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High School Earth Space Science

Suggested Prerequisites

N/A

Description

You will be captivated by the wonders and beauty of the third planet from our Sun, Earth. You will be amazed as you experience space, geologic structures and forces, the waters on our planet, and atmospheric conditions through experimentation and investigation a variety of interactive experiences, higher-order thinking, collaborative projects and real-world applications.

Module One: Beginning with Science

-science processes

-observations and inferences

-historical frame of reference- scientists and explorers

-plagiarism, libel, slander

-theory vs. law, science vs. pseudoscience

-cryosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, geosphere


Module Two: Climate and Meteorology

-structure of the atmosphere

-trends in temperature and atmospheric pressure

-factors influencing weather and climate

-humidity, air pressure, air masses, temperature, long term conditions

-global air circulation and winds, Coriolis effect

-severe weather formation, influence on human behavior

-severe storms; Lightning (Honors)


Module Three: Fresh Water

-water cycle

-conservation (Honors)

-water quality

-groundwater

-surface water


Module Four: Rocks and Minerals

-properties of minerals

-rock cycle

-soil and soil formation

-rocks and minerals as resources


Module Five: The Universe

-light waves

-space exploration

-gravitational forces

-stars and constellations (Honors)

Module Six: Geologic Time

-Gregorian calendar

-relative and absolute time (Honors)

-origin and evolution of life

-geologic time scale, geologic periods and history

-fossils, fossil formation

-reading series of events in sedimentary rocks based on principles of geology


Module Seven: Oceans

-composition of ocean water

-ocean currents

-sea floor features

-using latitude and longitude to navigate and locate points on the globe/map reading

-climate and current connection


Module Eight: Our Solar System

-organization of the Milky Way and types of galaxies in general

-characteristics of stars - focus on ours - the sun

-the planets in our solar system

-moon/Earth Relationships

-moon phases

-effects of moon on tides

-Kepler’s Law, Newton’s Law

-sun/earth relationships

-rotation and revolution characteristics

-causes of seasons


Module Nine: The Geosphere

-layers of the Earth

-carbon cycle

-plate tectonics

-continental drift

-surface features

-geologic events (Honors)