Earth Science

This course is designed for students to acquire a basic understanding of the astronomy, meteorology, oceanography, and geology of the planet Earth. Students should gain a better understanding of Earth, its functions, and its place within the universe. Students will also receive instruction in basic chemistry, physics, and statistics in preparation for future science coursework.

*Students will be able to develop, communicate, and justify an evidence-based scientific explanation addressing questions about Earth’s history.

*Students will be able to clearly identify assumptions behind conclusions regarding extraterrestrial forces and energies and provide feedback on the validity of alternative explanations.

*Students will be able to understand the role plate tectonics has had with respect to long-term global changes in Earth’s systems such as continental buildup, glaciations, sea-level fluctuations, and climate change.

*Students will be able to explain how a combination of factors such as Earth’s tilt, seasons, geophysical location, proximity to oceans, landmass location, latitude, and elevation determine a location's climate.

*Students will be able to create a plan to reduce environmental impacts due to resource consumption.

*Students will be able to use remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) data to interpret landforms and landform impact on human activity.

*Students will be able to make predictions and draw conclusions about the impact of natural hazards on human activity-locally and globally.