ELMS Curriculum Map for: Earth Science
Semester 1
Unit 1
Name: Hydrology
Unit 2
Name: Atmosphere
Unit 3
Name: Tectonic Plate Processes
Unit 4
Name: Earth’s Changing Surface
Time frame: 6 weeks
Standards/Elements:
S6E1 d
S6E3 b
S6E4 a, b, c
S6E5 g, j
S6E6 a
KUDs
Time frame: 6 Weeks
Standards/Elements:
S6E5.a,d,e,f,g
Time frame: 5 Weeks
Standards/Elements:
S6E5 c, d, f, g h, i, j
Know: The water cycle, How
clouds are formed, Forms of
precipitation.
Understand: 1. Changes in
movement of water in the
atmosphere determines local
weather patterns.
2. Sunlight and gravity propel
global movements of water.
3. The oceans influence weather
and climate.
4. Sunlight, the ocean, the
atmosphere, ice, landforms, and
living things influence weather and
climate.
5. Human activities can cause
Earth’s temperature to rise.
Do: 1. Explain the impact that
humans have on the environment.
Know:
1. Difference between rocks and
minerals.
Understand:
1. Tectonic process can create or
destroy land
2. Evidence of plate tectonics
3. How tectonic plates create
natural hazards in specific places.
4. Energy from the Earth helps
either destroy or create land.
Know:
1.weathering and erosion
2. How fossils form
Understand:
1. Tectonic process can create or
destroy land
2. Geologic Time Scale
3. Water causes weathering and
erosion.
Do: 1. Complete rock/mineral lab
2. Role play with types of plate
boundaries, types of stress, and
types of faults.
Vocabulary: mineral, inorganic,
crystal, streak, luster, Mohs
hardness scale, cleavage, fracture,
granite, basalt, texture, igneous
rock, sedimentary rock,
metamorphic rock, extrusive,
Do: 1. Students will create a
timeline of a geologic time period
and create a brochure.
(Weather/Climate)
Time frame: 5 Weeks
Standards/Elements:
S6E3 a, b, c, d S6E6 a
S6E5 d, f, i, j
KUDs
Know: The water cycle, How
clouds are formed, Forms of
precipitation.
Understand:
1. Energy comes from the Sun and
Earth’s hot interior.
2. Water continually cycles among
the land, ocean, and atmosphere.
3. Movements of water changes the
land’s surface.
4. Temperature and Salinity drive
ocean currents.
Do: 1. Identify the processes of
condensation, precipitation, and
evaporation. 2. Complete water
cycle lab
Vocabulary: processes, derived, ,
interior, produce,
chemical/physical change,
microscopic, global, continually,
Vocabulary: Continually, patterns,
evaporation, condensation,
crystallization, precipitation,
determinants, variations, weather,
KUDs
KUDs
Vocabulary: weathering, erosion,
uniformitarianism, mechanical
weathering, abrasion, ice wedging,
chemical weathering, oxidation,
permeable, soil, natural resources,
bedrock, humus, fertility, loam,
ELMS Curriculum Map for: Earth Science
cycle, transpiration, condensation,
atmosphere, ozone, water vapor,
evaporation, propelled,
pollutant, photochemical smog,
interconnected, formations, water
acid rain, density, pressure, air
cycle, precipitation, groundwater,
pressure, barometer, altitude,
tributary, watershed, divide,
troposphere, stratosphere,
reservoir, wetland, permeable,
mesosphere, thermosphere,
impermeable, saturation zone,
temperature, electromagnetic wave,
water table, unsaturated zone,
radiation, infrared radiation,
spring, aquifer, artesian well,
ultraviolet radiation, greenhouse
geyser, pollutant, point source,
effect, thermal energy, heat,
continental shelf, continental slope, conduction, convection current,
abyssal plain, mid-ocean ridge,
wind, anemometer, local wind,
trench, wave, wavelength,
global wind, sea breeze, land
frequency, wave height, tsunami,
breeze, jet stream, humidity,
longshore drift, rip current, tide,
relative humidity psychrometer,
spring tide, neap tide, salinity,
dew point, cirrus, cumulus, stratus,
submersible, current Coriolis
air mass, tropical polar, maritime,
effect, climate, El Nino, upwelling continental, front, occluded,
cyclone, anticyclone, storm,
thunderstorm, lightning, tornado,
hurricane, storm surge,
meteorologist
Performance Task: Students will
complete a mini water cycle lab. The
students will create a mini solar still to
Performance Task: 1. Students
will research topics related to
global climate change.2, They will
intrusive, silica, sediment, erosion,
deposition, compaction,
cementation, clastic rock, organic
rock, chemical rock,, foliated, rock
cycle, tectonic, process,
continually, generate, trenches,
fossils, plate, collide, geologic,
seismic wave, pressure, crust,
basalt, granite, mantle, lithosphere,
asthenosphere, outer core, inner
core, radiation, conduction,
convection, density, convection
current, continental drift, Pangaea,
fossil, mid-ocean ridge, sonar, seafloor spreading, deep-ocean trench,
subduction, plate tectonics, fault,
rift valley, convergent boundary,
divergent boundary, transform
boundary, stress, tension,
compression, shearing, normal
fault, reverse fault, strike-slip fault,
earthquake, focus, epicenter p
wave, s wave, surface wave,
Mercalli scale, Richter scale
seismograph, liquefaction,
aftershock, tsunami, volcano,
magma, lava, Ring of Fire, island
arc, hot spot, magma chamber,
pipe, vent, lava flow, crater,
viscosity, silica, pyroclastic flow,
dormant, extinct, shield volcano,
cinder cone, composite volcano,
caldera, volcanic neck, dike, sill,
batholiths, geothermal activity,
geyser
Performance Task: Click here to
enter text.
soil horizon, topsoil, subsoil, litter,
decomposer, natural resource, Dust
Bowl, soil conservation, contour
plowing, conservation plowing,
crop rotation, sediment, deposition,
gravity, mass movement, runoff,
rill, gully, stream, tributary, flood
plain, meander, oxbow lake,
alluvial fan, delta, groundwater,
stalactite, stalagmite, glacier,
continental glacier, ice age, valley
glacier, plucking, till, moraine,
kettle, headland, beach, longshore
drift, spit, sand dune deflation,
loess, fossil, sedimentary rock,
evolution, trace fossil, relative age,
absolute age, law of superposition,
extrusion, intrusion, fault,
radioactive decay geologic time
scale
Performance Task:. Students will
create a timeline of a geologic time
period and brochure. They will use
ELMS Curriculum Map for: Earth Science
demonstrate the water cycle.
create a commercial about
conservation and the importance of
decisions humans make that impact
climate changes.
computers to research the time
period, animals, plants, and
environment.
ELMS Curriculum Map for: Earth Science
Semester 2
Unit 5
Name: Human Impact
Time frame: 2 Week
Standards/Elements:
S6E5 j
S6E6 a, b
Unit 6
Name: Earth, Moon, & Sun
Time frame: 3 Weeks
Standards/Elements
S6E1 c, d, e
S6E2 a, b, c
Unit 7
Name: Solar System
Time frame: 3 Weeks
Standards/Elements
S6E1 a, b, c, d, e, f
S6E6 a
Unit 8
Name: Independent Study
Time frame: 4 weeks
Standards/Elements:
SS6E3 d, S6E3 b, S6E4 b, S6E4 c,
S6CS6 C, L6-8RH7, L6-8 WHST6,
L6-8WHST9, L6-8RH7
KUDs
Know: Natural Resources
KUDs
Know:
1. Seasonal changes of Earth are
due to the tilt and revolution
around the sun
2. Phases of the moon, day/night
cycle
Understand:
1. The alignment of the Sun, Earth,
and Moon during moon phases,
solar and lunar eclipses effect on
tides.
2. The intensity of the sunlight
along with tilt and revolution
causes seasons.
Do: 1. Identify the phases of the
moon, eclipses, and tides based on
the alignment of the Sun, Earth,
and Moon.
KUDs
Know: Order of the planets,
relative size of planets
KUDs
Know: weather, impact of coriolis
effect,
Understand:
1. The Theory of, “How the Solar
System was formed”.
2. How comets, asteroids, meteors,
meteoroids, and meteorites are
similar and different.
Understand: Understand weather
patterns, atmospheric pressure,
water cycle, forms of precipitation,
Understand
1. Humans depend on natural
resources.
2. The need for natural
resources has impacted
Earth negatively.
Do: 1. Play four corners with solar
energy, hydroelectric power,
biomass fuel, geothermal energy,
Vocabulary: fuel, energy
transformation, combustion, fossil
fuel, petroleum, solar energy,
hydroelectric power, biomass fuel,
gasohol, geothermal energy,
nuclear fission, nuclear fussion,
efficiency, insulation, energy
conservation, impact, population,
significantly, altered, biosphere,
Vocabulary: revolve, revolution,
rotate, axis, eclipse, Luna, Moon,
Sun, phases, tides, tilt, seasons,
alignment, identify, orbit, solstice,
equinox, force, gravity, law of
universal gravitation, mass, weight,
inertia, Newton’s First Law of
Do: 1. Students will use computers Do: Create a brochure on the
to research the planets. 2. Modeling country’s (they choose) weather
Clay Comet.
patterns, climate, natural disasters.
Vocabulary: equator, stars, Sun,
universe, galaxy, asteroid, comet,
constellation, meteor, solar system,
big bang, Milky Way, gravity,
geocentric, heliocentric, ellipse,
core, crust, mantle, nuclear fusion,
terrestrial planet, greenhouse
Vocabulary: water cycle, patterns,
evaporation, condensation,
precipitation, tsunami, cyclone,
hurricane, earthquake, tornado,
humidity, pressure, anemometer,
barometer, clouds, temperature, air
mass, fronts, tides, moon phases
ELMS Curriculum Map for: Earth Science
habitats, extinction, engineered
Motion, solar eclipse, lunar eclipse,
preumbra, tide, spring tide, neap
tide, maria, crater, meteoroid
effect, gas giant, comet, asteroid,
asteroid belt, meteoroid, meteor,
meteorite, Kuiper belt, oort cloud,
extraterrestrial life
Performance Task: 1.Students will Performance Task: Give students a Performance Task: Students will
create a PowerPoint supporting one ziplock bag of the 8 moon phase
put a ball of modeling clay on top
of the following solar energy,
picture, 8 moon phases names,
of a pencil with short strings of
hydroelectric power, biomass fuel, picture of the Sun and Earth, the
yarn pushed in to the ball. They
gasohol, geothermal energy, and
words solar, lunar, neap tide,
will put the “comet” in front of a
tell why it would be the best energy spring tide. Students will position
fan. The fan acts as the Sun. What
source.
the moon phases, solar & lunar
creates the tail? They realize no
eclipses, and neap & spring tide.
matter which way the comet faces,
Teacher will check for accuracy.
the tail always faces away from the
Sun. Students will answer the
following questions What are the
parts of a comet? In which
direction does the tail face? Why?
Performance Task: . Create a 5
day weather forecast of a city we
have learned about in Social
Studies.