|
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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