5.1 Strand
Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). Within these systems, the location of Earth’s land and water can be described. Also, these systems interact in multiple ways. Weathering and erosion are examples of interactions between Earth’s systems. Some interactions cause landslides, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions that impact humans and other organisms. Humans cannot eliminate natural hazards, but solutions can be designed to reduce their impact.
Standard(s) 5.1.1: Analyze and interpret data to describe patterns of Earth’s features. Emphasize most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans while major mountain chains may be found inside continents or near their edges. Examples of data could include maps showing locations of mountains on continents and the ocean floor or the locations of volcanoes and earthquakes. (ESS2.B)
Practices
Analyzing and Interpreting Data Analyzing data in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to introducing quantitative approaches to collecting data and conducting multiple trials of qualitative observations. When possible and feasible, digital tools should be used.
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Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions
The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans. Major mountain chains form inside continents or near their edges. Maps can help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth.
Cross Cutting Concepts
Patterns
Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation.
Storyline Narrative
To begin this storyline students will investigate the phenomenon, a volcano rapidly formed in a field in Paricutin. Students will obtain information about a volcano that grew in a field in Paricutin, Mexico over the course of 9 years, destroying the village.
Then students will obtain information about other North American examples of volcano and earthquake activity and mountain ranges to analyze patterns in the data. They will look at volcanoes in the area of Paricutin to understand and reason that the occurrence of that volcano was part of a pattern rather than a random act. From there, students will look at examples and nonexamples of volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain ranges to further analyze and interpret data to find patterns of Earth’s features. Finally, when given a map with known volcano and/or earthquake occurrences, students identify which location is more likely to have the next occurrence and support their answer using the data from their investigations?
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Utah Science
Curriculum Consortium
Tyson Grover
Annette Nielson
Standard 7.2.4
Develop and use a scale model of the matter in the Earth's interior to demonstrate how differences in density and chemical composition (silicon, oxygen, iron, and magnesium) cause the formation of the crust, mantle and core.
Practices
Developing and using models
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Develop and use a model to describe phenomena.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems
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All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling within and among the planet’s systems. This energy is derived from the sun and Earth’s hot interior. The energy that flows and matter that cycles produce chemical and physical changes in Earth’s materials and living organisms.
Cross Cutting Concepts
Cause and Effect: mechanism and explanation
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Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.
Standard 7.2.1
Cross Cutting Concepts
Energy and Matter
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Within a natural or designed system, the transfer of energy drives the motion and/or cycling of matter.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems
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All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling within and among the planet’s systems. This energy is derived from the sun and Earth’s hot interior. The energy that flows and matter that cycles produce chemical and physical changes in Earth’s materials and living organisms.
Develop and use a model of the rock cycle to describe the relationship between energy flow and matter cycling that create igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Emphasize the processes of melting, crystallization, weathering, deposition, sedimentation, and deformation, which act together to form minerals and rocks.
Practices
Developing Models
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Develop and use a model to describe phenomena.
Make an argument from evidence for how the geologic time scale shows the age and history of Earth. Emphasize scientific evidence from rock strata, the fossil record, and the principles of relative dating, such as superposition, uniformitarianism and recognizing unconformities.
Practices
Engaging in argument from evidence
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Construct an oral and written argument supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support or refute an explanation or a model for a phenomenon or a solution to a problem.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS1.C-The History of Planet Earth
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The geologic time scale interpreted from rock strata provides a way to organize Earth’s history. Analyses of rock strata and the fossil record provide only relative dates, not an absolute scale.
Cross Cutting Concepts
Scale, proportion, and quantity
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Time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed at various scales using models to study systems that are too large or too small.
Ask questions and analyze and interpret data about the patterns between plate tectonics and:
(1) the occurrence of earthquakes and volcanoes,
(2) continental and ocean floor features
(3) the distribution of rocks and fossils.
Examples could include identifying patterns on maps of earthquakes and volcanoes relative to plate boundaries, the shapes of the continents, the locations of ocean structures (including mountains, volcanoes, faults, and trenches), and similarities of rock and fossil types on different continents.
Practices
Asking questions or defining problems
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Ask questions to identify the pattern
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Analyzing and interpreting data
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Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS2.C-The History of Planet Earth
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Tectonic processes continually generate new ocean sea floor at ridges and destroy old sea floor at trenches.
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ESS2.B-Plate Tectonics and Large Scale System Interactions
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Maps of ancient land and water patterns, based on investigations of rocks and fossils, make clear how Earth’s plates have moved great distances, collided, and spread apart.
Cross Cutting Concepts
Patterns
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Patterns in rates of change and other numerical relationships can provide information about natural systems.
Standard 7.2.2
Construct an explanation based on evidence for how processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying time and spatial scales. Examples of processes that occur at varying time scales could include slow plate motions or rapid landslides. Examples of processes that occur at varying spatial scales could include uplift of a mountain range or deposition of fine sediments.
Practices
Constructing explanations and designing solutions
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Construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own experiments) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe nature operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems
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The planet’s systems interact over scales that range from microscopic to global in size, and they operate over fractions of a second to billions of years. These interactions have shaped Earth’s history and will determine its future.
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ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth's Surface Processes
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Water’s movements—both on the land and underground—cause weathering and erosion, which change the land’s surface features and create underground formations.
Cross Cutting Concepts
Scale, proportion, and quantity
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Time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed at various scales using models to study systems that are too large or too small
Standard 7.2.3
Ask questions to identify constraints of specific geologic hazards and evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining the stability of human engineered structures such as homes, roads and bridges. Examples of geologic hazards could include earthquakes, landslides, or floods.
Practices
Asking questions or defining problems
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Define a design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process or system and includes multiple criteria and constraints, including scientific knowledge that may limit possible solutions.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems
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The more precisely a design task’s criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed solution will be successful. Specification of constraints includes consideration of scientific principles and other relevant knowledge that are likely to limit possible solutions.
ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
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There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem.
Cross Cutting Concepts
Stability and Change
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Stability might be disturbed either by sudden events or gradual changes that accumulate over time.