Planets in the solar system orbit the sun.
Some of the planets have one or more orbiting moons.
Earth is a planet that has a moon. The moon orbits Earth.
Gravitational forces between the sun and its planets cause the planets to orbit the sun.
Gravitational forces between a planet and its moon(s) cause the moon(s) to orbit the planet.
If no forces were present, planets and moons would continue their motion toward outer space without changes in speed or direction. However, gravitational forces between the sun and each planet continuously changes the planet’s direction so it remains in orbit.
In the same way, gravitational forces between each moon and its planet continuously changes the moon’s direction so it remains in orbit.
Asteroids are rocky bodies that orbit the sun in nearly circular orbits but are too small to be classified as planets.
Comets are a mixture of ices (e.g., water, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ammonia) and dust, and have highly elliptical orbits.
A meteor appears when a particle or chunk of metallic or stony matter called a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere from outer space. Meteors that pass through the atmosphere and impact Earth’s surface are called meteorites.
The sun is the closest star to Earth. Scaled models (3-D or virtual) and graphics will be used to show the vast difference in size between the sun and Earth.
The sun is a medium-sized star and is the only star in our solar system.
There are many other stars of different sizes in the universe. Because they are so far away, they do not appear as large as the sun.
Stars appear in patterns called constellations, which can be used for navigation.
In a day Earth rotates once on its axis, which is tilted at a 23.5° angle.
Earth’s rotation causes the apparent position of the sun, moon and stars to move in the sky from east to west.
Some stars are visible from all parts of Earth, some stars can only be seen from the northern hemisphere and some stars can only be seen from the southern hemisphere.
Stars located directly above the north and south poles do not appear to move. A well-known example of this is the North Star.
Shadows change throughout the day due to the apparent movement of the sun.
As Earth orbits the sun, different stars and constellations are visible during different portions of the year.
Stars located in the same direction as the sun are not visible because the sun is so bright compared to the other stars.
Stars located in the direction opposite from the sun are seen during nighttime hours.
As Earth moves in its orbit around the sun, various sections of the sky are visible during nighttime hours. This allows different stars to be seen at different times of the year.
Models, interactive websites and investigations illustrate the predictable patterns and cycles that lead to the understanding of rotation (day and night) and revolution (years).
Earth is known as the Blue Planet because about 70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered in water. Freshwater is a small percentage of the overall water found on Earth; the majority is oceanic.
There are many different processes that continually build up or tear down the surface of Earth.
These processes include erosion, deposition, volcanic activity, earthquakes, glacial movement and weathering.
To recognize common landforms or features through field investigations, field trips, topographic maps, remote sensing data, aerial photographs, physical geography maps and/or photographs are important ways to understand the formation of landforms and features.
Common landforms and features include streams, deltas, floodplains, hills, mountains/mountain ranges, valleys, sinkholes, caves, canyons, glacial features, dunes, springs, volcanoes and islands.
Connecting the processes that occur to the resulting landform, feature or characteristic is emphasized.
Research a specific landform of interest (e.g., Cape Cod, Mt. St. Helens, Mississippi River, Rocky Mountains, Hawaiian Islands, Grand Canyon, Mississippi Delta, Hood Canal, Mendenhall Glacier). Explain how the landform was formed and has changed over the years. Include any catastrophic events that may have changed it, as well as any cultural or historical events that have taken place there.
Different types of rock weather at different rates due to specific characteristics of the rock and the exposure to weathering factors (e.g., freezing/thawing, wind, water).
Weathering is defined as a group of processes that change rock at or near Earth’s surface.
Some weathering processes take a long time to occur, while some weathering processes occur quickly.
The weathering process is observed in nature, through classroom experimentation or virtually.
Seeing tree roots fracturing bedrock or the effect of years of precipitation on a marble statue can illustrate ways that rocks change shape over time.
Erosion is a process that transports rock, soil or sediment to a different location.
Weathering is the breakdown of large rock into smaller pieces of rock.
Erosion is what carries the weathered material to a new location. Gravity plays an important role in understanding erosion, especially catastrophic events like mass movement (e.g., mudslides, avalanches, landslides) or flooding.
Erosion is a “destructive” process and deposition is a “constructive” process.
Erosion and deposition directly contribute to formation of the landforms .
Topographic maps and aerial photographs can be used to locate erosional and depositional areas in Ohio.
Surficial geology maps also can illustrate the patterns of glacial erosion and deposition that have occurred.
Field trips and field investigations (may be virtual) to observe erosional and depositional features that can be seen locally or within the state can help to connect the concept of erosion and deposition to the real world.
Fossils provide evidence that many plant and animal species are extinct and other species have changed over time.
The types of fossils that are present provide evidence about the nature of an ecosystem at that time.
As an ecosystem changed, so did the types of organisms that could survive in that ecosystem.