Geoscience-I

Curriculum

4.1 Understand Earth's place in the universe. 

 a. Demonstrate knowledge of the evidence for the Big Bang model (e.g., light spectra, motion  of distant galaxies, spectra of primordial radiation).  

 b. Demonstrate knowledge of how astronomical instruments are used to collect data and how  astronomical units are used to describe distances.  

 c. Demonstrate knowledge of the factors that contribute to a star's color, size, and luminosity  and how a star's light spectrum and brightness can be used to identify compositional  elements, movements, and distance from Earth.  

 d. Demonstrate knowledge of nuclear fusion in stars, including the relationship between a  star's mass and stage of its lifetime and the elements produced. 

 e. Demonstrate knowledge of the formation and structure of the solar system, its place in the  Milky Way galaxy, and the characteristics of various objects in the solar system.  

 f. Recognize how evidence from the study of lunar rocks, asteroids, and meteorites provides  information about Earth's formation and history.  

 g. Compare and contrast uniformitarianism and catastrophism.  

 h. Demonstrate knowledge of the regular and predictable patterns of movements of stars,  planets, and the moon and their effects on Earth's systems (e.g., seasons, eclipses, tides).  

 i. Apply knowledge of how Kepler's laws are used to predict the motion of orbiting objects.  

4.2  Understand Earth's materials and systems and surface processes. 

 a. Recognize various forms of evidence (e.g., seismic waves, iron meteorites, magnetic field  data) that led to the current model of Earth's structure (i.e., hot but solid inner core, a liquid  outer core, a solid mantle and crust).  

 b. Demonstrate knowledge of the dynamic processes of erosion, deposition, and transport,  including evidence for connections between these processes and the formation of Earth's  materials.  

 c. Demonstrate knowledge of relative and absolute dating techniques, including how half lives are used in radiometric dating and of how evidence from rock strata is used to  establish the geologic timescale.  

 d. Recognize the factors that can alter the flow of energy into and out of Earth's systems  (e.g., tectonic events, ocean circulation, volcanic activity, vegetation).  

 e. Relate the abundance of liquid water on Earth's surface and water's physical and chemical  properties to the dynamic processes shaping the planet's materials and surface.  

f. Demonstrate knowledge of surficial processes that form geographic features of Earth's  surface (e.g., mechanical, chemical, and biological weathering).  

4.3 Understand plate tectonics and large-scale system interactions. 

 a. Demonstrate knowledge of the evidence for plate tectonics (e.g., the ages of crustal rocks,  distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes) and relate plate movements to  continental and ocean-floor features.  

 b. Demonstrate knowledge of the thermal processes driving plate movement and relate density  and buoyancy to plate tectonics.  

 c. Demonstrate knowledge of the differences between types of plate boundaries, causes of  volcanoes, earthquakes, and how Earth's resources relate to tectonic processes.   

 d. Demonstrate knowledge of the factors contributing to the extent of damage caused by an  earthquake (e.g., epicenter, focal mechanism, distance, geologic substrate).  

4.4 Understand weather and climate. 

 a. Demonstrate knowledge of the water cycle and the interrelationships of surface and  subsurface reservoirs.  

 b. Demonstrate knowledge of the causes of daily, seasonal, and climatic changes and analyze  the uneven heating of Earth by the sun.  

 c. Analyze the effects of air movements on weather and interpret weather maps to predict  weather patterns.  

 d. Demonstrate knowledge of the energy transfer processes of convection, conduction, and  radiation in relation to the atmosphere/ocean and Earth's interior structure.  

 e. Demonstrate knowledge of the mechanisms and the significance of the greenhouse effect on  Earth, including the roles of the oceans and biosphere in absorbing greenhouse gases.  

f. Demonstrate knowledge of human activities and their impact on global climate change.  

4.5 Understand natural resources and natural hazards.

 a. Demonstrate knowledge of renewable and nonrenewable energy resources (e.g., fossil fuels,  nuclear fuels, solar, biomass).  

 b. Demonstrate knowledge of Earth's materials as resources (e.g., rocks, minerals, soils, water)  that have a global distribution affected by past and current geological processes.  

 c. Analyze extraction and recycling processes in relation to energy, cost, and demand.   

d. Demonstrate knowledge of sustainable uses of resources with respect to utility, cost, and  demand.  

 e. Demonstrate knowledge of the effects of natural hazards (e.g., earthquakes, landslides,  floods) on natural and human-made habitats.  

 f. Demonstrate knowledge of how the availability of natural resources and the existence of  natural hazards and other geologic events have influenced the development of human  society.