Download Curriculum Map and Pacing Guide – Earth Systems

Curriculum Map and Pacing Guide – Earth Systems
Unit One – Earth’s Origins, Structure, and Composition
Dates
8/17/09-9/11/09
Unit Topics
Solar system formation
Standards
SES1a. Evolution of the
Earth and solar system
Earth’s formation and
composition
SES1a. Formation of
Earth’s solid layers
SES1b. Composition of the
Earth’s crust, mantle and
core
Determining the age of the SES1c. Use radioactive
Earth/its materials
isotopes to determine the
ages
Comparing solar system
objects
SES1b. Compare
composition to other
objects in the solar system
Origin of the ocean and
atmosphere
SES1d. Describe how the
Earth acquired it initial
oceans and atmosphere
Introduction to mantle
convection
SES1a. Mechanism by
which heat transfer drives
Teaching Strategies
Assessments
Construct analogies
between the formation of
solar system, atmosphere,
etc to daily activities of
students’ choosing (levels
1, 2, 3)
Differentiate the Earth’s
composition from other
solar system bodies and
cite evidence for the body
they feel is most
like/dislike the Earth
(levels 1, 2, 3)
***Develop a logical
argument for the age of
the Earth and critique
other students’ arguments
(1, 2, 3, 4)
plate tectonics
Unit Two – Plate Tectonics
Dates
9/14/09-11/6/09
Unit Topics
Classification of plate
boundaries
Standards
SES2. Distinguish among
different types of
boundaries by plates
diverging, converging and
sliding past one another
Geologic features
SES2b. Relate modern and
ancient features to
different settings
Geologic hazards
SES2c. Related geologic
hazards to different
settings
Formation of different
rock types and mineral
resources
SES2d. Relate different
settings to the production
of specific plate tectonic
settings.
Destruction of
sedimentary basins
SES2e. How plate tectonics
creates and destroys
sedimentary basins
Rock and carbon cycles
SES1e. The rock and
carbon cycles
Teaching Strategies
Assessments
Building the Theory of
Plate Tectonics Taskstudents collect , organize,
and display the findings
supporting this unifying
theory (levels 1, 2)
Musical Plates Activitystudents plot recent
earthquake and volcano
activity and analyze the
patterns in an effort to
explain the phenomena of
tectonic activity along
plate boundaries (levels 1,
2, 3, 4)
**Plate Tectonics Concept
Map- students will design
and construct a concept
map that connect s and
compares the major
concepts from the unit
(levels 1, 2, 3, 4)
Unit Three – Landforms and Landscapes
Dates
11/09/09-12/11/09
Unit Topics
Chemical and physical
weathering
Standards
SES3a. Surface and
groundwater as the major
agent of weathering
SES3d. The actions of ice
and wind
Soil formation
SES3b. How soils results
from weathering and
biological processes
Erosion and deposition
SES3e. Explain the process
that transport and deposit
material in basins
Mass wasting
SES3c. Describe the
process and hazards
associated with sudden
and gradual mass wasting
Landforms and landscape
evolution
SES3 Students will explore
the actions of water, wind,
ice and gravity that create
landforms and landscapes.
Teaching Strategies
Weathering, Erosion and
Deposition walk through
campus- introduce terms
and locate each on school
groups
Chemical and Mechanical
Weathering Lab
Words sort- categorize
and label terms for unit
Soil formation
presentation/animation
Assessments
Students will use a field
notebook to illustrate and
describe the different
levels of soil formation
and horizons on campus.
They will explain these
phenomena in terms of
the concepts previously
learned. (levels 1, 2, 3)
***Construct a model of a
student-chosen landform
for exhibition at the
“International Landforms
Museum.” Students will
observe and critique other
groups’ exhibits. (levels 1,
2, 3, 4)
Students will read the
story The Pebble in My
Pocket and construct a
storyboard/timeline of the
events using the correct
geological terms (levels 1,
2, 3)
Common Midterm – 12/14/09-12/18/09
Unit Four – Reconstruction of Earth’s Past
Dates
1/5/10-2/5/10
Unit Topics
Principles of relative age
Standards
SES4c. Apply the principle
of uniformitarianism
SES4a. Describe and apply
the principles of relative
age and how
unconformities are
created
Dating rock layers and
unconformities
SES4b. Interpret history of
successions of rock layers
Correlating rock layers
SES4d. Explain how
sedimentary rocks within
and across region are
correlated using various
tools
Interpreting past events
and environments
SES43. Use geologic maps
and stratigraphic
relationships to interpret
mass extinctions, major
Teaching Strategies
Pancakes and Relative
Dating Lab
Assessments
Relative Dating Exercisesstudents examine
interpret the a geologic
column and formulate a
description of the possible
causes of the strata
arrangement (levels 1, 2,
3)
Geologic Map of Bedrock
in Ohio activity- students
will identify relationships
and trends found in
geologic map and crosssection of Ohio. (levels 1
and 2)
***You’ll Never Guess
Where I Found This taskstudents will be presented
with fossil specimens
collected in the state of
Georgia, a fossil field
guide, and a geologic map
of Georgia and will be
asked to synthesize the
climatic changes, tectonic
events, etc.
location of their
excavation. (levels 1, 2, 3,
4)
Unit Five – History of Life
Dates
2/8/10-3/19/10
Unit Topics
Importance of water to life
on Earth
Standards
SES6a. Relate the nature
and distribution of life to
the availability of water
Biomes and climate
through time
SES5d. Describe how
patterns of temperature
and precipitation produce
different climate regions
SES6b. Relate biomes to
climate regions through
time
Teaching Strategies
Assessments
Students will research
events in Earth’s history
and construct a geologic
timeline foldable to
organize our planet’s
major developments to
use as a reference
throughout the unit (levels
1, 2)
Fossils as a record of life
SES6d. Describe how
fossils provide a record of
shared ancestry,
evolution, and extinction
that is best described by
natural selection
Students will collects
leaves and investigate the
correlation between their
size and margin to
estimate our areas climatic
conditions. Using this data,
they will hypothesize the
climatic conditions during
the formation of fossilized
leaf specimens.
Three profound
SES6e. Identify the three
***Students will choose a
major dinosaur clade and
innovations
evolutionary innovations
that profoundly Earth’s
atmosphere and terrestrial
and marine environments
Life influences on
geological processes
SES6c. Human activity
altering rates of geological
processes
hypothesize the benefits
of their unique
adaptations and their
possible habitats. Cited
evidence will be presented
to their classmates. (levels
1, 2, 3
Unit Six – Weather and Climate
Dates
3/22/10-5/14/10
Unit Topics
Hydrologic cycle
Standards
SES1e. Reservoirs and
transformations of water
Winds and ocean currents
SES5a. Explain how
latitudinal variations in
insolation cause currents
that redistribute heat
Air masses and weather
patterns
SES5b. Relate air masses
to the surfaces over which
they form
SES5c. Relate weather
patterns t interactions of
air masses, ocean currents
and topography
Extreme weather
SES5e. Describe the
hazards related the
hurricanes, tornadoes, El
Teaching Strategies
Assessments
Students will collect
atmospheric data for two
weeks, and using
comparisons to expected
cold and warm front
trends, analyze their
observations in order to
critique their findings
compared to what was
“supposed” to happen.
(level 1, 2, 3, 4)
Weather Test – multiple
choice, matching and short
answer
(levels 1, 2, 3, 4
***Which Hat Will You
Wear Climate Change taskstudents will work in
groups using the six
thinking hats questioning
Nino, La Nina, etc.
Climate change
May 17-21, 2010 – Final Exam
SES5e. Hazards related to
climate change
SES5f. Relate changes in
global climate to natural
and anthropogenic
changes in the
atmosphere
strategy to synthesize the
global change information
studied. (levels 1, 2, 3, 4)