Earth's Systems
Diorama Room
What causes Earth’s landscape to change over time and what impacts do the changes have on humans?
How are we connected to the patterns we see in the sky and space?
Students build a room sized diorama of the solar system in order to examine scale and position in our solar system. Their diorama should be an "exhibition" a la Blown Away.
Provide step by step instructions for students to complete the unit and unit project.
4-ESS1-1. Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.
4-ESS2-1. Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.
MS-ESS1-1. 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.
MS-ESS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.
MS-PS2-4. Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.
MS-ESS1-3. Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.
Outcomes Courtesy of Next Generation Science Standards.
A Really Short History of Nearly Everything (Pg. 24 - 75 focus on discoveries related to earth itself and on the history of modern science, how scientists asked questions that were very difficult to answer, then developed methods and instruments that could provide quantifiable answers)
Provide rubrics used for the unit project and for any major activities done during the unit (anything we'd like to show schools how we correlated between projects, learning, and outcomes).