Syllabus:

Welcome to Earth Science! The sixth grade curriculum promotes literacy in science. Students will be able to develop skills that can be utilized every day, such as problem solving, thinking critically, working cooperatively, using technology effectively, and valuing life-long learning. In addition, students will be able to use scientific knowledge in daily decisions and to develop the skills and habits of mind that can help them lead productive and responsible lives.

Major Concepts:

• Universe & Solar System
• Earth, Moon, and Sun Relationships
• Role of Water
• Weather and Climate
• Inside the Earth
• Rocks & Minerals
• Weathering, Erosion, and Soil
• Conservation of Natural Resources

Students Expectations & Responsibilities:

Students will be accountable for their own academic standings, preparing quality assignments on time, and working their peers cooperatively. Students are also expected to:

• Complete all warm-ups, classwork, homework, and other assignments in timely manner
• Maintain a Science Notebook
• Perform science experiments, presentations, and projects
• Write a research paper for science fair.

Procedures:

Absences: For an absence, ON THE DATE OF RETURN, please request missed work from the teacher. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain make-up assignments and turn them in at the appropriate time. Please Note: Students have one day for every excused absence to make-up work, excluding tests or quizzes.

Grading:

Assessments (Unit Tests, cumulative projects, etc.                            40%

Practice (Classwork, experiments, quizzes, etc.)                                 40%

    Semester/Final Exam                                                                           20%

6th grade science Standards:

S6E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about current scientific views of the universe and how those views evolved.

a. Ask questions to determine changes in models of Earth’s position in the solar system, and origins of the universe as evidence that scientific theories change with the addition of new information. (Clarification statement: Students should consider Earth’s position in geocentric and heliocentric models and the Big Bang as it describes the formation of the universe.)

b. Develop a model to represent the position of the solar system in the Milky Way galaxy and in the known universe.

c. Analyze and interpret data to compare and contrast the planets in our solar system in terms of:  size relative to Earth,  surface and atmospheric features,  relative distance from the sun, and  ability to support life.

d. Develop and use a model to explain the interaction of gravity and inertia that governs the motion of objects in the solar system.

e. Ask questions to compare and contrast the characteristics, composition, and location of comets, asteroids, and meteoroids.

S6E2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the effects of the relative positions of the sun, Earth, and moon.

a. Develop and use a model to demonstrate the phases of the moon by showing the relative positions of the sun, Earth, and moon.

b. Construct an explanation of the cause of solar and lunar eclipses.

c. Analyze and interpret data to relate the tilt of the Earth to the distribution of sunlight throughout the year and its effect on seasons

S6E3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to recognize the significant role of water in Earth processes.

a. Ask questions to determine where water is located on Earth’s surface (oceans, rivers, lakes, swamps, groundwater, aquifers, and ice) and communicate the relative proportion of water at each location.

b. Plan and carry out an investigation to illustrate the role of the sun’s energy in atmospheric conditions that lead to the cycling of water. (Clarification statement: The water cycle should include evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, infiltration, groundwater, and runoff.)

c. Ask questions to identify and communicate, using graphs and maps, the composition, location, and subsurface topography of the world’s oceans.

d. Analyze and interpret data to create graphic rep

S6E4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how the sun, land, and water affect climate and weather.

a. Analyze and interpret data to compare and contrast the composition of Earth’s atmospheric layers (including the ozone layer) and greenhouse gases. (Clarification statement: Earth’s atmospheric layers include the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere.)

b. Plan and carry out an investigation to demonstrate how energy from the sun transfers heat to air, land and water at different rates. (Clarification statement: Heat transfer should include the processes of conduction, convection, and radiation.)

c. Develop a model demonstrating the interaction between unequal heating and the rotation of the Earth that causes local and global wind systems.

d. Construct an explanation of the relationship between air pressure, weather fronts, and air masses and meteorological events such as tornados and thunderstorms.

e. Analyze and interpret weather data to explain the effects of moisture evaporating from the ocean on weather patterns and weather events such as hurricanes.

S6E5. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to show how Earth’s surface is formed.

a. Ask questions to compare and contrast the Earth’s crust, mantle, inner and outer core, including temperature, density, thickness, and composition.

b. Plan and carry out an investigation of the characteristics of minerals and how minerals contribute to rock composition.

c. Construct an explanation of how to classify rocks by their formation and how rocks change through geologic processes in the rock cycle.

d. Ask questions to identify types of weathering, agents of erosion and transportation, and environments of deposition. (Clarification statement: Environments of deposition include deltas, barrier islands, beaches, marshes, and rivers.)

e. Develop a model to demonstrate how natural processes (weathering, erosion, and deposition) and human activity change rocks and the surface of the Earth.

f. Construct an explanation of how the movement of lithospheric plates, called plate tectonics, can cause major geologic events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. (Clarification statement: Include convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries.)g. Construct an argument using maps and data collected to support a claim of how fossils show evidence of the changing surface and climate of the Earth.

h. Plan and carry out an investigation to provide evidence that soil is composed of layers of weathered rocks and decomposed organic material.

S6E6. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the uses and conservation of various natural resources and how they impact the Earth.

a. Ask questions to determine the differences between renewable/sustainable energy resources (examples: hydro, solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, biomass) and nonrenewable energy resources (examples: nuclear: uranium, fossil fuels: oil, coal, and natural gas), and how they are used in our everyday lives.

b. Design and evaluate solutions for sustaining the quality and supply of natural resources such as water, soil, and air.

c. Construct an argument evaluating contributions to the rise in global temperatures over the past century. (Clarification statement: Tables, graphs, and maps of global and regional temperatures, and atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, should be used as sources of evidence.)