EL SEGUNDO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

EL SEGUNDO HIGH SCHOOL

 

COURSE OF STUDY

 

Course Title:     Earth Science

Department:      Science

Grade Level:     9

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

Earth Science provides the student with an overview of the earth’s processes, theories and principles.  This course investigates the earth’s place in the universe as well as its impact on the universe. 

 

Length:  One year

Prerequisite for enrollment:  C- or below in 8th grade science or placement in high school pre-algebra

Recommendation for enrollment:  Teacher Recommendation

Type of Course:  Meets high school graduation requirements

 

COURSE OUTLINE AND STANDARDS

Based on the California State Standards for Earth Science

 

Earth’s Place in the Universe

1. Astronomy and planetary exploration reveal the solar system’s structure, scale, and

change over time. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

As a basis for understanding this concept:

            a. Students know how the differences and similarities among the sun, the           terrestrial planets, and the gas planets may have been established during the     formation of the solar system. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            b. Students know the evidence from Earth and moon rocks indicates that the solar

            system was formed from a nebular cloud of dust and gas approximately 4.6

            billion years ago. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            c. Students know the evidence from geological studies of Earth and other planets

suggest that the early Earth was very different from Earth today. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            d. Students know the evidence indicating that the planets are much closer to Earth

            than the stars are. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            e. Students know the Sun is a typical star and is powered by nuclear reactions,            

            primarily the fusion of hydrogen to form helium. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            f. Students know the evidence for the dramatic effects that asteroid impacts have          had in shaping the surface of planets and their moons and in mass extinctions of         life on Earth. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving)

g. Students know the evidence for the existence of planets orbiting other stars. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

 

2. Earth-based and space-based astronomy reveal the structure, scale, and changes in

stars, galaxies, and the universe over time. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

As a basis for understanding this concept:

            a. Students know the solar system is located in an outer edge of the disc-shaped

            Milky Way galaxy, which spans 100,000 light years. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            b. Students know galaxies are made of billions of stars and comprise most of the

            visible mass of the universe. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            c. Students know the evidence indicating that all elements with an atomic number

greater than that of lithium have been formed by nuclear fusion in stars. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

d. Students know that stars differ in their life cycles and that visual, radio, and X-ray telescopes may be used to collect data that reveal those differences. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Effective Communication)

            e. Students know accelerators boost subatomic particles to energy levels that    simulate conditions in the stars and in the early history of the universe before stars   formed. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            f. Students know the evidence indicating that the color, brightness, and evolution           of a star are determined by a balance between gravitational collapse and nuclear

            fusion. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

g. Students know how the red-shift from distant galaxies and the cosmic background radiation provide evidence for the “big bang” model that suggests that the universe has been expanding for 10 to 20 billion years. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving)

 

Dynamic Earth Processes

3. Plate tectonics operating over geologic time has changed the patterns of land, sea,

and mountains on Earth’s surface. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

As the basis for understanding this concept:

            a. Students know features of the ocean floor (magnetic patterns, age, and sea-floor

                topography) provide evidence of plate tectonics. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            b. Students know the principal structures that form at the three different kinds of

            plate boundaries. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            c. Students know how to explain the properties of rocks based on the physical and

chemical conditions in which they formed, including plate tectonic processes. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication)

            d. Students know why and how earthquakes occur and the scales used to measure

their intensity and magnitude. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication)

            e. Students know there are two kinds of volcanoes: one kind with violent eruptions

            producing steep slopes and the other kind with voluminous lava flows producing

            gentle slopes. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            f. Students know the explanation for the location and properties of volcanoes that

are due to hot spots and the explanation for those that are due to subduction. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving)

 

Energy in the Earth System

4. Energy enters the Earth system primarily as solar radiation and eventually escapes

as heat. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

As a basis for understanding this concept:

            a. Students know the relative amount of incoming solar energy compared with

Earth’s internal energy and the energy used by society. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

            b. Students know the fate of incoming solar radiation in terms of reflection,        absorption, and photosynthesis. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            c. Students know the different atmospheric gases that absorb the Earth’s thermal

radiation and the mechanism and significance of the greenhouse effect. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

d. Students know the differing greenhouse conditions on Earth, Mars, and Venus; the origins of those conditions; and the climatic consequences of each. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

 

5. Heating of Earth’s surface and atmosphere by the sun drives convection within the

atmosphere and oceans, producing winds and ocean currents. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

As a basis for under-standing this concept:

            a. Students know how differential heating of Earth results in circulation patterns in

the atmosphere and oceans that globally distribute the heat. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

            b. Students know the relationship between the rotation of Earth and the circular

motions of ocean currents and air in pressure centers. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving)

c. Students know the origin and effects of temperature inversions. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving)

            d. Students know properties of ocean water, such as temperature and salinity, can        be used to explain the layered structure of the oceans, the generation of horizontal

and vertical ocean currents, and the geographic distribution of marine organisms. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

            e. Students know rain forests and deserts on Earth are distributed in bands at    specific latitudes. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Personal/Social Development)

            f. Students know the interaction of wind patterns, ocean currents, and mountain

ranges results in the global pattern of latitudinal bands of rain forests and deserts. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

g. Students know features of the ENSO (El Niño southern oscillation) cycle in terms of sea-surface and air temperature variations across the Pacific and some climatic results of this cycle. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

 

6. Climate is the long-term average of a region’s weather and depends on many factors. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving)

As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know weather (in the short run) and climate (in the long run) involve the transfer of energy into and out of the atmosphere. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

b. Students know the effects on climate of latitude, elevation, topography, and proximity to large bodies of water and cold or warm ocean currents. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

            c. Students know how Earth’s climate has changed over time, corresponding to

            changes in Earth’s geography, atmospheric composition, and other factors, such

            as solar radiation and plate movement. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

d. Students know how computer models are used to predict the effects of the increase in greenhouse gases on climate for the planet as a whole and for specific regions. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

 

Biogeochemical Cycles

7. Each element on Earth moves among reservoirs, which exist in the solid earth, in

oceans, in the atmosphere, and within and among organisms as part of biogeochemical

cycles. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

As a basis for understanding this concept:

            a. Students know the carbon cycle of photosynthesis and respiration and the

            nitrogen cycle. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving)

b. Students know the global carbon cycle: the different physical and chemical forms of carbon in the atmosphere, oceans, biomass, fossil fuels, and the movement of carbon among these reservoirs. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

            c. Students know the movement of matter among reservoirs is driven by Earth’s

            internal and external sources of energy. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

            d. Students know the relative residence times and flow characteristics of carbon in

            and out of its different reservoirs. (Integration of Core Knowledge)

 

Structure and Composition of the Atmosphere

8. Life has changed Earth’s atmosphere, and changes in the atmosphere affect conditions

for life. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the thermal structure and chemical composition of the atmosphere. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

            b. Students know how the composition of Earth’s atmosphere has evolved over

            geologic time and know the effect of outgassing, the variations of carbon dioxide

concentration, and the origin of atmospheric oxygen. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

            c. Students know the location of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, its role          in absorbing ultraviolet radiation, and the way in which this layer varies both

naturally and in response to human activities. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

 

California Geology

9. The geology of California underlies the state’s wealth of natural resources as well as

its natural hazards. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the resources of major economic importance in California and their relation to California’s geology. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

            b. Students know the principal natural hazards in different California regions and

            the geologic basis of those hazards. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving)

c. Students know the importance of water to society, the origins of California’s fresh water, and the relationship between supply and need. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

d. Students know how to analyze published geologic hazard maps of California and know how to use the map’s information to identify evidence of geologic events of the past and predict geologic changes in the future. (Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

 

Investigation and Experimentation

(Integration of Core Knowledge, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Personal/Social Development)

1. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful

investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content

in the other four strands, students should develop their own questions and perform

investigations. Students will:

            a. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (such as computer-linked

            probes, spreadsheets, and graphing calculators) to perform tests, collect data,    analyze relationships, and display data.

            b. Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental error.

            c. Identify possible reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of error or

            uncontrolled conditions.

            d. Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.

            e. Solve scientific problems by using quadratic equations and simple       trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions.

            f. Distinguish between hypothesis and theory as scientific terms.

            g. Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as scientific

            representations of reality.

            h. Read and interpret topographic and geologic maps.

            i. Analyze the locations, sequences, or time intervals that are characteristic of

            natural phenomena (e.g., relative ages of rocks, locations of planets over time,

            and succession of species in an ecosystem).

            j. Recognize the issues of statistical variability and the need for controlled tests.

            k. Recognize the cumulative nature of scientific evidence.

            l. Analyze situations and solve problems that require combining and applying

            concepts from more than one area of science.

            m. Investigate a science-based societal issue by researching the literature,          analyzing data, and communicating the findings. Examples of issues include irradiation of food, cloning of animals by somatic cell nuclear transfer, choice of             energy sources, and land and water use decisions in California.

            n. Know that when an observation does not agree with an accepted scientific

            theory, the observation is sometimes mistaken or fraudulent (e.g., the Piltdown

            Man fossil or unidentified flying objects) and that the theory is sometimes wrong

            (e.g., the Ptolemaic model of the movement of the Sun, Moon, and planets).

 

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS

  1. Laboratory Experiments and Investigations (Critical Thinking)
  2. Group Work (Personal/Social Development)
  3. Class Discussion and Guided Practice (Integration of Core Curriculum)
  4. Class Work and Homework (Integration of Core Curriculum)
  5. Short Term Projects (Personal/Social Development)

 

EVALUATION/GRADING OF STUDENT WORK

  1. Laboratory Reports.
  2. Class Participation
  3. Classwork and Homework
  4. Projects and Presentations
  5. Quizzes and Chapter Tests
  6. Semester Exam
  7. Comprehensive Final Exam

 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS