|
REVIEW
GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL SCIENCE CONTENT STANDARDS
FOR GRADES 5-8
+ STRUCTURE OF
THE EARTH SYSTEM | +
EARTH'S HISTORY | +
EARTH IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
The links below provide an entertaining
mechanism to assist a student about to enter high school
in reviewing the major scientific concepts expected
to be have been mastered upon completion of 8th Grade.
STRUCTURE
OF THE EARTH SYSTEM
The solid earth is layered with a lithosphere;
hot, convecting mantle; and dense, metallic core.
Lithospheric plates on the scales of continents and
oceans constantly move at rates of centimeters per
year in response to movements in the mantle.
Major geological events, such as earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, and mountain building, result from these
plate motions.
Landforms are the result of a combination of constructive
and destructive forces. Constructive forces include
crustal deformation, volcanic eruption, and deposition
of sediment, while destructive forces include weathering
and erosion.
- Types of erosion…still photos
- Wind erosion video archives….4 downloads:
Dust Bowl, etc.+
Link to Website
Some changes in the solid earth can be described as
the "rock cycle." Old rocks at the earth's
surface weather, forming sediments that are buried,
then compacted, heated, and often recrystallized into
new rock. Eventually, those new rocks may be brought
to the surface by the forces that drive plate motions,
and the rock cycle continues.
Soil consists of weathered rocks and decomposed organic
material from dead plants, animals, and bacteria. Soils
are often found in layers, with each having a different
chemical composition and texture.
Water, which covers the majority of the earth's surface,
circulates through the crust, oceans, and atmosphere
in what is known as the "water cycle." Water
evaporates from the earth's surface, rises and cools
as it moves to higher elevations, condenses as rain
or snow, and falls to the surface where it collects
in lakes, oceans, soil, and in rocks underground.
Water is a solvent. As it passes through the water
cycle it dissolves minerals and gases and carries them
to the oceans.
The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and
trace gases that include water vapor. The atmosphere
has different properties at different elevations.
- Gases in the atmosphere
- Properties of the atmosphere at various altitudes
- Atmospheric riddles/answers
- Layers of the atmosphere described +
Link to Website
- Layers of the atmosphere diagram
Clouds, formed by the condensation of water vapor,
affect weather and climate.
- Clouds—general overview
- Gallery of various labeled cloud photos
Global patterns of atmospheric movement influence
local weather. Oceans have a major effect on climate,
because water in the oceans holds a large amount of
heat.
- Weather & Global Monitoring +
Link to Website
- Global weather/El Nino
- Project Global Weather
Living organisms have played many roles in the earth
system, including affecting the composition of the
atmosphere, producing some types of rocks, and contributing
to the weathering of rocks.
EARTH'S HISTORY
The earth processes we see today, including erosion,
movement of lithospheric plates, and changes in atmospheric
composition, are similar to those that occurred in
the past. Earth history is also influenced by occasional
catastrophes, such as the impact of an asteroid or
comet.
Fossils provide important evidence of how life and
environmental conditions have changed.
EARTH IN THE SOLAR
SYSTEM
The earth is the third planet from the sun in a system
that includes the moon, the sun, eight other planets
and their moons, and smaller objects, such as asteroids
and comets. The sun, an average star, is the central
and largest body in the solar system.
- General overview of solar system, asteroids, etc. +
Link to Website
- Relative size/distance scale +
Link to Website
- Basic quiz after prior review elsewhere
- 10 question quiz to be used after prior reviewing
elsewhere
Most objects in the solar system are in regular and
predictable motion. Those motions explain such phenomena
as the day, the year, phases of the moon, and eclipses.
Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around
the sun and governs the rest of the motion in the solar
system. Gravity alone holds us to the earth's surface
and explains the phenomena of the tides.
The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena
on the earth's surface, such as growth of plants, winds,
ocean currents, and the water cycle.
Seasons result from variations in the amount of the
sun's energy hitting the surface, due to the tilt of
the earth's rotation on its axis and the length of
the day.
- Causes of seasons with still images +
Link to Website
- Seasons—demonstration with home activity
- The seasons explained
- The four seasons…well explained-no animation
- Seasons’ Reasons…good explanation—no
animation
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