Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: USGS Resources

USGS Education

Grade Six
Science Content Standards
USGS Education Home / California Education Standards / California Resources

The sixth grade standards focus on earth science topics ranging from plate tectonics and geologic hazards, to how energy flows through the earth's lithosphere and atmosphere, and how organisms sustain themselves through energy and nutrients as they interact with the physical environment.

Earth Science
Plate Tectonics and Earth's Structure
1. Plate tectonics accounts for important features of Earth's surface and major geologic events. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know evidence of plate tectonics is derived from the fit of the continents; the location of earthquakes, volcanoes, and mid-ocean ridges; and the distribution of fossils, rock types, and ancient climatic zones.
b. Students know Earth is composed of several layers: a cold, brittle lithosphere; a hot, convecting mantle; and a dense, metallic core.
c. Students know lithospheric plates the size of continents and oceans move at rates of centimeters per year in response to movements in the mantle.
d. Students know that earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults and that volcanoes and fissures are locations where magma reaches the surface.
e. Students know major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, result from plate motions.
f. Students know how to explain major features of California geology (including mountains, faults, volcanoes) in terms of plate tectonics.

This Dynamic Earth: the Story of Plate Tectonics
http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.html
"This Dynamic Earth" covers all aspects of the Plate Tectonics and Earth's Structure" components of the 6th Grade science content standards. It is the companion volume to the map, This Dynamic Planet, described below. Although the book has a global context, many of the illustrations and content focus on plate tectonic forces that are shaping the west coast of North America. The publication is a free on the Web, or it can be purchased from the USGS Map Sales Office or by calling 1-888-ASK-USGS. It covers the history of the developing theory of Plate Tectonics through exploration of the sea floor and discoveries that supported understand modern understanding of the dynamics of the Earth's interior and the formation, migration, and destruction of great crustal plate.

This Dynamic Planet
http://pubs.usgs.gov/pdf/planet.html
This large wall map shows the locations of major volcanic belts and fault systems, the sea floor and continents, and the interpreted boundaries of the major tectonic plates of the Earth's crust. It also shows the location of know asteroid impact sites. This map is the best selling USGS map, but it is also free on the Web. It is a companion to This Dynamic Earth and an associated teaching guide that is anticipated to be released in 2006.

Earthquake Science Explained: Ten Short Articles for Students, Parents, and Families
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2006/21/
Earthquake Science Explained is a series of short articles for students, teachers, and parents originally published as weekly features in The San Francisco Chronicle. This presents some of the new understanding gained and scientific advances made in the century since the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Concepts introduced in each feature are designed to address state and national science education standards. Written by USGS scientists, the articles go beyond traditional textbook information to discuss state-of-the-art thinking and technology that we use today.

Living in Earthquake Country: A Teaching Box
http://www.teachingboxes.org/earthquakes/
This resource is an online assemblage of related learning concepts that focuses on teaching students about how and why earthquakes cause damage. This damage may take the form of landslides, liquefaction, or structural failure. Living in Earthquake Country explores seismic waves, the predictability of earthquakes at specific locations, the difference between magnitude and intensity, the occurrence of earthquakes along patches of planar faults (they are not just a single point, but have lengths and widths), and the potential damage caused by earthquakes. At the conclusion, students are asked to select the best place to live in the San Francisco Bay Area. They will justify their selection by using the knowledge gained through this exploration.

Where's the San Andreas Fault? A Guidebook to Tracing the Fault on Public Lands in the San Francisco Bay Region
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2006/16/
This field guide provides descriptions of the section of the San Andreas Fault that ruptured in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Descriptions of places the public can go range from the South Bay regions near Hollister, San Juan Bautista, throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains between San Jose and San Francisco, and Point Reyes National Seashore. Introductory materials include an overview of the San Andreas Fault System, geology, landscape features, and plant communities that reveal information about the underlying geology.

The Interior of the Earth
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/interior/
Booklet describing the interior of the Earth.

Rocks and Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region
http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/bulletin/b2195/
The landscape of the San Francisco Bay region is host to a greater variety of rocks than most other regions in the United States. This introductory guide provides illustrated descriptions of 46 common and important varieties of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock found in the region. Rock types are described in context of their identification qualities, how they form, and where they occur in the region. The guide also provides discussion about of regional geology, plate tectonics, the rock cycle, the significance of the selected rock types in relation to both earth history and the impact of mineral resources on the development in the region. Maps and text also provide information where rocks, fossils, and geologic features can be visited on public lands or in association with public displays in regional museums, park visitor centers, and other public facilities.

g. 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.


USGS Natural Hazards Gateway—Earthquakes http://www.usgs.gov/hazards/earthquakes This is a comprehensive starting point for earthquake hazards and research, and includes numerous links to teaching resources, activities, and current and past earthquake activity.
	Selected high interest earthquake web sites include:
		For Kids! http://earthquake.usgs.gov/4kids/ Earthquake Photos: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/photos.php Recent Earthquake Activity in California and Nevada: http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latest.htm Recent Earthquake Activity in the United States: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/ Recent Earthquake Activity Around the World: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/ Earthquake Preparedness: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/faq.php?categoryID=14
	Websites that address specific content standards relating to earthquakes include:
		Visual Earthquake Glossary: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/glossary.php Locating Earthquakes: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/topics/?topicID=64 Measuring the Size of an Earthquake: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/faq.php?categoryID=2 Earthquake Effects: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/faq.php?categoryID=8 What is Earthquake Intensity? http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/topics/mag_vs_int.php

Putting Down Roots In Earthquake Country: Your Handbook For the San Francisco Bay Region
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2005/15/
This general interest publication provides information about San Francisco Bay region earthquakes (cause, history, probabilities, effects) and provides detailed information about how to be prepared when a major earthquake happens. The guide identifies specific steps to improve your safety before, during, and following an earthquake. This "must read" document provides sound advice for anyone living in a potential disaster zone.

Shaping Earth's Surface
2. Topography is reshaped by the weathering of rock and soil and by the transportation and deposition of sediment.

Lists of USGS Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features
http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/public/outreach/featureindex.html
This web site provides a list of landscape features that can be found on topographic map. A simple query of the GNIS database (http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.gnis_web_query_form) by the name of a topographic map will give you access to a map via http://www.topozone.com.

	Subject Index: 3D Geology of National Parks and Other Public Places http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/subject.htm
This web site index provides examples of 3D images representing many kinds of landscape features including many associated with processes of erosion and deposition including stream erosion, wind, glaciers, spheroidal weathering, caverns, beaches, landslides, dunes, alluvial fans, and many more.

Topographic Salad-Tray Model
http://geography.wr.usgs.gov/outreach/topo_instructions.html
This basic activity-oriented lesson helps students to understand a topographic map by creating a three-dimensional model from contours on a topographic map.

2a. Students know water running downhill is the dominant process in shaping the landscape, including California 's landscape.

What's the Difference between Weathering and Erosion?
http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/misc/gweaero.html
This short discussion answers this commonly asked question...

Weathering and Erosion in Desert Environments
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1007/erosion.html
This web page explains how desert climates impact weathering and erosion processes (in the Mojave Desert).

2b. Students know rivers and streams are dynamic systems that erode, transport sediment, change course, and flood their banks in natural and recurring patterns.

Ground Water and Surface Water: A Single Resource (Circular 1139)
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1139/
This publication includes a chapter on the hydrologic cycle, and illustrates the interactions of groundwater and surface water.

Large Floods in the United States : Where They Happen and Why (USGS Circular 1245)
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/2003/circ1245/
This publication explains the nature of floods in the United States. The largest flows are related to specific combinations of regional climatology, topography, and basin size. Key factors include the general northward trend of decreasing atmospheric moisture, proximity to oceanic moisture sources such as the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and orientation of topographic features relative to directions of moisture flow, with the largest flows being at locations where topographically high areas are oriented perpendicular to directions of moisture flow. Additionally, the largest flows in large river basins are primarily caused by persistent climatologic conditions such as seasonal snowfall. In contrast, the largest flows in smaller basins are most commonly the result of intense precipitation due to convective storms.

2c. Students know beaches are dynamic systems in which the sand is supplied by rivers and moved along the coast by the action of waves.

Coasts in Crisis (Circular1075)
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1075/
This web site describes types of coasts (rocky shores, sandy beaches, coastal wetlands, and coral reefs). It also provides discussion about processes that affect beaches and coastlines including waves, tides, weather, water-level changes, coastal vegetation, and human impacts of beach sediments and processes.

Beyond the Golden Gate: Oceanography, Geology, Biology, and Environmental Issues in the Gulf of the Farallones (Circular 1198)
http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/circular/c1198/
The general report describes a major USGS geologic and oceanographic study of the Gulf of the Farallones. This investigation, the first of several now being conducted adjacent to major population centers by the USGS, was undertaken to establish a scientific data base for an area of 3,400 square kilometers (1,000 square nautical miles) on the Continental Shelf adjacent to the San Francisco Bay region. The results of this study can be used to evaluate and monitor human impact on the marine environment.

2d. Students know earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and floods change human and wildlife habitats.

Cascades Volcano Observatory: Educational Outreach
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Outreach/framework.html
This comprehensive web site includes: current volcanic activity information, teaching guides about volcanoes, activities and "fun stuff", posters, access to videos, special features, and much more!

Hawaii Volcano Observatory
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/
This web site provides comprehensive information about Hawaii's active volcanoes with many graphics and features.

Effects of Mount St. Helens Eruption on Selected Lakes in Washington (Circular 850G)
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/Publications/Circular850-G/framework.html
This web site provides an overview of how the major 1980 eruption impacted the lakes (water chemistry, sediment supply, and biology) in the region around the volcano.

Living with Volcanoes (Circular 1073)
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Vhp/C1073/
The 1980 cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens in southwestern Washington ushered in a decade marked by more worldwide volcanic disasters and crises than any other in recorded history. Volcanoes killed more people (over 28,500) in the 1980's than during the 78 years following the 1902 eruption of Mont Pelee (Martinique). Not surprisingly, volcanic phenomena and attendant hazards received attention from government authorities, the news media, and the general public. As part of this enhanced global awareness of volcanic hazards, the U.S. government significantly expanded the Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey in response to the eruptions or volcanic unrest during the 1980's at Mount St. Helens (Washington), Mauna Loa and Kilauea (Hawaii), Long Valley Caldera (California), and Redoubt Volcano (Alaska). This publication summarizes the Volcano Hazards Program -- its goals, the activities designed to achieve these goals, some key accomplishments of the past two decades, and a plan for work that started in the the 1990's.

Volcano Resources for Educators
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/educators.html
This web site has links to popular volcano web sites with lists of videos about volcanoes found in many libraries.

	Geology of National Parks: 3-D Tours Featuring Park Geology http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov
	This web site features examples of volcanoes and volcanic features in national parks including:
		Crater Lake National Park, OR Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI Lava Beds National Monument, CA Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Park, WA Mount Rainier National Park, WA Mojave National Preserve, CA Pinnacles National Monument, CA Sunset Crater National Monument, AZ Yellowstone National Park, WY

Surviving a Tsunami-Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1187/
This report describes actions that saved lives, and actions that cost lives, as recounted by eyewitnesses to the tsunami from the largest earthquake ever measured-the magnitude 9.5 earthquake in Chile on May 22, 1960. In interviews several decades later, people in Chile, Hawaii, and Japan recall the tsunami.

West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/
This web site provides comprehensive information and links to information about earthquakes and related tsunami hazards for the West Coast and Alaska. It provides information about historic and recent tsunamis.

Landslide Types and Processes (Fact Sheet)
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3072/fs-2004-3072.html
This fact sheet (web site) provides a basic overview of various kinds of landslides.

Landslide Hazards
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-0071-00/fs-0071-00.pdf
This web site provides basic information about landslide hazards and safety issues related to wet weather conditions in landslide-prone areas.

National Landslide Hazards Mitigation Strategy: A Framework for Loss Reduction (Circular 1244)
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1244/
This circular outlines the key elements of a comprehensive and effective national strategy for reducing losses from landslides nationwide and provides an assessment of the status, needs, and associated costs of this strategy.

Large Floods in the United States : Where they Happen and Why (Circular 1245)
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/2003/circ1245/
This on-line publication describes the geographic factors that influence the occurrence and impacts of large floods in the United States.

Energy in the Earth System

4. 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:
a. 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.
b. Students know solar energy reaches Earth through radiation, mostly in the form of visible light.

The Water Cycle
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html
This web site provides a complete overview of the water cycle, and includes many useful graphic images.

c. Students know heat from Earth's interior reaches the surface primarily through convection.

Some Unanswered Questions: What Drives The Plates?
http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/unanswered.html
This page from the This Dynamic Planet web site addresses the processes associated with heat flow and convection in the earth.

d. Students know convection currents distribute heat in the atmosphere and oceans.
e. Students know differences in pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity result in changes of weather.

Both NASA and NOAA conduct extensive research about energy transfer between space, the atmosphere, and the oceans. Two useful resource sites relating to these standards include:

Ocean Surface Topography from Space
http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/tutorial2.html
This NASA web site addresses aspects of ocean heat transport, ocean currents, the Coriolis Effect, and oceanic bathymetry.

NOAA Education Resources
http://www.education.noaa.gov/index.html
This web site is home to many weather- and climate-education resources. Additional weather teaching resources can be found on NOAA's National Weather Service education web site at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/edures.htm.

Ecology (Life Science)

5. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. 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.
b. Students know matter is transferred over time from one organism to others in the food web and between organisms and the physical environment.
c. Students know populations of organisms can be categorized by the functions they serve in an ecosystem.
d. Students know different kinds of organisms may play similar ecological roles in similar biomes.
e. 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.

Global Change
http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/teachers/globalchange.htm
Includes introduction, activities and teaching guide for topics relating to global change, time, and earth systems.

CAIN (California Node for the National Biological Information Infrastructure)
http://cain.nbii.org/
The CAIN website provides links to many educational resources produced in cooperation with many federal, state, and local agencies (including the USGS). Web sites that provide resources related to ecology can be found on this web site, but especially on the California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES) web site: http://ceres.ca.gov/theme/. This theme page provides links to pages relating to weather, climate, plants, wildlife, rivers, watersheds, wetlands, biodiversity, coastal resources, fisheries, soils, environmental education, and much more.

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://education.usgs.gov/california/grade_6_earth_science.htm
Page Contact Information: USGS Education Web Team
Page Last Modified: Tuesday, 22-Jul-2008 17:06:04 EDT