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Course Profile Earth and Space Science (SES4U), Grade 12,
University Preparation, Public
Course Overview
Prerequisite: Grade 10 Science, Academic, SNC2DO
This
course focuses on the Earth as a planet, and on the basic concepts and theories
of Earth science and their relevance to everyday life. Students will examine
the Earth’s place in the solar system and, after a general introduction to
Earth science, will explore in more detail the materials of the Earth, its
internal and surficial processes, and its history. The course draws on
astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics in its consideration of
geological processes that can be observed directly or inferred from other
evidence.
As listed in The Ontario
Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, Science, 2000, (p. 6) SES4U is directed toward three goals:
·
to
relate science to technology, society, and the environment;
·
to
develop the skills, strategies, and habits of mind required for scientific
inquiry;
·
to
understand the basic concepts of science.
The
activities and assessment tasks in this profile reflect the importance of the
three goals and have been developed around clusters of Specific Expectations. A
design down approach was used in developing the overall course and individual
units. The Final Assessment Tasks for the course were developed first, followed
by the End-of-Unit Tasks. The Expectations in each unit were clustered into
activities that connected together logically and provided the necessary
background knowledge and skills to be applied in the completion of the
End-of-Unit Tasks. However, this is not the only possible clustering. The unit
activities were then expanded following each overview chart. The suggested
activities are intended to be neither restrictive nor prescriptive; instead the
intent is to provide teachers with suggestions for course development. Teachers
should adapt the profile to suit their circumstances and to match the students’
needs while ensuring that all Learning Expectations of the guideline are
addressed fully.
The
paramount task of science education is to equip all students with scientific
literacy – the combination of knowledge, skills, and habits of mind that enable
them to think creatively, reason logically, evaluate information critically, and
communicate effectively. This is an essential base for making productive and
ethical decisions, not only about scientific and technological issues but in
all areas of life.
The
Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, Science, 2000 (p. 4) notes that, “Achieving excellence in
scientific literacy is not the same as becoming a science specialist.” The
focus in Grade 12 Earth and Space Science is scientific literacy for all
students, with preparation for further studies in Earth and Space Science and
related disciplines for some students. The policy document goes on to note,
“The newer aspects of the science curriculum – especially those that focus on
science, technology, society, and the environment (STSE) – call for students to
deal with the impacts of science on society and the environment, which includes
both the natural environment and the workplace environment. This requirement
brings in issues that relate to human values. Science can therefore not be
viewed as merely a matter of “facts;” rather, it is a subject in which students
learn to weigh the complex combinations of fact and value that developments in
science and technology have given rise to in modern society.” (p. 4)
This perspective is consistent with the vision advanced in this profile. The
challenge in delivering the course is to find ways to bring to the classroom an
STSE focus from which the concepts and Earth and Space Science specific skills
derive naturally.
At
the same time, SES4U must adequately prepare those students who will opt for
further study of the subject in university and similar postsecondary
institutions. Knowledge, Inquiry, Communications, and Making Connections
Expectations, along with the Learning Skills, including study skills and
independent learning strategies, must be learned, practised, assessed, and
evaluated at a standard that enables students to realistically assess their
aptitude and chances for success in further studies in Earth and Space Science
and possible employment in a related field.
The
Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, Science, 2000 contains recommendations regarding teaching
approaches and curriculum expectations that are reflected in this profile and
should be evident in courses developed using this profile as a template (pp.
8-10).
·
“The
expectations in science courses call for an active, experimental approach to
learning, and require all students to participate regularly in laboratory
activities;”
·
“Where
opportunity allows, students might be required, as part of their laboratory
activities, to design and conduct research on a real scientific problem for
which the results are unknown;”
·
“Where
possible, concepts should be introduced in the context of real-world problems
and issues;”
·
“In
all courses, a list of expectations is given that precedes the strands. These
expectations describe skills that are considered to be essential for scientific
investigation, e.g., skills in research, in the use of materials, and in the
use of units of measurement, and skills required for investigating possible
careers in the subject area. These skills apply to all areas of course content
and must be developed in all strands of the course. Assessment of students’
mastery of these skills must be included in the evaluation of students’
achievement of the expectations for the course.” These expectations are called
Science Investigative Skills (SIS). When developing detailed course plans, we
recommend that teachers use these SIS Expectations as a primary guide. These
skills serve as a lens through which all Expectations in the profile are
interpreted.
As teachers organize and
plan the delivery of Expectations of SES4U, using, and/or adapting activities
described in this profile, they should consider the following:
·
SES4U
requires a focus on inquiry skills. Through a variety of investigations,
students describe objects and events, ask questions, construct explanations,
test those explanations against current scientific knowledge, and communicate
their ideas to others. They identify their assumptions, use critical and
logical thinking, and consider alternative explanations. Direct experience with
technology, materials, and laboratory equipment is necessary to illuminate
theoretical concepts and develop skills.
·
Learning
activities in this profile are set in a context that relates science to
technology, society, and the environment.
·
A
number of activities in this profile have a research focus that requires
accessing information beyond the laboratory or field trip. Students should be
taught how to use all available sources of information – people, print, online
sources, and other media, both within the school and in the community. They
should also be given opportunities to use those skills, and to experience the
challenges that invariably accompany the location and acquisition of valid
information. However, care must be taken that student time is spent primarily
on processing information rather than accessing information, so that the
research does not become an end in itself.
·
The
Expectations are central to all aspects of this profile. The context in which
each unit is delivered, the skills and concepts developed, and the assessment
tasks used must be interconnected and linked to the Expectations. The
assessment data accumulated throughout the course must be sufficient (in kind
and number) to permit teachers to evaluate the consistent level of performance
for each student in each of the four categories in the Achievement Chart for
Science (The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, Science, 2000 (pp.
174-175).
·
Each
student interprets new information in terms of what he or she already knows.
The student tries to make sense of what is taught by trying to fit it with his
or her experience. A key concept is understood when the student examines
significant examples that represent the concept, then creates a generalization
from those personal experiences. Teachers must be aware of the experiences that
students have had prior to Grade 12 and use them as the base for new and more
complex concepts. Students may also bring knowledge and skills from a variety
of Geography courses. Students may also arrive with misconceptions from prior
experience that will interfere with their ability to understand new concepts.
Identifying misconceptions and revising them using concrete examples may be
required at times. A number of diagnostic tools and activities are suggested
throughout the Course Profile.
·
Assessment
and evaluation should focus on the application of terminology to explain
concepts and phenomena, not on terms and definitions in isolation. It is
essential that students understand the concept before acquiring the vocabulary.
·
This
Course Profile describes a science course in which students are encouraged to
ask their own questions and, in many cases, find their own answers by inquiry
(experiment or research). Fundamental to the skill set of a scientifically
literate person/citizen is the ability to ask incisive questions, to interpret
the answers critically, and to identify unstated assumptions.
·
In
this Course Profile, there is a reduced emphasis on traditional laboratory
activities in which students are provided step-by-step instructions. Teacher
demonstrations can be used in place of these activities and the time saved used
for developing students’ ability to devise and carry out true experimental
inquiry. The teacher’s role is to decide what knowledge and skills students
must have to proceed safely and successfully in a laboratory setting. Many
traditional laboratory exercises can be made more open ended by rewording
statements into questions, and replacing detailed procedures with a teacher-led
class discussion. This could be followed by a challenge, which requires
students to devise a procedure and have its safety confirmed by the teacher
prior to performance. By making decisions regarding what data to collect and
which format to use for reporting both data and results, students develop
skills of inquiry and communication essential in science.
·
This
Course Profile includes a large number of learning activities to be completed
in the 110 hours available. Teachers may have to be selective in the choices
they make for their classes.
·
This Course
Profile clusters the expectations listed in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades
11 and 12, Science, 2000 for teacher purposes. The curriculum strand
Introduction to Earth Sciences has been distributed throughout the units of the
profile where each expectation is more directly relevant. In addition, the
strand Internal and Surficial Earth Processes has been used to establish two
separate units for added emphasis.
·
Unit 1
develops students understanding of the place of the Earth in the solar system,
and the effects of cosmic and geological processes on it. Unit 2 examines the
internal structure and processes of the earth, such as tectonic forces that
drive the earth’s heat engine and lithospheric plate movements. In Unit 3,
students are introduced to the principles and techniques of determining
geologic time through the study of geologic stratigraphy, correlation, and
paleontology. Students also consider the insight these give about the history
of the Earth.
·
Unit 4
focuses on the Earth’s surface and the natural processes and forces that shape
it.
·
In
Unit 5, the materials that make up the Earth’s lithosphere are explored. This
includes the classification, identification, and formation of Earth materials
as well as the economic and environmental importance of these resources.
·
Unit
6, the Final Assessment Task, involves compilation and assessment of data
charts, and written reports produced from each of the previous units. These
charts and reports will be assessed and used to develop and present an
Environmental Assessment of a potential Earth resource development project
within the local region.
|
Unit 1 |
The
Earth as a Planet |
18
hours |
|
Unit 2 |
Internal
Structure and Processes of the Earth |
19
hours |
|
Unit 3 |
Earth
History |
16
hours |
|
Unit 4 |
Surficial
Earth Processes |
22
hours |
|
* Unit
5 |
Earth
Materials |
24
hours |
|
Unit 6 |
Final
Assessment Task: Environmental Assessment |
11
hours |
* This
unit is fully developed in this Course Profile.
Time: 18 hours
Unit
Description
This unit
develops the students’ understanding of the Earth’s place in the solar system,
and the effects of cosmic and geological processes on it. Students gain an
understanding of the natural and human-made environments of the Earth through
observations of the Earth itself, as well as other objects in the solar system.
Unit
Overview Chart
|
Activity |
Focus |
Learning Expectations |
Assessment Categories |
|
1.1 |
Solar
System |
EPV.01,
EPV.02, EPV.03, EP1.01, EP1.02, EP1.03, EP2.01, EP2.02, EP2.03, EP3.01 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
|
1.2 |
Sun,
Earth, and Moon/ Impacts on the Earth |
EPV.01,
EPV.02, EPV.03, EP1.01, EP1.04, EP2.02, EP2.04, EP2.05, EP2.06, EP3.01 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
|
1.3 |
Exploring
the Near-Earth Environment |
EPV.01,
EPV.02, EPV.03, EP1.05, EP2.04, EP3.02, EP3.04, EP3.05, EP3.06 |
Inquiry |
|
1.4 |
End-of-Unit
Task: Viewing the Earth |
EPV.02,
EPV.03, EP2.04, EP3.01, EP3.02, EP3.03, EP3.05 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
Suggested Activities
1.1.1 Students are introduced to the Final Assessment Task, the
assessment which concludes the course. The teacher first introduces and
explains that the reports produced in the unit activities, especially the
End-of-Unit Tasks, will all be used as resources for the Final Assessment Task
(Unit 6). Students begin to keep a glossary of new terms as they are introduced
throughout the course, and a file or log of reports and research completed
during the activities for later reference. They investigate and explain, from
text and/or case study readings, the fundamental forces and processes
responsible for the formation of the solar system; (e.g., gravitational process
of coalescence and implosion, nuclear reactions as they relate to the Nebular
Hypothesis and Big Bang theories, and Newton’s Universal Law as applied to the
location and discovery of planets).
1.1.2 Students use the Internet to research, visualize, and describe
the size, shape, and motions of the galaxy and solar system, and the place of
the Earth within it. They explain how interplanetary studies in astronomy and
geophysics have led to new understandings about the Earth’s relationship with
other objects in the solar system (e.g., the Goldilocks phenomena -
significance and consequences of CO2 in the atmosphere of Venus,
Mars, and Earth).
1.1.3 Students view a data chart comparing the Earth with other solar
system objects (e.g., mass, size, atmospheric composition, geologic
composition, rotation, angle of axis of rotation, orbit paths, orbital
revolution, distance, etc.). They use the information in the chart to
hypothesize relationships among planets of the solar system as to distance,
conjunction, gravity, and discuss their significance; to formulate scientific
inquiry questions about the nature of the Earth in space (e.g., Is the Earth a
perfect sphere? Is the rate of rotation, revolution changing?); and to
formulate scientific questions about the origin, and evolution of the Earth and
other objects in the solar system (e.g., What factors might have contributed to
the arrangement and position of rocky and gaseous planets of the solar
system?). The teacher then leads a classroom discussion on selected questions.
1.1.4
Students
create a sequence of annotated diagrams to explain some of the external
properties, processes, or phenomena that affect Earth, Moon, and Sun
relationships (e.g., the earth’s magnetic field, gravity and the effects on
tides, orbital position and the effect on types of eclipses). They support
their explanations by using quantitative data to demonstrate the causes and
consequences of some aspect of these relationships (e.g., the effects of
radiation from the Sun on the Earth’s atmosphere; the force of gravity of the
Moon and Sun on the tidal range on Earth; the effect of movement and position
of the Moon and Sun on the frequency, duration, and type of eclipses; and
effect of Earth motions such as obliquity, precession, eccentricity on
variations in intensity of the Sun’s energy). Direct observation of the Moon
and Sun may be included and students must be informed of potential hazards and
how to view the Sun safely.
|
Assessment |
Quiz on
Earth motions (K/U); Formulation of Inquiry Questions (I, MC) |
1.2.1
Students
investigate the Internet and/or current periodicals for an article related to
the near-Earth environment. They select an article that pertains to one of the
following: the effects of planetary impacts on the near-Earth space environment
(e.g., meteor showers and asteroidal impacts, their frequency, duration,
periodicity, and consequences); the consequences of meteor impacts (e.g.,
mineralization of the Sudbury Basin, extinction of the dinosaurs); the
phenomena of solar ultraviolet radiation; sunspot activity and variations in
solar emissions as they relate to Aurora Borealis; and interruption to radio
wave communication signals on earth. Students write a précis of the information
presented including hypothesis, evidence, scientific methods of investigation
used, and conclusions. Students may choose to present their findings using
other methods, such as a poster, audio tape, webpage, or pamphlet.
|
Assessment |
Periodical
Review/Précis (K/U, I, C, MC) |
1.3.1 Students discuss the challenges of developing human-made
satellites: deployment size, thrust required, geosynchronous orbital path, life
support systems required for manned flights and space station survival (e.g.,
first robotic spacecraft on the Moon, Mars).
1.3.2 Students develop a chronological timeline to demonstrate the
contributions and significance of Canada to the study of our planet from
near-Earth space (e.g., Radarsat, Canadarm).
1.3.3 From selected readings, textbook, or articles, students list the
effects of human activity on near-Earth space (e.g., sources of human-made
space debris, types, occurrences and their associated hazards such as the descent
of MIR space station, pollution of upper stratosphere, affect on the
electromagnetic spectrum).
|
Assessment |
Timeline
Chart on Developing Technologies (I, C, MC) |
1.4.1 Students analyse a variety of image types of the Earth’s surface
from low and high altitudes, and describe the landform features, and natural
agents of landscape development involved in their creation (e.g., fold
mountains, volcanic landforms, canyons, river patterns, sand dune migration,
glacial movement).
1.4.2 Students write an expository report identifying the changing
perception of the Earth during the twentieth century from a visual perspective
as a result of technological developments (e.g., first air photos of WWI
trenches from a balloon; curvature of the Earth from a jet; Earth rise from
Apollo moon voyage).
1.4.3 Students compare various technologies employed to view the Earth
with the following headings: uses, applications, limitations, and societal
impact of the development of technologies for viewing, recording, and
interpreting information about Earth patterns and natural processes of change
(e.g., the following examples could be assembled at workstations in class;
oblique air photo, stereo air photo pairs, satellite photo-mosaics, infrared
satellite images, Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping techniques).
1.4.4 Unit Test
|
Assessment |
Written
Report (C, K/U); Comparison (I, MC); Unit Test (K/U, MC) |
Resources
Internet
Library – www.elibrary.com - a source of articles for Activity 1.1.2
Popular
Science, Times Mirror Magazines – http://www.popsci.com
Discover
Magazine, Disney Corp. – http:// www.discover.com
National
Geographic – http://nationalgeographic.com
Scientific
American – http://www.sciam.com
Note: Many of the above resources are also
available in print form in school and community libraries.
Time:
19 hours
Unit
Description
This unit
examines the internal tectonic forces that drive the earth’s heat engine.
Students review the historic development of the concept of continental drift,
and the current scientific evidence used to support the unifying theory of
plate tectonics.
Unit
Overview Chart
|
Activity |
Focus |
Learning
Expectations |
Assessment
Categories |
|
2.1 |
Internal Spheres and Processes of the Earth |
ISV.02, ESV.01, EMV.01, IS2.01, IS2.05,
ES1.02, ES1.03, EM1.05 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
|
2.2 |
Evidence
of Internal Dynamics of the Earth |
ISV.01,
ISV.02, ISV.03, ESV.01, ESV.03, EHV.02, IS1.01, IS1.02, IS1.03, IS2.01,
IS2.02, IS2.07, IS3.06, ES1.04, ES3.04, EH2.02 |
Inquiry |
|
2.3 |
Seismology
and Core Sampling |
ISV.01,
ISV.02, ISV.03, ESV.02, ESV.03, IS1.03, IS2.03, IS2.04, IS2.05, IS2.06,
IS2.07, IS3.01, IS3.02, ES2.02, ES3.03, ES3.04 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
|
2.4 |
Earth
Processes and Human Activity |
ISV.03,
ESV.02, IS3.01, IS3.02, IS3.04, IS3.05, ES2.02 |
Inquiry |
|
2.5 |
End-of-Unit
Task: Case Study Interpretation |
ISV.01,
ISV.02, ISV.03, IS1.01, IS1.03, IS2.01, IS2.02, IS2.07, IS3.01, IS3.04,
IS3.05, IS3.06 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
Suggested
Activities
2.1.1 The teacher explains that the reports produced in the unit
activities and especially the End-of-Unit Task will all be used as resources
for the Final Assessment Task (Unit 6). Continue with the glossary throughout
the unit. Students investigate the geophysical characteristics (e.g.,
composition, temperature, pressure, density, thickness) and interactions among
the internal spheres of the Earth. They discuss and explain the forces and
processes that account for the movement of crustal plates (e.g., explain how
the Earth’s internal heat engine works).
2.1.2 Students use a graphic computer program to create a scaled
diagram to compare the geophysical characteristics of the Earth’s internal
spheres. The model should show the sources of heat, the transfer of that heat
to the aesthenosphere, the formation of convection cells, and the conversion of
the energy into forces that perform work to move the crustal plates.
2.1.3 Using a flow chart of the rock cycle, students explain how rocks
and their constituent minerals are continuously being recycled as a result of
the effects of the Earth’s heat engine.
|
Assessment |
Written
Quiz (K/U): Graphic Model of Earth’s Heat Engine (I, C, MC) |
2.2.1 Students investigate the geophysical properties and uses of
seismic waves, (i.e., P-waves,
S-waves, L-waves) to calculate and identify the location of epicenters and
variations in the density of subsurface Earth materials such as discontinuity
boundaries.
2.2.2 Students design and construct a working
model of a seismograph with annotated diagrams to demonstrate the significance
of information gained from this instrument. They assess how developments in
technology have contributed to our understanding of the Earth (e.g., the
development and use of sonar to map the topography of the ocean floor, and of
the magnetometer to identify magnetic signature of the ocean floor bedrock).
2.2.3 Through group research, students investigate and report on one
of the national or international Earth Science endeavors that has increased our
understanding of the Earth’s crust, and assess the merits of funding such
projects (e.g., Lithoprobe Ocean Drilling Program).
|
Assessment |
Model
Seismograph (MC, I, C); Research (I, C) |
2.3.1 Students participate in a lesson to describe and account for the
types of landforms which occur along plate boundaries (e.g., distinguish
between fissure eruptions along volcanic ridges of divergence; composite cones
and fold mountains along zones of convergence; types of faults which occur
along slip zones).
2.3.2 During a group mapping activity, students plot location,
intensity, and frequency of earthquake activity along fault zones in order to
identify relationships and establish precursor behaviour of tectonic events
(e.g., Mt. St. Helens, or Iceland).
2.3.3 Students, individually, write a supported opinion essay
(five-paragraph format) on the geophysical evidence which supports the concept
of plate movement (e.g., paleomagnetism, jigsaw fit of continental slopes,
geologic fit of shield and mountain zones, mesosaur fossil correlation,
paleoglaciation, paleoclimatology evidence).
|
Assessment |
Mapping
Activity (I, C, MC); Supported Opinion Essay (K/U, C, MC) |
2.4.1 Students participate in a teacher-led lesson to identify and
describe the types and limitations of precursor information (e.g., frequency,
intensity and duration of tremors, and occurrence intervals) used to predict
earthquake activity and to develop warning systems and preparedness strategies.
2.4.2 Students investigate, assess, and prepare a report on the
engineering and technological innovations which humans have used to deal with
the impact that earthquakes have had on human activities (e.g., case study
analysis of San Francisco, Japan, or Vancouver).
|
Assessment |
Report
(I, C, K/U, MC) |
2.5.1 Students participate in a group presentation to interpret
historical scientific data about the nature of a tectonic disaster (e.g.,
duration, intensity, magnitude) and explain the involvement of natural physical
processes in causing such events. They then explain the use of seismic data by
scientists from various disciplines to predict future tectonic events (e.g.,
Vancouver Earthquake ~1700 AD).
2.5.2 Unit Test
|
Assessment |
Presentation
(K/U, C, I, MC); Unit Test (K/U, MC) |
Resources
Plate
Tectonics This Dynamic Earth USGS (development of the theory of plate
tectonics)
– http://ppub.usgs.gov/publications/test/dynamic.html
Canadian
Tectonics Group (website contains structural geology images and information on
research projects) – http://craton.geol.brocku.ca/ctg.html
A
story of Plate Tectonics – http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.htm
Sea
Floor (world sea floor maps and information on ocean-drilling data and samples)
– http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/mggd.html
Convection
Currents (Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Guide to Convection)
– http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/edu/convect.htm
Earthquakes
and Volcanoes
New Scientist On-line Magazine (a source for articles on Earth Science topics
including earthquakes and volcanoes. Institutional license is available for
archival users.)
– http://www.newscientist.com
Seismology
NEIC National Earthquake Information Center the world data center for
seismology (current earthquake information and links) –
http://www.neic.cr.usgs.gov/plate_tectonics/rift_man
Earthquakes
(USGS information on quakes, hazards, preparedness, historical info, etc.)
– http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/
Volcanoes
Volcano World (information on how a volcano works)
– http://volcano.und.edu/VolcanoWorld
Time: 16 hours
Unit
Description
Knowledge
of Earth history is based on the study of fossils and the principles of
stratigraphy. This unit introduces students to the techniques of determining
geologic time and the insight gained about the evolutionary sequence of events
that has shaped the Earth.
Unit
Overview Chart
|
Activity |
Focus |
Learning Expectations |
Assessment Categories |
|
3.1 |
Geologic
Time |
EHV.01,
EHV.02, EHV.03, ESV.01, EH1.01, EH1.02, EH1.03, EH2.01, EH2.04, EH2.05,
EH2.06, EH2.07, EH3.01, EH3.02, EH3.04, ES1.03 |
Knowledge/
Understanding |
|
3.2 |
The
Fossil Record |
EHV.01,
EHV.02, EHV.03, EH1.03, EH1.04, EH2.03, EH3.03 |
Knowledge/
Understanding |
|
3.3 |
End-of-Unit
Task: Local Geology Project |
EHV.02,
EHV.03, EMV.02, EH2.01, EH2.04, EH2.05, EH2.07, EH3.01, EH3.03, EM2.06 |
Inquiry |
Suggested
Activities
3.1.1 The teacher explains that the reports produced in the unit
activities and especially the End-of-Unit Task will all be used as resources
for the Final Assessment Task (Unit 6). Students continue building their
glossary throughout the unit. Students investigate the concept of geologic time
scale by contrasting the concept of catastrophism to the principles of
uniformitarianism in the development of geologic thinking. Students compare a
human time scale to a geologic time scale (e.g., events in the formation of North
American continent to the events of early human activity to the present).
3.1.2 Students write an expository editorial, which James Hutton might
have written to demonstrate an understanding of the significance of paradigm
shifts in the development of geological thinking in his day. They then
investigate relative geologic time by applying the principle of superposition,
and fossil to stratigraphic correlation of bedrock sequences.
3.1.3 Students participate in an activity to graph stratigraphic data
from different geologic drill core columns and correlate and interpret the
chronology of geologic time. They explain the significance of an unconformity
which interrupts the complete sequencing of geologic events in time (e.g., the
Niagara Escarpment, Michigan Basin, Grand Canyon, or the boundary between
Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks in southern Ontario).
3.1.4 Students participate in a lesson to investigate the technologies
used to assess absolute geologic time (e.g., radiometric and radiocarbon dating
techniques) along with an exercise to determine the rate of radioactive decay
and the calculation of absolute time.
3.1.5 Students write a biographical sketch on the contributions of a
Canadian to the development of techniques and technologies related to the enhancement
of geologic time, geologic correlation, etc. (e.g., Tuzo Wilson).
|
Assessment |
Written
quiz (K/U); Editorial Article (MC, C); Lab Stratigraphy Report (I, MC, C);
Biographical Sketch (K/U, C) |
3.2.1 Students examine, describe, and explain a variety of fossil
samples which demonstrate different methods of natural preservation (e.g.,
petrification, carbonation, replacement, permineralization, desiccation, mould,
and cast formations).
3.2.2 Students are provided a fossil sample representing one of the
major life forms during one of the geologic time periods. They draw a hand
sketch of the sample and label its external features. Students then research
the order, genus, and species names of the specimen, describe the process of
preservation, and environmental conditions during its lifetime. If possible,
students include a labelled sketch of the organism’s theoretical or possible
internal structure. The information is presented in an interesting manner of
the student’s choosing (e.g., Bristol board, presentation software, story
board).
3.2.3 From selected periodical articles and references provided by the
teacher, students describe the environmental conditions of life on Earth during
one of the geologic eras (e.g., Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, or Cenozoic).
Students assess and discuss the information from the readings to identify
issues and problems related to such research and interpretation. They debate
the issues related to the apparent evolution and succession of life in the
fossil record during these eras. They then research the use of index fossils as
evidentiary data in support of plate movement or as economic indicators of oil
and natural gas.
|
Assessment |
Fossil
Lab Assignment (presentation/display) (I, C); Debate (C, K/U) |
3.3.1 Students participate in a teacher-led lesson on how to use
geologic maps, drill core data, etc., to interpret and describe the
chronological sequence of major events which lead to the formation of the
bedrock and surficial features of the Niagara Escarpment or a local region.
They create a sequence of annotated diagrams and a timeline to represent the
chronology of events that led to the formation of the geologic region in which
the local area lies.
3.3.2 Students describe the uses, and socio-economic importance of the
Earth’s resources (e.g., quarrying, aggregate activities, metallic mineral
extraction, dimensional stone production, petroleum extraction etc.) to the
local economy by means of a visual display (e.g., graphs, maps, and pictures,
etc.).
3.3.3 Unit Test
|
Assessment |
Diagrammatic
Time Line (I, C, K/U); Graphic Pictorial Display (MC); |
Resources
Thompson I. The Audubon Society: Field Guide
to North American Fossils. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1982.
Geologic Dating Earth Net (dating rock) –
http://www.inrs.uquebec.ca/cgq/eng/earth/datation.html
Isotopic
Dating (information on the age of the earth)
– http//www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-youngearth.html
Paleontology
(University of California Museum of Paleontology virtual exhibit)
– http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibit/exhibits.html
A virtual
field trip of the Jurassic Park Reef in Germany
– http://www.unisssstuttgart.de/geologie/Jurassic_Reef_Park/
Time:
22 hours
Unit
Description
This unit
focuses on investigating many of the natural processes and forces that shape
the Earth’s surface. By making field observations, measuring, recording, and
interpreting data, students quantify natural processes that influence the
nature of human activities on the Earth’s surface. A local stream or lake
shoreline should be used as a means of acquiring field data and applying
concepts in order to create representative models of the natural processes
studied.
Unit
Overview Chart
|
Activity |
Focus |
Learning Expectations |
Assessment Categories |
|
4.1 |
Environmental
Interactions With Water |
ESV.02,
ESV.03, ES2.03, ES3.01, ES3.02 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
|
4.2 |
Weathering/
Erosion/Fluvial/ Coastal Processes |
ISV.01,
ISV.02, ISV.03, EMV.03, IS1.04, IS1.05, IS1.06, IS1.07, IS2.08, IS2.09,
IS3.07, EM2.06 |
Inquiry |
|
4.3 |
Groundwater
Processes |
ISV.01,
ISV.02, EMV.02, ESV.03, IS1.08, IS2.10, EM2.06, ES3.02 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
|
4.4 |
Glacial
Processes |
ISV.01,
ISV.02, ISV.03, IS1.05, IS2.10, IS3.03, IS3.07 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
|
4.5 |
End-of-Unit
Task Glaciation
and the Local Watershed |
ISV.01,
ISV.02, ISV.03, ESV.03, IS1.07, IS2.09, IS2.10, IS3.07, ES3.02 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
Suggested
Activities
4.1.1 The teacher explains that the reports
produced in the unit activities and especially the End-of-Unit Task will all be
used as resources for the Final Assessment Task (Unit 6). Continue with the
glossary throughout the unit. Students participate in a lesson to explain the
mineral/rock sources of macro and micro-nutrients essential for sustaining life
on Earth (e.g., potash for potassium, apatite for phosphates). They construct a
flow chart to represent the role of water as the mechanism that liberates essential
nutrients from the lithosphere to be used by flora and fauna in the biosphere
(e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and water cycles).
4.1.2 Students describe the adaptations of flora and fauna to the
level of available nutrients in wetlands (e.g., carnivorous plants such as
pitcher plant, sundew plant). They identify indicator species of flora and
fauna that are representative of nutrient-deficient and nutrient-rich wetland
environments (e.g., bog, marsh, swamp, fen) and account for their survival in these
conditions.
4.1.3 Students add to their first flow chart to report on the ways and
means by which humans are interdependent with natural cycles of materials
(e.g., explain the affects of farming activities and practices on the use and
release of phosphates and nitrates in the environment).
|
Assessment |
Written
quiz (K/U, MC); Nutrient Cycle Flow Chart (I, C) |
4.2.1 Students discuss and distinguish among agents of erosion (e.g.,
water, wind and ice) and classification of weathering processes (i.e.,
mechanical or chemical). Through researching a natural disaster (e.g., Frank
slide in Alberta, Mt. St. Helens’ debris flows, California or Venezuela mud
slides), students investigate and prepare a report to describe the causes and
effects of physical, chemical, and biological weathering, document the
chronology of human events and environmental factors which led to a natural
disaster, and suggest ways of preventing similar occurrences in the future.
Students, working in small groups, design and construct models of mud slide
(mass wasting) sites and demonstrate a method of controlling the problem.
4.2.2. Students identify the types of stream loads (i.e., solution,
suspension, and bedload) and describe the factors affecting the movement of
each in a stream. (Note: stream table experiments are possible here.). They
describe and explain the consequences of erosion and deposition on the
development of stream valley landforms, (e.g., slip-off-slope, undercut bank,
natural levees, river terraces, meander scars, etc.). Students explain the
relationships between stream flow and sediment load (e.g., stream velocity vs.
particle size).
4.2.3 Students participate in a field trip to a local stream or the
shore of a lake to conduct a field survey to measure some of the fluvial and
hydrologic conditions (e.g., velocity, cross section depth profile, gradient,
sediment composition, and human activities). Students complete an analysis of
field data to relate the characteristics of erosion and deposition along a
local stream or beach environment to the processes that have shaped the
landform. They write a field report to present the data and explain the findings.
The teacher needs to ensure that all board regulations are followed in planning
such a field trip and that students (and parents) are informed of the potential
hazards. Care must be taken in selecting a site so that students are not put at
risk in any way. Deep water and fast moving water are primary concerns.
Students should be informed about safety concerns and be given guidelines about
safe practices at the field site.
|
Assessment |
Natural
Disaster Report (I, C, MC); Fluvial Field Report (I, C, MC) |
|
|
Accommodations |
See
Accommodations following Activity 5.6.3 at the end of the developed unit. |
|
4.3.1 Through a teacher-led lesson, students
describe and explain the position and significance of ground water regimes below
the surface, (e.g., water table, zone of aeration and saturation, capillary
fringe, rate of infiltration) and the factors affecting the natural systems
(e.g., underground geology, aquifers, oasis, geysers, and springs).
4.3.2 Students identify the factors affecting the movement of water
through the ground within a watershed and assess the factors affecting the
quantity and quality of water within that area (e.g., precipitation, rate of
infiltration, soil porosity and permeability, etc.). Students analyse sample
data of hydrologic regimes related to a local watershed.
4.3.3 Students participate in a group investigation and oral
presentation on important issues related to the movement of groundwater in
aquifers, including their fragility in terms of how human activities alter them
by contamination and depletion. Each group makes a short presentation to the
class and then, on an individual basis, students produce an analysis of the
role of humans in determining the quality and quantity of groundwater,
integrating information from a number of presentations.
|
Assessment |
Oral
Presentation (I, K/U, C); Data analysis (MC, I, C) |
4.4.1 The students participate in a teacher-led lesson on the causes
and consequences of climate changes in high latitudes which result in periods
of glaciation (e.g., changes in Earth orbits linked to Unit 1). Students
investigate and distinguish between glacial erosion and glacial depositional
processes as they relate to alpine valley glaciers and continental ice sheets.
4.4.2 Through the use of geographic tools, such as stereo air photos
and topographic maps of selected areas of Canada, students identify and
describe landform types, processes of formation as a result of continental
glacial advance and retreat, and the land uses associated with each type of
landform.
4.4.3 Students describe and evaluate engineering and technological
innovations and adaptations resulting from human activity in permafrost areas
of northern Canada (e.g., house foundations; pipeline construction, road
construction and limitations, diamond mine developments on permafrost).
4.4.4 Students use topographic map/air photos of the local region to
identify and describe landform types and processes associated with the
formation of local surficial features (e.g., drumlins, eskers, till plains,
outwash plains, spillways, kames and kettles, moraines and abandoned glacial
lake beds).
4.4.5. Students summarize the information presented in this activity in
form of graphic organizer in preparation for the End-of-Unit Task
|
Assessment |
Written
Quiz (K/U, MC); Graphic Organizer (C, MC) |
4.5.1 Using air photo topographical maps, students investigate and
write a report to explain how the erosional and/or depositional processes of
glaciation have influenced the drainage features of the local watershed.
The report should include references to the
fluvial and lacusterine features found in the local area, and how they have
influenced the nature of human activities (e.g., how people have responded to
the landscape on which they live as evidenced by the agricultural/urban land
use patterns, road networks, and altered drainage patterns, etc.).
- or -
If a local environment is not suitable, the
teacher could create a fictional landscape scenario to include the glacial,
erosional, and depositional features on a watershed or coastal environment so
that students could investigate and report on the influence that these features
could have on human activities and how geomorphologists/engineers might respond
to them.
4.5.2 Unit
Test
|
Assessment |
Written
Report (MC, K/U, I, C); Unit Test (K/U, MC) |
Resources
A
Digital Field Trip to the Wetlands. A virtual reality field trip – www.digitalfrog.com
Disasters
United States
Geological Survey Home Page (a source in all areas of Earth science with many
links available for specific research including worldwide disaster information)
– http://www.usgs.gov/
Federal
Emergency Management Agency (information on disasters, covering gradational
forces of floods and storms) – http://www.fema.gov/
Natural
Hazards Center (international information on natural hazards and human
adjustments to hazards and disasters) – http://www.colorado.edu/hazards
Landslide
hazards (Canadian source of landslide information)
– http://www.NRCan.gc.ca/gsc/cpdnew/Indsld_e.html
Information
on the Red River Flood, Saquenay Flood with useful links
– http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/tekrd/rd/apps/disasterindese.html
Remote
Sensing Canada Center for Remote Sensing (general information)
– http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/
National
Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
(provides access to global environmental data from satellites)
– http://ns.noaa.gov/NESDIS/NESDIS_Home.htm
Satellite
Image Atlas (world glaciers)
– http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/info/facts/atlas/indes.html
Stream
Flow (contains information on surface water issues and specific data for stream
flow throughout the U.S.) – http://h2o.usgs.gov/
Ground
Water Atlas (information about aquifers in the U.S.)
– http://water.wr.usgs.gov/gwatlas/index.html
Water
Pollution Environment Canada (information on clean air and water)
– http://www.ec.gc.ca/
Toxic
Water (information about clean up of toxins in surface and ground water)
– http://toxics.usgs.gov/toxics/
Glaciations
Glacial Geology at University of Cincinnati (good reference link to all About
Glaciers)
– http://tv11.geo.uc.edu/ice/Glacier.html
Glaciers
and Climate Change (University of Illinois links to other related sites)
– http://Yahoo.com/Science/Earth_Sciences/Geology_and_Geoophysics/Glaciology
Time: 24 hours
Unit
Description
Humans
depend upon a host of Earth materials from which they make a livelihood.
Geology is the focus of this unit. Geology uses the scientific method to
explain natural aspects of planet earth. Therefore, the formation,
classification and identification of rocks and minerals in the earth’s
lithosphere are introduced. Students also investigate the economic importance
of Earth resources and the consequences of environmental changes, which are
created by mining activities. The knowledge acquired through these activities
is applied in the End-of-Unit Task. A field excursion to a suitable site within
the local region to observe and collect relevant samples and information in
order to understand the importance that Earth materials play in the local
economy is suggested.
Unit
Overview Chart
|
Activity |
Focus |
Learning Expectations |
Assessment Categories |
|
5.1 |
Introduction
to Earth Materials |
EMV.01,
EMV.02, EMV.03, EM1.01, EM1.05, EM2.02, EM3.03, EM3.04 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
|
5.2 |
Mineralogy |
EMV.01,
EMV.02, EMV.03, ESV.01, EM1.01, EM2.01, EM2.02, EM3.01, ES1.01, ES1.03 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
|
5.3 |
Igneous
and Sedimentary Rocks; Properties
Identification and Formation |
EMV.01,
EMV.02, EMV.03, EM1.02, EM1.03, EM1.05, EM2.03, EM2.04, EM3.01 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
|
5.4 |
Metamorphic
Rocks Properties
Identification and Formation |
EMV.01,
EMV.02, EMV.03, EM1.04, EM1.05, EM2.05, EM3.01, EM3.03 |
Inquiry |
|
5.5 |
Topical
Reports |
EMV.01,
EMV.03, EM1.05, EM3.01, EM3.02, EM3.03, EM3.04, EM3.05 |
Inquiry |
|
5.6 |
End-of-Unit
Task: Field Excursion |
EMV.02,
EMV.03, EM2.06, E.M.3.03 EM3.05 |
Knowledge/Understanding |
Time: 11 hours
Unit
Description
This
culminating unit allows students to draw together the knowledge and skills
gained from activities of the preceding units. Data gathered in previous
reports on the local region is utilized to form the basis of an environmental
assessment report. The report and presentation focus on the justification of a
future Earth resource development project proposed for the local area. This
unit could be presented as an authentic role-play scenario for the students as
the local area can be used as a focus of studies.
Unit
Overview Chart
|
Activity |
Focus |
Learning Expectations |
Assessment Categories |
|
6.1 |
Introduction |
EPV.02,
EMV.02, EMV.03, EP2.03, EM2.06, EM3.01, EM3.03, EM3.05 |
Knowledge/
Understanding |
|
6.2 |
Environmental
Assessment Research |
EPV.02,
ESV.01, ESV.02, ESV.03, EMV.02, EMV.03, ISV.01, ISV.02, ISV.03, EHV.02,
EP2.03, EP2.04, EP3.03, ES1.02, ES2.02, ES2.03, ES3.04, EM2.06, EM3.02,
EM3.03, EM3.05, IS1.08, IS2.09, IS2.10, IS3.03, EH2.01 |
Knowledge/
Understanding |
|
6.3 |
Environmental
Report Writing |
EPV.03,
ESV.01, ESV.02, ESV.03, EMV.02, EMV.03, ISV.01, ISV.02, ISV.03, EHV.02,
EP3.03, ES1.02, ES2.02, ES2.03, ES3.01, ES3.02, EM2.06, EM3.01, EM3.02,
EM3.03, EM3.04, EM3.05, IS1.08, IS2.09, IS2.10, IS3.03, IS3.07, EH2.01 |
Knowledge/
Understanding |
|
6.4 |
Environmental
Report Presentation |
EPV.03,
ESV.01, ESV.02, ESV.03, EMV.02, EMV.03, ISV.01, ISV.02, ISV.03, EHV.02,
EP3.03, ES1.02, ES2.02, ES2.03, ES3.01, ES3.02, EM2.06, EM3.01, EM3.02,
EM3.03, EM3.04, EM3.05, IS1.08, IS2.09, IS2.10, IS3.03, IS3.07, EH2.01 |
Knowledge/
Understanding |
|
6.5 |
Final
Exam |
EPV.01,
EPV.03, ESV.01, ESV.03, EMV.01, EMV.03, ISV.01, ISV.03, EHV.01, EHV.03 |
Knowledge/
Understanding |
Suggested Activities
6.1.1 The teacher introduces and describes the culminating task in
relation to the End-of-Unit Tasks from the previous five units of study.
Students need to assemble copies of previous unit reports to form a class
library of resources. Reports that may be applicable could include the
following: GIS Report, Activity 1.4.3; Socio-economic importance of a local
Earth resource, Activity 3.3.2; Erosional/Depositional Glacial Surficial
Report, Activity 4.5.1; Local Watershed Data report, Activity 4.3.3; Economic
Geology, Resource Technology Reports, Activity 5.5.1; and Geologic Field
Report, Activity 5.6.1. Students can utilize the information found in these
reports to augment their research for the environmental assessment report.
6.1.2 Students brainstorm lists of potential development projects that
make use of Earth resources that are available in the local region. Students
should be well acquainted with the opportunities for development in their local
area at this point in the course through the work completed in Units 4 and 5
(e.g., quarry, mineral/mining operation, landfill site, sustainable forestry,
agriculture).
6.1.3 Students conduct research, including print and Internet sites,
and explain the process of creating and writing an Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) and Socio-economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) as they relate to
the creation of formal Environmental Impact Statements (EIS). Students can draw
on examples from Internet sites, city hall, local conservation authority, etc.
6.1.4 With direction from the teacher, students brainstorm and design
a rubric which will be used to evaluate the Environmental Impact Statement
report. The teacher is responsible for the evaluation criteria and final format
of the rubric.
|
Assessment |
Informal
assessment of student understanding of the environmental assessment process. |
6.2.1 The teacher divides the class into working groups of four
students who will form an Environmental Engineering Consulting Firm that has
been hired as an environmental assessment task force to develop, plan, and
assess the environmental impact of the proposed resource-based development.
Students are to select their roles within the task force to include a
geologist, a hydrologist, a geomorphologist, and a geographic systems analyst
(a GIS specialist).
6.2.2 In their roles, students research and assemble data from a
variety of sources including the previous class reports, text references, the
Internet, and local sources (e.g., community newspapers, community
associations, local municipal offices, local watershed conservation authority,
regional government offices). Data and information gathered should be relevant
to the role the student assumes within the task force:
·
Geologist:
Investigate the stratigraphic history and nature of the location and potential
extent of the resource and the appropriate extractive technology used to map
and assess the potential resource for future development.
·
Hydrologist:
Investigate the characteristics of water flow above and below ground and
account for possible contamination and interruption in the natural nutrient
cycles as they impact on human and ecological activities
·
Geomorphologist:
Investigate and interpret surficial landscape and drainage features and analyse
the impact that the exploitation of the resource may have on the natural
processes of the local watershed (e.g., erosion\deposition nodes, storm water
management, tailings ponds, etc.).
·
Geographic
Systems Analyst: Map and account for the relationships among different data
sets, e.g., drainage and resource location, land use patterns, transportation
alignments etc.
|
Assessment |
Research
Notes (I, C, MC, K/U) These may be peer assessed by being vetted by other
task force members. |
6.3.1 Students write an Environmental Impact Report on the proposed
development project that should include details on the following criteria:
·
specific
location of the development
·
site
characteristics
·
type
of development and detailed description of the project
·
land
use description of the local area
·
description
of the local watercourses and related hydrology
·
description
of the local geology as it applies to the Earth resource development
·
description
of the local environment and the potential environmental effects as a result of
the development project
·
advantages
and disadvantages to the environment
·
assessment
of the overall impact of the project.
6.3.2 Students prepare for a public open house/information meeting
based on their findings in Activity 6.3.1. Students then plan and assemble the
display materials required for the oral presentation of the Environmental
Assessment Report to the public open house. Display materials may include land
use maps, transportation alignments, project development plans, site maps,
summary charts, fluvial and hydrologic characteristics, glacial and geologic
characteristics, natural features, environmentally sensitive areas, etc.
|
Assessment |
Environmental
Impact Report (I, C, MC, K/U). Although each group submits a single report,
the defined roles of the different group members allows for individual
evaluation. |
6.4.1 Students present their Environmental Impact Assessment Report to
the Public Open House/Information Meeting. The class can act as the general
public for each of the presenting groups. Roles can be given to individual
members of the class audience to add authenticity to the process. Care should
be taken to set up an environment that is in keeping with a public forum within
the classroom or other suitable location in the school to make this as “real”
an experience as possible for the students.
|
Assessment |
Report Presentation
(K/U, I, C, MC) The defined roles of the different group members allows for
individual evaluation. |
6.4.1
Final
Examination will focus on Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the
Environment expectations.
|
Assessment |
Final
Exam (K/U, MC) |
Resources
Ministry
of the Environment website – http://www.ene.gov.on.ca
Natural
ResourcesStatistics Canada (information on Canada’s resources)
– http://www.statcan.ca/engllish/Pgdb/Land/geogra.htm
Reid,
I. Land In Demand: The Niagara Escarpment. Book Society of Canada Ltd.,
1977.
Miller,
G. Tyler Jr. Living in the Environment, 7th ed. Wadsworth Publishing
Co., 1992.
Since the over-riding aims of this course are to develop scientific literacy in all students and to prepare students for Earth and Space Science or related courses at university, a wide variety of instructional strategies is needed to provide learning opportunities that accommodate an equally wide variety of learning styles and interest. In planning activities for an Earth and Space Science class, make sure that students have:
·
opportunities
to work individually, in pairs and small groups, and in large groups;
·
direct-instruction
as well as open-ended exploration;
·
opportunities
to develop concepts themselves from observed data;
·
tasks
in which they define some of the parameters (such as scope or procedure);
·
opportunities
to acquire knowledge and apply that knowledge in a variety of contexts;
·
opportunities
to communicate using standard formats (such as lab reports) as well as
opportunities to choose and develop the format;
·
opportunities
to develop skills that would assist them in being successful at university:
note taking during a lecture, examination preparation, multiple-choice test
taking, in-depth, independent research, report writing, and time management;
·
opportunities
to make connection between this course and senior level geography courses in
which some students may also be enrolled.
Students
need to be informed in advance of methods of assessment and evaluation. From
the beginning, students should understand the nature and scope of the course’s
Final Assessment Tasks and how the completion of the End-of-Unit Tasks assists
them in gaining the skills and knowledge necessary for its successful
completion. Expectations are presented in such a way as to prepare students for
the End-of-Unit Tasks. Assessment and evaluation then become an integral part
of the teaching/learning strategies.
Many of the Learning Expectations
describe Inquiry Skills. Students should be given repeated opportunities to
carry out genuine inquiries in which they are responsible for defining one or
more of the components of the inquiry: the topic or question, the methodology,
the mode of presentation, the criteria of success. Within this course, students
should have multiple opportunities to practise a variety of inquiry styles,
including:
·
Research: accessing information that has
already been previously gathered, selecting the relevant details, analysing
that information for patterns and meaning, and communicating the findings or
conclusion. This will require instruction and practice in techniques for
effective use of library/resource centre resources, searching the Internet, and
interviewing experts.
·
Experimentation: developing questions, identifying
controls and variables, designing the experimental procedure, observing and
measuring, analysing the data for patterns and meaning, and communicating
conclusions. This may occur in laboratories or the field. Laboratory techniques
and safety procedures must be taught and assessed.
Every
inquiry should be driven by a clear question that is manageable and has
relevance to the students. Students must be given instruction and repeated
practice in: identifying and refining good inquiry questions; developing
testable hypotheses; setting the parameters of the solutions to be sought;
assessing results.
All
forms of inquiry as well as other activities throughout the course develop Communications
Skills. Although the traditional written report is one form of
communication, students need to describe what they do and what they learn in
other formats as well – poster presentations; computer presentations, video,
music. Through various formats of cooperative learning, they discuss, debate,
and reflect on their own thinking and learning.
In
addition to key concepts, every learning activity should identify a technique
or skill that will be taught or reinforced and assessed. Over the length of the
course, all skills required to meet the Overall Expectations and the Science
Investigative Skills should be practised repeatedly in a variety of contexts.
Initially, the teacher may assign specific review exercises from a textbook or other resource. Later, students could simply be told to complete what questions they feel are necessary to ensure their own understanding of the concepts.
Computer
applications should be included in activities whenever they enhance student
learning by enabling them to complete work more efficiently or to complete work
that otherwise could not be done. A wide variety of software tools should be
used to record and display information. Examples include word-processing (e.g.,
reports), spreadsheets (e.g., class data from measurements taken in the
laboratory), graphics (e.g., flow charts, concept maps, diagrams in place of
written reports of investigations), databases (e.g., to gather observations taken
by small groups or individuals into a class set; collections of data from
replicated experiments), and presentation programs (e.g., an alternative for
reporting on investigations, particularly by groups). Probeware should be used
to collect data (e.g., to permit replications of experiments where complex
procedures would limit students to single experiments). Simulations may
substitute for experiences but should not be used to replace direct experiences
that are safe, ethical, and available. The portability of calculator-based
laboratory systems makes them useful for work outside the classroom.
On-line communication between teacher and students could occur throughout the course. Homework assignments and answers could be posted, along with reminders about upcoming assignment deadlines and evaluation dates. Sample exam questions could be included and links made to pertinent sites, covering a variety of STSE topics. Online tutorials could be arranged and one of the later units in the course could be presented online.
While
not evaluated for marks, learning skills - Works Independently, Teamwork,
Organization, Work Habits/Homework, Initiative – are keys to success in school
and beyond. As with other skills, they should be taught, practised, and assessed
in the science classroom. Variety is essential: individual assignments foster
independence; small-group cooperative learning experiences (including
laboratory work done in pairs) provides opportunities to develop teamwork.
The knowledge
expectations of this course have intrinsic worth as useful information, but
they also serve as vehicles for developing other expectations:
·
acquisition
of knowledge through inquiry develops inquiry skills;
·
connecting
chemical concepts to social and environmental issues develops the necessary
habits of mind for making connections;
·
applying
scientific knowledge to practical problems makes connections to technology;
considering how scientific knowledge is acquired brings understanding of the
role that technology plays in scientific discovery.
During
the study of Earth and Space Science, students should be encouraged to develop
awareness of the responsible acquisition and application of scientific and
technological knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society, and the
environment
Seventy
per cent of the grade will be based on assessments and evaluations conducted
throughout the course. Thirty per cent of the grade will be based on a final
evaluation in the form of an examination, performance, essay, and/or other
methods of evaluation.
Assessment
is a process of gathering information and providing descriptive feedback about
student learning. Evaluation is the process of judging work and assigning a
value, based on established criteria.
The
purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. This means that
judgements of student performance must be criterion-referenced so that feedback
can be given that includes clearly expressed next steps for improvement. Tools
of varying complexity can facilitate this.
·
For
assessing/evaluating a test or quiz, a marking scheme is used.
·
Where
completion or non-completion is the issue, a checklist is sufficient.
·
Where
quality of performance is easily identifiable, a rating scale can be used.
·
For
more complex tasks, the criteria may be incorporated into a rubric where levels
of performance for each criterion are stated in language that can be understood
by students. Rubrics describe performance of a generalized skill (such as Inquiry)
or can be task-specific.
Marking
schemes, checklists, rating scales and rubrics become powerful tools for
improving learning when students understand the criteria and levels of
performance before they undertake the task. Discussion of the criteria for
success should be part of every learning task. Wherever possible, involve your
students in the development of the rating scale or rubric (identifying criteria
and setting levels of achievement in terms they understand).
Assessment
must be embedded within the instructional process throughout each unit rather
than being an isolated event at the end. Often, the learning and assessment
tasks are the same, with formative assessment provided throughout the activity.
In every case, the desired demonstration of learning is articulated at the
beginning and the learning activity is planned to make that demonstration
possible. When planning learning activities for Earth and Space Science, this
process of beginning with the end in mind helps to keep focus on the Expectations
and to reduce the inclination to expand what is taught beyond what is required
by the guideline.
Assessment, Evaluation, and
Reporting are tied to the Learning Expectations and Achievement Chart for
Science, pp. 172-175 in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, Science,
2000. Every learning activity and its assessment should collect data for
making judgements about performance in one or more of the Achievement
Categories: Knowledge/Understanding, Inquiry, Communications and Making
Connections. Within each unit and across the course, teachers must collect
sufficient data (in kind and number) to make valid judgements about each
student’s performance in all categories.
In
the end, the evaluation of the assessment data is expressed as a percentage
based on Achievement Chart levels. That evaluation must be based on each
student’s performance based on the criteria, not relative to other students’
performances. Final evaluations should reflect the teacher’s informed,
professional judgement of each student’s most consistent level of performance
in each category of the Achievement Chart. Added weight should be given to more
recent performances.
A wide and balanced range of assessment strategies is needed to accommodate the varied learning styles of all students, and to encompass a broadened range of knowledge and skills expectations. There must be opportunities for students to demonstrate learning at all levels of the Achievement Chart.
Students
enrolled in SES4U come to this course with a wide variety of learning
experiences. The number and kind of science and geography courses in the
student’s background vary, and part-time jobs and hobbies also provide these
students with various sets of knowledge and skills. Diagnostic activities, at
the start of all units, are important for providing a context for the unit
design (based on student interest and background), for planning lessons to meet
student needs, for filling in gaps and correcting misconceptions, and for
tapping into student strengths. Diagnostic activities should consider
Knowledge/Understanding, Inquiry and Communication Skills, and Making
Connections. A range of activities should be considered including:
·
pencil-and-paper
quiz (marks are not recorded)
·
class
discussion suggested by one or more focus questions
·
brainstorming
activities
·
carousel
of laboratory activities for assessment of skills
·
KWL
charts (Know, Want to know, and then later, what was Learned)
·
carousel
of different applications
·
student
survey
·
responding
to a short reading passage (fiction or non-fiction) or a video clip (fiction,
documentary, or news broadcast) on a connected societal issue.
A
diagnostic activity suggested within the profile can be substituted by any of
the above or one of the teacher’s own design. By varying the diagnostic
activity from unit to unit, different learning styles of students will be
addressed.
A
number of group activities are described that allow students to practise and be
assessed and evaluated for Teamwork, one of the five Learning Skills. Teamwork
is often identified as a key employability skill. Initiative, Organization, and
Work Habits/Homework, three other Learning Skills, can be practised, assessed,
and evaluated to some extent. However, when group assignments are used to
evaluate course Expectations, the teacher must ensure that this is done on an
individual basis. This can be accomplished in a number of ways:
·
Individual
teacher/student conferences could be arranged. Student responses to a series of
questions can be used to evaluate Knowledge/Understanding, Communication
Skills, and Making Connections most easily, but can also be used for Inquiry.
·
Work
journals or log books, where students describe their role and responsibility in
completion of an activity, could be collected on a regular basis and evaluated.
·
Reflection
journals could be used by students to describe their learnings from a certain
activity, and then evaluated for knowledge and making connections.
·
Work
logs and reflection journals can be in formats other than pencil-and-paper.
Some students might produce more complete and detailed answers if they were
using a tape recorder or a concept map. This would allow different learning
styles to be addressed.
·
Students
could pool their experimental or research results, and produce an independent,
individual final product that would be evaluated.
·
Students
could contract for different aspects of research or communication for a group
project. This is another opportunity to address individual learning styles.
When evaluating the group presentation, the teacher is aware of individual
responsibilities.
·
A quiz
could be used to evaluate specific knowledge or making connection expectations
gained through a group activity.
·
Teacher
observation, using a checklist, and on the spot questioning can be used to
assess and evaluate meeting of expectations on an individual basis.
·
Acquisition
of technical skills could be evaluated in another, individual situation such as
a summative, practical skills test.
Self- and
peer assessment of individual performances within a group setting are
appropriate and useful to assist students in becoming self-monitoring. However,
such assessments are not to be the basis for evaluation; evaluation is the
responsibility of the teacher.
Students
with special needs, whether identified formally or not, may need additional
supports to reach their full potential in Grade 12 Earth and Space Science.
Teachers should consult individual student IEPs for specific direction on
accommodation for individuals. The following are examples of accommodations and
aids that may be helpful in a general way. Where there are specific
accommodations required in an activity, the suggestions are noted within the
activity.
·
Ensure
that peer helpers are available when students are working in small groups.
·
Provide
handout sheets with sample calculations and specific skill instructions.
·
Help
students create data charts into which they record information.
·
Advise
special education staff in advance when students are working on major
assignments.
·
Record
key words on the board when students are expected to make their own notes.
·
Allow
students to report verbally to a scribe (teacher or student) who can then help
in note making.
·
Utilize
student strengths by permitting them a wide range of options for recording and
reporting their work (e.g., drawings, diagrams, flow charts, concept maps).
·
Extend
timelines to give students more time to process language and put their thoughts
into words.
·
Give
readings in advance to students or provide a selection of materials at
different reading levels.
·
Provide
extended timelines in situations where students have limited access to
computers.
·
Check
the IEPs of all identified students for specific modifications in teaching
methodologies and evaluation.
·
Advise
ESL/ELD staff in advance when significant written work is required.
·
Have
students keep a science dictionary of terms using pictures and first language
words.
·
Permit
the use of a translation dictionary on assessments.
·
Provide
additional time on assessments for dictionary use and processing language.
·
Have
the library staff identify resources with appropriate reading level when
research is required.
·
Post
formulas necessary for solving numerical problems on posters around the
classroom.
The
URLs for the websites were verified by the writers prior to publication. Given
the frequency with which these designations change, teachers should always
verify the website prior to assigning them for student use.
Units
in the Course Profile make reference to the use of specific texts, magazines,
films, videos, and websites. Teachers need to consult their board policies
regarding use of any copyrighted materials. Before reproducing materials for
student use from printed publications, teachers need to ensure that their board
has a Cancopy license and that this license covers the resources they wish to
use. Before screening videos/films with their students, teachers need to ensure
that their board/school has obtained the appropriate public performance
videocassette license from an authorized distributor (e.g., Audio Cine Films
Inc.). Teachers are reminded that much of the material on the Internet is
protected by copyright. The copyright is usually owned by the person or
organization that created the work. Reproduction of any work or substantial
part of any work on the Internet is not allowed without the permission of the
owner.
Resources
are found throughout the profile, wherever the writers felt it would be most
useful for teachers. The following are general resources which are useful in
all units:
Bennet, Barrie and Carol Rolheiser. Beyond Monet - The Artful Science of Instructional Integration. Toronto: Bookation, Inc., 2001. ISBN 0-9695388-3-9
Chapman, L.J. and D.F. Putnam. The Physiography of Southern Ontario, 3rd ed. Ministry of Natural Resources, 1984.
Judson, Kauffman, Leet. Physical Geology, 7th ed. Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1987.
Roberts, J. L. The Macmillan Field Guide to Geologic Structures. The MacMillan Press Ltd., 1989.
Plummer, C., D. McGeary, and D. Carlson. Physical Geology, 8th ed. McGraw Hill, 1999.
Miller. G. Tyler Jr. Living in the Environment, 7th ed. Wadsworth Publishing Co.,
1992.
Structural Geology (Kuxtown University with
related links to the topic)
– http://home.earthlink.net/~schimmrich/structure/structure.html
Natural
Resources Statistics Canada (information on Canada’s resources)
– http://www.statcan.ca/engllish/Pgdb/Land/geogra.htm
Students
can apply and refine the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind they acquire in
SES4U through Cooperative Education, work experience and service placements
within the community.
A
work site placement must be directly connected to the Expectations of SES4U if
it is to contribute to a student’s perspective of future careers or educational
opportunities. The wording in the document Cooperative Education and Other
Forms of Experiential Learning (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2000)
provides clear direction, and should be the focus of the personalized learning
plans for students. “The personalized learning plan must include the following:
“the curriculum expectations of the related course that describe the knowledge
and skills the student will extend and refine through application and practice
at the workplace” (p. 23, emphasis added). The placement is not intended to
introduce the student to the expectations, but should connect closely enough
that significant Expectations are clearly extended and refined in a workplace
setting. Both workplace and community experiences may offer unique
opportunities for students to achieve aspects of the goal of SES4U “To relate
science to technology, society, and the environment” and to gain experience in
the Science Investigative Skills defined at the beginning of the course
description in the guideline. The personalized placement-learning plan of a
student who has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) must be developed with
direct reference to the IEP.
Coded
Expectations, Earth and Space Science, Grade 12,
University Preparation, SES4U
SIS.01
- demonstrate an
understanding of Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
legislation by selecting and applying appropriate techniques for handling,
storing, and disposing of laboratory materials (e.g., following safety
procedures when sampling rocks; using materials safely when identifying
minerals and rocks), and by using appropriate personal protection (e.g.,
wearing safety glasses when sampling, and hard hats when visiting outcrops and
quarries);
SIS.02
- select
appropriate instruments and use them safely, effectively, and accurately in
collecting observations and data (e.g., hand lens, polarizing microscope);
SIS.03
- use safe
procedures to protect the eyes when observing the sky by day, and choose safe,
secure locations when observing the sky at night;
SIS.04
- demonstrate an
understanding of emergency laboratory procedures;
SIS.05
- select and use
appropriate numeric, symbolic, graphical, and linguistic modes of representation
to communicate scientific ideas, plans, and experimental results (e.g., use an
appropriate time scale when representing geological time, or appropriate units
to represent astronomical distances);
SIS.06
- select,
integrate, and analyse information from print and electronic sources, including
Internet sites, and, either in writing or using a computer, compile and display
the information in various forms, including flow charts, tables, and graphs
(e.g., use the Internet to compile information on areas of major earthquake
activity, and compare the frequency and intensity of the activity in graphical
form);
SIS.07
- communicate the
procedures and results of investigations and research for specific purposes
using data tables and laboratory reports (e.g., prepare a table of known and
unknown minerals sorted in groups according to physical properties such as
hardness, colour, and streak);
SIS.08
- express the
result of any calculation involving experimental data to the appropriate number
of decimal places or significant figures;
SIS.09
- select and use
appropriate SI units (units of measurement of the Système international
d’unités, or International System of Units);
SIS.10
- identify and
describe careers related to Earth and space science (e.g., careers related to
hydrology, meteorology, geology, mineralogy, astronomy, and remote sensing).
EPV.01 · demonstrate an understanding of
the properties of the Earth and of the internal (geological) and external
(cosmic) processes operating on it, and draw comparisons with other objects in
the solar system;
EPV.02 · investigate and analyse the
Earth’s place in the solar system and the effects of cosmic and geological
processes on it and on other objects in the solar system;
EPV.03 · describe and explain how
observations of the Earth and other objects in the solar system, made both from
Earth and from space, are used to study and better understand the natural and
the human-made environments of the Earth.
Understanding
Basic Concepts
EP1.01 – visualize and describe the size,
shape, and motions of the solar system, and the place of the Earth within it;
EP1.02 – describe the origin and evolution
of the Earth and other objects in the solar system, and identify the
fundamental forces and processes involved;
EP1.03 – compare the Earth with other
objects in the solar system with respect to such properties as mass, size,
composition, rotation, and magnetic field;
EP1.04 – describe and explain the
following external processes and phenomena that affect the Earth: radiation and
particles from the “quiet” and “active” sun; gravity and tides of the sun and
moon; and the impacts of asteroidal and cometary material;
EP1.05 – describe the properties of the
near-Earth space environment.
Developing
Skills of Inquiry and Communication
EP2.01 – formulate scientific questions
about the nature, origin, and evolution of the Earth and other objects in the
solar system;
EP2.02 – visualize and describe the size,
shape, and motions of the solar system, and compare the Earth with other
planets and objects within it, on the basis of information gathered through
research;
EP2.03 – assess critically the scientific
questions they have formulated and the information they have gathered in order
to identify the fundamental forces and processes that shape the interior,
surface, and atmosphere of the Earth and other objects in the solar system;
EP2.04 – identify surface features of the
Earth and other objects in the solar system (e.g., craters, faults, volcanoes),
using light, infrared, and radio/radar images;
EP2.05 – investigate, either through
laboratory activities or research, the interaction of radiation and impacting
particles with Earth materials such as air, water, and rock;
EP2.06 – assess the risks associated with
solar ultraviolet radiation, and with the collision of asteroidal and cometary
material with the Earth.
Relating
Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
EP3.01 – explain how the study of other
planets and objects in the solar system has led to a better understanding of
the Earth (e.g., explain how studying the greenhouse effect on Venus has
increased understanding of the same effect on Earth);
EP3.02 – demonstrate an understanding of
some of the historical, cultural, and aesthetic consequences of changes in the
perception and understanding of the Earth’s place in space (e.g., evaluate the
impact of images of the whole Earth taken from space);
EP3.03 – describe how observations and
measurements of the Earth made from space are used to study and better
understand natural physical elements of the Earth’s environment (e.g., its
crust, water, air) as well as human-made elements (e.g., crops, cities, air and
water pollution);
EP3.04 – describe the challenges of
designing piloted and robotic spacecraft, and of operating them in near-Earth
space;
EP3.05 – investigate Canada’s
contributions to the study of our planet from near-Earth space (e.g., Radarsat,
International Space Station), using information from various print and
electronic sources;
EP3.06 – evaluate the negative effects of
human activity on near-Earth space (e.g., space debris, pollution of the
electromagnetic spectrum).
ESV.01 · identify and describe the elements and
dynamic interactions of the Earth’s natural systems;
ESV.02 · investigate the basic structure
of the planet and the geological processes associated with it, and use the
knowledge gained to explain the major interactions among the hydrosphere,
lithosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere;
ESV.03 · assess the impact of natural
forces and systems on the Earth’s physical and human environments, as well as
the impact of human activities on natural systems.
Understanding
Basic Concepts
ES1.01 – demonstrate an understanding of
the range of physical scales that apply in the Earth sciences (e.g., from those
that apply to the planet as a whole to those used at the atomic level);
ES1.02 – describe the major interactions
among the four spheres of the Earth – the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere,
and biosphere;
ES1.03 – demonstrate an understanding of
the continuous recycling of major rock types throughout Earth history, of the
evidence that this process provides with respect to the length and complexity
of Earth history, and of the very late appearance of human beings in the
geological record;
ES1.04 – describe various kinds of
evidence that suggests that life forms, climate, continental positions, and the
Earth’s crust have changed over time (e.g., the extinction of the dinosaurs,
evidence of past glaciations, evidence of the existence of Pangaea and
Gondwanaland).
Developing
Skills of Inquiry and Communication
ES2.01 – interpret data about the nature
of natural disasters, and explain the involvement of physical processes and the
role of Earth science in connection with such events;
ES2.02 – demonstrate an understanding of
the major tools and techniques (e.g., seismograph, magnetic signature of the
ocean floor) that various Earth scientists (e.g., seismologists, geophysicists)
use to conduct research on the basic structure and processes of the planet;
ES2.03 – document and explain, through
investigation, examples of the complex interconnectedness of physical,
chemical, and biological processes as they apply to the Earth (e.g., plants
live in the biosphere by taking nutrients and other crucial substances from the
other three spheres of the Earth, to which they also contribute important
substances).
Relating
Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
ES3.01 – explain the interactions of the
atmosphere and hydrosphere in the water cycle, and the impact of these
interactions on humans;
ES3.02 – describe and explain the effects
of natural systems on the Earth’s physical and human environments, and the
increasing alteration of certain natural systems that has resulted from human
activities;
ES3.03 – analyse, through cooperative
research, national and international Earth science endeavours (e.g., Lithoprobe,
Ocean Drilling Program) that have increased our understanding of the Earth’s
crust, and assess the merits of funding such projects;
ES3.04 – assess how developments in
technology have contributed to our understanding of the Earth (e.g., the development
of sonar to map the ocean floor).
EMV.01 · distinguish between minerals and
rocks, and describe the formation and characteristics of both;
EMV.02 · apply a series of specific tests
to identify minerals and rocks, including those in the local area, and to
determine their physical properties;
EMV.03 · demonstrate an understanding of
society’s dependence on Earth materials, of the effects of developments in
technology on the exploration and mining of Earth materials, and of the ways in
which the use and extraction of Earth materials have affected natural and
human-made environments.
Understanding
Basic Concepts
EM1.01 – identify different minerals by
their physical and chemical properties, and demonstrate understanding that
minerals are the constituents of rocks;
EM1.02 – describe the formation of igneous
rocks (plutonic and volcanic), and identify their distinguishing
characteristics (e.g., composition and flow behaviour; characteristics of
volcanic rocks that indicate the type of volcano in which they were formed);
EM1.03 – describe the formation of clastic
and chemical sediments, and of the corresponding sedimentary rocks;
EM1.04 – describe the different ways in
which metamorphic rocks are formed (i.e., through changes in temperature,
pressure, and chemical conditions) and the factors that contribute to their
variety
(e.g., variation in parent rock);
EM1.05 – explain (e.g., by interpreting a
rock cycle diagram) how rocks and their constituent minerals are continuously
being recycled.
Developing
Skills of Inquiry and Communication
EM2.01 – apply a series of tests (e.g.,
tests evaluating hardness, streak, and density) to identify common minerals
(e.g., quartz, calcite, potassium feldspar, plagioclase feldspar, muscovite,
biotite, talc, graphite, gold, silver);
EM2.02 – identify and classify selected
hand samples of unknown minerals on the basis of their physical properties
(e.g., sort the groups by hardness, colour, streak);
EM2.03 – apply a series of tests to
identify common igneous rocks (e.g., granite, obsidian, andesite, basalt,
gabbro, peridotite), and classify each according to its origin (e.g., volcanic,
plutonic), texture (e.g., coarse- or fine-grained, vesicular, glassy), and
composition (e.g., mafic, felsic, intermediate);
EM2.04 – apply a series of tests to
identify sedimentary rocks (e.g., conglomerate, breccia, sandstone, shale,
limestone, chert, gypsum, rock salt, coal), and classify each according to its
origin (e.g., clastic, chemical), texture (e.g., coarse- or fine-grained,
detrital), and composition;
EM2.05 – apply a series of tests to
identify and classify metamorphic rocks (e.g., slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss,
quartzite, marble) and, on the basis of the characteristics of each type,
identify its parent rock and the temperature, pressure, and chemical conditions
at its formation;
EM2.06 – investigate and describe the
geological setting of the local area (e.g., examine the geological setting of a
local river/stream bed or lakeshore, and identify and classify rock types on
the basis of representative samples collected at the site).
Relating
Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
EM3.01 – explain the importance of
minerals and other Earth resources (e.g., sand, gravel, dimension stone, oil
and gas), and of exploration for these resources, for the local, provincial,
and national economies;
EM3.02 – describe and assess the role of
Earth materials in the safe disposal of industrial and urban waste and toxic
materials;
EM3.03 – describe the uses and evaluate
the economic importance of minerals, rocks, and metallic resources (e.g., gold,
silver, nickel, copper) and non-metallic resources (e.g., sand and gravel,
aggregates, oil and gas, lime, gypsum, industrial minerals, gems);
EM3.04 – describe the use of dimension
stone (e.g., in buildings and cemeteries) and explain how the development of
new technologies has influenced the type of stone used in the local area (e.g.,
relate advances in the technology for quarrying and cutting stone to changes in
the type of stone used);
EM3.05 – describe some of the technologies
used to recover natural resources from the Earth, and evaluate economic,
social, and environmental ramifications of their use (e.g., the need for fewer
workers and the practice of site rehabilitation resulting from the use of
improved technologies in the mining of nickel).
ISV.01 · identify the processes at work
within the Earth (e.g., plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism) and on its
surface (e.g., running water, weathering and erosion, mass wasting,
glaciation), and describe the role of both types of processes in shaping the
Earth’s surface;
ISV.02 · investigate, through the use of
models and analysis of information gathered from various sources, the nature of
internal and surficial Earth processes, and the ways in which these processes
can be measured;
ISV.03 · demonstrate an understanding of
the interrelationships between internal and surficial Earth processes (e.g.,
earthquake activity, volcanic eruptions, floods, erosion) and the ways in which
they affect human activity.
Understanding
Basic Concepts
IS1.01 – demonstrate an understanding of
the kinds of evidence that Earth scientists use to document lithospheric plate
motion (e.g., the corresponding shapes of the coastlines of Africa and South
America; fossil evidence);
IS1.02 – distinguish between faults and
joints;
IS1.03 – describe the characteristics of
the three main types of seismic waves, P-, S-, and L-waves, and explain the
different modes of travel, travel times, and types of motion associated with
each;
IS1.04 – distinguish between erosion and
weathering, and describe the processes and effects of physical, chemical, and
biological weathering;
IS1.05 – demonstrate an understanding of
the importance of different erosional processes, and describe the types and
causes of mass wasting (e.g., landslides) and its critical role in changing the
Canadian landscape;
IS1.06 – identify types of sediment
transport (e.g., wind, water, glacial), and compare the particle size and
shape, degree of sorting, and sedimentary structures resulting from each;
IS1.07 – identify the types of stream load
(i.e., solution, suspension, and bedload) and describe how each moves in a
stream;
IS1.08 – demonstrate an understanding of
the importance of aquifers and of their fragility in terms of contamination and
depletion.
Developing
Skills of Inquiry and Communication
IS2.01 – describe, on the basis of
information gathered from print and electronic sources, the various types of
possible margins between lithospheric plates (e.g., convergent, divergent,
transform, and intraplate activity) and the types of internal Earth processes
occurring at each;
IS2.02 – produce diagrams of the following
structures, and identify examples of them in maps and photographs: normal,
reverse, thrust, and strike-slip (transform) faults; domes and basins;
anticlines and synclines;
IS2.03 – investigate and produce a model
of each type of seismic wave, using springs and ropes, and describe for each
the nature of its propagation and the resulting movement within the rocks
through which it is travelling;
IS2.04 – compare qualitative and
quantitative methods (e.g., the Mercalli Scale and the Richter Scale) used to
measure earthquake intensity and magnitude;
IS2.05 – produce a diagram or model, to
scale, of the interior of the Earth in order to differentiate among the layers
of the Earth and their characteristics (e.g., use cross-sections to provide the
dimensions of crust, mantle, and inner and outer core, and travel-time curves
for various seismic waves to provide data on the characteristics of the
individual layers);
IS2.06 – design and construct a working
model of a seismograph, and explain its use in recording earthquake activity;
IS2.07 – locate the epicentre of an
earthquake, given the appropriate seismographic data (e.g., the travel-time
curves to three recording stations for a single event);
IS2.08 – design and test methods to
control mass wasting;
IS2.09 – relate the characteristics of
sediment (e.g., grain size, shape, composition) to the velocity and direction
of currents in a beach or stream environment (e.g., examine where sediment is
being eroded and deposited in a local beach or river/stream environment);
IS2.10 – investigate and explain the
interrelationship among geological maps, cross-sections, and block diagrams,
and the ways in which they represent the subsurface structure and/or the
geological history of an area.
Relating
Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
IS3.01 – describe methods of monitoring
and predicting earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions;
IS3.02 – describe and explain how the
development of the seismograph has contributed to a better understanding of the
internal structure of the Earth;
IS3.03 – identify and describe engineering
and technological innovations and adaptations resulting from human activity in
areas of permafrost (e.g., pipeline construction, oil and natural gas
exploration, residential construction and urbanization);
IS3.04 – identify and describe engineering
and technological innovations and adaptations (e.g., in building design,
highway construction, emergency services) resulting from the impact of
earthquake activity on human populations;
IS3.05 – describe the underlying
assumptions and the limitations of predictions of earthquake activity, and
assess the implications of such predictions for populations in Canada and
around the world;
IS3.06 – identify major areas of tectonic
activity in the world (e.g., Japan – convergent margin; Iceland – divergent
margin; California – transform fault), drawing on information about the
relationship between earthquakes, volcanoes, and plate boundaries (e.g., plot
on a world map, for a given time period, the locations of recorded earthquakes
and active volcanoes);
IS3.07 – demonstrate an understanding of
how erosion and deposition by streams are affected by load, gradient, channel
shape, sediment composition, and human activities.
EHV.01 · demonstrate an understanding of
the concept of geological time;
EHV.02 · analyse and assess geological
evidence that suggests that life forms, climate, continental positions, and the
Earth’s crust have changed over time;
EHV.03 · explain the importance of the
geological and fossil records for our understanding of the Earth’s history, and
describe their use in related economic activities.
Understanding
Basic Concepts
EH1.01 – demonstrate an understanding of
the differences between relative and absolute dating techniques as they apply
to natural systems;
EH1.02 – describe and explain the various
methods of isotopic age determination, giving for each the name of the isotope,
its half-life, its effective dating range, and some of the materials (e.g.,
minerals and rocks) that it can be used to date;
EH1.03 – describe some processes by which
fossils are produced and/or preserved (e.g., original preservation,
carbonization, replacement, permineralization, and mould and cast formations),
and sketch a representative fossil of a foraminifer, mollusc, brachiopod,
echinoderm, arthropod, coelenterate, vertebrate, graptolite, and plant;
EH1.04 – describe the diversity of life in
the Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras and the ranges of
important groups of fossils that date from each.
Developing
Skills of Inquiry and Communication
EH2.01 – use and interpret information
from appropriate sources (e.g., a sequence diagram, geological maps showing
major geological regions and associated rock types) in describing the
geological history of an area (e.g., Ontario);
EH2.02 – investigate and analyse various
types of preserved geological evidence of changes that have taken place in
Earth history (e.g., past glaciations, tectonic activity, plate movement);
EH2.03 – demonstrate an understanding of
the evolution of life, as revealed through fossil analysis;
EH2.04 – demonstrate the ability to use
the geological time scale as an aid in interpreting the history of a sequence
of strata;
EH2.05 – investigate and interpret the
significance of an unconformity preserved in a sequence of strata (e.g., the
boundary between Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks in southern Ontario);
EH2.06 – investigate radioactive decay and
the concept of half-life determination (e.g., design a simple, safe experiment
that provides a model of half-life decay of radioactive elements);
EH2.07 – analyse the evidence used to
determine the age of the Earth (e.g., radiometric dating of geological
materials), and outline the historical evolution of attempts to establish the
Earth’s chronology.
Relating
Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
EH3.01 – illustrate the geological time
scale and compare it to human time scales (e.g., develop a series of timelines
to represent their life, their family tree or history, the history of Canada,
the history of civilization, the geological history of the local area, and the
major events in Earth history, and compare the scales necessary to present this
data on a 1m strip);
EH3.02 – demonstrate an understanding of
the significance of paradigm shifts in the development of geological thinking
(e.g., contrast the principles of uniformitarianism and catastrophism);
EH3.03 – demonstrate an understanding of
the importance of fossils in the petroleum and mining industries as tools for
biostratigraphic correlation and as indicators of depositional environments;
EH3.04 – describe Canadian contributions to our knowledge about absolute age dating and to technological applications based on this knowledge.
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