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SIXTH GRADE
Earth and Space
Science
Sixth-grade students are energetic and curious.
They are maturing at a rapid rate and are in a transitional stage
characterized by physical, social, and cognitive changes. The
sixth-grade classroom environment addresses these changes by providing
balance between elementary and middle school practices. While these
changes lead students toward emotional and academic independence,
sixth-graders continue to need guidance. They also need an environment
that both supports and challenges them as they become more responsible
individuals.
The curriculum for Grade 6 focuses on Earth and
Space Science. As sixth-grade students become more aware of their
environment, their natural curiosity about this important field of study
is easily stimulated. Content standards challenge students to discover
their world, their planet, and Earth’s place in the universe. Students
are provided opportunities to learn important scientific facts and to
build conceptual understanding of scientific principles, laws, and
theories. Their study is inquiry-based, allowing them to develop
critical-thinking skills and problem-solving abilities needed for future
studies in the field of science.
Students will:
1. Identify global patterns of
atmospheric movement, including El Niño, the Gulf Stream, the jet
stream, the Coriolis effect, and global winds that influence local
weather.
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Predicting local weather and weather patterns
Examples: cold and warm fronts, high and low
pressure areas
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Describing the function of instruments and technology used
to investigate Earth’s weather, including barometers, thermometers, wind
socks, weather vanes, satellites, radar, weather balloons, and rain
gauges
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Using lines of latitude and longitude to locate areas of
specific weather events
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Interpreting weather data through observations collected
over time
Example: calculating annual precipitation and
average temperature
2. Describe factors that cause changes
to Earth’s surface over time.
Examples: earthquakes, volcanoes, weathering,
erosion, glacial erosion or scouring, deposition, water flow, tornadoes,
hurricanes, farming and conservation, mining and reclamation,
deforestation and reforestation, waste disposal, global climate changes,
greenhouse gases
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Comparing constructive and destructive natural processes
and their effects on land formations
Examples: constructive—volcanic and
mountain-building processes;
destructive—erosion by wind, water, and ice
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Distinguishing rock strata by geologic composition
Examples: predicting relative age of strata by
fossil depth, predicting occurrence of natural events by rock
composition in a particular strata
3. Describe water and carbon
biogeochemical cycles and their effects on Earth.
4. Explain the plate tectonic theory.
Example: using terminology such as
continental drift, seafloor spreading, lava, magma, eruption, epicenter,
focus, seismic wave, and subduction zone
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Describing types of volcanoes and faults
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Determining energy release through seismographic data
Example: using data from the Mercalli scale
and the Richter scale
5. Describe layers of the oceanic
hydrosphere, including the pelagic zone, benthic zone, abyssal zone, and
intertidal zone.
6. Describe regions of the oceanic
lithosphere, including the continental shelf, continental slope, and
abyssal plain.
7. Describe Earth’s biomes.
Examples: aquatic biomes, grasslands, deserts,
chaparrals, taigas, tundras
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Identifying geographic factors that cause diversity in
flora and fauna, including elevation, location, and climate
8. Describe how Earth’s rotation,
Earth’s axial tilt, and distance from the equator cause variations in
the heating and cooling of various locations on Earth.
9. Identify the moon’s phases.
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Describing lunar and solar eclipses
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Relating effects of the moon’s positions on oceanic tides
10. Describe components of the universe
and their relationships to each other, including stars, planets and
their moons, solar systems, and galaxies.
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Identifying the impact of space exploration on innovations
in technology
Examples: MRI, microwave, satellite imagery, GPS
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Mapping seasonal changes in locations of constellations in
the night sky
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Describing the life cycle of a star
Example: H-R diagram
11. Describe units used to measure
distance in space, including astronomical units and light years. |
