentricity
Tasks/Learning Objectives:
Cite the textual explanation of the big bang theory.
Determine the central ideas of the Doppler effect.
Determine the properties of starts based on color and size-HR diagram.
Integrate solar system data into a scale model.
Distinguish the differences between Jovian and terrestrial planets.
Follow the multistep procedure of measuring eccentricity of orbits
Follow the multistep procedure of creating astrolabes to measure the altitude of Polaris.
Assessments: Stars Quiz, Planets Quiz, Orbits Quiz, Astronomy Test
Labs: H-R diagrams, Scale model of the solar system, Astrolabes, Eccentricity
March
Topic: Insolation and Earth’s Movements
Grade: 8 th Grade Earth Science
Big Idea:
Due to seasonal shifts and the tilt of the earth, The earth receives a varying degree to angles of
insolation and amount of daylight. Due to the rotation and revolution of the earth and moon, we have
solar and lunar eclipses.
Essential Information:
Insolation (solar radiation) heats Earth’s surface and atmosphere unequally due to
variations in:
 the intensity caused by differences in atmospheric transparency and angle of incidence
which vary with time of day, latitude, and season
 characteristics of the materials absorbing the energy such as color, texture, transparency,
state of matter, and specific heat
 duration, which varies with seasons and latitude.
The transfer of heat energy within the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and Earth’s
surface occurs as the result of radiation, convection, and conduction.
Earth’s coordinate system of latitude and longitude, with the equator and prime
meridian as reference lines, is based upon Earth’s rotation and our observation of the
Sun and stars.
Earth rotates on an imaginary axis at a rate of 15 degrees per hour. To people on
Earth, this turning of the planet makes it seem as though the Sun, the moon, and the
stars are moving around Earth once a day. Rotation provides a basis for our system of
local time; meridians of longitude are the basis for time zones.
The Foucault pendulum and the Coriolis effect provide evidence of Earth’s
rotation.
Earth revolves around the Sun with its rotational axis tilted at 23.5 degrees to a line
perpendicular to the plane of its orbit, with the North Pole aligned with Polaris.
During Earth’s one-year period of revolution, the tilt of its axis results in changes in
the angle of incidence of the Sun’s rays at a given latitude; these changes cause variation
in the heating of the surface. This produces seasonal variation in weather.
Seasonal changes in the apparent positions of constellations provide evidence of
Earth’s revolution.
The Sun’s apparent path through the sky varies with latitude and season.
Approximately 70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by a relatively thin layer of
water, which responds to the gravitational attraction of the moon and the Sun with a
daily cycle of high and low tides.
Common Core State Standards:
RST .6-8.2., RST .6-8.3., RST . 6-8.4., RST .6-8.6., RST .6-8.8., RST .6-8.9.
Vocabulary: Insolation, Revolution, Rotation,
Materials: Heat lamp, thermometers, sand,
Equinox, Solstice, Foucault Pendulum, Coriolis
water, ESRT
Effect, Tilt of the earth, Zenith, apogee, perigee,
perihelion, aphelion, lunar eclipse, solar eclipse
Tasks/Learning Objectives:
Determine the central ideas of the atmosphere and movements of earth (rotation and revolution)
Analyze the texts explanation of the coriolis effect and the Foucault pendulum.
Follow the multistep procedure of graphing the amount of insolation is received by all latitudes at each
solstice and equinox
Compare angles of insolation with tilt of the earth and seasonal shifts.
Determine the phases of the moon with its position in its orbit around the earth.
Determine he solar and lunar eclipses in relation to moons position in its orbit.
Assessments: Season’s Quiz, Eclipses Quiz, Insolation Test
Labs: Graphing Insolation during each season, Sun’s altitude (internet), Uneven heating of Land and
Sea, Time zones
April
Topic: Meteorology
Grade: 8th Grade Earth Science
Big Idea: The transfer of heat, moisture and the rotation of the Earth drive weather patterns.
Essential Information: The transfer of heat energy within the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and
Earth’s interior results in the formation of regions of different densities. These density
differences result in motion.
Weather patterns become evident when weather variables are observed, measured,
and recorded. These variables include air temperature, air pressure, moisture (relative
humidity and dewpoint), precipitation (rain, snow, hail, sleet, etc.), wind speed and
direction, and cloud cover.
Weather variables are measured using instruments such as thermometers,
barometers, psychrometers, precipitation gauges, anemometers, and wind vanes.
Weather variables are interrelated.
For example:
 temperature and humidity affect air pressure and probability of precipitation
 air pressure gradient controls wind velocity
Air temperature, dewpoint, cloud formation, and precipitation are affected by the
expansion and contraction of air due to vertical atmospheric movement.
Weather variables can be represented in a variety of formats including radar and
satellite images, weather maps (including station models, isobars, and fronts), atmospheric
cross-sections, and computer models.
Atmospheric moisture, temperature and pressure distributions; jet streams, wind;
air masses and frontal boundaries; and the movement of cyclonic systems and associated
tornadoes, thunderstorms, and hurricanes occur in observable patterns. Loss of
property, personal injury, and loss of life can be reduced by effective emergency
preparedness.
Seasonal changes can be explained using concepts of density and heat energy.
These changes include the shifting of global temperature zones, the shifting of planetary
wind and ocean current patterns, the occurrence of monsoons, hurricanes, flooding, and
severe weather.
Common Core State Standards:
RST .6-8.2., RST .6-8.3., RST . 6-8.4., RST .6-8.6., RST .6-8.9.
Vocabulary: Land breeze, Sea Breeze, Humidity,
Materials: ESRT, Thermometers, rulers
Dewpoint, Climate, Adiabatic Rate, Condensation,
Evaporation, Precipitation, Thermometer, Air
Pressure, Cyclone, Anticyclone, Hurricanes, Jet
stream, Winds, Coriolis effect
Tasks/Learning Objectives:
Determine the properties of each layer of the atmosphere.
Follow the multistep procedure of building and using a sling pyschrometer
Determine the amount of humidity in the air.
Compare high and low pressure systems.
Integrate cyclone and anticyclones on an isobar map.
Integrate hurricane positions on a map.
Calculate the gradient of air pressure on an isobar map.
Determine the key symbols on a station model
Determine the creation of clouds through condensation
Assessments: Weather Concepts Quizzes, Weather Test
Labs: Weather stations, Tracking Hurricanes, Psychrometer-humidity
May
Topic: Test Review
Grade: 8th Grade Earth Science
Big Idea: Reviewing science topics covered in 5th grade to 8th grade in preparation for the 8th grade
science test.
Essential Information:
Reviewing essential concepts for the 8th Grade Science Test:
1. Living systems: Organisms/Ecosystems
2. Heredity and Evolution
3. Human Systems
4. Earth’s Surface
5. Weather and Climate
6. Astronomy
7. Matter
8. Motion and Force
9. Energy
Common Core State Standards:
RST .6-8.2., RST .6-8.3., RST .6-8.10.
Vocabulary: Newton’s laws, Punnett Squares,
Asexual Reproduction, Force, Work, Velocity,
density, Gametes, Matter, Genetics, Humidity,
Solutions, Molecules, Chemical changes,
renewable resources, non renewable resources
Materials: Golf balls, rulers, microscopes, triple
beam balances, calculators
Tasks/Learning Objectives:
Determine the central ideas (pick any topic)
Follow the multistep procedure in finding density, sorting traits, measuring velocity and using a
microscope.
Read and summarize science text to review for the 8th Grade science test.
Assessments: review quizzes, sample 8th grade science tests
Labs: Performance tests review, Science fair exit projects
June
Topic: Test Review
Grade: 8th Grade Earth Science
Big Idea: Reviewing key concepts for the Earth Science Regents
Essential Information: Reviewing essential concepts for the Earth Science Regents:
1. Earth’s Surface
2. Weather and Climate
3. Astronomy
Common Core State Standards:
RST .6-8.2., RST .6-8.3., RST .6-8.10.
Vocabulary: Porosity, Permeability, Felsic, Mafic,
Rotation, Revolution, Degrees of Insolation,
Mineral identification, Climate, Mountain breeze,
Adiabatic rate, Dewpoint, Humidity, Settling rate,
Percent Error
Materials: Performance test supplies: mineral
samples, rock samples, tubes, timers, triple beam
balances, plastic domes, protractors
Tasks/Learning Objectives: Determine the central ideas (pick any topic)
Follow the multistep procedure in identifying rocks, identifying minerals, calculating settling rate,
measuring eccentricity and graphing a best-fit line.
Read and summarize science text to review for the Earth science regents.
Assessments: Regents Questions and Sample Tests
Labs: Performance test review