Core Content

Sample Demonstrators, Skills, Activities

• Describe the energy sources that cause the motion of the earth’s crust, ocean currents, and weather systems.
• Design an investigation to analyze the relationships among the variables that affect various motions within earth systems.
• Discuss the effects on earth systems when variables that affect energy transfers are changed.
• Predict the effects on the earth when one or more energy sources change or disappear.

• Analyze the evidence to support the existence of a single large continent early in the earth’s history.
• Evaluate the relationship among various properties of geological plates and how the properties affect the existence and behavior of the plates.
• Evaluate how the properties of crustal plates affect their behavior.
• Analyze the behaviors of crustal plates and how they affect natural and social systems.

• Compare and contrast convection, conduction, and radiation and how they affect global climatic patterns.
• Analyze how the transfer of energy on the Earth’s surface affects global systems.
• Evaluate the affects on global systems of changes in position of the earth relative to the sun.
• List the factors that influence energy transfers at or near the earth’s surface.

• Describe the relationship between latitude and average temperature; explain the mechanism behind this trend.
• Explain why weather systems rotate in the opposite direction in each hemisphere.
• Explain why windward slopes often have more precipitation than leeward slopes.
• Account for the more moderate temperatures in England than at similar latitudes in Asia.

• Student points out that spreading of the Atlantic seafloor will increase pressure on plate boundaries elsewhere in the world.  This can cause continental crust to buckle, forming mountain ranges.  Oceanic crust will subduct and melt, causing volcanic activity and the formation of islands.  The appearance of new crustal material on the seafloor leads to the destruction of crustal material elsewhere.
• ·         Student discusses convection currents driven by heat in the Earth’s core.  Material wells up from the mantle to the crust, moves across the surface and ultimately subducts back into the mantle.  This convection process is part of the natural cooling of the planet.  The heat in the Earth’s core comes from gravitational pressure and radioactive decay.

• Student explains the main idea detailed above. 
• Student exhibits understanding of plate tectonics and convection currents.

• Student correctly responds to one of the two bullets.
  -OR-
• Student provides a partially correct response on both bullets. 
• Student exhibits some confusion regarding plate tectonics and convection currents.

• Student response contains serious errors or misconceptions. 
• Student exhibits limited or no understanding of plate tectonics and convection currents.

• No response or response is totally incorrect or irrelevant.

Core Content

Sample Demonstrators, Skills, Activities

• List several different places where the same element can be found on Earth.
• Explain how conservation of matter applies to closed cycles in Earth systems.  Examples may include carbon, nitrogen, water, and phosphorus cycles.

• Explain how solar and geothermal energy sources drive cycles in Earth systems.
• Examples may include carbon, nitrogen, water, and phosphorus cycles.

• Student describes the principle ways in which water moves from place to place and the energy source responsible.  These include:
  1. evaporation caused by solar heating
  2. precipitation caused by air cooling and water condensing
  3. downhill flow and groundwater seepage caused by the force of gravity
  4. snow compressing into ice caused by the weight of snow above it
  5. transpiration and respiration by living organisms
• Students should point out the energy source behind the entire cycle is ultimately the sun.
• Student describes several implications of melting polar ice caps.  These include:
  1. rising ocean levels and decreased salinity
  2. increased river flow and accompanying erosion
  3. formation of large lakes such as the Great Lakes
  4. formation of large reservoirs of ground water like those found in the midwest

• Student explains the basic components of the hydrologic cycle and recognizes the sun as the ultimate energy source. 
• Student also correctly describes several implications of polar melting.

• Student correctly responds to one of the two bullets.
  -OR-
• Student provides a partially correct response on both bullets. 
• Student exhibits some confusion regarding the hydrologic cycle.

• Student response contains serious errors or misconceptions.
•   Student exhibits limited or no understanding of the hydrologic cycle.

• No response or response is totally incorrect or irrelevant.

Core Content

Sample Demonstrators, Skills, Activities

• Describe different theories, and list the evidence for each theory, of how the solar system was formed.
• Identify critical factors that affect a particular theory of how the solar system was formed.

• Use various dating techniques to illustrate how living and nonliving systems have changed over time.
• Use the fossil record to estimate geological time or periods.
• Cite evidence to support the theory that geological processes have remained constant over time.
• Analyze factors that would support theories concerning changes resulting from a single, global, catastrophic event.
• Formulate a conclusion from collected data that demonstrates how a particular change could occur.
• Theorize how a break in a rock sequence could be used as evidence for a catastrophic event.

• List obvious natural changes to the Earth’s surface that have occurred during the last century.
• Account for the fact that rocks from Mt. Everest contain fossils of extinct organisms.

• Present in graphical form the evidence for the existence of one-celled forms of life.
• Describe the chemical and biological processes that would contribute to the production of oxygen and other gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

• Student correctly identifies the sequence as follows:
  1. Final deposition of limestone layer
  2. Final deposition of siltston layer
  3. Earthquake along normal fault
  4. Final deposition of sandstone layer
  5. Formation of granitic dike
  6. Deposition of soil layer
• Student should apply the basic rules of relative dating to determine the sequence.  The layers should be laid down chronologically with the oldest on the bottom, thus the limestone formed before the siltstone, which preceeded the sandstone with the soil forming last.  The fact that the earthquake moves the entire limestone and siltstone layer indicates it occurred following their formation.  The sandstone layer had started forming prior to the quake as it shows slippage but finished forming after the quake as it levels out.  (Note: Student may correctly place sandstone layer before earthquake in the sequence.  If so, the student should specify an erosion event that leveled the sandstone layer after the quake.)  The dike formed after the quake because it has not been displaced along the fault.  Also, the dike spreads out when it reaches the surface thus the sandstone layer had finished forming.  The formation of the soil layer is the final event as it appears above the dike.

• Student correctly identifies the basic sequence and provides reasonable explanation. 
• One event may be out of order. 
• Student exhibits understanding of relative dating techniques.

• Student mixes the sequence or provides an incomplete explanation. 
• Student exhibits some confusion regarding relative dating.

• Student mixes the sequence and provides little or no correct explanation of reasoning. 
• Student exhibits limited or no understanding of relative dating.

• No response or response is totally incorrect or irrelevant.

Core Content

Sample Demonstrators, Skills, Activities

• Identify the evidence which supports the “Big Bang” theory of the formation of the universe.
• Discuss various factors or evidence which may not support the “Big Bang” theory.
• Describe different methods for determining the age of the universe.

• Describe the forces that cause the elements present in space to form a sun, galaxy, or nebula.
• Discuss the sequence of events within a star which produce elements heavier than hydrogen and helium.
• Describe different methods for determining the elemental make-up of stars.

• Use models to demonstrate how elements are created during the process of fission and fusion.
• Demonstrate how energy can be “created” during the process of fission and fusion.
• Analyze the loss of mass and the gain of energy which occurs in a nuclear reaction.

• Student correctly identifies the connection between gravitational pressure and nuclear fusion reactions.  Student explains the connection with the following sequence: gravitational pressure increases the temperature in the star’s core, which leads to greater kinetic energy for the protons, which leads to the protons getting closer together before repelling each other during collisions.  As the pressure continues to rise, the protons continue to get closer until they reach the point where the strong and weak nuclear forces bind the protons together in a nuclear fusion reaction.  This releases radiation that pushes out and energy which raises the temperature.  The star reaches stable equilibrium where the gravitational pressure pushing in is balanced by the radiation pressure pushing out.
• Student correctly identifies that high mass stars will have greater reaction rates than low mass stars.  Student explains that high mass stars have a greater gravitational pressure in the core.  This requires a higher radiation pressure for the star to maintain equilibrium.  Increasing the reaction rate can only generate higher radiation pressure.  Students may also point out that high mass stars consume material faster and thus are shorter lived than low mass stars.

• Student correctly identifies the basic sequence that ties gravitational pressure to nuclear fussion reactions and connection between mass and reaction rate. 
• Student exhibits understanding of the relationship between gravitational pressure and radiation pressure.

• Student correctly responds to one of the two bullets.
  -OR-
• Student provides a partially correct response on both bullets. 
• Student has some confusion on the relationship between gravitational pressure and radiation pressure.

• Student response contains serious errors or misconceptions. 
• Student exhibits limited or no understanding of the relationship between gravitational pressure and radiation pressure.

• No response or response is totally incorrect or irrelevant.