Important Activities: During this unit, students will have to individually…

• Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives the process.

• Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed the earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

• Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions

• Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

Critical Concepts: During this unit, students will individually learn to…

• compare convergent, divergent and transform plate boundaries and explain why the Earth’s crustal plates float

• describe the four pieces of evidence for the idea of continental drift, including sea-floor spreading.

• illustrate the conditions that cause earthquakes and volcanoes and their relationship to plate tectonics.

• explain the causes of earthquakes and use information from an earthquake to model the Earth’s interior.

• contrast mechanical and chemical weathering and how climate and temperature might affect them.

• develop an explanation of landform erosion and deposition demonstrate ways their impact might be reduced.

Key Vocabulary: Know the meaning of these words to help explain critical concepts

Click here for a list of the Final Vocabulary Definitions for Mission Subterranean