Energy & Geology Level: 6th Grade Time Frame: 1 Quarter  Description: Students learn about various forms of energy and the ways in which energy is stored and released.  Turning to geology, students will review landforms and learn about plate tectonics.  Other earth shaping forces such as weathering, erosion, and glaciation will be studied.

Overview Activity List Learning Objectives Standards Resources

Learning Objectives

Energy

• Create a working definition of energy.

• Classify energy as either stored or released.

• Identify different forms of energy.

• Describe how energy is converted from one form to another.

• Explain how energy can be lost due to inefficiency.

• compare the efficiencies of various systems.

• Discuss how energy-converting devices are used to do work.

• Explain why perpetual motion machines cannot exist.

• Review a science-fair project intended to test the efficiency of different windmill designs.

• Distinguish between static and current electricity.

• Generate and test for electricity form three different sources.

• Describe a simple electricity generator.

• Explain how the principles of a simple generator are adapted for large-scale use.

• Measure and compare the electrical energy consumption and production of various devices.

• Plan an experiment to test the cost-effectiveness of different fuels.

• Compare the amount of energy used by different appliances in one month.

• Describe and conduct a home or school energy audit.

• Suggest several ways to conserve energy.

• Calculate the savings that result from conserving energy.

• Identify areas in a home where energy escapes.

• Calculate the effectiveness of various insulating materials.>

• Compare modern and historical energy sources.

• Name several energy-related events in history.

• Classify energy sources as renewable or nonrenewable.

• Make predictions about future sources of energy.

• List the advantage and disadvantages of eight different energy sources.

• Describe how future energy supplies may affect society.

Geology

• Describe some landforms that exist throughout the world.

• Explain why this variety exists.

• Appreciate the different types of work that geologists do.

• Consider the use of observation and inference in the work of geologists.

• Know the historical development of the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics.

• Examine the structure of the Earth's interior and its relation ship to the theory of plate tectonics.

• Identify local geological features that can be used to infer the geological history of the area.

• Appreciate the methods used by geologists in studying the geological history of an area.

• Identify changes in the environment.

• Consider different rates of change.

• Distinguish between natural and human-caused changes.

• Identify examples and causes of weathering.>

• Identify factors that determine the rate of weathering.

• Relate these factors to weathering in the local environment.

• Understand changes caused by erosion.

• Realize that the force of gravity underlies the erosion caused by water, ice, and wind.

• Distinguish between different types of downslope movements.

• Describe the effects of erosion caused by falling rain.

• Compare soil types on the basis of their porosity and permeability.

• Identify the factors that determine the speed of a river or stream.

• Relate the energy of moving water to the process of erosion.

• Explain how materials are eroded and deposited in a river system.

• Identify the stages of development in a river.

• Identify deltas and estuaries, and explain how they are formed.

• Understand how ocean waves erode the shoreline and build beaches.<

• Identify examples of wind erosion.

• compare and contrast wind and water erosion.

• Relate the shape of sand dunes to the process of dune formation.

• Explain how human practices can increase wind erosion.

• Describe the origin and locations of glaciers.

• Provide evidence of past glaciers.

• Describe formation resulting from glacial action.

Standards

Energy

Illinois Learning Standards (Middle School)- As a result of their schooling students will be able to:

12. Know and apply concepts that describe properties of matter and energy and the interactions between them:
12.C.3a  Explain interactions of energy with matter including changes of state and conservation of mass and energy
11. Know and apply the concepts, principles and processes of scientific inquiry:
11.A.3a     Formulate hypotheses that can be tested by collecting data.
11.A.3b     Conduct scientific experiments that control all but one variable.
11.A.3c     Collect and record data accurately using consistent measuring and recording techniques and media. 11.A.3d     Explain the existence of unexpected results in a data set.
11.A.3e     Use data manipulation tools and quantitative (e.g., mean, mode, simple equations) and representational
                methods (e.g., simulations, image processing) to analyze measurements.
11.A.3f      Interpret and represent results of analysis to produce findings.
11.A.3g     Report and display the process and results of a scientific investigation.
13. Know and apply concepts that describe the interaction between science, technology and society:
13.B.3d  Analyze the interaction of resource acquisition, technological development, and ecosystem impact. 

Illinois Science Assessment Framework
12.7.48     Know the laws of the conservation of matter and energy. Apply the conservation of matter as a reason why

                the number and kinds of atoms in a chemical change remains constant.
12.7.49     Understand that energy appears in many forms, such as heat, light, sound, chemical, mechanical, solar,
                nuclear, and electromagnetic energy. Understand the basic characteristics of each of these kinds of energy.
                Understand the nature of kinetic and potential energy.
13.7.10     Analyze the interaction of resource acquisitions, technological development and ecosystem impact.
 

National Science Education Standards (5-8)- As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop understandings about

TRANSFER OF ENERGY

• Energy is a property of many substances and is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and the nature of a chemical. Energy is transferred in many ways.
• Heat moves in predictable ways, flowing from warmer objects to cooler ones, until both reach the same temperature.
• Light interacts with matter by transmission (including refraction), absorption, or scattering (including reflection). To see an object, light from that object--emitted by or scattered from it--must enter the eye.
• Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring electrical energy when heat, light, sound, and chemical changes are produced.
• In most chemical and nuclear reactions, energy is transferred into or out of a system. Heat, light, mechanical motion, or electricity might all be involved in such transfers.
• The sun is a major source of energy for changes on the earth's surface. The sun loses energy by emitting light. A tiny fraction of that light reaches the earth, transferring energy from the sun to the earth. The sun's energy arrives as light with a range of wavelengths, consisting of visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet radiation.
• Technology influences society through its products and processes. Technology influences the quality of life and the ways people act and interact. Technological changes are often accompanied by social, political, and economic changes that can be beneficial or detrimental to individuals and to society. Social needs, attitudes, and values influence the direction of technological development.

Benchmarks for Science Literacy- By the end of the 8th grade, students should know that

• Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only changed from one form into another.
• Most of what goes on in the universe—from exploding stars and biological growth to the operation of machines and the motion of people—involves some form of energy being transformed into another. Energy in the form of heat is almost always one of the products of an energy transformation.
• Heat can be transferred through materials by the collisions of atoms or across space by radiation. If the material is fluid, currents will be set up in it that aid the transfer of heat.
• Energy appears in different forms. Heat energy is in the disorderly motion of molecules; chemical energy is in the arrangement of atoms; mechanical energy is in moving bodies or in elastically distorted shapes; gravitational energy is in the separation of mutually attracting masses.

Geology

Illinois Learning Standards (Middle School)- As a result of their schooling students will be able to:

12E. Know and apply concepts that describe the features and processes of the Earth and its resources.
12.E.3a      Analyze and explain large-scale dynamic forces, events and processes that affect the Earth's land, water
                 and atmospheric systems (e.g., jetstream, hurricanes, plate tectonics).
12.E.3b      Describe interactions between solid earth, oceans, atmosphere and organisms that have resulted in
                 ongoing changes of Earth (e.g., erosion, El Nino).  

Illinois Science Assessment Framework- For the 7^th grade ISAT, students are expected to know the following concepts. This unit is not intended to cover all concepts in depth, but it should contribute to preparing students for the 7^th grade ISAT. 
12.7.70     Understand that lithospheric plates constantly move at rates of centimeters per year in response to
                movements in the mantle. Understand that major geological events, such as earthquakes, volcanic
                eruptions, and mountain building, result from these plate motions. Understand that over very longs periods of
                time (millions of years), old mountains wear down, but new ones arise from catastrophic volcanic and
                earthquake activity.
12.7.71     Understand that land forms are the result of combination of constructive and destructive forces. Understand
                that constructive forces include crustal deformation, volcanic eruption, and deposition of sediment, whereas
                destructive forces include weathering and erosion.
12.7.73     Understand that glaciers can move at a rate of centimeters per year (sometimes faster), and that in the past,
                glacial movement has carved new geological features on various continents.
12.7.75     Understand that that there are strata (layers) in many places in the crust of  the earth.  Understand that the
                crust of the earth is mostly igneous/metamorphic, with a relatively thin veneer of sedimentary rock layers in
                many, but not all places. Understand the principle of superposition: in a layered sedimentary sequence, the
                oldest rocks are usually at the bottom.
12.7.77     Understand that the solid Earth is layered with a crust, under which is a hot convecting mantle, and that at
                the center of the earth is a dense, metallic core.
12.7.78     Understand that some changes in the solid earth can be described as the rock cycle: rocks at the earth's
                surface weather, forming sediments that are buried, then compacted, heated, and often recrystalized into
                new rock. Eventually, those new rocks may be brought to the surface by the forces that drive plate motions,
                and thus the rock cycle continues.  Identify the three basic kinds of rock. Igneous rock is the result of
                cooled magma; granite, pumice, and scoria are examples. Sedimentary rock is the result of fine particles
                from eroded rocks being re-deposited by water or wind; sandstone and limestone are examples.
                Metamorphic rock is the result of rocks being changed by high temperatures and/or pressures; marble is an
                example.
12.7.79     Understand that the theory of plate tectonics explains the formation and movement of the earth's plates.
                Understand that the similar contours of the continents, seafloor spreading, and the location of frequent
                earthquakes and volcanoes provide evidence for plate tectonics.
12.7.82     Understand that geologic layers and radioactive dating of rocks and meteorites provide evidence that the
                earth is about 4.6 billion years old, and that life has existed on Earth for over 3 billion years. Understand how
                to use a geologic time table.
12.7.83     Understand that life on Earth has been changed by major catastrophes  (e.g., the impacts of asteroids,
                volcanic eruptions).

National Science Education Standards 5-8-  As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop understandings about: 

STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH SYSTEM 

• The solid earth is layered with a lithosphere; hot, convecting mantle; and dense, metallic core.

• Lithospheric plates on the scales of continents and oceans constantly move at rates of centimeters per year in response to movements in the mantle. Major geological events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, result from these plate motions.

• Land forms are the result of a combination of constructive and destructive forces. Constructive forces include crustal deformation, volcanic eruption, and deposition of sediment, while destructive forces include weathering and erosion. Some changes in the solid earth can be described as the "rock cycle." Old rocks at the earth's surface weather, forming sediments that are buried, then compacted, heated, and often recrystallized into new rock. Eventually, those new rocks may be brought to the surface by the forces that drive plate motions, and the rock cycle continues.

• Soil consists of weathered rocks and decomposed organic material from dead plants, animals, and bacteria.

• Soils are often found in layers, with each having a different chemical composition and texture.

• Water, which covers the majority of the earth's surface, circulates through the crust, oceans, and atmosphere in what is known as the "water cycle." Water evaporates from the earth's surface, rises and cools as it moves to higher elevations, condenses as rain or snow, and falls to the surface where it collects in lakes, oceans, soil, and in rocks underground.

• Water is a solvent. As it passes through the water cycle it dissolves minerals and gases and carries them to the oceans.  

• Living organisms have played many roles in the earth system, including affecting the composition of the atmosphere, producing some types of rocks, and contributing to the weathering of rocks.

EARTH'S HISTORY

• The earth processes we see today, including erosion, movement of lithospheric plates, and changes in atmospheric composition, are similar to those that occurred in the past. earth history is also influenced by occasional catastrophes, such as the impact of an asteroid or comet.
• Fossils provide important evidence of how life and environmental conditions have changed.

Benchmarks for Science Literacy- By the end of the 8th grade, students should know that

• The earth is mostly rock. Three-fourths of its surface is covered by a relatively thin layer of water (some of it frozen), and the entire planet is surrounded by a relatively thin blanket of air.
• Everything on or anywhere near the earth is pulled toward the earth's center by gravitational force.
• The interior of the earth is hot. Heat flow and movement of material within the earth cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and create mountains and ocean basins. Gas and dust from large volcanoes can change the atmosphere.
• Some changes in the earth's surface are abrupt (such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions) while other changes happen very slowly (such as uplift and wearing down of mountains). The earth's surface is shaped in part by the motion of water and wind over very long times, which act to level mountain ranges.
• Sediments of sand and smaller particles (sometimes containing the remains of organisms) are gradually buried and are cemented together by dissolved minerals to form solid rock again.
• Sedimentary rock buried deep enough may be reformed by pressure and heat, perhaps melting and recrystallizing into different kinds of rock. These re-formed rock layers may be forced up again to become land surface and even mountains. Subsequently, this new rock too will erode. Rock bears evidence of the minerals, temperatures, and forces that created it.
• Thousands of layers of sedimentary rock confirm the long history of the changing surface of the earth and the changing life forms whose remains are found in successive layers. The youngest layers are not always found on top, because of folding, breaking, and uplift of layers.
• Although weathered rock is the basic component of soil, the composition and texture of soil and its fertility and resistance to erosion are greatly influenced by plant roots and debris, bacteria, fungi, worms, insects, rodents, and other organisms.
• Human activities, such as reducing the amount of forest cover, increasing the amount and variety of chemicals released into the atmosphere, and intensive farming, have changed the earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere. Some of these changes have decreased the capacity of the environment to support some life forms.

Resources

Champaign Community Unit School District #4 * Mellon Administrative Center
703 South New Street * Champaign, IL 61820 * 217.351.3800