Unit 1: Organizing Principles of Earth Science
Big Idea: Processes, events and features on Earth result from energy transfer and movement of matter through
interconnected Earth systems.
Learning Targets:
- I can analyze the interactions between the major systems (geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere) that make up the Earth.
- I can explain, using specific examples, how a change in one system affects other Earth systems.
- I can explain how carbon exists in different forms such as limestone (rock), carbon dioxide (gas), carbonic acid (water), and animals (life within Earth systems) and how those forms can be beneficial and harmful to humans.
- I can explain how the nitrogen cycle is part of the Earth system.
- I can explain how carbon moves through the Earth system (including the geosphere) and how it may benefit (e.g. , improve soils for agriculture) or harm (e.g., act as a pollutant) society.
- I can explain why tectonic plates move using the concept of heat flowing through mantle convection, coupled with the cooling and sinking of aging ocean plates that result from their increased density.
Carbon: The Element of Surprise
"Carbon: The Element of Surprise" illustrates both the fast and slow track paths of carbon between living things and non-living processes.
This video is a great overview of our learning targets for this unit. Enviro-Tacklebox: Module 05: Processes and Cycles in the Environment: Carbon: The Element of Surprise Louisiana Public Broadcasting, 2002 . Full Video. Discovery Education. Web. 12 September 2013. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>. |
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The Nitrogen Cycle
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All organisms must have nitrogen. This comprehensive video looks at the role of nitrogen and explains how it circulates back and forth from the abiotic and biotic sides of the natural world. Concepts covered include the need for nitrogen, free vs. fixed nitrogen, how nitrogen is fixed, legumes and soil bacteria, decay and denitrification, and nitrogen pollution. Students are also introduced to some of the problems that crop up when there is too much nitrogen in an ecosystem.
The Cycle Series: The Nitrogen Cycle Paul Fuqua, 1994 . Full Video. Discovery Education. Web. 12 September 2013. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>. |
Chemical Cycles
Water is recycled and never lost. It evaporates and falls again as rain. The carbon cycle is based on carbon dioxide. Plants take in CO2 and make food. Through the process of cellular respiration, the food is converted into energy, and the cells produce CO2. The burning of fossil fuels also produces CO2. Too much CO2 in the atmosphere can produce the greenhouse effect and contribute to global warming. Plants need nitrogen and phosphorus, but when fertilizers end up in lakes and rivers, excessive algae growth can occur.
Elements of Biology: Ecosystems: Organisms and Their EnvironmentDiscovery Education, 2006 . Full Video. Discovery Education. Web. 12 September 2013. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>. |
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Mantle Convection - Plate Tectonics Overview
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The interior of the earth has several layers: the inner core made of solid iron, the outer core made of liquid metal, the mantle made of hot, solid rock, and the crust, which is the outer layer of the earth. The crust and a thin layer of the mantle just beneath the crust are together known as the lithosphere. Places where tectonic plates touch are called plate boundaries. Convergent boundaries are places where plates are moving towards each other. Divergent boundaries are places where plates move away from each other. Transform boundaries are places where plates move parallel to each other.
from Continents Adrift: An Introduction to Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics Peter Matulavich Productions, 1995 . Full Video. Discovery Education. Web. 18 September 2013. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>. |
Kahn Academy:Sal Kahn describes how mantle convection is believed to influence plate movement.
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