Earth+&+Space+Science+-+The+Earth's+Changing+Surface+(pg.+431-455)

Dr. Suters
 * Content || 1. p. 432-441 Weathering and Erosion
 * Weathering refers to the breaking down of rocks into smaller parts through the action of plants, chemicals, frost, and changes in temperature.
 * Erosion includes weathering plus the process of transporting weathered material from one location to another.
 * Plant Actions - growing roots force a rock apart; seeds absorb water and wedge; lichens release acids that decompose and soften rocks
 * Chemical Weathering - Oxygen and water in the air combine with rock surfaces to produce rust - oxidized iron compounds; falling rain + carbon dioxide = carbonic acid which wears down limestone - if this rainwater percolates into the ground it can dissolve limestone deposits and form a cave
 * Expansion and Contraction - ice and water can break apart rocks that are porous; Rocks formed underground due to great pressure may start to crack when they reach the surface
 * Running Water - the MOST erosive force on earth! Water running down hills forms gullies
 * Wind Erosion - Dust Bowl of 1934-1935; grassy sod had been broken up for agriculture + dry weather resulted in destructive dust storms
 * Glacial Erosion - Snow compacts into ice and the glacier flows slowly downhill (mountain valley glaciers); gravity forces glaciers to spread out as more snow piles up (continental glaciers); when glaciers move they scour the land and as they melt huge deposits of soil and rocks are left at the sides and leading edge.
 * Interplanetary Weathering - Exploration of how the interplanetary space environment changes the rocky and icy surfaces of planetary bodies. Involves the study of the samples of soils and rocks that the Apollo astronauts retrieved from the surface of the moon. Scientists have begun to understand the effect of impacts and solar wind on the moon.

2. p.441-445 Soil and its Makeup
 * Humus - organic matter that supplies plants with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other essentials; retains water well; dark color absorbs better & speeds up plant growth and reduces seed failure.
 * Earthworms help break up the soil and allow air and water to reach the plant roots. Earthworms mix soil and leave castings that contain rich fertilizing ingredients.
 * Soil Makeup - Best soil for plants is loam, composed of sand (30-50%), silt (30-50%), clay (up to 20%), and abundant humus. Silt and clay retain water well; sand allows for porosity. Soils differ in their degree of acidity and alkalinity - plants have different requirements.
 * Soil Conservation - It may take up to 500 years for a single inch of topsoil to be produced by natural means.
 * Preservation techniques
 * Contour plowing - used when plowing hilly land - plow around the hill not up and down - reduces water erosion
 * Strip cropping - alternates a row crop that has much bare soil exposed (corn) with a ground cover crop (clover) - reduces wind erosion.
 * Tree windbreak - line of trees - reduces wind erosion
 * Terracing - prepare relatively flat areas for growing crops on steep slopes.
 * Check dams - stones or logs used to slow water in a stream or prevent a gully from widening
 * residue management - don't use plows which leave soils bare to water and wind erosion. Farmers leave residue from harvested crops in place to hold soil and moisture - helps to rebuild topsoil.

3. p.446-449 Building up the Land
 * Weathering and erosion should have worn down our earth long ago to a low-lying plain; however, there are processes that build up the land as well.
 * Magma -molten rock from deep underground; when it reaches the surface it is called lava.
 * Hardened lava beds on the earth surface - magma oozes through cracks in crust and spreads out over ground (Pacific Northwest)
 * Laccolith - a dome that is created when magma stops flowing and cools before it reaches the surface.
 * Sources of Heat Energy to form volcanoes - theories suggest radioactive rocks such as uranium.
 * Earthquakes and Faults - Happen when the earth's crust breaks under the strain of its deforming forces.
 * move horizontally, diagonally, or vertically along a fault (crack).
 * Sierra Nevada range - block mountains - may develop through titled or vertical movements along a fault line.
 * Appalachians - folding - forces push parts of the crust into giant wrinkles.
 * Plate Theory - Scientists infer that the earth's crust was once solid but is now fragmented into 6-8 large plates and several smaller ones. Plates drift on the earth's mantle of molten rock about 60 miles below. The continents float on the plates. Plate tectonics theory - the plates continually pull apart, collide, grind edges, or partially slide under each other.
 * Ocean Floor Activity - Ocean floors form when 2 plates drift apart; magma pushes up from the mantle. Earthquakes may happen as plates slide past each other in opposite directions. Plate movements are up to 20 cm/year in some locations.

4. p.449-454 How Rocks are Formed Standards || **Weathering and Erosion** Grade 4 GLE 0407.7.1 Investigate how the Earth’s geological features change as a result of erosion (weathering and transportation) and deposition. SPI 0407.7.1 Design a simple model to illustrate how the wind and movement of water alter the earth’s surface. Grade 7 GLE 0707.7.6 Evaluate how human activities affect the earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere. SPI 0707.7.7 Analyze and evaluate the impact of man’s use of earth’s land, water, and atmospheric resources. Grade 2 GLE 0207.7.1 Compare and record the components of a variety of soil types. Check for Understanding 0207.7.1 Sort, analyze, and compare a variety of soil types. Grade 5 GLE 0507.7.1 Compare geologic events responsible for the earth’s major geological features. SPI 0507.7.1 Describe internal forces such as volcanoes, earthquakes, faulting, and plate movements that are responsible for the earth’s major geological features such as mountains, valleys, etc. Grade 7 GLE 0707.7.3 Analyze the characteristics of the earth’s layers and the location of the major plates. GLE 0707.7.4 Explain how earthquakes, mountain building, volcanoes, and sea floor spreading are associated with movements of the earth’s major plates. SPI 0707.7.4 Differentiate among the characteristics of the earth’s three layers. SPI 0707.7.5 Recognize that lithospheric plates on the scale of continents and oceans continually move at rates of centimeters per year. SPI 0707.7.6 Describe the relationship between plate movements and earthquakes, mountain building, volcanoes, and sea floor spreading. Grade 3 GLE 0307.7.2 Recognize that rocks can be composed of one or more minerals. SPI 0307.7.2 Describe how rocks can be classified according to their physical characteristics. Grade 7 GLE 0707.7.1 Describe the physical properties of minerals. GLE 0707.7.2 Summarize the basic events that occur during the rock cycle. SPI 0707.7.1 Use a table of physical properties to classify minerals. SPI 0707.7.2 Label a diagram that depicts the three different rock types. SPI 0707.7.3 Identify the major processes that drive the rock cycle. || //Geology for Kids- Introduction to Erosion and Weathering//: Listen to a Song, "The Face of the Earth"; has pictures and descriptions of different types of erosion including mechanical, chemical, & biotic; discusses the impact of joints and faults on erosion. @http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/0059-introduction-to-erosion.php //Earthworms - Scoop on Soil:// This website shares what earthworms do to help soil, shares where to find them, and how they improve water quality. @http://urbanext.illinois.edu/soil/SoilBiology/earthworms.htm //USGS Earthquake Hazards Program// - @http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ Find information on the latest & most significant earthquakes, how to prepare prior to, during, and after an earthquake, interactive maps and more. There are specific segments setup for teachers and children. For Students & Teachers -@http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/classroom.php For Kids - @http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/ //Rock Hounds//: Learn how to collect rocks safely, find out how rocks are formed, take a quiz, and more. @http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/index2.html || //Follow That Water: Investigations with Stream Tables//- Build simple stream tables to observe that water causes weathering and erosion. Vary the angle of the stream tables in order to simulate different flow rates and compare the results. Observe various features formed in a stream table by flowing water and compare these model features to photos of real features on Mars in order to make inferences about the possibility of water channeling on Mars. http://quest.nasa.gov/mars/teachers/tg/program1/Act1.3.html //Straight Scoop on Soils, You Dig?//: As a result of this activity, students will be able to understand that soils differ in their composition, texture, and capacity to absorb water. You are provided with the following scenario: Mr. Jones, a local farmer, has asked you to help him plan where he will plant his crops next year. The crops he plans to plant next year each have different soil requirements, and he needs you to examine the properties of soil from each of his four fields. He has provided you with samples from each of the fields he intends to plant next season. Recommended Grades 3-5 http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/activityDetail.asp?activityID=173 //Earthquakes// -To verify that earthquakes follow the natural plate boundaries and that these boundaries help us predict where earthquakes are most likely to occur. To examine changes in the earth’s surface caused by earthquakes. Recommended Grades 6-8 @http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=482 //Ride the Rock Cycle// - used to teach students that the rock cycle, like the water cycle has various stages and does not move linearly through those stages. Setup 8 stations where students roll a die to determine their path in the cycle - they record what is happening on a journey chart. After their journey is complete they create a cartoon of how their adventures in the rock cycle occurred. Recommended Grades 5-6 @http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us/tools/lessons/6.4/lesson.html || 1. Rock-On. The Rock Cycle Card Game 2. National Geographic: How Volcanoes Form 3. Webisode 04: Worms Ate My Garbage 4. Nehir's Ersosion Project || Source: //Uncovering Student Ideas in Science: 25 Formative Assessment Probes//; Volume 1 p. 163-168 || || //The Pebble in My Pocket// by Meredith Harper. 1996. New York: Viking
 * Rocks are made of one or more minerals. Geologists have developed many ways of identifying minerals: color, hardness, luster, crystal structure and density, and how it splits along a plane, breaks, and reacts to chemicals. Some samples of rocks may have different amounts of one or more of the minerals than other samples of the same rock - that's why not all granite samples look alike, etc.
 * Sedimentary Rocks - composed of sediments from eroded rocks or compressed skeletons and shells of ocean animals. Enormous pressure, plus chemicals dissolved in water act to cement the sediments together.
 * Sand - sandstone; mud or clay - shale; pebbles, rocks, and sand combine to form conglomerate
 * Igneous Rocks - formed through cooling of magma or lava
 * granite - magma squeezes under a surface rock layer and cools slowly; forms large crystals
 * Lava that cools quickly has small or no visible crystals. Examples include pumice (spongy) and obsidian (black, glossy)
 * Metamorphic Rocks - physical and chemical changes in sedimentary and igneous rocks subjected to severe pressure and heat as the crust moves, folds, thrusts deeper into the ground, or is buried under lava.
 * Sedimentary to metamorphic examples: limestone-marble; sandstone-quartzite; shale-slate
 * Igneous to metamorphic examples: granite-gneiss; soft coal-hard coal.
 * Metamorphic rocks are harder than the original rock - have compression bands and small crystals if any. But it's still easy to confuse metamorphic with igneous rocks.
 * Fossils - remains or signs of animals or plants in rock. Mostly found in sedimentary rocks.
 * Formed by covering dead bodies or material with sediments; soft-body parts decompose, teeth and skeleton remain - or bones are replaced with a mineral cast. Some trees have left casts in a similar way.
 * Fossil fuels - coal, oil, and natural gas - were formed from the remains of plants and animals that died millions of years ago.
 * Rock Cycle - over many thousands of years, rocks change their forms. Evidence indicates that the same mineral materials are used over and over in a rock cycle. See Inq Figure 3.7 on page 454 ||
 * TN State
 * Soil and its Makeup**
 * Building up the Land**
 * How Rocks are Formed**
 * Website || **Weathering and Erosion**
 * Soil and its Makeup**
 * Building up the Land**
 * How Rocks are Formed**
 * Lesson Plans || **Weathering and Erosion**
 * Soil and its Makeup**
 * Building up the Land**
 * How Rocks are Formed**
 * Videos || media type="custom" key="10688144"
 * Formative Assessment Probe || **Beach Sand** - elicit students' ideas about weathering, erosion, deposition, and landforms.
 * Children's Book

__Summary__: A girl finds a pebble on the ground and wonders where it came from. The answer unfolds through scientifically accurate text, colorful illustrations, and a helpful timeline that follows its long journey from the inside of a volcano to the day the girl picks it up off the ground.

__Activity__: Read the book to discuss the concepts of weathering and erosion, building up the land (plate tectonics), and how rocks are formed. Follow up the reading with asking the students to create "Pet Rock" Posters used to advertise and sell a rock. Each poster should have a clever name, a description of the pet rock's properties; a labeled, detailed full-color drawing showing it's unique characteristics; 2 suggested uses for the pet rock; a creative statement to make people want to buy the pet rock. Extra Credit: create a poem, song, rap, jingle, drawing of the rock's packaging, or training tips for the Pet Rock. Source: //More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children's Books to Guide Inquiry K-4//. by Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan. 2007. NSTA Press || Activity: Stream Table Lesson Plan (see link above) Description: Complete Explore/Explain sections. Give 2 tables sand and 2 tables soil. One sand and one soil will have a groove "dug" with index finger. The second sand and soil table will add rocks and plants. __Time: 15 minutes__ Same as above (I'm integrating the topics of weathering/erosion & soil preservation techniques Activity: The Earth's Changing Crust pg. 446 Description: Exploration Part 2 (use Play-Dough instead of cakes); Explanation __Time: 5 minutes__ Activity: Read samples of //The Pebble in my Pocket// & The Properties of Rocks pg. 449-450 Description: Explore, Explain, Elaborate __Time: 15 minutes__ Core Sampling - handout will be provided __Time: 12 minutes__ ||
 * Activities from text || **Formative Assessment Probe: Beach Sand** - __5 minutes__. time to individually respond to the probe and discuss as a class.
 * 1. p. 432-441 Weathering and Erosion **
 * 2. p.441-445 Soil and its Makeup **
 * 3. p.446-449 Building up the Land **
 * 4. p.449-454 How Rocks are Formed **
 * Additional Activity**