Exploring Our Fluid Earth

Teaching Science as Inquiry

 

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DCI in Earth and Space

Table of Contents
DCI in Earth and Space

Table 2.3 lists the core ideas in Earth and Space Science, as well as the defining questions for each Earth and space science DCI. See the framework for more examples and grade band endpoints or the NGSS website for further information.

 
Table 2.3. Disciplinary Core Ideas in Earth and Space Science
Core Idea Defining Question

ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe

 What is the universe, and what is Earth’s place in it?
ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars What is the universe, and what goes on in stars?
ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System What are the predictable patterns caused by Earth’s movement in the solar system?
ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth How do people reconstruct and date events in Earth’s planetary history?
ESS2: Earth’s Systems How and why is the earth constantly changing?
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems How do the major earth systems interact?
ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions Why do the continents move, and what causes earthquakes and volcanoes?
ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes How do the properties and movements of water shape Earth’s surface and affect its systems?
ESS2.D: Weather and Climate What regulates weather and climate?
ESS2.E: Biogeology How do living organisms alter Earth’s processes and structures?
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity How do Earth’s surface processes and human activities affect each other?
ESS3.A: Natural Resources How do humans depend on Earth’s resources?
ESS3.B: Natural Hazards How do natural hazards affect individuals and societies?
ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems How do humans change the planet?
ESS3.D: Global Climate Change How do people model and predict the effects of human activities on Earth’s climate?
 

Disciplinary Core Ideas in Earth and Space Science

Earth and space sciences examine processes on Earth and compare them to processes elsewhere in the solar system and galaxy. The earth and space sciences often draw on physical and life sciences, and much of Earth and space science is interdisciplinary. Geology is used to understand the past and present of the earth and other celestial bodies. On Earth, scientists seek to understand the interconnected systems that drive the cycling of materials and energy and cause change over time. In Earth and space sciences, the framework emphasizes interconnections at many scales.

 

 

One Earth system, the hydrosphere, encompasses the ocean and freshwater systems on Earth. This system interacts with other large-scale Earth systems, including the atmosphere, the geosphere, and the biosphere. Water from the hydrosphere cycles through and shapes the other Earth systems, bringing with it matter and energy. The ocean is closely tied to weather and climate, including global climate change. The ocean and freshwater bodies also provide many natural resources and are especially vulnerable to human impact. For example, marine debris is waste that has accidentally or purposefully been released into the ocean. Marine debris can include fishing nets and gear, plastics bags, bottles, and other garbage that has made its way into the ocean. Marine debris can entangle organisms (Fig. 2.23), be mistakenly consumed by animals, or poison organisms with toxic chemicals.

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS1.A: The Universe and its Stars

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  1. Physical > World Ocean > Locating Points on a Globe > Activity: Pacific Scavenger Hunt

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System

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  1. Physical > World Ocean > Locating Points on a Globe > Activity: Locating Points on a Globe
  2. Physical > World Ocean > Locating Points on a Globe > Activity: Mapping the Globe
  3. Physical > World Ocean > Locating Points on a Globe > Weird Science: Polar Circles and Tropical Circles
  4. Physical > Tides > Tidal Movements > Activity: Kinesthetic Model of the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth
  5. Physical > Tides > Tidal Movements > Weird Science: The Origin and Features of the Moon
  6. Physical > Tides > Tidal Movements > Weird Science: Eclipses
  7. Physical > Tides > Tidal Movements > Weird Science: Tidal Locking—Why the Man in the Moon Can Always See You
  8. Physical > Tides > Tide Formation—Gravitational Pull > Weird Science: Phases of the Moon
  9. Physical > Tides > Tide Formation—Gravitational Pull > Activity: Tide Formation—Gravitational Pull
  10. Physical > Tides > Tide Formation—Tide Height > Question Set: Moon Declination and Tide Height
  11. Physical > Tides > Tide Formation—Tide Height > Weird Science: Seasons
  12. Physical > Tides > Tide Formation—Tide Height > Activity: Modeling Amphidromic Points
  13. Physical > Tides > Tide Formation—Tide Height > Question Set: Elliptical Orbits and Geography
  14. Physical > Tides > Tide Prediction > Compare-Contrast-Connect: Measuring Tides
  15. Physical > Tides > Tide Prediction > Activity: Tide Prediction
  16. Physical > Tides > Tide Patterns and Currents > Activity: Tidal Patterns Across the Globe
  17. Physical > Navigation and Transportation > Wayfinding and Navigation > Activity: Determine Your Latitude
  18. Physical > Navigation and Transportation > Wayfinding and Navigation > Traditional Ways of Knowing: Estimating Latitude
  19. Physical > Navigation and Transportation > Wayfinding and Navigation > Activity: Navigating with Nautical Charts

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth

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  1. Physical > Ocean Floor > Change Over Time > Practices of Science: How Do We Know How Old It Is
  2. Physical > Ocean Floor > Change Over Time > Activity: Timeline of Earth
  3. Physical > Ocean Floor > Change Over Time > Compare-Contrast-Connect: Mass Extinctions in Earth’s History
  4. Physical > Ocean Floor > Change Over Time > Question Set: Change Over Time

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems

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  1. Physical > World Ocean > Ocean Basins and Continents > Activity: Locate Ocean Basins and Continents
  2. Physical > World Ocean > Map Distortion > Activity: How Much Water?
  3. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Ocean Surface Currents > Question Set: Wind Generated Currents
  4. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Wave-Coast Interactions > Activity: Beach Profile Mapping
  5. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Wave-Coast Interactions > Activity: Coastline Wave Tank
  6. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Beaches and Sand > Activity: Observing Sand
  7. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Beaches and Sand > Activity: Beach Sand Survey
  8. Physical > Ocean Floor > Layers of Earth > Question Set: Layers of Earth
  9. Physical > Ocean Floor > Layers of Earth > Compare-Contrast-Connect: Seismic Waves and Determining Earth’s Structure
  10. Physical > Ocean Floor > Layers of Earth > Activity: Modeling Earth’s Dimensions
  11. Physical > Ocean Floor > Layers of Earth > Weird Science: Earth’s Magnetic Field
  12. Physical > Ocean Floor > Continental Movement by Plate Tectonics > Compare-Contrast-Connect: Volcanoes
  13. Physical > Ocean Floor > Seafloor Features and Mapping the Seafloor > Activity: Interpreting Contour Maps
  14. Physical > Ocean Floor > Seafloor Features and Mapping the Seafloor > Activity: Contour and Raised Relief Maps
  15. Physical > Ocean Floor > Seafloor Features and Mapping the Seafloor > Activity: Contour Lines and Nautical Charts
  16. Physical > Ocean Floor > Seafloor Features and Mapping the Seafloor > Activity: Simulating Sonar Mapping of The Ocean Floor
  17. Physical > Ocean Floor > The Oceanic Crust and Seafloor > Activity: Crayon Rock Cycle
  18. Physical > Ocean Floor > The Oceanic Crust and Seafloor > Activity: Sediment Cores
  19. Physical > Ocean Floor > The Oceanic Crust and Seafloor > Question Set: The Oceanic Crust and Seafloor
  20. Physical > Ocean Floor > The Oceanic Crust and Seafloor > Compare-Contrast-Connect: Minerals and Rocks
  21. Chemical > Chemistry and Seawater > Elemental Abundance > Activity: Elemental Abundance in Nature

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions

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  1. Physical > Ocean Floor > Continental Movement by Plate Tectonics > Activity: Modeling Plate Spreading
  2. Physical > Ocean Floor > Continental Movement by Plate Tectonics > Activity: Earth’s Plates
  3. Physical > Ocean Floor > Continental Movement by Plate Tectonics > Activity: Continental Movement over Long Time Scales
  4. Physical > Ocean Floor > Continental Movement by Plate Tectonics > Question Set: Ocean Floor and Volcanoes

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth's Surface Processes

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  1. Physical > Density Effects > Ocean Temperature Profiles > Activity: Water Layers
  2. Physical > Density Effects > Ocean Temperature Profiles > Compare-Contrast-Connect: Seasonal Variation in Ocean Temperature Vertical Profiles
  3. Physical > Density Effects > Measuring Salinity > Question Set: Using a Hydrometer to Determine Density and Salinity
  4. Physical > Density Effects > Density Driven Currents > Activity: Modeling Thermohaline Water Flow
  5. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Ocean Surface Currents > Activity: Current Observation Methods
  6. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Wave-Coast Interactions > Activity: Locating Surf Breaks
  7. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Wave-Coast Interactions > Activity: Beach Profile Mapping
  8. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Wave-Coast Interactions > Activity: Coastline Wave Tank
  9. Chemical > Chemistry and Seawater > The Salty Sea > Activity: Recovering Salts From Seawater

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS2.D: Weather and Climate

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  1. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Wind Systems > Climate Connection: Monsoons
  2. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Wind Systems > Question Set: Prevailing Winds
  3. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Wind Formation > Question Set: Wind Formation and Precipitation
  4. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Wind Formation > Activity: The Coriolis Effect
  5. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Effect of Surface Currents > Question Set: Effects of Surface Currents
  6. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Climate and Atmosphere > Activity: Climate Comparison
  7. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Climate and Atmosphere > Question Set: Climate and the Atmosphere

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS2.E: Biogeology

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  1. Physical > Ocean Floor > The Oceanic Crust and Seafloor > Weird Science: Oceanic Microfossils

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS3.A: Natural Resources

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  1. Biological > Invertebrates > Phylum Mollusca > Traditional Ways of Knowing: ʻOpihi in Hawaiʻi

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS3.B: Natural Hazards

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  1. Physical > Waves > Sea States > Question Set: Storms
  2. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Tsunamis > Question Set: Tsunamis
  3. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Tsunamis > Activity: Sendai, Japan Tsunami Animation
  4. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Tsunamis > Activity: Tsunami Warning System Poster

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

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  1. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Ocean Surface Currents > Weird Science: Marine Debris and Oceanic Gyres
  2. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Effect of Surface Currents > Climate Connection: Sea Level Rise
  3. Physical > Coastal Interactions > Beaches and Sand > Activity: Coastal Engineering

 

Activities and Special Features Aligned with ESS3.D: Global Climate Change

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  1. Physical > Density Effects > Density Driven Currents > Climate Connection: Global Conveyor Belt
  2. Physical > Atmospheric Effects > Effect of Surface Currents > Climate Connection: Sea Level Rise
  3. Physical > Tides > Tide Patterns and Currents > Climate Connection: Tidal Power

Exploring Our Fluid Earth, a product of the Curriculum Research & Development Group (CRDG), College of Education. University of Hawaii, 2011. This document may be freely reproduced and distributed for non-profit educational purposes.