MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE
6th Grade Theme: CHANGE
UNIT 6-IIIa
Unit Question:
What Do Changes Inside Earth Communicate?
Focus Question: What Causes Major Geological Events?
Key Concepts
Plate tectonics, lithospheric plates, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, crust,
E.SE.06.51 Explain plate tectonic movement and how the lithospheric plates
mantle, core, convecting mantle, geological events, seismic waves, epicenter,
move centimeters each year.(1)
E.SE.06.52 Demonstrate how major geological events (earthquakes, volcanic convection, conduction, Pangaea, continental drift, compression, tension ,
density
eruptions, mountain building) result from these plate motions.(1)
E.ES.06.53 Describe layers of the Earth as a lithosphere (crust and upper
mantle), convecting mantle, and dense metallic core. ( 1)
Cross Curricular Connections:
ELA: Writing Explanations; Math Calculations
Career Pathways : Geologist F1-F3
January-February
Weeks 13-18
GLCE and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Level
TEACHING OBJECTIVES AND RESOURCES
1. Determine prior knowledge/student understanding of GLCE. (Pre-Assessment Item(s))
2. Describe layers of the Earth as a lithosphere, convecting mantle, and dense metallic core.
 Text: Prentice Hall: Inside Earth pp. 6-13, Lab Zone Discovery Activity p.6, Lab Zone Skills Activity p.11
 All in One Teaching Resource: p. 50 Earth’s Interior Review and Reinforce.
 Website: Links on the structure of Earth: www.Scilinks.org Web code: scn-1011
 Transparency: F2
3. Identify what causes convection currents in the Earth’s mantle.
 Text: Prentice Hall: Inside Earth pp.14-17, Lab Zone Skills Lab p.37, Lab Zone Discovery Activity p.14, Lab Zone Teacher Demo p.15.
 All in One Teaching Resources: Prentice Hall: Inside Earth: Section Summary p.54, Guided Reading p.56-57,Enrich p.59, Skills Lab
Modeling Convection Currents p.84-85.
 Website: Convection Currents: www.PHSchool.com Web code : cfd-101
 Transparency F4
4. Explain the theory of plate tectonics.
 Text: Prentice Hall: Inside Earth pp. 32-36, p. 33, Lab Zone Teacher Demo p. 33.
 Website: Continental Drift : www.scilinks.org Web code: scn-1013
 All in One Teaching Resources: Prentice Hall: Inside Earth: Review and Reinforce p.64.
 Transparency F10
 Video: Video Explorations- Plate Lab Zone Skills Activity Tectonics, field trip
5. Demonstrating how major geological events result from these plate motions.
 Text: Prentice Hall : Inside Earth p.44-51, Lab Zone Discovery Activity p.44
 All in one teaching resource: Section Summary p.78, Guided Reading p.79-81, Review and Reinforce p.82, Mapping a Future World
Laboratory investigations pp. 90-94.
6. Identifying how volcanoes change the Earth’s surface.
 Text: Prentice Hall Inside Earth pp.82-86, Lab Zone Discovery Activity p.82, Lab Zone Try This Activity p.85.
 All in One Teaching Resources: Prentice Hall: Inside Earth: Enrich p.83.Review and Reinforce p.188, Review and reinforce p.215.
 Website: More on volcanoes: www.PHSchool.com Web code: cfd-1031.
 Transparency F30
SAMPLE BELLWORK / DO NOW
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Identify the different layers of the Earth.
Prentice Hall inside Earth p. 6 Complete Interpreting Diagrams on p.
10, Math Analyzing Data p.12, Applying Concepts p.17, Predicting
p.33, Math Skills p.35, Target Reading Skill p.82, Key terms p.86.
SAMPLE ASSESSMENTS
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Text: Prentice Hall Inside Earth: Section 1 assessment p.13
Text: Prentice Hall Inside Earth: Section 2 Assessment p.17
CPS (quick 5 question review, T/F, multiple choice, verbal, exam view)
Create a concept map of the different layers of the Earth.
Text: Prentice Hall Inside Earth: Writing in Science p.57
Text: Prentice Hall Inside Earth: All in one teaching resource
Chapter Test p.98-101.
Text: Prentice Hall Inside Earth: p.79 Standardized Test Prep
Text: Prentice Hall Inside Earth: p.78 Checking Concepts
MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE
6th Grade Theme: CHANGE
UNIT 6-IIIb
Unit Question: What Can Changes Inside Earth Communicate?
Focus Question: How Do Rocks and Minerals Provide Evidence about Earth’s History?
Key Concepts: fossils, environment, rocks, rock layers, evidence, relative
E.ST.06.31 Explain how rocks and fossils are used to understand the age and dating , erosion, mold, cast, petrified fossil, carbon film, trace fossil,
paleontologist, evolution, extinction, era, geologic time scale
geological history of the earth (timelines and relative dating, rock layers).(1)
E.ST.06.41 Explain how Earth processes (erosion, mountain building, and
glacier movement) are used for the measurement of geological time through
observing rock layers.(1)
E.ST.06.42 Describe how fossils provide important evidence of how life and
environmental conditions have changed.( 1)
Cross Curricular Connections:
GLCE and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Level
ELA: Writing Explanations
Career Pathways : Paleontologist
January-February
Weeks 13-18
7.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES AND RESOURCES
Explain how rocks and fossils are used to understand the age and geological history of the Earth.
 Text: Earth’s Changing Surface pp. 110-116 ,Lab Zone Discovery Activity p.110,
 All in One Teaching Resource pp. 244-246
 Transparency G34, G38.
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Website: Links on fossils www.SciLinks.org Web code: scn-0741
8.
Describe how scientists use rock layers to determine the relative age of rocks.
 Text: Prentice Hall Earth’s Changing Surface, pp. 117-122, Lab Zone Build Inquiry p.120
 All in one teaching resource, pp.250-253, Section Summary p.250, Skills Lab p. 256-257.
 Transparency G35, G36, G37, G38.
 Science Explorer Video Explorations: A Trip through Geologic Time.
 Lab Activity Video/DVD, Finding Clues to Rock Layers.
9.
Describe what you can learn from radioactive dating.
 Text: Prentice Hall Earth’s Changing Surface, pp.123-129.
 All in One Teaching Resource Section Summary p.259, Guided Reading and Study p.260-262, Review and Reinforce p. 263.
10.
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Describe the use of fossil as evidence to support hypotheses about how life began on Earth.
Text: Prentice Hall Earth’s Changing Surface, pp. 134-145.
Transparency G47.
Lab Activity Video/DVD, As Time Goes By.
Determine mastery of GLCE (post assessment item(s)).
SAMPLE BELLWORK/ DO NOW
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Create a flow chart that identifies how an organism can become a
fossil.
Text: Earth’s Changing Surface Inferring p.114
How do scientists know that different kinds of plants and animals
lived in Earth’s past?
What is a fossil? How can it be helpful to scientists?
What does the term “relative” mean?
What does it mean to be radioactive?
Sample Multiple Choice Question:
Geologists found rocks that contain parts of animals which lived in
the sea. They were found in layers of the Earth beneath dry land.
What does this tells them about the geological history of the area?
A. The land was once covered by water.
B. The land was once filled with land animals.
C. The land was once very rocky.
D. The land was once very dry.
How does looking beneath Earth’s surface tell us information
about life and environmental conditions have changed at a given
location?
Show two pictures of surface changes underneath the earth then
state what these tell us.
SAMPLE ASSESSMENTS
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Create a Foldable, or Graphic Organizer, or Thinking Map that
will illustrate how fossils relative date organisms.
CPS (quick 5 question review, T/F, multiple choice, verbal,
exam view)
Text: Prentice Hall Earth’s Changing Surface, Chapter test
pp.149-151.
All In One Teaching Resource Earth Changing Surface :
Performance Assessment p.295-297