Project and ACP Earth Science
Ms. Chang 2012-13
Rooms 247 Green ACP, Red ACP, Tan PE-ACP, and Room 248, Orange PE-ACP
After School Help: Mondays : Room 247
Website: accessible through WHS website/Staff or directly at
Welcome to Freshman year at WHS! Earth Science is a challenging and fun course designed to give you an understanding of how earth works and its place in the universe, and the practices and habits of mind that drive science and teach you how to be an informed citizen in a fast-changing world. You will build understanding by asking questions, conducting investigations and labs, reading and writing, engaging in activities, and undertaking projects that that will give you opportunities to practice scientific habits of mind - observation and classifying, building and evaluating models, analyzing and interpreting data, and communicating with others orally, in writing, and
through media. Homework and readings will focus on preparing you for class, reinforcing and expanding on concepts learned in class and projects, and practice toward mastery.
Earth Science is AWESOME! Earth scientists love discovering, being curious, exploring, hypothesizing, inventing, searching for truth, and engineering solutions to problems in the real world. They thrive on the challenge of figuring things out, and debating and arguing the 'evidence.' Each new discovery leads to many more questions, new discoveries, and challenges.
Our planet is a dynamic, ever changing place. We will try to understand the forces at work on Earth so we can better understand, appreciate and care for our planet, other living things, and the planetary systems that make life as we know it possible.
SPHERES OF EARTH: We'll study the solar system, other planets, the moon and our sun, why Earth has seasons., and our place in the universe, from the Milky Way to dying stars, and black holes. We'll investigate the earth's rocks, minerals, mantle, core, volcanoes and earthquakes, and surface features, such as mountain ranges, lakes and ponds, craters left by asteroids, and ocean trenches. We'll explore Earth's sphere of water (the hydrosphere and oceanography), the layers of our atmosphere (air, pollution, climate, and weather), the
causes of extreme weather like droughts, floods, and hurricanes, and of natural and human-induced climate change. We'll seek answers to questions: how did earth go from a molten planet with no life and no oxygen to a water-coverd one teeming with bacteria? To lush forests, riotous jungles, giant insects, and thundering, gargantuan dinosaurs on every continent? From hot-house climates to run-away ice ages? What controls how hot or cold it is on Earth and how do human activities impact our planet?
EXPECTATIONS:
Be in your seat when the bell rings, and start class with the ‘do now’ activity. Your notebook should be open and you should have a pen and pencil with you everyday. Homework should be out on the desk.
Keep your binder organized. There should be no loose handouts. Set attitude and work ethic goals and work hard to achieve them. A good work ethic shows me you're serious about learning. Goals help you stay focused on the steps that will help you be successful and stay on track. We will work together to help you achieve them. Pay attention in class and when you're doing your homework. Do your own work. Be rested and fueled before class so your brain is ready to learn! Respect your mind, be honest, and creative. Take responsibility, initiative, and intellectual risks. Show up to class with your homework, binder, paper, and pen or pencil. Talk to me about any concerns so I can help you.
DO-NOWS, HOMEWORK, CONDUCT: Check the board for a Do-Now Activity which should be started as soon as the bell rings. Homework will be written on the board everyday. Do your homework on time, participate in class, and be respectful and courteous. When the bell rings, be in class, seated, with your binder open and homework on your desk. Come to class prepared. Keep your notebook organized with a designated place to write down homework assignments. Work must be neat, in legible handwriting (or typed) and original. Have contact information for two reliable people in class so you can contact them about the homework for when you miss school.
Your name must be on the front right corner, along with the date, the name of the assignment (and pages assigned, if from the book). If any of this information is missing or not legible, I will deduct points. Taking care to do this shows courtesy and respect toward your teacher, and will help us both keep track of completed work.
MATERIALS (see complete list on a separate page)
3 Ring Binder Your 3-ring binder must be brought to class every day, and organized with tabs for classnotes, homework, handouts, projects, and tests and quizzes, Expect your binder to be checked and graded once or twice a term for completeness and organization.
TEXTBOOK Project Earth: Concepts and Challenges; ACP: Namowitz and Spaulding (this book is almost 20 years old so you will have many handouts, and will be supplementing it with other sources of information, including the internet.)
Access to a computer for word processing, and access to the Internet for course work, homework and research assignments. Please let me know if this presents a problem.
GRADES: How you earn them (rough breakdown)
Class preparation, participation, engagement 10-15%
Do-Nows, Homework, written assignments, 10-15%
(quality, effort, and timeliness)
Projects, Investigations, Labs 30-40%
Tests and Quizzes 30-40%
Classroom Manners: Be helpful kind, respectful, and polite to all. Clean up after yourself. Be responsible. No eating, food, or gum or cell phones in the classroom at any time. Cover your mouth when you cough or yawn.
Problems or Concerns, Tips, Help? Speak to me in class, email me, or come after school. I'll have a help day every week, Mondays, after school in room 247. I'm often after school on other days as well. Look for me in my office (1st floor, under classroom, in room 147. I want to help!
Attendance: Be on time for class and labs. If you are late to class, I will have to mark you late. Three lates equal a cut (see student handbook.) If you miss class, it is your responsibility to make up the work, which means finding out the homework from a classmate, asking me for missed handouts, and contacting me by email (or next class, if only a one-day absence) for a make up date for any missed quizzes or tests. Late homework must be completed within two days of your return.
Creating Tables in Word
Conversions
Astronomy textbook with animations
travel and specific city info
Energy and Human Impact
mineral background info
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Animation of continents through time
Meteorology
Land and Sea Breeze Animation
Animations of Coriolis Effect
Coriolis Effect cont.
Global Winds Animation
Air Masses and Fronts Activity
Earth History
fossil homework site
extinction worksheet
evolution of earth's speres worksheet
Animation of Earth through Time
Map Showing Extent of Glaciers
Earth's Spheres info
Metaphor for Geologic Time Activity
Tapestry of the United States Map
Deserts of the world
here)
Addidtional Earth Science Web Resources
Energy in the Earth system: The Earth has internal and external sources of energy. The Earth's internal energy drives mantle convection cells that move crustal plates on the Earth's surface. Global climate is a function of heat transfer from the Sun and near the Earth's surface.
Geochemical cycles: The Earth contains a fixed amount of each stable chemical atom or element, and the elements move through geochemical cycles. These cycles are driven by the Earth's internal and external sources of energy.
Origin and evolution of the Earth system: The solar system formed from a nebular cloud of dust and gas 4.6 billion years ago. The Earth has evolved through interactions of the solid Earth, oceans, atmosphere, and changing life. Geologic time can be estimated by correlating rock sequences, fossils, and radioactive isotope decay.
Origin and evolution of the universe: Our solar system formed from a cloud of dust and gas 4.6 billion years ago. The universe began earlier, possibly in the "Big Bang."
Structure of the Earth system: Introduction to layering of the Earth, and plate tectonics. Emphasis is on the concept of the rock cycle (igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks), the formation of soils, the role of water in natural cycles, solar energy, and global climate patterns . In Kentucky, water is responsible for the caves and sinkholes that dot our landscape.
Natural Hazards: Internal and external processes of the Earth system cause natural hazards.
Earth history: Fossils provide evidence of past life. Natural processes that we observe today, occurred in the past; in other words, "the present is the key to the past."
Earth's place in the solar system: The Earth is a planet, and is part of a solar system. The sun is the major source of energy for natural cycles on Earth.
Electromagnetic Spectrum: This is very helpful
Angular Momentum (u-tube) (Nebular Hypothesis : this is good! Watch this.
Nebular Hypothesis:
Ms. Chang website: Listing Folder/ PE Units 1 and 2 (version with images)
Further Info:
Animations of Formation of Solar System and Origin of the Moon
The Nebular Hypothesis: Origin of the Solar System (very helpful)
Nebular Hypothesis: Origins of the Solar System (more advanced)
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