7th Grade Science Unit 3: Restless Earth 2015-2016
Reporting Cluster: Structure of and Processes That Change Earth
Topic
Structure of
and Processes
That Change
Earth
4
3
Proficient
Knowledge:
In addition to score 3.0 performance, the student demonstrates in-depth inferences and
applications that go beyond the target.
Students demonstrate they have developed an understanding of:



2
that tectonic plates constantly move at rates of centimeters per year in response to
movements in the mantle, which cause geological events
the creation of land forms are the result of a combination of constructive and destructive
forces, such as volcanic eruptions, deposition of sediment, weathering and erosion
changes in the earth that can be described as the rock cycle, are in constant motion
Students will recognize or recall:
Specific vocabulary such as:
tectonic plates, convection, subduction, rock cycle, magma, mantle, rock, mineral, crust, core,
convergent, divergent, fault, igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary
Basic knowledge such as:
 the three types of rocks
 the Earth’s crust is made up of a set of interconnecting plates that are in constant motion
 the difference between a rock and a mineral
 movement in plates can create earthquakes, mountains or volcanic eruptions
 the layers of the Earth, including a crust, mantle and core
1
Student’s performance reflects insufficient progress towards foundational skills and knowledge.
Assessments:
7th Grade Science Unit 3: Restless Earth 2015-2016
Reporting Cluster:
Reporting
Structure
Cluster:Reporting
of Structure
and Processes
Cluster:
of andThat
Processes
Structure
Changeof
That
Earth
and
Change
Processes
EarthThat Change Earth
Topic
History of Earth
Knowledge:
Knowledge:
Knowledge:
4
In addition to score 3.0 performance, the student demonstrates in-depth inferences and
applications that go beyond the target.
3
Proficient
Students demonstrate they have developed an understanding of:




2
the earth processes we see today are similar to those that occurred in the past
why fossils provide important evidence of how life and environmental conditions have
changed
the fossil record as an incomplete record of life on Earth
the evidence supporting major extinction events and the causes
Students will recognize or recall:
Specific vocabulary such as:
fossil, Pangaea, Geologic Time Scale, extinct, relative age, absolute age, radioactive dating,
continental drift
Basic knowledge such as:
 Earth’s history has been influenced by occasional catastrophes such as the impact of an
asteroid or a comet
 the Earth is constantly changing
 most living things do not become fossils
 fossils help scientists determine what past life and climate were like
 the continents are in constant motion
 the difference between relative and absolute age
1
Student’s performance reflects insufficient progress towards foundational skills and knowledge.
Assessments:
R
Assessments
Assessments:Assessments:
7th Grade Science Unit 3: Restless Earth 2015-2016
Suggested Instructional Resources
Sample Learner Objectives
Topic
Textbook Resources
Labs
PBL Ideas
(projects)
Web Resources – websites or
resources on
http://science.dmschools.org
I Can:

use data sets and/or maps
that show patterns
(location and frequency) of
earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions and tsunami
events in a region to
predict the likelihood of
future geologic events.

use plate tectonic models
to support the explanation
that, due to convection,
matter cycles between
Earth’s surface and deep
mantle.

explain the chemical and
physical processes that
form rocks and minerals
and cycle Earth’s materials.

give evidence to defend the
claim that the Earth’s
continents were once
connected and are in
constant motion.

construct scale models of
the geologic time scale to
determine the relative ages
of a sequence of events.

use geologic evidence to
determine the relative ages
of a sequence of events
Structure of and Processes That
Change Earth
History of Earth
7th Grade Science Unit 3: Restless Earth 2015-2016
that occurred in the Earth’s
past.

use evidence from the rock
and fossil record to explain
how past changes in Earth
conditions have caused
major extinctions of some
life forms and have allowed
others to flourish.

construct explanations for
why most individual
organisms, as well as some
entire species, that lived in
the past were never
fossilized