6+-+Geo+E.U.


 * Earth Science- Landforms **
 * Weathering, Erosion, Layers of Earth, and Plate Tectonics **


 * Essential Understandings **

1. Distinguish between erosion and deposition.

=2. Explain how Earth's crust is broken down into soil. Know the composition and properties of soils (e.g., components of soil such as weathered rock, living organism, products of plants and animals, properties of soil such as color, texture, capacity to retain water, ability to support plant growth.). =

3. Describe how water, wind, and ice change landforms and shape the Earth’s surface.

4. Describe the three layers of Earth.

5. Explain how mountains form.

6. Describe what causes volcanoes.

7. Describe what causes earthquakes.

8. Explain the theory of continental drift/plate tectonics.

9. Describe how features of Earth's surface have changed over millions of years. Know how features of the Earth’s surface are constantly changed by a combination of slow and rapid processes (e.g., weathering, erosion, and deposition of sediment caused by waves, wind, water, and ice, sudden changes in the landscape caused by landslides volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes).

10. Explain how fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that time.

11. Describe the different scientific theories of how the Earth’s surface is formed and how those theories developed.