2012 - 2013
The existing Earth Landform Unit is being replaced and the newly developed unit called
Changing Earth is being piloted district-wide January 2013.
CONTENT:
STRAND:
CHANGING EARTH - Grade 4
EARTH SCIENCE
STANDARD #’s
Grades 3 –5- #3, #4, #10, #12 - refer to DESE Earth & Space Standards
Concepts:
Students need to know:
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Layers of the earth - including atmosphere & electromagnetic shield
Plate tectonics – crust is made up of plates – floating on magma
o Very limited understanding of plate tectonics – get again in middle school
o Plates – transform (slide side to side) / converge (come together and push up) /
diverge (move apart)
Watershed
o Water flows and collects
o Water collects in different locations, including underground
Surface of the Earth changes over time due to slow processes
o Earth’s crust is continually changing and wearing down
o Erosion
o Weathering – Physical & Chemical
o Soil is formed by weathering rock and decomposition of plant and animal
remains (review & further info from grade 2 unit)
Surface of the Earth changes over time due to rapid processes
o New crust forms: new volcanic eruptions & mid-oceanic ridges
o Volcanoes
o Earthquakes
o Landslides
Performance Skills:
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Students will be able to:
Identify the Earth as a sphere, recognize, name and label the layers of the earth, be able
to verbally relate the characteristics and function of each layer and recognize these
layers as an interrelated system
Use & develop models to represent processes, systems and concepts, evaluate model
components as matching the natural processes or not matching (EX: stream tables,
apples)
Participate in experiments or investigations that demonstrate the effects of erosion &
physical /chemical weathering – processes that change the surface of the earth slowly
Differentiate between erosion – movement of weathered materials by gravity, wind,
water, rivers, glaciers and oceans and weathering – breakdown of rock into smaller
pieces through physical exposure to wind, water, & temperature changes and/or
chemical – caused by a change in the rock’s make-up (EX: acid rain – plants lichens)
Verbally articulate processes that change the surface of the earth rapidly – (EX: volcano,
earthquake & landslide)
Collect, record and analyze data from investigations and report findings both orally and
in written form
Demonstrate an understanding of what constitutes evidence in supporting a claim or
conclusion and comfortably use content vocabulary, verbally or in written form
Mary Rizzuto, Science Curriculum Specialist, Needham Science Center
July 2012
CONTENT:
STRAND:
EARTH’S LANDFORMS - Grade 4
EARTH SCIENCE
Vocabulary – Some vocabulary terms are listed for background information for the teacher.
Students should build an awareness of the basic content vocabulary. It is not intended for students
to memorize definitions. Rather to gain an understanding of the terms during using them in context
within the unit of study. Words highlighted represent concepts introduced in grades two and three.
Non-highlighted words represent new concepts to grade four students.
Vocabulary
abrasion
rock
compaction
cementation
deposition
sediments
sedimentary rock
weathering
chemical weathering
mechanical or
physical weathering
erosion
morph
igneous rock
volcano
eruption
crust
Science Definition
The process of wearing down or rubbing away by means of friction
A natural solid that is usually a mixture of minerals
Squeezing together of sediments to form rock
The process by which minerals glue together loose sediments, forming
sedimentary rock
Process by which water, wind, or ice drops sediments in new locations
Loose solid particles formed when rock is broken down
Rock formed from pieces of rocks, shells, or the remains of plants and animals
The breaking down of rocks to form sediments - is defined as the group of destructive
forces that change the physical and chemical character of rock near the earth’s surface.
The breakdown of rock from exposure to water and atmospheric gases (usually carbon
dioxide, oxygen, and water vapor). As these agents break the rock, new chemical
compounds form - Examples of chemical weathering include: rusting, acid
breakdown, and solution weathering
The breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces. The change in the rock is physical
with little or no chemical change. Examples of mechanical weathering include: frost
action, abrasion, and pressure release
Movement of weathered materials by gravity, wind, water, rivers, glaciers and oceans
- Process by which sediments are carried away by water, wind, ice, or gravity
To change
Rock formed from melted rock (magma) that cooled
An opening in the earth's crust through which molten lava, ash, and gases are
ejected
Top layer of Earth about 25–90 kilometers (16–56 miles) thick on the
continents, about 6 kilometers (4 miles) thick under oceans
mantle
Layer of Earth between the crust and the core, about 2,885 kilometers (1,790
miles) thick
magma
Melted rock beneath Earth’s surface –liquid rock
lava
Melted rock (magma) that reaches Earth’s surface - liquid
core
Central part of Earth - center
inner core
Solid extremely dense & hot nickel & iron - inner most layer of the Earth
outer core
Liquid extremely hot nickel & iron layer of the Earth between the inner core
and mantle
atmosphere
The thin layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's
gravity – protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation,
Mary Rizzuto, Science Curriculum Specialist, Needham Science Center
warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), July
and2012
reducing
temperature extremes between day and night – has layers – Troposphere –
layer touching Earth’s crust - air is the name given to atmosphere used in
breathing and photosynthesis
gravity – protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation,
warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing
temperature extremes between day and night – has layers – Troposphere –
layer touching Earth’s crust - air is the name given to atmosphere used in
breathing and photosynthesis
magnetosphere
natural forces
landform
nonrenewable
lithosphere
tectonic plates
The region surrounding planet Earth where its magnetic field is located
Occurrences on Earth attributable to nature, not caused by the actions of people
A feature of Earth’s surface that emerged as a result of natural causes
Resource useful material found in nature that cannot be replaced easily
Consists of the uppermost mantle and the crust – creates tectonic plates
The large slabs of Earth’s crust and outermost mantle that lie beneath the surface and
float on the magma of the mantle
convergent – come
together
transform – side to
side - move in
opposite directions
divergent – move
apart
earthquake
A series of vibrations at the earth's surface caused by movement of the earth's crust large pieces of the Earth’s crust move - rocks are cracked completely through, and
thus move independently of each other
landslide
A form of erosion where gravity literally pulls land masses downwards, often
over existing structures
A very large ocean wave caused by a landslide, an underwater earthquake or
volcanic eruption. The name 'tsunami' comes from two Japanese words: 'tsu"
means port, and nami means wave.
Remains or traces of a living thing that have been preserved in rock
Fuel that formed from the remains of once-living things
Scientist who studies rocks and minerals
Study of the Earth
Natural, nonliving solid material found in or on Earth; building block of rocks
Mineral or rock that contains enough of a valuable substance to make it worth
mining
tsunami
fossil
fossil fuel
geologist
geology
mineral
ore
Mary Rizzuto, Science Curriculum Specialist, Needham Science Center
July 2012