Dr. Laura Griffith, Science

Course Description: Earth Science

Objectives/Goals/Targets: Students will ask questions and define problems, develop and use models, plan and carry out investigations and analyze and interpret data. 

Required Texts Materials and Resources: Students will be using the online components of the science curriculum Amplify in order to experience and practice science simulations and various computer models. In addition to the online materials and text, students will be given a workbook for each unit. Students will maintain a notebook throughout the school year to take class notes and draw diagrams to learn the key concepts and vocabulary for each unit.

Earth Science Units:

• Unit 1 Geology on Mars “How can we search for evidence that other planets were once habitable?”
• Unit 2 Plate Motion “Why are fossils of species that once lived together found in different locations now?”
• Unit 3 Engineering and Design- Creating a Tsunami Early Warning System
• Unit 4 Rock Transformation “How do rocks form and change?”
• Unit 5 Earth, Moon and Sun “What determines the appearance of the moon from Earth?”
• Unit 6 Weather Patterns “What causes some rainstorms to have more rain than others?”
• Unit 7 Ocean, Atmosphere and Climate “What determines the temperature of a location on Earth?”
• Unit 8 Earth’s Changing Climate “What causes climate change?”
• Unit 9 Engineering and Design- Creating a roofing design for a town in Arizona