Grade 6 Core Themes, Content Standards and Expected Performances

Energy in the Earth’s Systems – How do external and internal sources of energy affect the Earth’s systems?

6.3 - Variations in the amount of the sun’s energy hitting the Earth’s surface affect daily and seasonal weather patterns. 

¨      Explain how local and regional weather are affected by the amount of solar energy these areas receive and by their proximity to a large body of water.

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C 1.       Describe the effect of heating on the movement of  molecules in solids, liquids and gases.

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C 2.       Explain how local weather conditions are related to the temperature, pressure and water content of the atmosphere and the proximity to a large body of water.

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C 3.       Explain how the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface causes winds.

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Grade 9 Core Themes, Content Standards and Expected Performances

Energy Transfer and Transformations – What is the role of energy in our world?

9.1 - Energy cannot be created or destroyed; however, energy can be converted from one form to another.

¨       Explain how energy enters the Earth system primarily as solar radiation, is captured by materials and photosynthetic processes, and eventually is transformed into heat.

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D 1.           Describe the effects of adding energy to matter in terms of the motion of atoms and molecules, and the resulting phase changes.

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D 2.           Explain how energy is transferred by conduction, convection and radiation.

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D 3.           Describe energy transformations among heat, light, electricity and motion.

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Enrichment Content Standards for High School Science

Explain how heating of Earth's surface and atmosphere by the sun drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans, producing winds and ocean currents.

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§         Describe how differential heating of Earth results in circulation patterns in the atmosphere that globally distribute the heat.

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§         Describe how the rotation of Earth influences the circular motions of ocean currents and air.

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§         Diagram or explain how the interaction of wind patterns, ocean currents, and the distribution of land masses result in a global pattern of latitudinal bands of rain forests and deserts.

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Climate is the long-term average of a region's weather and depends on many factors. Explain this statement

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§         Explain how weather and climate involve the transfer of energy into and out of the atmosphere.

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§         Descibe how latitude, elevation, topography, proximity to large bodies of water, and cold or warm ocean currents affect the climate.

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§         Explain how Earth's climate has changed over time, corresponding to changes in Earth's geography, atmospheric composition and other factors, such as solar radiation and plate movement.

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Structure and Composition of the Atmosphere

Life has changed Earth's atmosphere, and changes in the atmosphere affect conditions for life.

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§         Diagram or describe the specific thermal structure and chemical composition of the atmosphere

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§         Explain how the composition of Earth's atmosphere has evolved over geologic time.

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§         The origin of atmospheric oxygen is photosynthetic processes. Explain this statement

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§         Describe how the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere absorbs ultraviolet radiation, and how this layer varies both naturally and in response to human activities.

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