Course Description
This curriculum aligns with the STEELS Standards and guides the study of the natural and human-made world through inquiry, problem solving, critical thinking, and authentic exploration. The standards are presented within strands as they progress across a K-6 sequence. The integration of these disciplines in the standards highlights the interconnectedness of scientific, technological, and engineering focused study; the integral relationship between humans and the environment; and the importance of integrating the teaching and learning of science, technology, and engineering.
Core Curriculum Content Standards
Science, Technology & Engineering, and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability (2023)
Earth and Space Science
Grades 6-8
- Develop and use a model of the Earth- sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.(3.3.6-8.A)
- Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motion within galaxies and the solar system.(3.3.6-8.B)
- Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.(3.3.6-8.C)
- Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year- old history.(3.3.6-8.D)
- Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.(3.3.6-8.E)
- Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of past plate motions.(3.3.6-8.G)
- Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.(3.3.6-8.H)
- Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.(3.3.6-8.I)
- Collect data to provide evidence for how the motion and complex interactions of air masses result in changes in weather conditions.(3.3.6-8.J)
- Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth's mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.(3.3.6-8.K)
- Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.(3.3.6-8.L)
- Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing human impact on the environment.(3.3.6-8.M)
- Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.(3.3.6-8.N)
Units
Unit #1 - Earth and Space Science: Universe
Unit #2 - Earth and Space Science: Our Solar System
Unit #3 - Earth and Space Science: History of Earth
Unit #4 - Earth and Space Science: Earth Processes and Resources
Unit #5 - Earth and Space Science: Weather, Climate, and Water Cycle
Unit #6 - Environmental Literacy: Human Impact
Course Resources
