AUGUSTA COUNTY SCHOOLS
CURRICULUM MAP
Submitted by Craigsville Elementary 2013
CONTENT:
5.7 The student will investigate and understand how Earth’s surface is constantly changing.
TOPIC:
Earth Patters, Cycles, and Change
CONTENT
What do your students need to
KNOW?
All students will know:
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identification of rock
types
the rock cycle and how
transformations between
rocks occur
Earth history and fossil
evidence;
the basic structure of
Earth’s interior;
changes in Earth’s crust
due to plate tectonics;
weathering, erosion, and
deposition
human impact
DEMONSTRATORS
What do your students need to be able to DO?
Students will:
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apply basic terminology to explain how Earth’s surface
is constantly changing.
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draw and label the rock cycle and describe the major
processes and rock types involved.
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compare and contrast the origin of igneous,
sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
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identify rock samples (granite, gneiss, slate, limestone,
shale, sandstone, and coal), using a rock classification
key.
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make plausible inferences about changes in Earth over
time based on fossil evidence. This includes the
presence of fossils of organisms in sedimentary rocks
of Virginia found in the Appalachian Mountains,
Piedmont, and Coastal Plain/Tidewater.
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describe the structure of Earth in terms of its major
layers — crust, mantle, and outer core and inner core
— and how Earth’s interior affects the surface.
differentiate among the three types of plate tectonic
boundaries (divergent, convergent, and transform)
and how these relate to the changing surface of Earth
and the ocean floor (5.6).
SCIENCE
ASSESSMENT
How will you assess what your
students ALREADY KNOW, and
assess WHAT THEY’VE
LEARNED?
Pre-assessment:
- Anticipation guides
- Round-robin brainstorm
Assessment:
- Completing Frayer
models on key terms
- Creating a concept
map with the big ideas
and terms from the
unit
- RAFT papers- writing
from the perspective
of one type of rock,
narrating how it can
be transformed into
another type
- Filling in blank rock
cycle diagram
- Writing “How To”
poems on how to be a
certain rock type, a
certain layer of the
earth, or a certain
landform
- Exit passes
ACTIVITIES
HOW will you teach it?
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What are rocks and
minerals webquest
Design an
investigation to
explore the effect of
soil types on erosion
Modeling the rock
cycle using food or
crayons
Recording
commercials
advertising the uses
and origins of
different rocks and
minerals
Creating 3-D models
of the earth’s layersaccompany with an
analogy
Weathering and
erosion photo huntsearch for incidents of
weathering and
erosion at school
and/or home
Casting fossils- create
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compare and contrast the origin of earthquakes and
volcanoes and how they affect Earth’s surface.
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differentiate between weathering, erosion, and
deposition.
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design an investigation to locate, chart, and report
weathering, erosion, and deposition at home and on
the school grounds. Create a plan to solve erosion
and/or deposition problems that may be found.
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Unit test
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describe how people change Earth’s surface and how
negative changes can be controlled.
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a plaque as a museum
display- included
inferences based on
fossil evidence
Webquest on
continental drift
theory/Pangaea
Rock cycle gameneed to collect all of
the pictures to make
a complete rock cycle
chain
Identifying rocks and
minerals using
classification keys
(rocks and minerals
kit)
Sorting pictureserosion, weathering,
and deposition
Researching/
debating
environmental impact
of mining
Go on rock/mineral
hunt at school or
home- use keys to
identify
Journal entry/diarywhat you would
experience on a
journey to the center
of the earth
Using coordinate
grids to plot location
of tectonic plates
Create a rock
collection to be on
display in school
Jigsaw- break class
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DIFFERENTIATION
How will you meet the needs of
all students?
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use various version of
classification/dichotomo
us keys using both
pictures and words
Struggling writers may
create comic strips or act
out skits rather than
writing RAFT papers
Have Frayer models
already partially
completed
Group students to create
concept maps
Create multiple version
of study guides with
varying degrees of
question levels
RESOURCES
Rock and mineral webquest:
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002289/index.html
Interactive rock cycle to label:
http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/rocks/games/level2.htm
Making fossils:
http://www.homegrownfun.com/how-to-makehomemade-fossils-classroom/
Explanation of RAFT papers:
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/pd/instr/strats/raft/
Rocks and minerals kit provided by county
into ‘expert teams’ to
research and report
back on various topics
Identify where
weathering and
erosion is a problem
on school groundsdesign and implement
(as far as possible) a
plan to help prevent
and correct issues
TEACHER NOTES:
Frayer Model
(used for vocabulary)