Last updated: 12/17/2013
Niagara Falls City School District
630 66th Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14304

Science - Earth Science - 10 Weeks

(3) MST1.C.C.MA1.1 Students use algebraic and geometric representations to describe and compare data.
Unit 1 - Introduction
1.1a Use standard error of measurement, and density in context 		Holt - Earth Science 

Chapter 1 - Section 2:  Science as a Process 		“Safety Lab”
“Measurement Lab”
“Percent Error Lab”
“Determining Density Lab”
“Density of Liquids Lab”

Density Lab

Percent Error Lab

New York Science Teacher (web)When Youre Hot Youre Hot - General Lab.ds- Utilizing Probeware for the first time 		Geometry & Measurement
EXAMGEN 4.2.3

School Island
(3) MST1.C.C.MA1.1 Students use algebraic and geometric representations to describe and compare data.
Unit 2 - Astronomy
1.1a Use eccentricity, rate, gradient, standard error of measurement, and density in context 		Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 27 - Section 2:  Models of the Solar System 		Eccentricity Lab
Using two pins and a cardboard base, students could investigate the concept of eccentricity. Students could move the pins closer together or farther apart to investigate any differences in eccentricity.






Exploring the Planets CD-Rom Lab
10 Insolation-Seasons LA.doc- Utilizing probeware to determine angle of insolation 		Examgen 4.2.3 &
School Island

Assessment 1
Tell students they have just discovered a new planet in our solar system. Have them determine how it may have been created, the eccentricity of its orbit, period of rotation and revolution, and determine if it possesses any satellites. Upon including this information, students should also include what life would be like if they lived on that particular planet.

Assessment 2
Tell students they just went back in time and everyone believes that the sun, moon and planets move around Earth. Their job is to convince the public that this belief is not true. They are to present as many forms of evidence as possible.
(1) MST1.C.C.MA2.1 Students use deductive reasoning to construct and evaluate conjectures and arguments, recognizing that patterns and relationships in mathematics assist them in arriving at these conjectures and arguments.
2.1b Understand the relationships among: the planets' distance from the Sun, gravitational force, period of revolution, and speed of revolution Holt - Earth Science 

Chapter 27 - Section 2:  Models of the Solar System 		See above See above
(1) MST1.C.LE.LE.1.1 Students elaborate on basic scientific and personal explanations of natural phenomena, and develop extended visual models and mathematical formulations to represent their thinking.
1.1a Show how our observation of celestial motions supports the idea of stars moving around a stationary Earth (the geocentric model), but further investigation has led scientists to understand that most of these changes are a result of Earth's motion around the Sun (the heliocentric model) Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 27 - Section 2: Models of the Solar System 		Discussion Activity
As long ago as 350 B.C., Aristotle proposed searching for stellar parallax to resolve the heliocentric/geocentric controversy. Trace the history of this search through Tyco Brahe (1600), William Herschel (1770), and Friedrich Bessel (1840). What were some of the explanations considered for the failure to find stellar parallax for such a long time.
Armageddon Internet Project
(2) MST1.C.LE.LE.3.1 Students use various means of representing and organizing observations (e.g., diagrams, tables, charts, graphs, equations, matrices) and insightfully interpret the organized data.
3.1a Determine the changing length of a shadow based on the motion of the Sun Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 26 - Section 2: Movements of Earth 		See above See above
(2) MST4.C.ES.PS1.1 Students explain complex phenomena, such as tides, variations in day length, solar insolation, apparent motion of the planets, and annual traverse of the constellations.
1.1a Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. 
  • These motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, seasons, phases of the moon, eclipses, and tides. 
  • Gravity influences the motions of celestial objects. The force of gravity between two objects in the universe depends on their masses and the distance between them.
1.1b Nine planets move around the Sun in nearly circular orbits. 
  • The orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the Sun located at one of the foci. 
  • Earth is orbited by one moon and many artificial satellites.
1.1d Earth rotates on an imaginary axis at a rate of 15 degrees per hour. To people on Earth, this turning of the planet makes it seem as though the Sun, the moon, and the stars are moving around Earth once a day. Rotation provides a basis for our system of local time; meridians of longitude are the basis for time zones.
1.1e The Foucault pendulum and the Coriolis effect provide evidence of Earth's rotation.
1.1f Earth's changing position with regard to the Sun and the moon has noticeable effects. 
  • Earth revolves around the Sun with its rotational axis tilted at 23.5 degrees to a line perpendicular to the plane of its orbit, with the North Pole aligned with Polaris. 
  • During Earth's one-year period of revolution, the tilt of its axis results in changes in the angle of incidence of the Sun's rays at a given latitude; these changes cause variation in the heating of the surface. This produces seasonal variation in weather.
1.1g Seasonal changes in the apparent positions of constellations provide evidence of Earth's revolution.
1.1h The Sun's apparent path through the sky varies with latitude and season.
1.1i Approximately 70 percent of Earth's surface is covered by a relatively thin layer of water, which responds to the gravitational attraction of the moon and the Sun with a daily cycle of high and low tides.

Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 26 - Section 2: Movements of EarthHolt - Earth Science

Chapter 28 - Section 2: Movements of the Moon
 Exploring the Planets CD-Rom Lab
The Suns Path Lab
The Use of a Foucault Penulum Lab

Classroom Activity
Attach names of four different constellations to the four walls of room. Clear out center of room so that students can assemble in a large circle. Place a lamp in the center to simulate the sun. Have students form circle facing the “sun”. Ask students to imagine that a little person is standing on the end of their nose looking down at their feet. Ask students “what time is it for the little person”? (Correct response is that it is noon for the little person as the sun is directly overhead.) Now ask them to make it midnight for the little person. (Students should rotate, counterclockwise 180 degrees)
Now that they are facing away from the sun, ask them to notice the constellation they are looking at. Ask students to make it noon again. Ask them how much time has gone by? Ask what motion 1 day is based on?
Now ask students to make 6 months go by. (Students will eventually “revolve” halfway around the sun) Ask students to describe one year. Have students make it midnight for the little person an ask them to notice what constellation is visible. Ask them why it is not the same as 6 months ago. Ask them if they think that constellations visible in the summer will be visible in winter. Ask them to explain why. You may want to discuss circumpolar constellations such as Polaris.



Eclipses Interactivity (WEB)
(1) MST4.C.ES.PS1.2 Students describe current theories about the origin of the universe and solar system.
1.2a The universe is vast and estimated to be over ten billion years old. The current theory is that the universe was created from an explosion called the Big Bang. Evidence for this theory includes: 
  • cosmic background radiation 
  • a red-shift (the Doppler effect) in the light from very distant galaxies.
1.2b Stars form when gravity causes clouds of molecules to contract until nuclear fusion of light elements into heavier ones occurs. Fusion releases great amounts of energy over millions of years. 
  • The stars differ from each other in size, temperature, and age. 
  • Our Sun is a medium-sized star within a spiral galaxy of stars known as the Milky Way. Our galaxy contains billions of stars, and the universe contains billions of such galaxies.
Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 30 - Section 1: Characteristics of Stars
Chapter 30 - Section 2: Stellar Evolution
Chapter 30 - Section 3: Star Groups
Chapter 30 - Section 4: The Big Bang Theory
    
    
    
 Various Astrological Observations

Moon Phases Lesson.wmv

Spectroscope Lab.doc

Suns Path.doc
(3) MST6.C.C.MS3.1 Students describe the effects of changes in scale on the functioning of physical, biological, or designed systems.
1.2c Our solar system formed about five billion years ago from a giant cloud of gas and debris. Gravity caused Earth and the other planets to become layered according to density differences in their materials. 
  • The characteristics of the planets of the solar system are affected by each planet's location in relationship to the Sun. 
  • The terrestrial planets are small, rocky, and dense. The Jovian planets are large, gaseous, and of low density.
1.2d Asteroids, comets, and meteors are components of our solar system. 
  • Impact events have been correlated with mass extinction and global climatic change. 
  • Impact craters can be identified in Earth's crust.
1.2e Earth's early atmosphere formed as a result of the outgassing of water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and lesser amounts of other gases from its interior.
1.2f Earth's oceans formed as a result of precipitation over millions of years. The presence of an early ocean is indicated by sedimentary rocks of marine origin, dating back about four billion years.
Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 27 - Section 1:
Formation of the Solar System
Chapter 27 - Section 3:
The Inner Planets
Chapter 27 - Section 4:
The Outer Planets

 Create a Scaled-Down Version of the Solar System
(3) MST6.C.C.MS3.1 Students describe the effects of changes in scale on the functioning of physical, biological, or designed systems.
3.1a Develop a scale model to represent planet size and/or distance Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 27 - All Sections
    

Create a Scaled-Down Version of the Solar System

http://teacherpathfinder.org/-
Includes lesson plans, projects, periodicals, virtual trips, multimedia materials, etc.

http://www.gsn.org/-
Site which provide examples of projects, how they were constructed, and the learning which occurred.

http://shuttle.nasa.gov/-
Space Shuttle Home Page.
(3) MST1.C.C.MA1.1 Students use algebraic and geometric representations to describe and compare data.
Unit 3 - Dimensions of the Earth
1.1a Use of gradient formula. 		Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 3: Models of the Earth
     		Gradient Lab

Using Contour Map

Same technology links as above25 Mapping LA.doc- Probeware lab 		Examgen 4.2.3 &
School Island

Assessment:
Tell students they have just landed on a previously undiscovered planet in our solar system and their job is to determine it shape and size and then to map the surface features that are found there. Give students photos of the night sky supposedly taken from the planet, charts that show the angle and path of the sun at different locations on the planet, descriptions of the behavior of objects as they appear and disappear on the horizon, etc. Have different information sets so that students have planets of varying sizes and shapes. Once size and shape have been determined, give students plastic models, which show exhibit various topographic features (these might be obtained from local geologic society or university). Students must create a topographic map of their model which accurately depict the distances, elevations, and shapes of their region.
(1) MST1.C.C.MA3.1 Students apply algebraic and geometric concepts and skills to the solution of problems.
3.1a In a field, use isolines to determine a source of pollution Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 1 - Section 3: Models of the Earth
     		See above See above
(2) MST1.C.LE.LE.3.1 Students use various means of representing and organizing observations (e.g., diagrams, tables, charts, graphs, equations, matrices) and insightfully interpret the organized data.
3.1a Determine the changing length of a shadow based on the motion of the Sun Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 29 - The Sun 		Flashlight Demonstration
(1) MST4.C.ES.PS2.1 Students use the concepts of density and heat energy to explain observations of weather patterns, seasonal changes, and the movements of the Earth’s plates.
2.1q Topographic maps represent landforms through the use of contour lines that are isolines connecting points of equal elevation. Gradients and profiles can be determined from changes in elevation over a given distance. Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 3: Models of the Earth 		Using Topographic Maps Lab

Creating Topographic Maps

Reading Topographic Maps Lab

Journey Home Lab

Contour Plates Lab

Where is the Stanley Cup? Lab
(2) MST4.C.ES.PS1.1 Students explain complex phenomena, such as tides, variations in day length, solar insolation, apparent motion of the planets, and annual traverse of the constellations.
1.1c Earth's coordinate system of latitude and longitude, with the equator and prime meridian as reference lines, is based upon Earth's rotation and our observation of the Sun and stars. Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 3: Models of the Earth 		See above
(1) MST6.C.C.MO2.2 Students collect information about the behavior of a system and use modeling tools to represent the operation of the system.
2.2a Draw a simple contour map of a model landform
2.2b Design a 3-D landscape model from a contour map
2.2c Construct and interpret a profile based on an isoline map

Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 3: Models of the Earth

 Topographic Profiles Lab

Using Topographic Maps Lab

Creating Topographic Maps

Reading Topographic Maps Lab

Journey Home Lab
(3) MST6.C.C.MS3.1 Students describe the effects of changes in scale on the functioning of physical, biological, or designed systems.
3.1c Use topographical maps to determine distances and elevations Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 3: Models of the Earth 		See above
(1) MST7.C.C.SR2.1 Students participate in an extended, culminating mathematics, science, and technology project.
2.1b Using a topographic map, determine the safest and most efficient route for rescue purposes Holt - Earth Science

Chapter 3: Models of the Earth 		See above
Earth Science Planning for Results (2010-11).pdf
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