Syllabus

General Teaching Approach to Earth Science

Earth Science students will participate in a variety of activities that will develop their understanding of the course objectives and topics. The following format will be used throughout the seven units of study:

Course Objective

The primary objective of this course is to provide the students with a better understanding of natural environment. Thus we will examine a number of topics including: The scientific method and its use in scientific investigation

• The structure and composition of the earth’s surface, subsurface, and deep interior
• Processes (both gradual and catastrophic) that alter the observed structure of the earth: rock transformation, mountain building, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism, and atmospheric processes
• The structure and composition of the atmosphere
• The elements of weather and climate including the role of water under, on, and above the earth’s surface
•  Weather patterns and storms
• The earth’s relationship to the sun, moon, and other bodies of the solar system
• The earth’s place in the cosmos

Content	SOLs	No. of weeks
Scientific Investigation and Maps	ES. 1,2	2
Rocks & Minerals	ES. 1,4,5	3
Natural Resources	ES. 2 ES. 6	3
Geological Processes	ES. 1,2,7,8	3.5
Freshwater Resources	ES. 1,2,8	3.5
Earth’s History	ES. 1,2,9	1
Meteorology	ES. 1,2,11,12	4
Oceanography	ES. 1,2,10	2
Astronomy	ES. 1,2,3,13	4
Review	All