The New Generation Earth Science Standards will be finalized in 2017. The current standards provide a satisfactory overview of the objectives of the course.

 

Earth's Place in the Universe  (Universe, Stars, Solar System)

 

A study of the universe beginning with the history of this planet and an examination of the solar system.

 

Earth's Systems  (Water Cycle, Weather, Climate)

 

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, students know:

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

1. solar energy reaches  Earth  through radiation, mostly in the form of visible  light.

1. heat  from  Earth's  interior reaches the surface primarily  through convection.

1. convection  currents distribute heat  in the atmosphere and oceans.

1. differences in pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity result in changes of weather.

Heat moves  in  a predictable  flow from warmer  objects to cooler  objects until  all  objects  are the same temperature .

1. 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.

1. when fuel is consumed, most of the energy released becomes heat energy.

1. heat flows in solids by conduction (which involves no flow of matter) and in fluids by conduction and by convection (which involves  flow  of matter).

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

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

Plate Tectonics and Earth's Structure

Plate tectonics  accounts  for important  features of Earth's surface and major geologic events.

As the basis  for understanding  this concept, students know:

 

1. the fit of the continents, location of earthq uakes, volcanoes , and mid-ocean ridges, and the distribution of fossils, rock types, and ancient climatic zones provide  evidence  for plate  tectonics .

1. the solid Earth  is layered  with  cold, brittle  lithosphere ; hot, convecting mantle and dense metallic   core.

1. lithospheric plates that are the size of continents and oceans move  at rates of centimeters  per year in response  to movements  in the mantle.

1. earthquakes and sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults, and volcanoes/ fissures are locations where magma reaches  the surface.

1. major  geologic   events, such  as earthquakes, volcanic  eruptions, and  mountain  building  result  from plate motions.                    
2. how to explain  major  features  of California  geology  (including mountains, faults, volcanoes)  in terms  of plate  tectonics.                     
3. how to determine the epicenter of an earthquake and know that the effects of an earthquake on any region vary, dependin g 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 the  Earth's Surface

Topography is reshaped by the weathering of rock and soil and by the transportation and deposition    of sediment.

As the basis  for understanding  this concept,  students know  that:

1. water running  downhill  is the dominant process  in  shaping the  landscape, including California's   landscape.

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

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

1. Students know earthquakes , volcanic  eruptions, landslides, and floods change h uman  and wildlife    habitats.

Earth and Human Activity (Climate Change Causes, Resources, Natural Hazards,)

Sources of energy and materials differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness, and the time required for their formation.

As  a basis  for understanding  this concept,  students know:

 

a 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.

 

b. 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.

 

c. the natural  origin of the materials  used  to make  common  objects.