Glen Ridge Public Schools

Curriculum Guide

Course Title: Earth Science

Subject: Grade 8 Science

Grade Level: 8

Department/School: Science/Glen Ridge Middle School

Duration: One Year

Number of Credits: N/A

Prerequisite: N/A

Elective or Required: Required

Author: Caroline McGovern Johnson

Date Submitted: Summer 2004

Course Description

Earth Science will include an examination of interacting components that affect or shape our planet. Students will make observations, compare the earth to other planets, as well as describe technologies used to explore the universe. Students will explain that the sun is the earth's major energy source and that solar energy is emitted in various forms. Students will explain how natural events are related to the positioning of the sun, earth and moon.

Students will use different types of maps, identify major features of the earth's crust, and investigate the composition and cycling of the world's oceans. Students will use evidence provided by fossils and rock layers to understand the changes that have occurred in and on the earth over time. Students will monitor local weather conditions that lead to different types of weather systems. Students will evaluate the impact of personal and societal activities on local and global environments.

GLEN RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

SCIENCE MISSION STATEMENT

The Glen Ridge Public School’s science curriculum seeks to develop scientifically literate life-long learners through a program that fosters a spirit of wonder, intellectual curiosity and collaborative problem solving that is authentic, hands-on, inquiry based and developmentally appropriate. This is done through the study of Life, Physical, Earth and Environmental science.

Our students will use the scientific method to understand and respond to questions about science, technology, and societal and world problems. Students will be challenged and encouraged to take risks and to develop critical thinking skills as they apply to real-world experiences.

New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards

Science

STANDARD 5.1 (SCIENTIFIC PROCESSES) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP PROBLEM-SOLVING, DECISION-MAKING AND INQUIRY SKILLS, REFLECTED BY FORMULATING USABLE QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES, PLANNING EXPERIMENTS, CONDUCTING SYSTEMATIC OBSERVATIONS, INTERPRETING AND ANALYZING DATA, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, AND COMMUNICATING RESULTS.

STANDARD 5.2 (SCIENCE AND SOCIETY) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PEOPLE OF VARIOUS CULTURES HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, AND HOW MAJOR DISCOVERIES AND EVENTS HAVE ADVANCED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.

STANDARD 5.3 (MATHEMATICAL APPLICATIONS) ALL STUDENTS WILL INTEGRATE MATHEMATICS AS A TOOL FOR PROBLEM-SOLVING IN SCIENCE, AND AS A MEANS OF EXPRESSING AND/OR MODELING SCIENTIFIC THEORIES.

STANDARD 5.4 (NATURE AND PROCESS OF TECHNOLOGY) ALL STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND THE INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOP A CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE AND PROCESS OF TECHNOLOGY.

STANDARD 5.5 (CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE STRUCTURE, CHARACTERISTICS, AND BASIC NEEDS OF ORGANISMS AND WILL INVESTIGATE THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE.

STANDARD 5.6 (CHEMISTRY) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE STRUCTURE AND BEHAVIOR OF MATTER.

STANDARD 5.7 (PHYSICS) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF NATURAL LAWS AS THEY APPLY TO MOTION, FORCES, AND ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS.

STANDARD 5.8 (EARTH SCIENCE) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE STRUCTURE, DYNAMICS, AND GEOPHYSICAL SYSTEMS OF THE EARTH.

STANDARD 5.9 (ASTRONOMY and SPACE SCIENCE) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ORIGIN, EVOLUTION, AND STRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSE.

STANDARD 5.10 (ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ENVIRONMENT AS A SYSTEM OF INTERDEPENDENT COMPONENTS AFFECTED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY AND NATURAL PHENOMENA.

Curriculum Description

UNIT 1 – THE NATURE OF SCIENCE

Standards 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.8

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

1. Differentiate between the five major branches of earth science.

2. Identify how earth science affects one’s daily life.

3. List the steps used in the scientific method.

4. Compare and contrast the variable and control in an experiment.

5. Identify the basic SI units.

6. Write numbers in scientific notation.

7. Differentiate between a scientific theory and a law.

8. Compare and contrast different map projections and explain how physical features are represented on each.

Activities:

- Solve a simple problem using the scientific method.

- Measure volume and mass.

- Graph data.

- Make and use maps.

Duration of time: Approx. 2 Weeks

UNIT 2 – COMPOSITION OF THE EARTH

Standards 5.6, 5.8

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

1. Describe the structure of the atom and the chemical bonds that unite it.

2. Differentiate between different forms of matter.

3. Describe the different phases of matter found on earth and in the universe.

4. Classify minerals based on their chemical and physical properties.

5. Distinguish and explain the formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.

Activities:

- Identify common elements, compounds and mixtures.

- Carry out various tests to identify common minerals.

- Carry out various tests to classify rock samples.

Duration of time: Approx. 4 Weeks

UNIT 3 - SURFACE PROCESSES ON THE EARTH

Standard 5.8

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

1. Distinguish between weathering and erosion and the agents responsible.

2. Explain how soil forms.

3. Identify the factors that affect mass movements and the effects on the landscape and living things.

4. Explain how the movement of groundwater and surface water affect the landscape and living things.

Activities:

- Demonstrate how a rock erodes when exposed to environmental conditions.

- Simulate various types of mass movements.

- Determine how slope may affect stream flow velocity.

Duration of time: Approx. 3 Weeks

UNIT 4 - THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE OCEANS

Standards 5.2, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

1. Describe the composition of the atmosphere.

2. Identify methods of transferring energy through the atmosphere.

3. Explain cloud formation and distinguish between the different forms.

4. Explain the water cycle.

5. Analyze how imbalances in the heating of earth's surface create weather.

6. Describe how and where air masses form and how the earth's rotation affects the movement.

7. Recognize the importance of accurate weather data and the technologies used to collect it.

8. Describe and classify the different climates.

9. Describe the origin, composition, and distribution of oceans and major seas.

10. Explain how tides form.

11. Explain the formation of shoreline features, and major geological features formed on the ocean floor.

Activities:

- Create a model of the water cycle.

- Demonstrate the relationship between temperature and determine the relationship to atmospheric changes.

- Interpret a weather map and forecast future weather.

- Analyze a tidal record.

- Model different types of water masses to observe the effects of density.

- Identify and describe the coastal land forms on a topographic map.

Duration of time: Approx. 6 Weeks

UNIT 5 - INTERNAL PROCESSES ON EARTH

Standards 5.2, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

1. Explain how convection currents are related to the movement of the earth's plates and why earlier theories were not accepted.

2. Explain how earthquakes, volcanism, and mountain building relate to plate tectonics.

3. Explain how modern technologies enable scientists to better predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Activities:

- Determine which volcanoes pose the greatest risk.

- Determine the epicenter of an earthquake.

- Construct a model of an earthquake resistant building.

Duration of time: Approx. 5 Weeks

UNIT 6 - GEOLOGICAL TIME

Standards 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

1. Describe the geological time scale and distinguish between the divisions.

2. Distinguish between relative and absolute dating.

3. Explain how fossils can be formed and how they are used to interpret earth's history.

4. Describe evidence used to determine the earth's age, formation of the crust, atmosphere and ocean, and the development of life.

5. Distinguish and describe the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras in terms of geological and biological changes.

6. Identify the characteristics of primates and explain what separates hominids from the other hominoids.

Activities:

- Simulate a fossil hunt.

- Demonstrate how relative dating is used to determine the age of rock layers and fossils.

- Construct a geological time line.

- Determine what types of food different dinosaurs ate.

Duration of time: Approx. 4 Weeks

UNIT 7 - OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

Standards 5.6, 5.7, 5.9

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

1. Describe the development of technologies used for space exploration.

2. Explain how sun-earth-moon positions and motions determine moon phases, eclipses and tides.

3. Describe the properties of terrestrial and the gas giant planets and compare them to earth.

4. Summarize theories on the formation of our universe and solar system.

5. Classify stars and their evolution from birth to death.

Activities:

- Demonstrate how the path of light differs in reflecting and refracting telescopes.

- Demonstrate Newton's three laws of motion. (Launching and keeping a satellite in space)

- Demonstrate the moon's phases and eclipses.

- Demonstrate how the planets may have formed.

- Determine the relative speeds of the planets.

- Create a scale model of the solar system.

Duration of time: Approx. 5 Weeks

UNIT 8 - THE EARTH'S RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

Standards 5.10

Objectives:

Each student will be able to:

1. Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources.

2. Recognize the need to protect the land and to keep air and water sources clean.

3. Identify sources of fuel and compare their advantages and disadvantages.

4. Identify and discuss environmental problems created by population growth, mineral extraction, agriculture and pollution.

Activities:

- Debate an environmental issue.

- Determine the hardness of water samples and their effect on soap suds production.

- Build a small, working solar desalinator.

- Design an energy efficient building.

Duration of time: Approx. 4 Weeks

Texts, Resources, and/or Literature

· Earth Science, Geology, the Environment, and the Universe. Glencoe, McGraw-Hill 2002