Content Objective:
ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth

Local, regional, and global patterns of rock formations reveal changes over time
due to earth forces, such as earthquakes. The presence and location of certain
fossil types indicate the order in which rock layers were formed. (4-ESS1-1)
Performance Expectation:
Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers for
changes in a landscape over time to support an explanation for changes in a
landscape over time. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence from
patterns could include rock layers with marine shell fossils above rock layers with
4plant fossils and no shells, indicating a change from land to water over time; and,
ESS1a canyon with different rock layers in the walls and a river in the bottom,
1.
indicating that over time a river cut through the rock.] [Assessment Boundary:
Assessment does not include specific knowledge of the mechanism of rock
formation or memorization of specific rock formations and layers. Assessment is
limited to relative time.]
ESS1.C: THE HISTORY OF PLANET EARTH
How do people reconstruct and date events in Earth’s planetary history?
Earth scientists use the structure, sequence, and properties of rocks, sediments, and
fossils, as well as the locations of current and past ocean basins, lakes, and rivers, to
reconstruct events in Earth’s planetary history. For example, rock layers show the
sequence of geological events, and the presence and amount of radioactive elements in
rocks make it possible to determine their ages.
Analyses of rock formations and the fossil record are used to establish relative ages. In
an undisturbed column of rock, the youngest rocks are at the top, and the oldest are at
the bottom. Rock layers have sometimes been rearranged by tectonic forces;
rearrangements can be seen or inferred, such as from inverted sequences of fossil
types. Core samples obtained from drilling reveal that the continents’ rocks (some as old
as 4 billion years or more) are much older than rocks on the ocean floor (less than 200
million years), where tectonic processes continually generate new rocks and destroy old
ones. The rock record reveals that events on Earth can be catastrophic, occurring over
hours to years, or gradual, occurring over thousands to millions of years. Records of
fossils and other rocks also show past periods of massive extinctions and extensive
volcanic activity. Although active geological processes, such as plate tectonics (link to
ESS2.B) and erosion, have destroyed or altered most of the very early rock record on
Earth, some other objects in the solar system, such as asteroids and meteorites, have
changed little over billions of years. Studying these objects can help scientists deduce
the solar system’s age and history, including the formation of planet Earth. Study of
other planets and their moons, many of which exhibit such features as volcanism and
meteor impacts similar to those found on Earth, also help illuminate aspects of Earth’s
history and changes.
The geological time scale organizes Earth’s history into the increasingly long time
intervals of eras, periods, and epochs. Major historical events include the formation of
mountain chains and ocean basins, volcanic activity, the evolution and extinction of
living organisms, periods of massive glaciation, and development of watersheds and
rivers. Because many individual plant and animal species existed during known time
periods (e.g., dinosaurs), the location of certain types of fossils in the rock record can
reveal the age of the rocks and help geologists decipher the history of landforms.
Grade Band Endpoints for ESS1.C
By the end of grade 2. Some events on Earth occur in cycles, like day and night, and
others have a beginning and an end, like a volcanic eruption. Some events, like an
earthquake, happen very quickly; others, such as the formation of the Grand Canyon,
occur very slowly, over a time period much longer than one can observe.
By the end of grade 5. Earth has changed over time. Understanding how landforms
develop, are weathered (broken down into smaller pieces), and erode (get transported
elsewhere) can help infer the history of the current landscape. Local, regional, and
global patterns of rock formations reveal changes over time due to Earth forces, such as
earthquakes. The presence and location of certain fossil types indicate the order in
which rock layers were formed. Patterns of tree rings and ice cores from glaciers can
help reconstruct Earth’s recent climate history.
Content Objective:
ESS3.A: Natural Resources

Energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources, and their
use affects the environment in multiple ways. Some resources are renewable
over time, and others are not. (4-ESS3-1)
Performance Expectation:
Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived
from natural resources and their uses affect the environment. [Clarification
4- Statement: Examples of renewable energy resources could include wind energy,
ESS3- water behind dams, and sunlight; non-renewable energy resources are fossil
1. fuels and fissile materials. Examples of environmental effects could include loss
of habitat due to dams, loss of habitat due to surface mining, and air pollution
from burning of fossil fuels.]
ESS3.A: NATURAL RESOURCES
How do humans depend on Earth’s resources?
Humans depend on Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere for many different
resources, including air, water, soil, minerals, metals, energy, plants, and animals. Some
of these resources are renewable over human lifetimes, and some are nonrenewable
(mineral resources and fossil fuels) or irreplaceable if lost (extinct species).
Materials important to modern technological societies are not uniformly distributed
across the planet (e.g., oil in the Middle East, gold in California). Most elements exist in
Earth’s crust at concentrations too low to be extracted, but in some locations—where
geological processes have concentrated them—extraction is economically viable.
Historically, humans have populated regions that are climatically, hydrologically, and
geologically advantageous for fresh water availability, food production via agriculture,
commerce, and other aspects of civilization. Resource availability affects geopolitical
relationships and can limit development. As the global human population increases and
people’s demands for better living conditions increase, resources considered readily
available in the past, such as land for agriculture or drinkable water, are becoming
scarcer and more valued.
All forms of resource extraction and land use have associated economic, social,
environmental, and geopolitical costs and risks, as well as benefits. New technologies
and regulations can change the balance of these factors—for example, scientific
modeling of the long-term environmental impacts of resource use can help identify
potential problems and suggest desirable changes in the patterns of use. Much energy
production today comes from nonrenewable sources, such as coal and oil. However,
advances in related science and technology are reducing the cost of energy from
renewable resources, such as sunlight, and some regulations are favoring their use. As a
result, future energy supplies are likely to come from a much wider range of sources.
Grade Band Endpoints for ESS3.A
By the end of grade 2. Living things need water, air, and resources from the land, and
they try to live in places that have the things they need. Humans use natural resources
for everything they do: for example, they use soil and water to grow food, wood to burn
to provide heat or to build shelters, and materials such as iron or copper extracted from
Earth to make cooking pans.
By the end of grade 5. All materials, energy, and fuels that humans use are derived from
natural sources, and their use affects the environment in multiple ways. Some resources
are renewable over time, and others are not.
Unit: History or the Planet and Natural Resources
Text: Chapter 8 Pages 244, 245; Chapter 10 Pages 281-304
Day One: Engage- How old is the Earth?
Explore- How do we know?
Engage: Ask students to hypothesize how old they think the earth is? They must support
their answer with evidence. Discuss how we can tell the age of the earth by exploring
the rocks and minerals right under our feet. Remind them of information from previous
lesson about how materials are weathered, eroded, and deposited over time so our
planet looks much different today than it did when it was first formed or even the time
dinosaurs and the first mammals roamed the planet.
Explore: Share a portion of The Cosmos episode “Standing up in the Milky Way” that
discusses the cosmic calendar to give students an idea time from a universal
perspective. Discuss information from the video regarding rock layers and how we can
learn about our planet from viewing fossils. Students will continue their exploration by
partnering with someone and watching a short video on my website about Geological
Time. They will complete a graphic organizer to answer questions and chart information
about the topic. Go over organizer as a class before beginning.
Day Two: Explain- Partner share graphic organizer Elaborate- Text reading
Explain- Students will share the information they found from the video with another
pair and add any missing information. Go over answers as a class. Staple into science
notebook.
Elaborate- Students will read the text pages 244 and 245 with the same partner and
answer the Lesson Checkpoint questions 1-3 independently. The Lesson Two Checkpoint
and questions can also be used to elaborate on the information.
Day Three: Evaluate- Excavation Lab
Evaluate- Each table will receive a fish bowl that exposes layers of earth’s crust. They
must observe the layers and hypothesize what landforms, water formations, plants, and
animals could have existed on their part of the earth based on the fossils found.
Students will have to explain their reasoning using details from the text they read as
well as notes from the video they watched.
Day Four: Engage- Mind Map “Resources” Explore- Collecting Sunlight
Engage- Use a mind map with the topic in the center being resources. Help students
along by beginning the mind map together on the board. Give students 10-15 minutes
to map the ideas that go along with resources. Have each group share their map.
Explore- Explore the topic of how we collect natural resources by colleting sunlight.
Certainly some group talked about solar energy, so link this activity to how we capture
solar energy. Use page 284 to guide you. If it is rainy, use heat lamps instead. One
student will need to be the recorder and observe the temperature at 1 and 3 minutes
and write it down. Students will answer questions 1 and 2 at the bottom of page 284 as
a group.
Day Five: Explore- Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
Explore- Discuss whether or not students believe the sunlight we collected yesterday is
a renewable resource or a non-renewable resource. Why do they think so? Today
students will do some research through multiple means: reading text, leveled readers,
and online research to determine what it means for a resource to be renewable or nonrenewable and come up with examples. They will use an exploration guide to compare
and contrast the two terms. Students will use pages 287 and 288 in their texts, the
readers “Resources”, and the links on my Science page to research.
Day Six: Explain- Student Share
Elaborate- BrainPop and Lesson one Checkpoint
Reading page 66
Evaluate- Lesson One Checkpoint questions
Explain- Students will share the information they found from their research. All students
will draw a compare and contrast chart together in their science notebooks to
summarize information from research.
Elaborate- Watch BrainPop video on renewable and non-renewable resources and
answer quiz questions as a whole group. Then, students will read the Lesson One
Checkpoint with a partner at their table.
Evaluate- Students will answer the Lesson One Checkpoint questions independently.
Days Seven and Eight: Engage- Where does coal come from?
impacts does mining coal have on the environment?
Explore- What
Engage- Pass around coal at each table. What does it look like? Feel like? What do you
know about coal. Discuss how one of the number one natural non-renewable resources
we use in the world is coal energy. We mine a lot of it right here in Kentucky. How did
the coal get there? How do we use it for energy?
Explore- Some natural resources are very easy to get to. Others require more time,
effort, and energy. Unfortunately, one of the ways we mine for coal is through mountain
top removal. Pass out reading passage about how coal is mined and read as class.
Students will then simulate mining coal in the cookie-mining lab.
http://teachcoal.org/lesson-plan-cookie-mining
Students will complete the mining lab and then answer questions about how mining for
coal impacts the environment in Kentucky.
Explain- Students will share the results of their mining and how they impacted the land
around the coal.
Elaborate- They will then read about land reclamation after coal mining and how we can
be responsible miners and reclaim the land. Students will also read pages 294 and 295 in
the text and answer Lesson Checkpoint Questions 1 and 2.
Evaluate- Take lab short answers as an evaluation and Lesson Checkpoint questions.
Day Nine: Build your own Solar Cell
This activity is an extension of the previous two days to show students how renewable
resources such as solar energy could be used rather than fossil fuels.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5981564_build-solar-panel-kid_s-project.html
While the solar cells are gathering energy, students will read more various renewable
resources in leveled readers with partners based on ability and answer the questions at
the end of the reader. At the end of the class, you the volt meter to determine how
much solar energy has been gathered.
Day Ten: Test Review
Day Eleven: Test