Edison School District

Developing a desire for lifelong learning

Þ faults, volcanoes) in terms of plate  tectonics.

Þ Students know how to determine the epicenter of an earthquake and know that the effects of an earthquake on any region vary, depending on the size of the earthquake, the distance of the region from the epicenter, the local geology, and the type of construction in the region.

Shaping Earth’s Surface

Topography is reshaped by the weathering of rock and soil and by the transportation

and deposition of sediment. As a basis for understanding this concept:

Þ Students know water running downhill is the dominant process in shaping the

landscape, including California’s           landscape.

Þ Students know rivers and streams are dynamic systems that erode, transport sediment, change course, and flood their banks in natural and recurring patterns.

Þ Students know beaches are dynamic systems in which the sand is supplied by rivers and moved along the coast by the action of waves.

Þ Students know earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and floods change human and wildlife habitats.

Heat

(Physical Sciences)

Heat moves in a predictable flow from warmer objects to cooler objects until all the objects are at the same temperature. As a basis for understanding this concept:

Þ Students know energy can be carried from one place to another by heat flow or by waves, including water, light and sound waves, or by moving objects.

Þ Students know that when fuel is            consumed, most of the energy released becomes heat energy.

Þ Students know heat flows in solids by conduction and in fluids by conduction and by convection

Þ Students know heat energy is also transferred between objects by        radiation (radiation can travel through space).

Energy in the Earth System

Many phenomena on Earth’s surface are affected by the transfer of       energy through radiation and          convection currents. As a basis for   understanding this concept:

Þ Students know the sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on Earth’s surface; it powers winds, ocean currents, and the water    cycle.

Þ Students know solar energy reaches Earth through radiation, mostly in the form of visible light.

Þ Students know heat from Earth’s interior reaches the surface       primarily through convection.

Þ Students know convection currents distribute heat in the atmosphere and oceans.

Þ Students know differences in     pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity result in changes of weather.

Þ Students know the number and  types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and on abiotic factors, such as quantities of light and water, a range of temperatures, and soil    composition.

Ecology

(Life Sciences)

Organisms in ecosystems exchange  energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:

Þ Students know energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is          transferred by producers into chemical energy through             photosynthesis and then from     organism to organism through food webs.

Þ Students know matter is            transferred over time from one organism to others in the food web and between organisms and the physical environment.

Þ Students know populations of        organisms can be categorized by the functions they serve in an        ecosystem.

Þ Students know different kinds of organisms may play similar         ecological roles in similar biomes.

Þ Students know the number and  types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and on abiotic factors, such as quantities of light and water, a range of temperatures, and soil    composition.

Resources

Sources of energy and materials differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness, and the time required for their formation. As a basis for understanding this       concept:

Þ Students know the utility of energy sources is determined by factors that are involved in converting these sources to useful forms and the     consequences of the conversion process.

Þ Students know different natural energy and material resources, including air, soil, rocks, minerals, petroleum, fresh water, wildlife, and forests, and know how to classify them as renewable or nonrenewable.

Þ Students know the natural origin of the materials used to make common objects.

Investigation and

Experimentation

Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform

investigations. Students will:

Þ Develop a hypothesis.

Þ Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to        perform tests, collect data, and       display data.

Þ Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the relationships       between variables.

Þ Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written        reports and oral presentations.

Þ Recognize whether evidence is       consistent with a proposed               explanation.

Þ Read a topographic map and a           geologic map for evidence provided on the maps and construct and           interpret a simple scale map.

Þ Interpret events by sequence and time from natural phenomena (e.g., the relative ages of rocks and        intrusions).

Þ Identify changes in natural          phenomena over time without           manipulating the phenomena (e.g., a tree limb, a grove of trees, a stream, a hill slope).