PT: Plate Tectonics and Earth's Structure

PT.1: Plate tectonics accounts for important features of Earth's surface and major geologic events. As a basis for understanding this concept:

PT.1.d: Students know that earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults and that volcanoes and fissures are locations where magma reaches the surface.

Earthquakes 1 - Recording Station
Plate Tectonics

PT.1.e: Students know major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, result from plate motions.

Earthquakes 1 - Recording Station
Plate Tectonics

PT.1.f: Students know how to explain major features of California geology (including mountains, faults, volcanoes) in terms of plate tectonics.

Plate Tectonics

PT.1.g: Students know how to determine the epicenter of an earthquake and know that the effects of an earthquake on any region vary, depending on the size of the earthquake, the distance of the region from the epicenter, the local geology, and the type of construction in the region.

Earthquakes 1 - Recording Station
Earthquakes 2 - Determination of Epicenter

H: Heat (Thermal Energy) (Physical Science)

H.3: Heat moves in a predictable flow from warmer objects to cooler objects until all the objects are at the same temperature. As a basis for understanding this concept:

H.3.a: Students know energy can be carried from one place to another by heat flow or by waves, including water, light and sound waves, or by moving objects.

Air Track
Conduction and Convection
Heat Absorption
Heat Transfer by Conduction
Radiation

H.3.c: Students know heat flows in solids by conduction (which involves no flow of matter) and in fluids by conduction and by convection (which involves flow of matter).

Conduction and Convection
Heat Transfer by Conduction

H.3.d: Students know heat energy is also transferred between objects by radiation (radiation can travel through space).

Heat Absorption
Herschel Experiment
Radiation

E: Energy in the Earth System

E.4: Many phenomena on Earth's surface are affected by the transfer of energy through radiation and convection currents. As a basis for understanding this concept:

E.4.a: Students know the sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on Earth's surface; it powers winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle.

Coastal Winds and Clouds
Water Cycle

E.4.b: Students know solar energy reaches Earth through radiation, mostly in the form of visible light.

Herschel Experiment
Radiation

E.4.d: Students know convection currents distribute heat in the atmosphere and oceans.

Coastal Winds and Clouds

E.4.e: Students know differences in pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity result in changes of weather.

Coastal Winds and Clouds
Hurricane Motion
Weather Maps

EC: Ecology (Life Science)

EC.5: Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:

EC.5.a: Students know energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis and then from organism to organism through food webs.

Cell Energy Cycle
Energy Conversions
Food Chain
Forest Ecosystem
Photosynthesis Lab

EC.5.b: Students know matter is transferred over time from one organism to others in the food web and between organisms and the physical environment.

Carbon Cycle
Cell Energy Cycle
Forest Ecosystem

EC.5.c: Students know populations of organisms can be categorized by the functions they serve in an ecosystem.

Food Chain

EC.5.e: Students know the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and on abiotic factors, such as quantities of light and water, a range of temperatures, and soil composition.

Food Chain
Rabbit Population by Season

R: Resources

R.6: Sources of energy and materials differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness, and the time required for their formation. As a basis for understanding this concept:

R.6.a: Students know the utility of energy sources is determined by factors that are involved in converting these sources to useful forms and the consequences of the conversion process.

Energy Conversions

R.6.b: Students know different natural energy and material resources, including air, soil, rocks, minerals, petroleum, fresh water, wildlife, and forests, and know how to classify them as renewable or nonrenewable.

Energy Conversions