Students explore Earth’s materials and systems, the roles of water in Earth’s surface processes, and how humans depend on and use Earth’s natural resources.
Download the complete Earth Science – Earth’s Systems framework to customize for your own planning.
Standards
- MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
- MS-ESS2-4. Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the Sun and the force of gravity.
- MS-ESS3-1. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth’s mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geologic processes.
Essential questions and big ideas of the unit
- How does Earth provide us with the things we need to live?
- All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling within and among the planet’s systems. This energy is derived from the sun and Earth’s hot interior. The energy that flows and matter that cycles produce chemical and physical changes in Earth’s materials and living organisms. (MS-ESS2-1)
- Water continually cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere via transpiration, evaporation, condensation, sublimation, deposition, precipitation, infiltration, and runoff. Global movements of water and its changes in form are driven by sunlight and gravity. (MS-ESS2-4)
- Humans depend on Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere for many different resources. Minerals, fresh water, and biosphere resources are limited, and many are not renewable or replaceable over human lifetimes. These resources are distributed unevenly around the planet as a result of past geologic processes. (MS-ESS3-1)
Download the complete Earth Science – Earth’s Systems framework to customize for your own planning.