Earth's Place in the Universe

1. Astronomy and planetary exploration reveal the solar system's structure, scale, and change over time. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know how the differences and similarities among the sun, the terrestrial planets, and the gas planets may have been established during the formation of the solar system.

b. Students know the evidence from Earth and moon rocks indicates that the solar system was formed from a nebular cloud of dust and gas approximately 4.6 billion years ago.

d. Students know the evidence indicating that the planets are much closer to Earth than the stars are.

g.* Students know the evidence for the existence of planets orbiting other stars.

2. Earth-based and space-based astronomy reveal the structure, scale, and changes in stars, galaxies, and the universe over time. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the solar system is located in an outer edge of the disc-shaped Milky Way galaxy, which spans 100,000 light years.

b. Students know galaxies are made of billions of stars and comprise most of the visible mass of the universe.

c. Students know the evidence indicating that all elements with an atomic number greater than that of lithium have been formed by nuclear fusion in stars.

d. Students know that stars differ in their life cycles and that visual, radio, and X-ray telescopes may be used to collect data that reveal those differences.

e.* Students know accelerators boost subatomic particles to energy levels that simulate conditions in the stars and in the early history of the universe before stars formed.

f.* Students know the evidence indicating that the color, brightness, and evolution of a star are determined by a balance between gravitational collapse and nuclear fusion.

g.* Students know how the red-shift from distant galaxies and the cosmic background radiation provide evidence for the "big bang" model that suggests that the universe has been expanding for 10 to 20 billion years.

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.

"Ring of Fire", Plate Tectonics, Sea-Floor Spreading, Subduction Zones, "Hot Spots"
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/description_plate_tectonics.html
This resource page includes links to USGS information about plate tectonics and volcanic eruptions including the geology behind the Cascade Range Volcanoes, the East Africa Rift, the Iceland volcanic rift, the Juan De Fuca Ridge and Juan de Fuca Subduction Zone, the Marianas Trench, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, South America, and the Hawaiian and Yellowstone "hot spots."

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.

Energy in the Earth System - Content Standards

4. Energy enters the Earth system primarily as solar radiation and eventually escapes as heat. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the relative amount of incoming solar energy compared with Earth's internal energy and the energy used by society.

b. Students know the fate of incoming solar radiation in terms of reflection, absorption, and photosynthesis.

c. Students know the different atmospheric gases that absorb the Earth's thermal radiation and the mechanism and significance of the greenhouse effect.

d.* Students know the differing greenhouse conditions on Earth, Mars, and Venus; the origins of those conditions; and the climatic consequences of each.

5. Heating of Earth's surface and atmosphere by the sun drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans, producing winds and ocean currents. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know how differential heating of Earth results in circulation patterns in the atmosphere and oceans that globally distribute the heat.

b. Students know the relationship between the rotation of Earth and the circular motions of ocean currents and air in pressure centers.

c. Students know the origin and effects of temperature inversions.

d. Students know properties of ocean water, such as temperature and salinity, can be used to explain the layered structure of the oceans, the generation of horizontal and vertical ocean currents, and the geographic distribution of marine organisms.

e. Students know rain forests and deserts on Earth are distributed in bands at specific latitudes.

f.* Students know the interaction of wind patterns, ocean currents, and mountain ranges results in the global pattern of latitudinal bands of rain forests and deserts.

g.* Students know features of the ENSO (El Niño southern oscillation) cycle in terms of sea-surface and air temperature variations across the Pacific and some climatic results of this cycle.

Both NASA (National Aeronautical and Space Administration) and NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) 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 website 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 primary government website is home to many weather- and climate-education resources. Additional weather teaching resources can be found on NOAA's National Weather Service education website at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/edures.htm.

USGS News and Information on El Niño
http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/elnino/
The term El Niño (Spanish for "the Christ Child") refers to a warm ocean current that typically appears around Christmas-time and lasts for several months, but may persist into May or June. This website provides a general overview of the science of El Niño, and provides links to resources that discuss the weather's impact on floods, landslides, coastal hazards, climate and other information.

• Plants, Animals, and Communities
• Invasive Species
• Natural Resource Management
• Conservation and Restoration
• Environmental Data
• Watersheds
• Policy and Regulation
• Agencies and Other Land Management Organizations
  

Biogeochemical Cycles

7. Each element on Earth moves among reservoirs, which exist in the solid earth, in oceans, in the atmosphere, and within and among organisms as part of biogeochemical cycles. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the carbon cycle of photosynthesis and respiration and the nitrogen cycle.

b. Students know the global carbon cycle: the different physical and chemical forms of carbon in the atmosphere, oceans, biomass, fossil fuels, and the movement of carbon among these reservoirs.

c. Students know the movement of matter among reservoirs is driven by Earth's internal and external sources of energy.

d.* Students know the relative residence times and flow characteristics of carbon in and out of its different reservoirs.

Structure and Composition of the Atmosphere

8. Life has changed Earth's atmosphere, and changes in the atmosphere affect conditions for life. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the thermal structure and chemical composition of the atmosphere.

b. Students know how the composition of Earth's atmosphere has evolved over geologic time and know the effect of out gassing, the variations of carbon dioxide concentration, and the origin of atmospheric oxygen.

c. Students know the location of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, its role in absorbing ultraviolet radiation, and the way in which this layer varies both naturally and in response to human activities.

Western Coastal & Marine Geology (USGS)
http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov
This website provides access to information about scientific research in the coastal and offshore areas of California and other states, including marine earthquake, tsunami and other submarine hazards and processes.

Tsunamis & Earthquakes
http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/
This website provides information about USGS tsunami research and links to information websites about the origins of tsunamis and QuickTime animations of tsunamis in the Pacific region including a recreation of the probable tsunami associated with the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

Tsunamis (USGS Earthquake Hazards Program Facts & Lists page)
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/bytopic/tsunami.html
This resource page provides links to many tsunami information and resources.

1. 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 four strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:

a. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (such as computer-linked probes, spreadsheets, and graphing calculators) to perform tests, collect data, analyze relationships, and display data.

b. Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental error.

c. Identify possible reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of error or uncontrolled conditions.

d. Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.

e. Solve scientific problems by using quadratic equations and simple trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions.

f. Distinguish between hypothesis and theory as scientific terms.

g. Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as scientific representations of reality.

h. Read and interpret topographic and geologic maps.

Map Symbols
http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/symbols/
An explanation of topographic maps and map symbols.

Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features
http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/public/outreach/featureindex.html
Lists of USGS topographic maps (listed by state) that show good examples of over 200 different physiographic features.

What is a geologic map?
http://geology.wr.usgs.gov/wgmt/aboutmaps.html
Geologic maps describe the rocks and soils at the surface, provide information about what rocks lie at depth, describe the ages of rocks and soils, and show where features such as earthquake faults and landslides lie. Geologic maps are made by studying the rocks and materials exposed at the surface and depicting information about those rocks on a map. This resource page is particularly useful to help students understand geologic maps of areas near where they live or study.

i. Analyze the locations, sequences, or time intervals that are characteristic of natural phenomena (e.g., relative ages of rocks, locations of planets over time, and succession of species in an ecosystem).

j. Recognize the issues of statistical variability and the need for controlled tests.

k. Recognize the cumulative nature of scientific evidence.

l. Analyze situations and solve problems that require combining and applying concepts from more than one area of science.

m. Investigate a science-based societal issue by researching the literature, analyzing data, and communicating the findings. Examples of issues include irradiation of food, cloning of animals by somatic cell nuclear transfer, choice of energy sources, and land and water use decisions in California.

n. Know that when an observation does not agree with an accepted scientific theory, the observation is sometimes mistaken or fraudulent (e. g., the Piltdown Man fossil or unidentified flying objects) and that the theory is sometimes wrong (e.g., the Ptolemaic model of the movement of the Sun, Moon, and planets).