SCIENCE STRAND III:
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
The earth science strand focuses primarily on fundamental concepts in geology and meteorology, exploring effects that are observable to students as well as observations and inferences made from years of collected evidence.
13. Make predictions about the weather from observed conditions and weather maps.
Students should be able to read and understand weather maps using keys, and make predictions from those maps or from stated conditions (times, temperatures, etc.). Students should have an understanding of the general west-to-east movement of weather in the continental U.S.; the association of storms, precipitation, or cloudy skies with colliding warm and cold fronts; the effect of air temperatures in clouds and below clouds on what form cloud precipitation will take; the association of high-pressure systems with clear skies; and the relationship between latitude and general temperature or weather patterns.
Students should be able to read maps and weather reports commonly found in daily newspapers; make observations and predictions based on weather maps and on consistently observed phenomena; check predictions made by meteorologists; and identify the likely reasons for certain predictions.
14. IdentIfy and/or describe the relationship between human activity and the environment.
This outcome tests students’ ability to identify or describe the relationship between human activity and the environment, in terms of pollution (air, soil, water), conservation of resources (including plant and animal species), erosion, and agricultural activities; and identify or describe the physical qualities or characteristics of a particular environment that would make it suitable or unsuitable for various human activities (e.g., firming, mining).
Students should understand that human activity can have certain effects on the environment, just as the characteristics of an environment can have certain effects or limits on human activity. There are advantages and disadvantages to any activity, and students should be able to identify or discuss these from multiple viewpoints.
15. Identify evidence and show examples of changes In the earth’s surface.
Students should be able to identify evidence of changes in the earth’s surface from analyzing “before and after” illustrations of the earth’s surface; from analyzing descriptions of events that would cause erosion, deposition, change in position, or other changes; or from analyzing the fossil record. Students should also be able to provide examples of changes in the earth’s surface and explain the likely causes of such changes—action by wind, water, glaciers, gravity, and plant or animal activity.
Students should be able to observe and identify the effects of weathering and geological activity in their immediate world (buildings, sidewalks, playgrounds) as well as in the reports of events such as storms, floods, or earthquakes. The focus at this level should be on what something was like before the event and what it is like as a result of the event, based on students’ own observations or on their analysis of other people’s observations.
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