Earth Science Curriculum

Do you need ways to engage your earth science students on the topics of lunar phases, stars, galaxies, solar system, Earth's layers, Earth's rotation and revolution, tides, eclipses, weathering, erosion, rocks, and minerals? This bundle of earth science curriculum lessons offers a variety of learning methods to help students better understand concepts related to planet earth. This earth science curriculum includes science text worksheets and digital Google Slides, comprehension questions, projects, graphic organizers, and projects.

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Students will learn:

Weathering:

• What is it?
• Different types:
• Mechanical: frost shattering or frost action and temperature changes
• Chemical: oxidation, hydrolysis, and carbonation
• Organic
• Creating soil

Erosion:

• What is it?
• Different forms are caused by:
• gravity
• water
• wind
• human beings

Minerals:

• What are they?
• How to identify different minerals
• How they are grouped
• How they are used in the world

Rocks:

• How they differ from a mineral
• Sedimentary rocks
• Metamorphic rocks
• Igneous rocks
• each section details how they are formed, where they can be found, examples, and uses
• Rock cycle
• Graphic organizer to easily remember characteristics of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rock.
• Lab activity
• Review game
• A printable and digital birthstone project

Watershed:

• Follow instructions to create their own watershed using simple materials such as newspaper, paper towels, and plastic wrap created on a tray.
• Follow directions to mimic how rain reacts in a watershed.

Lunar Phases:

• Moon; its shape, size, formation, and effect on the Earth
• Lunar cycle; eight phases of the moon (New Moon, Waxing and Waning Crescent, Waxing and Waning Gibbous, First and Last Quarter, Full Moon

Tides and Eclipses:

• Characteristics of tides
• Describe how low, high, spring, and neap tides occur.
• Characteristics of solar and lunar eclipses.
• Describe how partial and total solar and lunar eclipses occur.

Earth's Rotation and Revolution:

• Identify what a rotation is.
• Describe how the Earth rotates.
• Explain why we have day and night.
• Identify what a revolution is.
• Describe how the Earth revolves around the sun.
• Explain why we have seasons.

Layers of the Earth:

• Identify layers of the Earth
• Crust
• Mantle
• Inner Core
• Outer Core
• Lithosphere
• Asthenosphere
• Explain the characteristics of each layer
• Identify where each layer can be found on Earth

Characteristics and life cycle of a star:

• Characteristics of a star
• Composition
• Size
• Color and temperature
• Brightness: absolute and apparent brightness
• The life cycle of a star
• Includes nebula, track for low and high mass stars: red giant, planetary nebula, white dwarf, black dwarf, supergiant, supernova, black hole, neutron star

Star systems and galaxies:

• What is a star system?
• Different star systems and clusters
• Binary star
• Eclipsing binary
• Open cluster
• Globular cluster
• What are major galaxies?
• Irregular galaxy
• Spiral galaxy
• Elliptical galaxy

This earth science curriculum bundle includes:

Weathering and Erosion

• Instructions that explain how this lesson was used in my classroom
• A 4 -page science packet on weathering that includes checkpoint and comprehension questions
• A 3 -page science text on erosion which includes checkpoint and comprehension questions
• An answer key

Rocks and Minerals:

This unit includes:

• How to Use instructions
• Four-page packet on Minerals
• Eight-page packet on Rocks
• Answer key

Watershed:

This hands-on activity is part of my environmental education unit to help teach students about the importance of watersheds. Students will learn what one is, create their watershed and describe how it is important to humans. Students will also manipulate and explain how pollutants can affect our drinking water.

This watershed lesson includes:

• Teacher information sheet
• Student lab sheets and comprehension questions
• Answer key

Oil Spill STEM Activity:

This inquiry-based activity will have students create an environment to mimic an oil spill. This will allow students to see the effect oil has on the Earth. Students will develop an effective, economical cleanup method to clean their disaster. This great inquiry group activity allows students to put on their thinking caps to solve real-life problems!

This activity includes:

• Notes to the Teacher
• Student instructions sheet
• Student activity worksheets
• Post activity questions
• Rubric

This activity can be modified as a multi-day or single day activity. Choose which method will fulfill your needs.

Please note that due to the nature of the lab, it is difficult to provide an answer key as this is a student inquiry lab. Students work together to choose different materials that most effectively clean up an oil spill. However, there are some recommendations provided. A rubric is provided. A teacher and student instruction sheet are also included.

Moon and Lunar Cycle:

Lunar Phases lesson includes:

• Science texts in printable and digital form on the moon and the lunar cycle
• Classroom-sized poster to reference the phases of the moon
• Doodle sketch notes
• Scaffolded activities
• Flipbook in print and for Google Classroom
• Lab activity
• Moon diary
• Birthday moon project

Tides and Eclipses:

This activity includes:

• Teacher tips page: includes how to use the resource, NGSS alignment, and simulations and ideas to extend student knowledge of tides and eclipses.
• 4 page reading on tides - includes comprehension questions.
• 3 page reading on eclipses - includes comprehension questions.
• Sketch note graphic organizers: one page for tides and one page for eclipses.
• Answer key

Earth's Rotation and Revolution:

This lesson includes:

• Teacher tips pages: including how to use the resource, NGSS alignment, and simulations and ideas to extend student knowledge of seasons.
• 5 page reading on Earth's rotation and revolution - includes comprehension questions.
• Graphic organizers: Scaffolded versions of both are included: one page to reinforce concepts related to rotation, revolution, day, night, and seasons and one page to allow students to create their model of the Earth, sun, and moon.
• Answer key

Earth's Layers:

This lesson includes:

• TWO versions of the reading packet
• Printable PDF worksheets
• Digital Google Slides
• Teacher instructions to distribute Google Slides in minutes to your LMS like Google Classroom or Schoology
• Printable sketch note graphic organizers
• Digital Google Forms assessment
• Answer key

Characteristics and Life Cycle of a Star

This activity includes:

• Sneak Peek into My Classroom pages: Read to learn how I teach this lesson in my classroom.
• 7 pages of science text worksheets will give students background information on a star's characteristics and life cycle.
• A life cycle of a star diagram
• 3 graphic organizers:
  • Characteristics of a star
  • Hertzsprung - Russell diagram (HR diagram)
  • Life cycle of a star
• Answer key

Star Systems and Galaxies

This lesson includes:

• Sneak Peek into My Classroom: Tips and tricks of how I use the reading and sketch note activity in my classroom.
• Vocabulary sheet
• 3 -page science reading about galaxies and star systems
• Comprehension questions
• Graphic organizer
• Answer key

Feedback from teachers:

• This bundle has been so useful to help students understand concepts! It comes with many great activities that are simple to use. Thank you!
• THANK YOU SO MUCH! THIS IS PERFECT
• Fantastic resource! Works well for all levels of students.
• Great resource for students. I use this as additional materials for my students to know more about what we've learned in class.

This earth science bundle is aligned with:

• CCSS
• NGSS - ESS2
• NGSS 5-ESS2-1: Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
• This activity is aligned to NGSS MS-ESS1-1: Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.
  

Other science bundles you might be interested in:

• Human Body System Unit
• Life Science Bundle
• Physical Science Curriculum
• Chemistry Bundle

Kindly Note: If you have questions, do not hesitate to email me at Teaching Muse Email

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