high school introduction to earth science curriculum essentials document scho… · ·...

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.


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.


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)


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


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



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


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:



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


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.




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



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


Students can:


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?


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.


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.




Prepared Graduates:

Evaluate evidence that Earth’s geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere interact as a complex system



3. The theory of plate tectonics helps explain geological, physical, and geographical features of Earth


Students can:


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?


1. New conceptual interpretations of data and innovative geophysical

technologies led to the current theory of plate tectonics.


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.




Prepared Graduates:




4. Climate is the result of energy transfer among interactions of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere


Students can:


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?


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.


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.




Prepared Graduates:

Describe how humans are dependent on the diversity of resources provided by Earth and Sun



5. There are costs, benefits, and consequences of exploration, development, and consumption of renewable and nonrenewable resources


Students can:


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?


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.


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.




Prepared Graduates:




6. The interaction of Earth's surface with water, air, gravity, and biological activity causes physical and chemical changes


Students can:


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?


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.


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.




Prepared Graduates:




7. Natural hazards such as volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and thunderstorms have local, national and global impacts


Students can:


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?


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.


1. Collaborate with local, national, and global organizations to report

and review natural disaster data, and compare their conclusions to

alternate explanations.


Prepared Graduate Competencies in Science The preschool through twelfth-grade concepts and skills that all students who complete the Colorado


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.


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



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



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



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



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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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)


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


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


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


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