Science Content Module 9, Exams of Earth Sciences

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Science

Module 9

Earth Science: Earth and the Solar System

Module Goal

The goal of this module is to provide information that will help educators increase their knowledge of grade-appropriate science concepts, knowledge, and skills to support effective planning or modification of their existing science instructional units for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The module includes important concepts, knowledge, and skills for the following instruction:

 Earth’s Place in the Universe (elementary)—Earth is one of eight planets in our solar system and is included in the four inner planets that are closer to the sun, smaller in size, and rocky. The outer planets are farther from the sun, larger in size, and gaseous. Earth tilts on its axis and orbits around the sun, resulting in patterns of seasonal changes and length of daylight. Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours, which causes day and night. Changes in the length and direction of an object’s shadow throughout a day provides evidence of Earth’s rotation. Earth’s moon orbits around Earth approximately once a month. The moon’s appearance changes during a month due to the relative positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun.

 Earth’s Place in the Universe (middle)—Gravity pulls matter together to make spherical stars and planets. The solar system consists of the sun and a collection of objects, including planets, their moons, and asteroids that are held in orbit around the sun by its gravitational pull on them. This model of the solar system can explain tides. Earth and the other planets orbit around the sun on circular paths as a result of this gravitational pull. Earth’s gravity holds its moon in orbit around Earth.

Module Objectives

The content module supports educators’ planning and implementation of instructional units in science by:

 Developing an understanding of the concepts and vocabulary that interconnect with information in the module units.

 Learning instructional strategies that support teaching students the concepts, knowledge, and skills related to the module units.

 Discovering ways to transfer and generalize the content, knowledge, and skills to future school, community, and work environments.

The module provides an overview of the science concepts, content, and vocabulary related to Earth Science: Earth and the Solar System and provides suggested teaching strategies and ways to support transference and generalization of the concepts, knowledge, and skills. The module does not include lesson plans and is not a comprehensive instructional unit. Rather, the module provides information for educators to use when developing instructional units and lesson plans.

The module organizes the information using the following sections:

I. Tennessee Academic Standards for Science and Related Knowledge and Skills Statements and Underlying Concepts; II. Scientific Inquiry and Engineering Design; III. Crosscutting Concepts; IV. Vocabulary and Background Knowledge information, including ideas to teach vocabulary; V. Overview of Units’ Content; VI. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Suggestions;

Table 1. Tennessee Academic Standards for Science and Related KSSs and UCs 1

Academic Standards

Knowledge and Skills Statements (KSSs)

Underlying Concepts (UCs)

Earth’s Place in the Universe (Elementary)

3.ESS1.1: Use data to categorize the planets in the solar system as inner or outer planets according to their physical properties.

3.ESS1.1.a: Ability to use data (e.g., model, diagram, tables) to identify the inner planets as closer to the sun and the outer planets as farther away 3.ESS1.1.b: Ability to use data (e.g., model, diagram, tables) to identify the inner planets as smaller and rockier and the outer planets as larger and made up mostly of gas

3.ESS1.1.UC: Identify a planet in the solar system.

4.ESS1.2: Use a model to explain how the orbit of the Earth and sun cause observable patterns: a. day and night; b. changes in length and direction of shadows over a day.

4.ESS1.2.a: Ability to identify that day occurs when one side of Earth faces the sun and night occurs when one side of the Earth faces away from the sun 4.ESS1.2.b: Ability to identify the relationship of the movement of an object’s shadow on the ground to the position of the sun in the sky

4.ESS1.2.UC: Recognize that the sun can only be seen during the day.

5.ESS1.4: Explain the cause and effect relationship between the positions of the sun, Earth, and moon and resulting eclipses, position of constellations, and appearance of the moon.

5.ESS1.4.a: Ability to explain that the moon looks different during a month because the moon travels in an orbit around Earth

5.ESS1.4.UC: Recognize that the moon travels in an orbit around Earth while Earth travels in an orbit around the sun.

5.ESS1.5: Relate the tilt of the Earth’s axis, as it revolves around the sun, to the varying intensities of sunlight at different latitudes. Evaluate how this causes changes in day- lengths and seasons.

5.ESS1.5.a: Ability to make relative comparisons between the amount of daylight between seasons (e.g., winter compared to summer) using data 5.ESS1.5.b: Identify an Earth-sun model, which demonstrates that Earth’s tilt and orbit around the sun cause changes in seasons

5.ESS1.5.UC: Identify characteristics of the four seasons.

Earth’s Place in the Universe (Middle)

8.ESS1.2: Explain the role of gravity in the formation of our sun and planets. Extend this explanation to address gravity’s effect on the motion of celestial objects in our solar system and Earth’s ocean tides.

8.ESS1.2.a: Ability to explain that objects in our solar system travel in a circular path as a result of the sun’s gravity 8.ESS1.2.b: Ability to describe that the spherical shape of the sun and planets is a result of gravity 8.ESS1.2.c: Ability to explain that the moon’s gravity is the primary reason that there are tides on Earth

8.ESS1.2.UC: Recognize that gravity pulls objects together.

(^1) Instruction is not intended to be limited to the concepts, knowledge, and skills represented by the KSSs and UCs

listed in Table 1.

this data to identify the purpose and constraints of each robotic spacecraft. Collect and analyze data to describe patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.

 Using mathematics and computational thinking. Examples: Measure the height of a shadow at different times of the day. Use computation to determine the elapsed time from sunrise to sunset each day to determine whether the lengths of the days are growing longer or shorter. Use mathematical concepts and/or processes to describe patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, moon, and stars in the sky. In a simulated activity on escaping Earth’s orbit, determine the velocity required for a water balloon to escape the orbit around a person (e.g., https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_mars_lesson04_ activity1). Reason abstractly and quantitatively when analyzing and using data as evidence to describe phenomena such as: Earth’s gravitational force pulls objects “down” (toward the center of Earth); patterns of change, such as the day/night cycle; the change in length and direction of shadows during the day; the apparent motion of the sun across the daytime sky and the moon across the nighttime sky; the changes in the appearance of the moon over a period of four weeks; and the seasonal changes in the position of the stars in the night sky.

 Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering). Examples: Identify evidence in an explanation that supports that Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours. Explain the relationship between the appearance of the moon and the moon’s orbit around Earth. Describe the relationships and interactions between components of the solar system, including gravity as an attractive force between objects. Apply scientific ideas or principles to construct and test a design of a prototype of a rocket to launch equipment into space (e.g., https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/straw-rocket/). Given a problem related to human needs (e.g., length of daylight at different latitudes vs. length of growing season), students use scientific information and principles to generate a design solution (e.g., a system to allow growers to manipulate nature and artificially control flowering cycles) that addresses the human needs and describes how well the solution meets the criteria and constraints (e.g., increased plant yield that comes from producing year-round, regardless of weather conditions and natural sunlight).

 Engaging in argument from evidence. Examples: Construct an argument explaining the cause of Earth’s seasons using relevant and appropriate evidence. Compare and critique two arguments about how Earth’s relationship to the sun affects the seasons and analyze similarities between the two arguments. Present an argument supported by empirical evidence to support or refute an Earth-moon-sun model. Make a claim about the accuracy of information on the outer planets provided by planetary satellites. Use observations as evidence to support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed “down” (toward the center of Earth), no matter the height or location from which an object is released.

 Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. Examples: Effectively communicate information from reliable sources on the gravitational pull of the sun causing Earth’s orbital cycle. Describe the shape of Earth’s orbit. Obtain information from grade- appropriate texts and/or media and summarize to describe how Earth’s tilt and orbit affect the seasons and length of daylight. Evaluate and communicate information regarding spacecraft recently developed to study space. Communicate information about solutions to human needs (e.g., staying cool in the shade) that allow people to live comfortably (e.g., a shade that mounts on a vehicle).

Science Practices Resources^2

 Safety in the Elementary Science Classroom provides safety information for teachers and students. https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/about/governance/committees/chemicalsafety/safetypr actices/safety-in-the-elementary-school-science-classroom.pdf

 This site categorizes inquiry into three types: structured inquiry, guided inquiry, and open inquiry. Each type provides a wide range of example lessons grouped by elementary and middle school. http://www.justsciencenow.com/inquiry/

 Education.com provides a variety of Earth and space science activities and experiments. https://www.education.com/resources/earth-science/

 This site provides information on introducing models to elementary students. http://seplessons.ucsf.edu/node/

Patterns

Patterns

 Patterns in the natural world can be observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence. (e.g., day/night, seasonal changes, length of shadow).

 Patterns can be used to identify cause and effect relationships (gravity holding Earth in orbit, moon’s gravity effect on tides, Earth’s rotation causing day/night).

 Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation (e.g., shadow changes throughout a day, tidal levels across a day and a month, seasonal changes as Earth orbits the sun).

Causality

Cause and Effect

 Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems (e.g., tide levels, moon phases, seasonal climate).

Systems

Systems and System Models

 Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions (e.g., solar system, Earth-sun model, Earth-moon model, moon phases).

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

 Time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed at various scales using models to study systems that are too large or too small (e.g., inner and outer planets, Earth’s orbit around the sun and seasonal changes, Earth’s rotation and changes in shadows). For example, data on solar system objects (e.g., surface features, object layers, orbital radii) from various Earth- and space-based instruments allow for analysis and interpretation (e.g., transforming tabular data into pictures, diagrams, graphs, or physical models that illustrate changes in scale).

Crosscutting Concept Resources

 Grant Wiggins talks about “big ideas” in this article. http://www.authenticeducation.org/ae_bigideas/article.lasso?artid=

 A Framework for K–12 Science Education, Appendix G explains the Crosscutting Concepts and how the concepts help students deepen their understanding of the information. http://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/Appendix%20G%20- %20Crosscutting%20Concepts%20FINAL%20edited%204.10.13.pdf

 Teacher Vision provides 10 science graphic organizers that are free and printable. https://www.teachervision.com/graphic-organizers/science/52539.html

 Utah Education Network provides a variety of student interactives for grades three through six. http://www.uen.org/3-6interactives/science.shtml

Section IV

Vocabulary and Background Knowledge

Vocabulary is critical to building an understanding of science concepts, knowledge, and skills. The vocabulary words that students gain through experiences provide ways for students to comprehend new information (Sprenger, 2013). Students can better understand new vocabulary when they have some background knowledge to which they can make connections. In addition, learning new vocabulary increases students’ background knowledge. Therefore, it is important to teach vocabulary purposely when introducing new concepts, knowledge, or skills (e.g., Earth’s orbit) and in the context of the specific content (e.g., Teach the terms “gravity,” “circular,” “sphere,” “sun,” “year,” and “tilt” in the context of describing Earth’s orbit, gravity, tilt, seasons, etc.

This module includes two types of vocabulary words, both equally important to teach. The first type, general vocabulary words, labels groups of words that generalize to a variety of animals, plants, organisms, and activities. For example, understanding the meaning of the word “temperature” helps students to understand related terms (e.g., spring, summer, winter, autumn, etc.). The second type, specific content words, represents groups of words that are associated with an organism, system, process, or phenomena. For example, the specific phrase “solar system” connects to the general words “sun,” “planet,” and “orbit” to help students understand our solar system. Providing exposure and instruction on general words provides background knowledge when introducing corresponding or related specific words.

Key Vocabulary for Instructional Units

Table 2 and Table 3 contain lists of key general vocabulary words and specific content words that are important to the units in this module. The vocabulary words span across grades three, four, five, and eight. Refer to the Tennessee Academic Standards for Science for grade specific words. Teach general vocabulary words to the student using a student-friendly description of the word meaning (e.g., Elliptical is an oval shape or motion.) and an example of the word (e.g., Earth orbits around the sun on an elliptical path.). Teach the specific content vocabulary using a student-friendly description of the word or phrase meaning (e.g., Mars is an inner planet.) and a possible connection to a general vocabulary word (e.g., Mars is a rocky planet.)

Do not teach memorization of vocabulary words; instead, place emphasis on understanding the word as a result of observation, investigation, viewing a model, etc. For example, a student should identify the Northern and Southern Hemispheres on a globe or map of Earth instead of having to give a formal definition.

Table 4. Ideas to Teach Vocabulary Effectively (Marzano, 2004)^1

Ideas Examples

Explain, describe, and/or give examples of the vocabulary word rather than formal definitions.

Provide a description and an example of gravity, (e.g., “Gravity is a force that keeps you on the ground and keeps Earth orbiting the sun.”).

Have students restate the vocabulary word in their own words. Take this opportunity to help students connect new vocabulary, especially general vocabulary, to prior knowledge.

Have students state in their own words what an orbit is (e.g., An orbit is the path of one thing around another thing. An example of an orbit is the moon orbiting Earth.) [Individualization ideas: Place necessary vocabulary on the students’ alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) system. Provide a choice of several examples of orbit for the students to choose from.]

Have students represent vocabulary words in a variety of ways (e.g., pictures, symbols, graphic organizers, or models).

Have students complete a picture of a planet of their choosing to hang on the classroom museum wall. The picture could include a drawing/photo of the planet with the planet’s name and facts about the planet written on a frame plaque. [Individualization idea: Provide students photos of the planets to choose from and paste onto the picture. Provide facts for students to choose from] (See Figure 1. Example Planet Museum Picture)  Have students view words paired with pictures and recorded definitions: o lunar cycle (e.g., https://quizlet.com/128217123/lunar- cycle-flash-cards/), and o gravity (e.g., https://quizlet.com/126017503/gravity- flash-cards/). Provide multiple exposure to vocabulary words in a variety of ways. This does not suggest mass trials, but rather distributed trials in different ways or contexts. Reference http://projectlearnet.org/tutorials/learning_trial s.html for information on learning trials.

 Expose students to vocabulary by incorporating it into daily activities such as talking about the current season, the moon phase, shadows, etc. [Individualization idea: Provide students with vocabulary to talk about these topics in their AAC system.]  Read books or watch videos related to the vocabulary and concepts: o Earth’s axis, rotation, and revolution (e.g., http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op =view&book=102276&page=1),

Ideas Examples o lunar phases (e.g., http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op =view&book=20939&page=1), and o gravity (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yy b_RNJWUM).  Sign unit vocabulary along with description of each term (e.g., https://signsci.terc.edu/video/index.html).

Ask students to discuss the vocabulary words with each other.

Have students share and describe pictures of planets in the solar system and Earth’s moon phases. [Individualization idea: Provide a recorded description on a switch-activated voice output device.] Have students work with an interactive word wall (e.g., http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2013/10/16/p utting-science-words-on-the-wall/ and http://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.as px?id=53171).

Play vocabulary word games with students. Have students play 20 questions with each other about unit vocabulary. [Individualization idea: Reduce the number of questions. Ensure students have the language to ask questions and guess the vocabulary by adding to the student’s AAC system, interpreting for the student, providing cues for the student, etc.] Play an eye spy game in which students give clues about a picture or word posted on a word wall and peers guess the word.

Have students watch a dramatization or have them act out the vocabulary term.

Have students simulate Earth’s orbit around the sun, Earth’s rotation, and the moon’s orbit around Earth.

(^1) Refer to Section VI, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Suggestions for additional instructional strategies.

 The Science Penguin site provides ideas to teach science vocabulary. The vocabulary demonstration activity uses real objects to teach vocabulary terms. http://thesciencepenguin.com/2013/12/science-solutions-vocabulary.html

Section V

Overview of Units’ Content

This section of the module contains additional content and references to support educators’ understanding and instruction of the instructional units. The information reflects important content to address the KSSs and to build students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities; however, it is not exhaustive and should be expanded upon as appropriate.

Earth’s Place in the Universe (elementary)

Content

 Our solar system has eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

 The inner planets are those closer to the sun and include: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

 The inner planets, also known as terrestrial planets, are smaller and rockier than the outer planets.

 The outer planets are those farther from the sun and include: Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter, and Uranus.

 The outer planets, also known as gas giants, are made up mostly of gas.

 Earth rotates on its axis once each day (approximately 24 hours), which causes day and night.

 Daytime occurs on the side of Earth facing the sun.

 Nighttime occurs on the side of Earth facing away from the sun.

 Shadows on the ground of objects remaining in the same location change due to the movement of Earth.

 Shadows are longer in the morning and evening when the sun is low in the sky.

 Shadows are the shortest at noon when the sun is the highest in the sky.

 Earth-sun and Earth-moon models can demonstrate movement patterns and resulting phenomena (e.g., day, year, month, seasons, and eclipses).

 The moon travels on its orbit around Earth a little less than once a month.

 The appearance of the moon changes (moon phases) as it moves through its orbit due to the relative positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun.

 The phase of the moon you see depends on how much of the sunlit side of the moon faces Earth.

 Earth travels in an orbit around the sun.

 One complete orbit of Earth around the sun is called a year.

 The tilt of Earth on its axis along with its orbital pattern around the sun causes the seasons.

 Seasons have observable characteristics (e.g., temperature, precipitation, plant growth, length of daylight).

 When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, the Northern Hemisphere receives more direct sun rays, which results in summer and longer days.

 NASA has an activity using shadows to build understanding of Earth’s movement. https://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2007/materials/changing_shadows.pdf

 Sciencing provides information on the day/night cycle on Earth. https://sciencing.com/causes-day- night-cycle-earth-15684.html

 This site has information on Earth’s rotation and shadows. https://www.acaedu.net/cms/lib3/tx01001550/centricity/domain/389/5.8c%20earth%20rotation.p df

 This site has lessons on Earth’s rotation and shadows. https://hea- www.harvard.edu/ECT/the_book/Chap1/Chapter1.html

 Ducksters has information on the moon’s phases. https://www.ducksters.com/science/phases_of_the_moon.php

 SPACE.com has information on how the moon phases work and a current lunar calendar. https://www.space.com/18880-moon-phases.html

 Stanford Solar Center has activities around the moon phases. http://solar- center.stanford.edu/activities/MoonPhases/

 These sites provide information on Earth’s tilt and its seasons:

o https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/seasons/en/ o http://www.budgetastronomer.ca/index.php?page=th-tilt-of-the-earth-and-the-seasons

 This site provides information on the tilt of Earth and its seasons. https://www.ducksters.com/science/seasons.php

 NASA provides a lesson that has students actively modeling the movement of Earth around the sun. https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/docs/Kenestetic_Astronomy.pdf

 Kids Geography has information and a diagram on Earth’s orbit around the sun and the seasons. https://kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/the-revolution-of-the-earth/

Gravitational Pull and the Planets, Earth and the Moon

 Space Place has information and hands-on activities on why planets travel on an orbit around the sun. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/review/dr-marc-solar-system/planet-orbits.html

 This site provides information and graphics explaining the cause of a planet orbiting in space. http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/space-environment/1-what-causes-an- orbit.html

 This site has a lesson plan on Earth orbiting the sun. https://www.deltaeducation.com/SSIDEL/media/Downloads/DSM/Samples/solar_system_activity.p df

 This site has information on Earth’s orbit around the sun. http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/about- us/57-our-solar-system/planets-and-dwarf-planets/orbits/243-why-do-the-planets-orbit-the-sun- beginner

 NASA provides information on gravity and formation of stars. https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/lifecycles/LC_main3.html

 Scholastic has information on the moon. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching- content/all-about-moon/

 This site has information on the moon’s effect on ocean tides. https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/tides.html

 Nature Bridge has a lesson on the moon and tides. https://naturebridge.org/sites/default/files/Gravity%20and%20Tides.pdf

 CPALMS has a lesson on graphing tides and comparing to moon phase. http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/