Earth Science
Length: 25 Weeks
Includes: Videos, Worksheets and Quizzes
Age/Grade: Middle – High school
How to Use This Course
Earth science is a full-year course designed for students in grades 7-9. Each session consists of three different types of activities: video lessons to watch, notes for the student to fill out as he/she watches the video lesson, and a study guide to complete to help the student study for the quiz. We suggest that students download the worksheets and follow along with the video lessons, since the worksheets are based directly on the video lessons. After students have completed all the lessons for a particular topic, there will be a study guide to complete that functions as homework or a practice test. The student should then proceed to the quiz; all quizzes are multiple choice, and answer keys are provided for the parents.
This course is laid out in 25 sessions. Students may follow this schedule weekly and have no more than 45 minutes of video lessons and a quiz per week, or they can ignore the suggested schedule and finish this course at his/her own pace.
Students who complete all lessons and assignments may earn the equivalent of at least .5 academic credit. If the student goes deeper and reads additional earth science resources and spends approximately 180 hours total on the class and extra material combined, the course may be worth one full academic credit. Another option for earning an additional .5 credit is the Geology course by Patrick Nurre on SchoolhouseTeachers.com. As always, please check your own state’s academic requirements.
Course Introduction
What is earth science? Earth science is “the study of the structure and the processes of the world around us,” from the center of the earth to the most distant star. The four main areas of earth science are geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy. This course will explore a number of areas of earth science, including volcanology; seismology; paleontology; sedimentology; the biology, geology, physics, and chemistry of the oceans; the science of climate and weather; the atmosphere; the history of astronomy; telescopes and mapping the night sky; the sun; the planets; rockets and artificial satellites; origins of the universe; and plate tectonics. You can take a look at the course outline for more details on what we’ll be covering in this course.
We hope you have fun and learn something!
Please feel free to ask questions. We are very interested in helping you understand and appreciate science. We are especially interested in your questions regarding the What’s the Meaning of This?sections. If you have questions regarding age of the earth issues or how to interpret data from a young or old earth position, please let us know. It may help us improve a future edition of this course.
Course Outline
Download – Course Outline
Semester One
Session 1 | How Science Works
What is Earth Science? Part 1
What is Earth Science? Part 2
Scientific Models
Scientific Measurements
Session 2 | Mapping
Maps, Part 1
Maps, Part 2
Reading Topographical Maps
What is the Meaning of This?
Session 3 | Mineral Identification
What is a Mineral?
Identifying Minerals
Mineral Formations and Uses
Session 4 | Rocks
What are Rocks?
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Session 5 | Rocks II
Metamorphic Rocks
What’s the Meaning of This?
Earth Structure
Session 6 | Earthquakes
Earthquake Basics
Measuring Earthquakes
Earthquake Safety
Session 7 | Volcanoes
Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanic Effects
Volcanic Eruptions, Part 2
What’s the Meaning of This?
Session 8 | Energy
Natural Resources
Fossil Fuels
Alternative Energy
Session 9 | Soil
Weathering Action
Weathering Rates
Soil Basics
Session 10 | Soil and Water
Soil Conservation
What’s the Meaning of This?
The Water Cycle and Streams
Deposits
Session 11 | Water and Erosion
Groundwater
Water Conservation
Erosion and Shorelines
Session 12 | Wind, Glaciers, and Gravity
Erosion and Wind
Erosion and Glaciers
Erosion and Gravity
Session 13 | Water, Erosion and Oceans
What’s the Meaning of This?
Ocean Features
Ocean Floor
Session 14 | Oceans
Ocean Life
Ocean Resources
Ocean Pollution
What’s the Meaning of This?
Semester Two
Session 1 | Ocean
Ocean Currents
Ocean Currents and Climates
Ocean Waves
Tides
Session 2 | Atmosphere
Describing the Atmosphere
How the Sun Heats the Atmosphere
Global and Local Winds
Air Pollution
What is the Meaning of This?
Session 3 | Weather
Ingredients of Weather
Air Masses and Fronts
Severe Weather
Forecasting
Hurricane Andrew
Session 4 | Climate Change
What is Climate?
Climates
Climate Change
Session 5 | Astronomy
History of Astronomy
Telescopes
Mapping the Night Sky
Session 6 | Universe
Stars
Galaxies
Structure of the Universe
Session 7 | Solar System
The Sun
Planetary Motion
Inner Planets
Beyond the Inner Planets
Earth and Moon
Session 8 | Space Exploration
Rocket Science
Artificial Satellites
Space Probes
Manned Spacecraft
Models and Space Exploration
Session 9 | Origins of the Universe
Origin of the Universe
Origin of Galaxies, Stars and Solar System
Origin of the Earth and Moon
Session 10 | Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics: Underlying Data
Plate Tectonics: Conventional Model
Plate Tectonics: Creationists Model
Session 11 | Rock Dating
Rock Clocks or How to Put a Date on a Rock
Fossils and the Geologic Column
Precambrian and Paleozoic Rocks
Mesozoic and Cenozoic Rocks
Students who complete all lessons and assignments may earn the equivalent of at least .5 academic credit. If the student goes deeper and reads additional earth science resources and spends approximately 180 hours total on the class and extra material combined, the course may be worth one full academic credit. Another option for earning an additional .5 credit is the Geology course by Patrick Nurre on SchoolhouseTeachers.com.
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