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Item Type(s):
This benchmark may be assessed using:
MC
item(s)
Also Assesses - Clarification :
Students will identify examples of and/or explain physical evidence that supports scientific theories that Earth has evolved over geologic time due to natural processes.
Students will identify and/or describe current scientific methods for measuring the age of Earth and its parts. - Content Limits :
Items may address fossil records but should not require knowledge or recognition of specific organisms.
Items may address folding and faulting as related to the law of superposition.
Items assessing radioactive dating will be limited to a conceptual level. Items will not require calculations or address half-life.
Items addressing geologic time will not require specific knowledge of eras, periods, or epochs. - Stimulus Attributes :
None specified - Response Attributes :
None specified - Prior Knowledge :
This benchmark grouping is foundational. These concepts have not been introduced in the NGSSS prior to this grade-level grouping.
SC.7.E.6.3 Identify current methods for measuring the age of Earth and its parts, including the law of superposition and radioactive dating.
- Test Item #: Sample Item 1
- Question: The oldest rock formation identified on Earth is found on the shoreline of Hudson Bay in Canada. This rock formed 4.28 billion years ago. What information does a scientist need to more accurately determine the age of a rock?
- Difficulty: N/A
- Type: MC: Multiple Choice
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Original Student Tutorials Science - Grades K-8
Explore multiple lines of evidence collected by scientists over time that support the claim that Earth has changed over time. This interactive tutorial includes multiple practice items and stunning images.
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorial
Explore multiple lines of evidence collected by scientists over time that support the claim that Earth has changed over time. This interactive tutorial includes multiple practice items and stunning images.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Lesson Plan
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the concept of sea level rise as it occurs through climate change by having them examine 3 specific parameters: ice distribution, thermal expansion, and analyzing and interpreting data. The lesson and activities within the lesson were designed using the three dimensions of the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards – specifically crosscutting concepts, science and engineering practices, and disciplinary core ideas. While there isn’t any required pre-requisite learning required for this lesson, a general understanding of sea-level rise, glaciers, and climate may be beneficial to students. During classroom breaks, pairs of students will develop/discuss their models, revise their interpretations of their models or data, and think-pair-share their thoughts on the investigation segments.
Type: Lesson Plan
Text Resource
The US Geological Survey Geology in the Parks Web site is a cooperative project of the USGS Western Earth Surface Processes Team and the National Park Service. This extensive site covers geologic maps, plate tectonics, rocks and minerals, geologic time, US geologic provinces, park geology of the Mojave, Sunset Crater, Lake Mead, North Cascades, Death Valley, Yosemite National Park, and much more. Descriptions, graphics, photographs, and animations all contribute to this informative and interesting Web site making it a one stop, all encompassing, resource for everything geology and US national park related.
Type: Text Resource
Video/Audio/Animations
Excerpted from NOVA: "Volcanoes of the Deep", this video segment reveals strange and luminescent forms of life, such as giant tube worms, spider crabs, and billions of microbes clumped together like a cottony web. The site where life began on Earth may have been where black smokers stream from hydrothermal vents and chimneys along the sea floor.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
This video clip explains how the position of the Earth relative to the Sun might be responsible for the dramatic climate shift in what is now known as the Saharan nation of Djibouti. Even though it seems that a geographic feature such as a desert would be permanent, Earth's climate and landscape are dynamic and change constantly. According to geologic evidence, parts of the Sahara were once lush and held many animal species now associated with the savannas to the south.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Parent Resources
Resource Collection
An educator, David Robinson, created this website to supply high quality materials dealing with various aspects of physical geography to educators and students. The website provides extensive information for five main categories: earthquakes, plate tectonics and continental drift, volcanoes and volcanics, glaciers and glaciation, and a physical geography glossary. Examples of the topics covered include an examination of the Mount St. Helens eruption, an introduction to predicting earthquakes, and the glacial formations of corries. Although the content was created primarily for twelve- to sixteen-year-old students, much of the material is applicable to all introductory earth science courses and can prove very beneficial for all interested in physical geography.
Type: Resource Collection