Unit Title |
CORE SCIENCE CONTENT |
Estimated # Of 40 to 50 Minute Class Periods |
A. |
EDC: Hydrosphere - Water in Earth’s Systems, Revised | Unit 1 |
Earth's systems, water cycle, surface water, groundwater, assessing and protecting water supplies, global patterns of ocean circulation; how wind and density differences drive ocean currents; global conveyor belt; El Niño |
7-9 weeks
|
B. |
EDC: Atmosphere and Climate, Revised | Unit 2 |
climate and weather; influence of latitude, atmospheric circulation, proximity to ocean, elevation, land features, and prevailing winds on regional climate, energy balance, albedo effect, greenhouse effect, carbon cycle, positive and negative feedback loops; Paleoclimatology, climate proxies, climate change in Earth’s past, Milankovitch cycles, tectonic processes that influence climate, human impact on climate |
9-11 weeks
|
C. |
EDC: Earth’s Place in the Universe, Revised | Unit 3 |
Life and death of stars, solar nebular condensation hypothesis, Kepler’s Laws, Earth’s interior structure and composition, internal sources of heat energy, seismic waves, introduction to plate tectonic theory, driving forces of plate movement |
5-7 weeks
|
D. |
EDC: Plate Tectonics, Revised | Unit 4 |
Transform-fault boundaries, earthquakes, physical and computer models Subduction zones, volcanoes, formation of igneous rocks, field-measurement technologies for volcano monitoring Seafloor spreading, paleomagnetism, plate tectonics summary, landforms associated with plate boundaries |
9-11 weeks
|
E. |
EDC: The Rock Cycle, Revised | Unit 5 |
Erosion and deposition, deltaic processes, formation of sedimentary rock, The nature of rocks and minerals, rock cycle |
5-7 weeks
|
F. |
EDC: Earth Resources, Revised | Unit 6 |
The geologic processes by which mineral ores are formed; mineral extraction and processing Fossil fuel formation, petroleum resources andexploration technologies |
6-8 weeks
|