High School Introduction to Earth Science Curriculum Essentials Document Scho… · ·...
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High School
Introduction to Earth
Science
Curriculum Essentials
Document
Boulder Valley School District
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
May 2012
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 2
Introduction
Science Curriculum Essentials in BVSD
In 2009, the Colorado Department of Education published the most recent version of the Colorado
Academic Standards.
This revision of the Boulder Valley School District Science Curriculum had three main goals:
align with the revised Colorado Academic Standards
maintain unique elements of our BVSD curriculum that reach beyond the standards
maintain a viable list of concepts and skills that students should master in each grade level or
course
Inquiry
A new organizational feature of the Colorado Academic Standards is the integration of science inquiry
skills with specific scientific concepts. Instead of having a separate standard for inquiry, the skills
associated with the process of scientific inquiry are embedded in the Evidence Outcomes for each Grade
Level Expectation. In addition, the nature and history of science has been integrated into the Grade Level
Expectations under “Nature of the Discipline”. This approach is echoed by the Framework for K-12 Science
Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas which states that the skills or practices of
inquiry and the core ideas “must be woven together in standards, curricula, instruction, and assessments.”
Scientific inquiry remains a central focus of the revised BVSD Science Curriculum Essentials Documents.
The following definition from the National Science Education Standards serves as the basis for our
common understanding of how scientific inquiry is defined.
Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose
explanations based on the evidence derived from their work. Inquiry also refers to the activities of
students in which they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an
understanding of how scientists study the natural world.
The following points serve to clarify the vision of what inquiry means in BVSD.
Inquiry involves five essential features, which are heavily integrated into the wording of Evidence
Outcomes in the Colorado Academic Standards. Students engaged in scientific inquiry should:
ask or respond to scientifically oriented questions
give priority to evidence
formulate explanations based on evidence
connect explanations to scientific knowledge
communicate and justify explanations
(Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards)
Inquiry based science instruction involves a continuum of learning experiences from teacher-led to learner
self-directed activities, including but not limited to hand-on labs. Hence, both a structured assignment
involving reading and written reflection and an open-ended, hands-on investigation could be considered
inquiry as long as they involve the five essential features identified above.
The ultimate goals of inquiry-based instruction are to engage learners, develop their conceptual
understanding of the natural world around them, and to overcome misconceptions in science.
Inquiry-based activities should balance students’ application of content knowledge, creativity and critical
thinking in order to analyze data, solve a problem or address a unique question.
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 3
21st Century Skills in Science
Colorado's Description of 21st Century Skills
Colorado's description of 21st century skills is a synthesis of the essential abilities students must apply in
our rapidly changing world. Today’s students need a repertoire of knowledge and skills that are more
diverse, complex, and integrated than any previous generation. These skills do not stand alone in the
standards, but are woven into the evidence outcomes, inquiry questions, and application and are within
the nature of science. Science inherently demonstrates each of Colorado’s 21st century skills, as follows:
Critical Thinking and Reasoning
Science requires students to analyze evidence and draw conclusions based on that evidence. Scientific
investigation involves defining problems and designing studies to test hypotheses related to those
problems. In science, students must justify and defend scientific explanations and distinguish between
correlation and causation.
Information Literacy
Understanding science requires students to research current ideas about the natural world. Students must
be able to distinguish fact from opinion and truth from fantasy. Science requires a degree of skepticism
because the ideas of science are subject to change. Science students must be able to understand what
constitutes reliable sources of information and how to validate those sources. One key to science is
understanding that converging different lines of evidence from multiple sources strengthens a scientific
conclusion.
Collaboration
Science students must be able to listen to others’ ideas, and engage in scientific dialogs that are based on
evidence – not opinion. These types of conversations allow them to compare and evaluate the merit of
different ideas. The peer review process helps to ensure the validity of scientific explanations.
Self-Direction
Students in science must have persistence and perseverance when exploring scientific concepts. Students
must generate their own questions, and design investigations to find the answers. Students must be open
to revising and redefining their thinking based on evidence.
Invention
Scientists and engineers often have to think “outside the box” as they push the limits of our Designing
investigations and engineering new products involves a large degree of invention. current knowledge.
They must learn from their failures to take the next steps in understanding. Science students also must
integrate ideas from multiple disciplines to formulate an understanding of the natural world. In addition to
using invention to design investigations, scientists also use findings from investigations to help them to
invent new products.
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 4
High School Introduction to Earth Science Overview
3. Earth Systems
Science
1. The history of the universe, Solar System and Earth can be inferred from
evidence left from past events.
2. As part of the Solar System, Earth interacts with various extraterrestrial
forces and energies such as gravity, solar phenomena, electromagnetic
radiation, and impact events that influence the planet’s geosphere,
atmosphere, and biosphere in a variety of ways.
3. The theory of plate tectonics helps to explain geological, physical, and
geographical features of Earth.
4. Climate is the result of energy transfer among interactions of the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere.
5. There are costs, benefits, and consequences of exploration, development,
and consumption of renewable and nonrenewable resources.
6. The interaction of Earth's surface with water, air, gravity, and biological
activity causes physical and chemical changes.
7. Natural hazards have local, national and global impacts such as volcanoes,
earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and thunderstorms.
Course Description
This laboratory‐based course is designed for
students who would like to extend their
knowledge in the areas of geology, astronomy
and meteorology. The curriculum is guided by
the state and district standards in Earth Science.
Topics at a Glance
Geologic History
Earth Climate
Plate Tectonics
Earth Resources
Natural Hazards and Their Effects
Earth Interactions in the Solar System
Changes in Earth’s Surface
Assessments
Standard Big Ideas in Introduction to Earth Science (Grade Level Expectations)
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 5
1. Physical Science
Students know and understand common properties, forms and changes in matter and energy.
Prepared Graduates
The preschool through twelfth-grade concepts and skills that all students who complete the Colorado
education system must master to ensure their success in a postsecondary and workforce setting.
Prepared Graduate Competencies in the Physical Science standard:
Observe, explain, and predict natural phenomena governed by Newton's laws of motion,
acknowledging the limitations of their application to very small or very fast objects
Apply an understanding of atomic and molecular structure to explain the properties of
matter, and predict outcomes of chemical and nuclear reactions
Apply an understanding that energy exists in various forms, and its transformation and
conservation occur in processes that are predictable and measurable
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 6
2. Life Science
Students know and understand the characteristics and structure of living things, the processes of life and how
living things interact with each other and their environment.
Prepared Graduates
The preschool through twelfth-grade concepts and skills that all students who complete the Colorado
education system must master to ensure their success in a postsecondary and workforce setting.
Prepared Graduate Competencies in the Life Science standard:
Analyze the relationship between structure and function in living systems at a variety of
organizational levels, and recognize living systems’ dependence on natural selection
Explain and illustrate with examples how living systems interact with the biotic and
abiotic environment
Analyze how various organisms grow, develop, and differentiate during their lifetimes
based on an interplay between genetics and their environment
Explain how biological evolution accounts for the unity and diversity of living organisms
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 7
3. Earth Systems Science
Students know and understand the processes and interactions of Earth's systems and the structure
and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space.
Prepared Graduates:
The preschool through twelfth-grade concepts and skills that all students who complete the Colorado
education system must master to ensure their success in a postsecondary and workforce setting.
Prepared Graduate Competencies in the Earth Systems Science standard:
Describe and interpret how Earth's geologic history and place in space are relevant to
our understanding of the processes that have shaped our planet
Evaluate evidence that Earth’s geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere
interact as a complex system
Describe how humans are dependent on the diversity of resources provided by Earth
and Sun
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 8
Content Area: Science - High School Introduction to Earth Science
Standard: 3. Earth Systems Science
Prepared Graduates:
Describe and interpret how Earth's geologic history and place in space are relevant to our understanding of the processes that have
shaped our planet
GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION
Concepts and skills students master:
1. The history of the universe, Solar System and Earth can be inferred from evidence left from past events
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a. Develop, communicate, and justify an evidence-based
scientific explanation addressing questions about Earth’s
history
b. Analyze and interpret data regarding Earth’s history
using direct and indirect evidence
c. Analyze and interpret data regarding the history of the
universe using direct and indirect evidence
d. Seek, evaluate, and use a variety of specialized
resources available from libraries, the Internet, and the
community to find scientific information on Earth’s
history
e. Examine, evaluate, question, and ethically use
information from a variety of sources and media to
investigate the history of the universe, Solar System
and Earth
Inquiry Questions:
1. How do we know the age of Earth, Sun and universe?
2. How did the formation of Earth help shape its features today?
3. How can we interpret the geologic history of an area?
Relevance and Application:
1. Geologic principles such as original horizontality, superposition,
cross-cutting relationships, unconformities, and index fossils allow us
to accurately interpret geologic history.
2. Employ data-collection technology such as geographic mapping
systems and visualization tools to gather and analyze data and
scientific information about Earth’s history.
Nature of Discipline:
1. Understand that all scientific knowledge is subject to new evidence
and that the presence of reproducible results yields a scientific
theory.
2. Critically evaluate scientific claims in popular media and by peers
regarding Earth’s history, and determine if evidence presented is
appropriate and sufficient to support the claims.
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 9
Content Area: Science - High School Introduction to Earth Science
Standard: 3. Earth Systems Science
Prepared Graduates:
Describe and interpret how Earth’s geologic history and place in space are relevant to our understanding of the processes that have
shaped our planet
GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION
Concepts and skills students master:
2. As part of the Solar System, Earth interacts with various extraterrestrial forces and energies such as gravity, solar phenomena,
electromagnetic radiation, and impact events that influence the planet’s geosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere in a variety of ways
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a. Develop, communicate, and justify an evidence-based
scientific explanation addressing questions around the
extraterrestrial forces and energies that influence
Earth
b. Analyze and interpret data regarding extraterrestrial
forces and energies
c. Clearly identify assumptions behind conclusions
regarding extraterrestrial forces and energies and
provide feedback on the validity of alternative
explanations
d. Use specific equipment, technology, and resources
such as satellite imagery, global positioning systems
(GPS), global information systems (GIS), telescopes,
video and image libraries, and computers to explore
the universe)
Inquiry Questions:
1. What influences Earth’s position in the universe?
2. How does Earth get its energy?
3. How does the electromagnetic spectrum positively and negatively
impact Earth’s systems?
Relevance and Application:
1. Fusion is the most common source of energy in the universe, and it
provides the basis of Earth’s energy through fusion reactions in the
Sun.
2. Different types of telescopes have given us data about the universe,
galaxy, and Solar System.
Nature of Discipline:
1. Understand the physical laws that govern Earth are the same physical
laws that govern the rest of the universe.
2. Critically evaluate strengths and weaknesses of a model which
represents complex natural phenomena.
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 10
Content Area: Science - High School Introduction to Earth Science
Standard: 3. Earth Systems Science
Prepared Graduates:
Evaluate evidence that Earth’s geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere interact as a complex system
GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION
Concepts and skills students master:
3. The theory of plate tectonics helps explain geological, physical, and geographical features of Earth
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a. Develop, communicate, and justify an evidence-based
scientific explanation about the theory of plate tectonics
and how it can be used to understand geological,
physical, and geographical features of Earth
b. Analyze and interpret data on plate tectonics and the
geological, physical, and geographical features of Earth
c. Understand the role plate tectonics has had with respect
to long-term global changes in Earth’s systems such as
continental buildup, glaciations, sea-level fluctuations,
and climate change
d. Investigate and explain how new conceptual
interpretations of data and innovative geophysical
technologies led to the current theory of plate tectonics
Inquiry Questions:
1. How do the different types of plate boundaries create different
landforms on Earth?
2. How have scientists “discovered” the layers of Earth?
3. What drives plate motion?
4. What might happen to Earth’s landforms in the future?
Relevance and Application:
1. New conceptual interpretations of data and innovative geophysical
technologies led to the current theory of plate tectonics.
Nature of Discipline:
1. Understand that all scientific knowledge is subject to new findings
and that the presence of reproducible results yields a scientific
theory.
2. Ask testable questions and make a falsifiable hypothesis about plate
tectonics and design a method to find an answer.
3. Share experimental data, and respectfully discuss conflicting results.
4. Recognize that the current understanding of plate tectonics has
developed over time and become more sophisticated as new
technologies have lead to new evidence.
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 11
Content Area: Science - High School Introduction to Earth Science
Standard: 3. Earth Systems Science
Prepared Graduates:
Evaluate evidence that Earth’s geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere interact as a complex system
GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION
Concepts and skills students master:
4. Climate is the result of energy transfer among interactions of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a. Develop, communicate, and justify an evidence-based
scientific explanation that shows climate is a result of
energy transfer among the atmosphere, hydrosphere,
geosphere and biosphere
b. Analyze and interpret data on Earth’s climate
c. Explain how a combination of factors such as Earth’s
tilt, seasons, geophysical location, proximity to oceans,
landmass location, latitude, and elevation determine a
location’s climate
d. Identify mechanisms in the past and present that have
changed Earth’s climate
e. Analyze the evidence and assumptions regarding
climate change
f. Interpret evidence from weather stations, buoys,
satellites, radars, ice and ocean sediment cores, tree
rings, cave deposits, native knowledge, and other
sources in relation to climate change
Inquiry Questions:
1. How can changes in the ocean create climate change?
2. How is climate influenced by changes in Earth’s energy balance?
3. How have climates changed over Earth’s history?
4. How does climate change impact all of Earth’s systems?
5. How have climate changes impacted human society?
Relevance and Application:
1. Much of the data we receive about the ocean and the atmosphere is
from satellites.
2. Human actions such as burning fossil fuels might impact Earth’s
climate.
3. Technological solutions and personal choices such as driving higher
mileage cars and using less electricity could reduce the human
impact on climate.
Nature of Discipline:
1. Understand how observations, experiments, and theory are used to
construct and refine computer models.
2. Examine how computer models are used in predicting the impacts of
climate change.
3. Critically evaluate scientific claims in popular media and by peers
regarding climate and climate change, and determine if the evidence
presented is appropriate and sufficient to support the claims.
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 12
Content Area: Science - High School Introduction to Earth Science
Standard: 3. Earth Systems Science
Prepared Graduates:
Describe how humans are dependent on the diversity of resources provided by Earth and Sun
GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION
Concepts and skills students master:
5. There are costs, benefits, and consequences of exploration, development, and consumption of renewable and nonrenewable resources
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a. Develop, communicate, and justify an evidence-based
scientific explanation regarding the costs and benefits of
exploration, development, and consumption of
renewable and nonrenewable resources
b. Evaluate positive and negative impacts on the
geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere in
regards to resource use
c. Create a plan to reduce environmental impacts due to
resource consumption
d. Analyze and interpret data about the effect of resource
consumption and development on resource reserves to
draw conclusions about sustainable use
Inquiry Questions:
1. How do humans use resources?
2. How can humans reduce the impact of resource use?
3. How are resources used in our community?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using different types
of energy?
Relevance and Application:
1. Technologies have had a variety of impacts on how resources are
located, extracted, and consumed.
2. Technology development has reduced the pollution, waste, and
ecosystem degradation caused by extraction and use.
Nature of Discipline:
1. Infer assumptions behind emotional, political, and data-driven
conclusions about renewable and nonrenewable resource use.
2. Critically evaluate scientific claims in popular media and by peers,
and determine if evidence presented is appropriate and sufficient to
support the claims.
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 13
Content Area: Science - High School Introduction to Earth Science
Standard: 3. Earth Systems Science
Prepared Graduates:
Evaluate evidence that Earth’s geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere interact as a complex system
GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION
Concepts and skills students master:
6. The interaction of Earth's surface with water, air, gravity, and biological activity causes physical and chemical changes
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a. Develop, communicate, and justify an evidence-based
scientific explanation addressing questions regarding the
interaction of Earth’s surface with water, air, gravity,
and biological activity
b. Analyze and interpret data, maps, and models
concerning the direct and indirect evidence produced by
physical and chemical changes that water, air, gravity,
and biological activity create
c. Evaluate negative and positive consequences of physical
and chemical changes on the geosphere
d. Use remote sensing and geographic information systems
(GIS) data to interpret landforms and landform impact
on human activity
Inquiry Questions:
1. How do Earth’s systems interact to create new landforms?
2. What are positive changes on Earth’s geosphere due to water, air,
gravity, and biological activity?
3. What are negative changes on Earth’s geosphere due to water, air,
gravity, and biological activity?
Relevance and Application:
1. Geologic, physical, and topographic maps can be used to interpret
surface features.
2. Recognize that landform models help us understand the interaction
among Earth’s systems.
3. Human activities such as agricultural practices have impacts on soil
formation and soil loss.
Nature of Discipline:
1. Ask testable questions and make a falsifiable hypothesis about
physical and chemical changes on the geosphere and use an inquiry
based approach to find an answer.
2. Share experimental data, and respectfully discuss conflicting results.
3. Use appropriate technology to help gather and analyze data, find
background information, and communicate scientific information on
physical and chemical changes.
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 14
Content Area: Science - High School Introduction to Earth Science
Standard: 3. Earth Systems Science
Prepared Graduates:
Evaluate evidence that Earth’s geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere interact as a complex system
GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION
Concepts and skills students master:
7. Natural hazards such as volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and thunderstorms have local, national and global impacts
Evidence Outcomes 21st Century Skills and Readiness Competencies
Students can:
a. Develop, communicate, and justify an evidence-based
scientific explanation regarding natural hazards, and
explain their potential local and global impacts
b. Analyze and interpret data about natural hazards using
direct and indirect evidence
c. Make predictions and draw conclusions about the impact
of natural hazards on human activity – locally and
globally
Inquiry Questions:
1. Why are some natural hazards difficult to predict, while others are
easier to predict?
2. How are humans impacted by natural hazards?
3. How can we prepare for natural hazards?
4. How is climate change expected to change the incidence of natural
hazards?
Relevance and Application:
1. Engineers must know the hazards of a local area and design for it
such as building safe structures in zones prone to earthquakes,
hurricanes, tsunamis, or tornadoes.
2. Differing technologies are used to study different types of natural
hazards.
3. Natural hazard zones affect construction or explain why monitoring
natural hazards through air traffic safety, evacuations, and
protecting property is important.
4. Science is used by disaster planners who work with the scientific
community to develop diverse ways to mitigate the impacts of
natural hazards on the human population and on a given
ecosystem.
Nature of Discipline:
1. Collaborate with local, national, and global organizations to report
and review natural disaster data, and compare their conclusions to
alternate explanations.
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 15
Prepared Graduate Competencies in Science The preschool through twelfth-grade concepts and skills that all students who complete the Colorado
education system must master to ensure their success in a postsecondary and workforce setting.
Prepared Graduates:
Observe, explain, and predict natural phenomena governed by Newton's laws of motion,
acknowledging the limitations of their application to very small or very fast objects
Apply an understanding of atomic and molecular structure to explain the properties of matter, and
predict outcomes of chemical and nuclear reactions
Apply an understanding that energy exists in various forms, and its transformation and conservation
occur in processes that are predictable and measurable
Analyze the relationship between structure and function in living systems at a variety of
organizational levels, and recognize living systems’ dependence on natural selection
Explain and illustrate with examples how living systems interact with the biotic and abiotic
environment
Analyze how various organisms grow, develop, and differentiate during their lifetimes based on an
interplay between genetics and their environment
Explain how biological evolution accounts for the unity and diversity of living organisms
Describe and interpret how Earth's geologic history and place in space are relevant to our
understanding of the processes that have shaped our planet
Evaluate evidence that Earth’s geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere interact as a
complex system
Describe how humans are dependent on the diversity of resources provided by Earth and Sun
Engage in scientific inquiry by asking or responding to scientifically oriented questions, collecting and
analyzing data, giving priority to evidence, formulating explanations based on evidence, connecting
explanations to scientific knowledge, and communicating and justifying explanations.
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 16
Standard Grade Level Expectation
High School
1. Physical
Science
1. Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation describe the relationships
among forces acting on and between objects, their masses, and
changes in their motion – but have limitations
2. Matter has definite structure that determines characteristic physical
and chemical properties
3. Matter can change form through chemical or nuclear reactions abiding
by the laws of conservation of mass and energy
4. Atoms bond in different ways to form molecules and compounds that
have definite properties
5. Energy exists in many forms such as mechanical, chemical, electrical,
radiant, thermal, and nuclear, that can be quantified and
experimentally determined
6. When energy changes form, it is neither created not destroyed;
however, because some is necessarily lost as heat, the amount of
energy available to do work decreases
2. Life Science 1. Matter tends to be cycled within an ecosystem, while energy is
transformed and eventually exits an ecosystem
2. The size and persistence of populations depend on their interactions
with each other and on the abiotic factors in an ecosystem
3. Cellular metabolic activities are carried out by biomolecules produced
by organisms
4. The energy for life primarily derives from the interrelated processes of
photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Photosynthesis transforms the
sun’s light energy into the chemical energy of molecular bonds.
Cellular respiration allows cells to utilize chemical energy when these
bonds are broken.
5. Cells use the passive and active transport of substances across
membranes to maintain relatively stable intracellular environments
6. Cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems maintain relatively stable
internal environments, even in the face of changing external
environments
7. Physical and behavioral characteristics of an organism are influenced
to varying degrees by heritable genes, many of which encode
instructions for the production of proteins
8. Multicellularity makes possible a division of labor at the cellular level
through the expression of select genes, but not the entire genome
9. Evolution occurs as the heritable characteristics of populations change
across generations and can lead populations to become better adapted
to their environment
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 17
Standard Grade Level Expectation
High School (continued)
3. Earth Systems
Science
1. The history of the universe, solar system and Earth can be inferred
from evidence left from past events
2. As part of the solar system, Earth interacts with various
extraterrestrial forces and energies such as gravity, solar phenomena,
electromagnetic radiation, and impact events that influence the
planet’s geosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere in a variety of ways
3. The theory of plate tectonics helps to explain geological, physical, and
geographical features of Earth
4. Climate is the result of energy transfer among interactions of the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere
5. There are costs, benefits, and consequences of exploration,
development, and consumption of renewable and nonrenewable
resources
6. The interaction of Earth's surface with water, air, gravity, and
biological activity causes physical and chemical changes
7. Natural hazards have local, national and global impacts such as
volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and thunderstorms
Eighth Grade
3. Earth Systems
Science
1. Weather is a result of complex interactions of Earth's atmosphere, land
and water, that are driven by energy from the sun, and can be
predicted and described through complex models
2. Earth has a variety of climates defined by average temperature,
precipitation, humidity, air pressure, and wind that have changed over
time in a particular location
3. The solar system is comprised of various objects that orbit the Sun
and are classified based on their characteristics
4. The relative positions and motions of Earth, Moon, and Sun can be
used to explain observable effects such as seasons, eclipses, and Moon
phases
5. Major geologic events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mid-
ocean ridges, and mountain formation are associated with plate
boundaries and attributed to plate motions
6. Geologic time, history, and changing life forms are indicated by fossils
and successive sedimentation, folding, faulting, and uplifting of layers
of sedimentary rock
7. Complex interrelationships exist between Earth’s structure and natural
processes that over time are both constructive and destructive
8. Water on Earth is distributed and circulated through oceans, glaciers,
rivers, ground water, and the atmosphere
9. Earth’s natural resources provide the foundation for human society’s
physical needs. Many natural resources are nonrenewable on human
timescales, while others can be renewed or recycled
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 18
Standard Grade Level Expectation
Seventh Grade
2. Life Science 1. Individual organisms with certain traits are more likely than others to
survive and have offspring in a specific environment
2. The human body is composed of atoms, molecules, cells, tissues,
organs, and organ systems that have specific functions and
interactions
3. Cells are the smallest unit of life that can function independently and
perform all the necessary functions of life
4. Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are important processes by
which energy is acquired and utilized by organisms
5. Multiple lines of evidence show the evolution of organisms over
geologic time
6. Human activities can deliberately or inadvertently alter ecosystems
and their resiliency
7. Organisms reproduce and transmit genetic information (genes) to
offspring, which influences individuals’ traits in the next generation
8. Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of
individual organisms, populations, and entire species
9. Organisms interact with each other and their environment in various
ways that create a flow of energy and cycling of matter in an
ecosystem
Sixth Grade
1. Physical
Science
1. Identify and calculate the direction and magnitude of forces that act on
an object, and explain the results in the object’s change of motion
2. There are different forms of energy, and those forms of energy can be
changed from one form to another – but total energy is conserved
3. Distinguish between physical and chemical changes, noting that mass
is conserved during any change
4. Recognize that waves such as electromagnetic, sound, seismic, and
water have common characteristics and unique properties
5. Mixtures of substances can be separated based on their properties
such as solubility, boiling points, magnetic properties, and densities
6. All matter is made of atoms, which are far too small to see directly
through a light microscope. Elements have unique atoms and thus,
unique properties. Atoms themselves are made of even smaller
particles
7. Atoms may stick together in well-defined molecules or be packed
together in large arrangements. Different arrangements of atoms into
groups compose all substances.
8. The physical characteristics and changes of solid, liquid, and gas states
can be explained using the particulate model
9. Distinguish among, explain, and apply the relationships among mass,
weight, volume, and density
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 19
Standard Grade Level Expectation
Fifth Grade
1. Physical
Science
1. Mixtures of matter can be separated regardless of how they were
created; all weight and mass of the mixture are the same as the sum
of weight and mass of its parts
2. Life Science 1. All organisms have structures and systems with separate functions
2. Human body systems have basic structures, functions, and needs
3. Earth Systems
Science
1. Earth and sun provide a diversity of renewable and nonrenewable
resources
2. Earth’s surface changes constantly through a variety of processes and
forces
3. Weather conditions change because of the uneven heating of Earth’s
surface by the Sun’s energy. Weather changes are measured by
differences in temperature, air pressure, wind and water in the
atmosphere and type of precipitation
Fourth Grade
1. Physical
Science
1. Energy comes in many forms such as light, heat, sound, magnetic,
chemical, and electrical
2. Life Science 1. All living things share similar characteristics, but they also have
differences that can be described and classified
2. Comparing fossils to each other or to living organisms reveals features
of prehistoric environments and provides information about organisms
today
3. There is interaction and interdependence between and among living
and nonliving components of systems
3. Earth Systems
Science
1. Earth is part of the solar system, which includes the Sun, Moon, and
other bodies that orbit the Sun in predictable patterns that lead to
observable paths of objects in the sky as seen from Earth
Third Grade
1. Physical
Science
1. Matter exists in different states such as solids, liquids, and gases and
can change from one state to another by heating and cooling
2. Life Science 1. The duration and timing of life cycle events such as reproduction and
longevity vary across organisms and species
3. Earth Systems
Science
1. Earth’s materials can be broken down and/or combined into different
materials such as rocks, minerals, rock cycle, formation of soil, and
sand – some of which are usable resources for human activity
Second Grade
1. Physical
Science
1. Changes in speed or direction of motion are caused by forces such as
pushes and pulls.
2. Life Science 1. Organisms depend on their habitat’s nonliving parts to satisfy their
needs
2. Each plant or animal has different structures or behaviors that serve
different functions
3. Earth Systems
Science
1. Weather and the changing seasons impact the environment and
organisms such as humans, plants, and other animals
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Standard Grade Level Expectation
First Grade
1. Physical
Science
1. Solids and liquids have unique properties that distinguish them
2. Life Science 1. Offspring have characteristics that are similar to but not exactly like
their parents’ characteristics
2. An organism is a living thing that has physical characteristics to help it
survive
3. Earth Systems
Science
1. Earth’s materials can be compared and classified based on their
properties
Kindergarten
1. Physical
Science
1. Objects can move in a variety of ways that can be described by speed
and direction
2. Objects can be sorted by physical properties, which can be observed
and measured
2. Life Science 1. Organisms can be described and sorted by their physical
characteristics
3. Earth Systems
Science
1. The sun provides heat and light to Earth
Preschool
1. Physical
Science
1. Objects have properties and characteristics
2. There are cause-and-effect relationships in everyday experiences
2. Life Science 1. Living things have characteristics and basic needs
2. Living things develop in predictable patterns
3. Earth Systems
Science
1. Earth’s materials have properties and characteristics that affect how
we use those materials
2. Events such as night, day, the movement of objects in the sky,
weather, and seasons have patterns
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 20
Academic Vocabulary
air, air mass, air pressure, astronomy, atmosphere, atom, attract, axis, bar graph, benefits, bias,
biological activity, biosphere, buoy, capacity, causation, cave deposits, Celsius, centimeter,
characteristic, chemical change, chemical formula, Chemistry, circulation, climate, climate change, cloud,
component, composition, compound, computer, conclusion, condensation, conduction, consequences,
conservation of energy, conservation of mass, conservation of matter, constant, consumption,
continental build-up, controlled experiment, convection, Coriolis effect, costs, cross-cutting relationships,
crust, data, data interpretation, density, dependent variable, deposition, development, Earth, Earth
layers, Earth’s material, Earth’s tilt, earthquake, eclipse, ecosystem degradation, electromagnetic
radiation, electromagnetic spectrum, electron, element, elevation, energy, energy balance, energy
transfer, environmental impact, equator, erosion, error, evaporation, evidence, evolution, experiment,
explanation, exploration, extraterrestrial forces, falsifiable hypothesis, fault, fossil, fossil fuel, front,
fusion, galaxy, gas, geographic information systems (GIS), geographic information systems (GIS) data,
geographic mapping systems, geologic history, geologic map, geologic, geology, geophysical location,
geophysical technologies, geosphere, glaciation, glacier, global impact, global positioning systems (GPS),
global information systems (GLIS), gram, gravity, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gas, ground water,
heat, humidity, hurricane, hydrologic cycle, hydrosphere, hypothesis, ice sediment core, igneous, impact
events, implication, independent variable, index fossil, infrared, invertebrate, investigation, kilogram,
kinetic energy, landform, landform models, landmass location, latitude, law, length, line graph, liquid,
liter, lithosphere, local impact, macroscopic, magnetism, magnitude, map, mass, matter, measure,
mechanical, metamorphic, meteorology, meter, metric, microscopic, milliliter, millimeter, mineral,
mixture, model, molecule, Moon, moon (lunar) phases, national impact, native knowledge, natural
hazard, natural resources, neutron, non-renewable, nuclear, observation, ocean sediment core,
oceanography, opinion, orbit, original horizontality, Pangaea, particulate model, periodic table, pH, phase
change, physical change, physical map, planet, plasma, plate boundary, plate motion, plate tectonics,
plateau, polarity, pole, pollution, position, precipitation, prediction, pressure, prevailing wind, property,
proton, proximity to oceans, qualitative, quantitative radar, radiation, radiometric dating, ratio, remote
sensing, renewable, resource, resource consumption, resource extraction, resource location, revolution,
rock, rock cycle, rotation, salinity, satellite, satellite imagery, science, scientific law, scientific theory,
sea-level fluctuations, season, sediment, sedimentary, soil, soil formation, soil loss, solar phenomena,
solar system, solid, solubility, soluble, solution, sort, space, spectroscope, speed, star, state of matter,
stratosphere, substance, Sun, superposition, surface, surface features, sustainable use, system, t-chart,
table, telescope, temperature, testable, testable question, theory, thermometer, thunderstorm, tide,
topographic map, transfer, transform, tree rings, troposphere, tsunami, ultraviolet, unconformity, unit,
universe, uplift, variable, verify, video/image libraries, visible light, volcanic eruption, volcano, volume,
waste, water cycle, wavelength, weather, weather station, weathering, weight, white light, work, year
Word Definition
Air the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, a mixture mainly
of oxygen and nitrogen
Air mass a body of air extending hundreds or thousands of miles horizontally and
sometimes as high as the stratosphere and maintaining as it travels
nearly uniform conditions
Air pressure the pressure exerted by the atmosphere
Astronomy the science of celestial objects, space, and the physical universe
Atmosphere the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet
Atom the smallest particle of a chemical element, consisting of a positively
charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons
Attract to cause to draw near or adhere by physical force
Axis an imaginary line through a body, about which it rotates
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 21
Bar graph a graph consisting of parallel, usually vertical bars or rectangles with
lengths proportional to the frequency with which specified quantities
occur in a set of data
Benefits In reference to resources, what benefits are gained by extracting a given
commodity?
Bias statistical sampling or testing error caused by systematically favoring
some outcomes over others
Biological activity how do earth systems processes affect life on Earth?
biosphere the part of the earth and its atmosphere in which living organisms exist
or that is capable of supporting life
buoy an instrument that collects weather and ocean data within Earth’s oceans
Capacity the maximum amount that can be contained
Cave deposits minerals deposited in caves that are used for interpreting climate change
Celsius of or relating to a temperature scale that registers the freezing point of
water as 0° and the boiling point as 100° under normal atmospheric
pressure
Centimeter metric unit of length equal to 1/100 of a meter
Characteristic a feature that helps to identify, tell apart, or describe recognizably; a
distinguishing trait
Chemical change a change in which the substances present at the beginning of the change
are not present at the end; new substances are formed. The change
cannot be “undone”
Chemical formula A representation of a substance using symbols to represent constituent
elements
Chemistry the branch of science concerned with the properties and interactions of
the substances of which matter is composed
Circulation movement in a circle or circuit
Climate meteorological conditions including temperature, precipitation, and wind,
which characteristically prevail in a particular region
Climate change long term (hundreds to thousands of years) change in weather patterns;
includes global warming, global cooling, sea-level fluctuations, etc.
Cloud a visible body of very fine water droplets or ice particles suspended in
the atmosphere at altitudes ranging up to several miles above sea level
Component a single part of a larger system
Composition the combining of distinct parts or elements to form a whole
Compound a pure, macroscopically homogeneous substance consisting of atoms or
ions of two or more different elements in definite proportions that cannot
be separated by physical means. A compound usually has properties
unlike those of its constituent elements
Computer a programmable machine designed to accomplish complex mathematical
operations
Conclusion a judgment or decision reached by reasoning
Condensation the process by which a gas or vapor changes to a liquid
Conduction the transmission or conveying of something through a medium or
passage, especially the transmission of electric charge or heat through a
conducting medium without perceptible motion of the medium itself
Consequences the results of intended or unintended action or inaction
Conversation of energy a principle stating that the total energy of an isolated system remains
constant regardless of changes within the system
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 22
Conservation of mass a principle in classical physics stating that the total mass of an isolated
system is unchanged by interaction of its parts
Conservation of matter a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be
created or destroyed in an isolated system
Constant an experimental or theoretical condition, factor, or quantity that does not
vary or that is regarded as invariant in specified circumstances
Consumption use of natural resources, either renewable or nonrenewable
Continental buildup formation of new, or addition to old, continental masses by plate tectonic
mechanisms
Controlled experiment an experiment that isolates the effect of one variable on a system by
holding constant all variables but the one under observation
Convection heat transfer in a gas or liquid by the circulation of currents from one
region to another
Coriolis effect result of an apparent force that as a result of earth's rotation deflects
moving objects (as projectiles or air currents) to the right in the northern
hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere
Costs In reference to resources, what is the ultimate cost of extracting a
resource from Earth?
Cross-cutting
relationships
a basic geologic principle that states that any geologic event that cuts
across a pre-existing geologic feature is younger than the pre-existing
feature
Crust solid, outermost layer of the Earth, lying above the mantle
Data factual information (as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for
reasoning, discussion, or calculation
Data interpretation the use of a variety of techniques to understand complex sets of data
Density the mass of a substance per unit volume
Dependent variable the observed or measured variable in an experiment or study whose
changes are determined by the presence of one or more independent
variables
Deposition the laying down of matter by a natural process
Development the processes involved in presenting natural resources for human
consumption
Earth the third planet from the sun
Earthquake a sudden movement of the Earth's crust caused by the release of stress
accumulated within the Earth’s crust
Earth layers crust, mantle, and core; sedimentary strata
Earth’s material any substance occurring naturally on Earth, such as water, soil, rocks,
etc
Earth’s tilt inclination of Earth’s axis toward or away from the sun and its effect on
climate
Eclipse the partial or complete obscuring, relative to a designated observer, of
one celestial body by another
Ecosystem degradation the breakdown of an ecosystem by exploration for and development and
consumption of Earth resources
Electromagnetic radiation a kind of radiation including visible light, radio waves, gamma rays, and
X‐rays, in which electric and magnetic fields vary simultaneously
Electromagnetic
spectrum
the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation
Electron an elementary particle in all atoms that has a negative charge
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 23
Element a substance composed of atoms having an identical number of protons in
each nucleus; elements cannot be reduced to simpler substances by
normal chemical means
Elevation height above a given level, especially sea level
Energy the capacity of a physical system to do work
Energy balance earth’s input and output of energy and how it affects climate
Energy transfer the movement of energy among the atmosphere, geosphere,
hydrosphere, and biosphere and how it affects climate
Environmental impact the effects that exploration for and development and consumption of
Earth resources have on the environment
Equator the imaginary great circle around the Earth's surface, equidistant from
the poles and perpendicular to the Earth's axis of rotation; it divides the
Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere
Erosion the group of natural processes, including weathering, dissolution,
abrasion, corrosion, and transportation, by which material is worn away
from the earth's surface
Error difference between a computed or measured value and a true or
theoretically correct value
Evaporation to convert or change into a vapor
Evidence information acquired through objective experience
Evolution a gradual process in which something changes into a different form
Experiment a test under controlled conditions that is made to examine the validity of
a hypothesis or determine the efficacy of something previously untried
Explanation a statement based on scientific evidence and logical argument about
causes and effects or relationships between variables
Exploration the process of searching for and finding Earth resources
Extraterrestrial forces gravity, solar phenomena, electromagnetic radiation, and impact events
that influence Earth systems
Falsifiable hypothesis a scientific hypothesis must have some feature about it that would allow
an experimenter to prove the hypothesis false
Fault a break in a rock volume along which there has been evidence of
displacement
Fossil a remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a
skeleton or leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in the Earth's crust
Fossil fuel a hydrocarbon deposit, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived
from living matter of a previous geologic time and used for fuel
Front the interface between air masses of different temperatures or densities
Fusion thermonuclear reaction, usually in a star’s interior
Galaxy any of numerous large‐scale aggregates of stars, gas, and dust that
constitute the universe
Gas the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by
relatively low density and viscosity, relatively great expansion and
contraction with changes in pressure and
temperature, the ability to diffuse readily, and the spontaneous tendency
to become distributed uniformly throughout any container
Geographic information
systems (GIS)
a system designed to manipulate geographic data
Geographic information
systems (GIS) data
data collected and manipulated from using a GIS
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 24
Geographic mapping
systems
part of a GIS that creates multiple theme maps for use in planning
Geologic history the study of geologic time and associated events
Geologic map the two dimensional representation of the three dimensional geologic
features in an area
Geologic time the period of time covering the physical formation and development of
Earth, especially the period prior to human history
Geology the scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the earth
Geophysical location The location of an area based on its geophysical characteristics and its
effect on climate; such features might include magnetic, gravitational,
and electrical properties
Geophysical technologies instruments that measure magnetic, gravitational, electrical, and seismic
properties of Earth
Geosphere the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle
Glaciations periods of time where the climate has cooled and glaciers have advanced
Glacier a huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass, formed from
compacted snow in an area where snow accumulation exceeds melting
and sublimation
Global impact The effect of a natural or man-made event felt over the entire globe
Global positioning
systems (GPS)
a space-based satellite navigation system that provides weather
information anywhere on Earth
Global information
systems (GLIS)
a system that uses GIS to study global problems
Gram the basic unit of mass in the metric system
Gravity the force that attracts a body towards the center of the Earth, or towards
any other physical body having mass
Greenhouse effect the phenomenon whereby Earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation,
caused by the presence in the atmosphere of gases such as carbon
dioxide, water vapor, and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass
through but absorb heat radiated back from Earth's surface
Greenhouse gas a gas, such as carbon dioxide, that contributes to the greenhouse effect
by absorbing infrared radiation
Groundwater water beneath the Earth's surface, often between saturated soil and
rock, which supplies wells and springs
Heat a form of energy associated with the motion of atoms or molecules and
capable of being transmitted through solid and fluid media by
conduction, through fluid media by convection, and through empty space
by radiation
Humidity the amount of water suspended in the air in tiny droplets
Hurricane a tropical storm with sustained wind speeds greater than 117 kph (74
mph)
Hydrologic cycle the cycle of evaporation and condensation that controls the distribution
of Earth's water as it evaporates from bodies of water, condenses,
precipitates, and returns to those bodies of water
Hydrosphere the watery layer of the Earth's surface; includes water vapor
Hypothesis a tentative explanation for an observation
Ice sediment core A drilling sample taken from ice to study climate change
Igneous rocks or minerals formed by the cooling and hardening of magma or
molten lava
Impact events Earth collisions with solar system debris
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 25
Implication a probable consequence
Independent variable a manipulated variable in an experiment or study whose presence or
degree determines the change in the dependent variable
Index fossil a fossil used to define and identify a geologic time period
Infrared electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength just greater than that of
red light but less than that of microwaves, emitted particularly by heated
objects
Invertebrate an animal, such as an insect or mollusk, which lacks a backbone or spinal
column
Investigation a detailed inquiry or systematic examination
Kilogram metric unit equaling 1000 grams
Kinetic energy energy which a body possesses by virtue of being in motion
Landform a recognizable, naturally formed feature on Earth's surface. Landforms
have a characteristic shape and can include such large features as plains,
plateaus, mountains, and valleys, as well as smaller features such as
hills, eskers, and canyons
Landform models models that depict landforms
Landmass location the effect of landmass location on a given location’s climate
Latitude A location’s angular distance north or south of the Equator and its effect
on climate
Length the distance of something from end to end, usually the longest
dimension
Light electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
Line graph a diagram that exhibits a relationship, often functional, between two sets
of numbers as a set of points having coordinates determined by the
relationship
Liquid the state of matter in which a substance exhibits a characteristic
readiness to flow, little or no tendency to disperse, and relatively high
incompressibility
Liter basic unit of fluid volume in the metric system
Lithosphere the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle
Local impact the effect of a natural or man-made event on a city or community
Macroscopic large enough to be perceived or examined by the unaided eye
Magnetism the property displayed by magnets and produced by the motion of
electric charges, which results in attraction or repulsion between objects
Magnitude relative size or extent
Map two dimensional representation of a three dimensional surface
Mass the quantity of matter which a body contains, as measured by its
acceleration under a given force or by the force exerted on it by a
gravitational field
Matter physical substance or material in general; that which occupies space and
possesses mass
Measure to ascertain the dimensions, quantity, or capacity of
Mechanical relating to the action of forces on material objects
Metamorphic rocks altered considerably from the original structure and composition by
pressure and heat
Meteorology the science that deals with the phenomena of the atmosphere, especially
weather and weather conditions
Meter metric unit of length
Metric system of weights and measures based on multiples of ten
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 26
Microscopic too small to be seen by the unaided eye but large enough to be studied
under a microscope
Milliliter one one‐thousandth of a liter; 1000 milliliters equal 1 liter
Millimeter one one‐thousandth of a meter; 1000 millimeters equal 1 meter
Mineral a naturally occurring, homogeneous inorganic solid substance having a
definite chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure,
color, and hardness
Mixture a composition of two or more substances that are not chemically
combined with each other and are capable of being separated
Model an explanation or representation of an object, system, or process that
cannot be easily studied
Molecule the simplest unit of a chemical compound that can exist, consisting of
two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds
Moon the natural satellite of Earth, orbiting it every 28 days and shining by
reflected light from the sun
Moon (lunar) phases one of the cyclically recurring apparent forms of the moon
Motion a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of
something
National impact the effect of a natural or man-made event on a national level
Native knowledge knowledge which is acquired and preserved through generations in an
original or local society, and is based on experience in working to secure
subsistence from nature
Natural hazard a threat of a naturally occurring event that will have a negative effect on
humanity and/or our surroundings
Natural resources a material source of wealth, such as timber, fresh water, or a mineral
deposit, that occurs in a natural state and has economic value
Neutron a neutral elementary particle of about the same mass as a proton
Nonrenewable resource of or relating to an energy source, such as oil or natural gas, or a natural
resource, such as a metallic ore, that is not replaceable after it has been
used
Nuclear relating to atomic nuclei; derived from the energy of atomic nuclei
Observation the act of making and recording a measurement
Ocean sediment core a drilling sample taken from deep ocean sediment to aid our
understanding of past climate changes
Oceanography the branch of science concerned with the physical and biological
properties and phenomena of the sea
Opinion a belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by
positive knowledge or evidence
Orbit the path of a celestial body or an artificial satellite as it revolves around
another body
Original horizontality a geologic principle that states that most sediments were originally laid
down horizontally; if the rocks are found in an inclined position, then
some force must have been applied after they were deposited.
Pangaea (plate tectonics) a hypothetical super‐continent that included all the
landmasses of the earth before the Triassic Period. When continental drift
began, Pangaea broke up into Laurasia and Gondwanaland
Particulate model model of matter describing all matter as composed of particles with
space in between them; the relative distance between particles and the
motion of the particles can be used to explain the phases of matter (gas,
liquid, solid)
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 27
Periodic table a table of the chemical elements arranged in order of atomic number,
usually in rows, with elements having similar atomic structure appearing
in vertical columns
pH p(otential of) H(ydrogen); a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a
solution, numerically equal to 7 for neutral solutions, increasing with
increasing alkalinity and decreasing with increasing acidity. The pH scale
commonly in use ranges from 0 to 14
Phase change a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a
change in chemical composition
Physical change a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a
change in chemical composition
Physical map refers to a map that depicts identifiable landmarks like mountains,
oceans, rivers, lakes, deserts, etc.
Planet a non‐luminous celestial body larger than an asteroid or comet
Plasma an electrically neutral, highly ionized gas composed of ions, electrons,
and neutral particles. It is a phase of matter distinct from solids, liquids,
and normal gases
Plate boundary the areas along which plate tectonic movement occurs: convergent,
divergent, and transform
Plate motion movement of Earth’s lithospheric plates thought to be caused by
convection in the mantle and core
Plate tectonics a theory that explains the global distribution of geological phenomena
such as seismicity, volcanism, continental drift, and mountain building in
terms of the formation, destruction, movement, and interaction of
earth's lithospheric plates
Plateau an elevated, comparatively level expanse of land
Polarity the state of having poles or opposites
Pole either extremity of an axis through a sphere
Pollution the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment
Position place or location
Precipitation any form of water, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail, which falls to
Earth's surface
Prediction a statement about what one thinks will happen in an investigation
Pressure force applied uniformly over a surface, measured as force per unit of
area
Prevailing wind a wind from the predominant or most usual direction
Property something that can be known by looking at or feeling an object;
something one can observe
Proton an elementary particle in all atoms that has a positive charge
Proximity to oceans nearness to oceans and its effect on a location’s climate
Qualitative involving distinctions, descriptions, or comparisons based on qualities
that can be observed without measurement (e.g. color, shape,
appearance)
Quantitative involving distinctions, descriptions, or comparisons that can be quantified
or measured
Radar an object-detection system that uses electromagnetic waves to
determine spatial properties of moving or fixed objects; often used to
determine the properties of weather systems
Radiation emission and propagation of energy in the form of rays or waves
Radiometric dating a method of determining the age of objects or material using the decay
rates of radioactive components such as potassium‐argon
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 28
Ratio the relationship between two quantities expressed as the quotient of one
divided by the other
Remote sensing the acquisition of information about objects or phenomena without
actually touching the objects or phenomena in question.
Renewable resource any natural resource (as wood or solar energy) that can be replenished
naturally with the passage of time
Resource available supply of something that can be drawn upon when needed
Resource consumption use of resources
Resource extraction removal of resources from Earth’s crust
Resource location exploration for Earth resources
Revolution movement of an object in space (a planet) around a larger object (a
star), held in position by the force of gravity
Rock any natural material with a distinctive composition of minerals
Rock cycle the process by which rocks are recycled and changed from one form of
rock to another
Rotation the act or process of turning around a center or an axis
Salinity the relative proportion of salt in a solution
Satellite any celestial body orbiting around a planet or star
Satellite imagery photographs of solar system-object surface features taken by artificial
satellites
Science the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study
of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through
observation and experiment
Scientific law a phenomenon of nature that has been shown to invariably occur
whenever certain conditions exist or are met
Scientific theory a well‐substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an
organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of
circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "scientific theories
must be falsifiable"
Sea-level fluctuations rise and fall of sea-level based on changes in the climate leading to
changes in the environment
Season one of the natural periods into which the year is divided by the equinoxes
and solstices or atmospheric conditions
Sediment material that has been deposited by water, ice or wind
Sedimentary rocks formed when sediment is deposited and becomes tightly
compacted
Soil the top layer of the Earth's surface, consisting of rock and mineral
particles mixed with organic matter
Soil formation the creation of soil by the interaction of climate, relief, parent material,
and living organisms; living organisms include vegetation, fauna, and
human activity
Soil loss removal of soil by human activities like logging, farming, and
construction and its effect on the formation of landforms
Solar phenomena physical features that include but are not limited to solar flares,
prominences, coronal mass ejections, and sunspots
Solar system a system of planets or other bodies orbiting a star
Solid the state in which a substance has no tendency to flow under moderate
stress; resists forces (such as compression) that tend to deform it; and
retains a definite size and shape
Solubility the quality or condition of being soluble
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 29
Soluble that can be dissolved, especially easily dissolved
Solution homogeneous mixture of two or more substances, which may be solids,
liquids, gases, or a combination of these
Sort to arrange according to class, kind, or size; classify
Space an empty area (usually bounded in some way between things); the
expanse in which the solar system, stars, and galaxies exist; the
universe
Spectroscope an instrument for producing and observing spectra, the entire range of
wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation
Speed the rate or a measure of the rate of motion
Star a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from
thermonuclear reactions in the interior
State of matter the physical state that matter exists in; solid, liquid or gas
Stratosphere the atmospheric layer between the troposphere and the mesosphere
Substance a particular kind of matter with uniform properties
Sun the star round which earth orbits
Superposition a geologic principle that states that older sedimentary rocks are
deposited beneath younger sedimentary rocks
Surface the outer or the topmost boundary of an object
Surface features a solar-system object’s visible expression of the underlying processes
that have operated to create the object
Sustainable use resource consumption that does not exhaust the available supply of the
resource
System a group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming
a complex whole
T-chart a graphic organizer with two columns in which the entry in one column is
paired with the entry in the other
Table an orderly arrangement of data, especially one in which the data are
arranged in columns and rows in an essentially rectangular form
Telescope a scientific instrument designed to collect and record electromagnetic
radiation from cosmic sources
Temperature a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of
matter, expressed in terms of units or degrees designated on a standard
scale
Testable able to be tested or investigated by a scientific investigation
Testable question a question around which an experiment can be designed to produce data
(evidence) for answers or further questioning
Thermometer a tool used to measure temperature
Thunderstorm produced by a cumulonimbus cloud, a weather event that produces
thunder, lightning, rain, hail, etc
Tide the alternate rising and falling of the sea due to the attraction of the
moon and sun
Topographic map a map that shows elevation changes over a given area through the use
of contours (lines of equal elevation)
Transfer to convey or cause to pass from one place or thing to another
Transform to convert from one form to another
Tree rings growth rings in trees that are indicators of past climates and climate
change
Troposphere the lowest region of the atmosphere between the Earth's surface and the
tropopause, characterized by decreasing temperature with increasing
altitude
11/28/2012 BVSD Curriculum Essentials 30
Tsunami an ocean wave created by underwater earthquakes, landslides, and
volcanoes
Ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength just shorter than that of
violet light but longer than that of X‐rays
Unconformity a break in rock sequences that can indicate uplift and erosion or non-
deposition
Unit a standard amount of a physical quantity, such as length or energy, used
to express magnitudes of that quantity
Universe all matter and energy, including the Earth, the galaxies, and the contents
of intergalactic space, regarded as a whole
Uplift upheaval; raising something to a higher level
Variable a factor or condition that can change and might affect the outcome of an
experiment
Verify to determine or test the accuracy of, as by comparison, investigation, or
reference
Video/image libraries data collections of videos and various images that can be accessed to
study aspects of earth science
Visible light electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
Volcanic eruption the sudden occurrence of a violent discharge of steam and volcanic
material
Volcano an opening in Earth's crust through which molten lava, ash, and gases
are ejected
Volume the amount of 3‐dimensional space occupied by an object
Waste material that is not utilized (for whatever reason) during the extraction
and consumption of Earth resources
Water cycle the circulation of the Earth's water, in which water from the sea
evaporates, forms clouds, falls as rain or snow, and returns to the sea by
rivers
Wavelength the distance between one peak or crest of a wave of light, heat, or other
energy and the next corresponding peak or crest
Weather the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to
variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and barometric
pressure
Weather station a collection of sensing instruments designed to monitor various climatic
conditions
Weathering any of the chemical or mechanical processes by which rocks exposed to
the weather undergo changes in character and break down
Weight the force with which a body is attracted to Earth or another celestial
body, equal to the product of the object's mass and the acceleration of
gravity
White light apparently colorless light containing all the wavelengths of the visible
spectrum at equal intensity (such as ordinary daylight)
Work the transfer of energy from one physical system to another, especially
the transfer of energy to a body by the application of a force that moves
the body in the direction of the force
Year the time taken by the Earth to make one revolution around the sun