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Dynamic Earth

CHANGING EARTH

Media slide presentation: 
​Image montage illustrates the constantly changing conditions of land, air, water and life on earth.
OVERVIEW
Our planet Earth consists of the dynamic interactions between land, air, water and life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
Change is constant on Earth.
We change Earth's ecosystems.


TEACHER QUESTIONS:
What are the constantly changing parts of earth?
Lithosphere (minerals and rock), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air)

How has earth changed over time?
Fossil record, tectonic plates and climate.

How did life emerge and continue to change today?
Chemical reactions and the evolution of life

​NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS

(MS-ESS2-3)

ONLINE TOOL:
Earth Viewer time line app: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/earthviewer
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INTERACTIVE 1. 
Timeline of Earth’s Natural History


KEY TAKEAWAY:
For over 4.5 billion years Earth has been constantly changing from hot to cold, rock to water, red (oxygen emerges) to white (ice covered) and from simple life forms to complex life systems.

Species of plants and animals have appeared and disappeared over incredibly vast periods of time.


1. Students draw a timeline of their lives to date noting significant events and times of change in their past. The class discusses how we all navigate and adapt to constant change in our lives.

​2. Students work together to create a rough timeline of Earth history on a roll of paper noting key milestones (oxygen becomes present in the atmosphere, simple life forms evolve, dinosaurs become extinct. Homo sapiens appear etc.)

3. Students document the sequence of Earth's changing colors (black, red, blue, white and green) over time by placing colored circles on the timeline.

4. Students make age predictions as they place natural history specimens (Igneous rock, Megalodon tooth, plant fossil, mammal bone etc.) on the timeline and display real physical evidence of change over time. They also note that scientists create models like this to better illustrate and understand data.

CLASS DISCUSSION:
The specimens distributed on the timeline each tell a story of survival and change.  The teacher guides the students to discuss issues of change and adaptation in their personal lives and then global issues relating to change in the news. (climate, population, water quality).


Some scientists call the current time period in Earth history the “Anthropocene” to the "new era of man" because humans are now actively changing the planet in significant ways. Scientists are working to make predictions about future environmental conditions on so that we can better adapt to change.

​What changes do we influence on the landscape where we live? 
What will Earth be like 100, 1000 or 10,000,0000 years?


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​New York City,    photographed by: Jnn13 stitched by: LiveChocolate

WATER

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Media slide presentation: 

WATER
Image montage transitions to the constantly changing conditions of water and its vital connection to life on earth.

TEACHER QUESTIONS:

​What is water and how is it essential to survival of life forms on Earth?

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
Water is life
There is life in the water
Water quality matters to us all.

NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
​(MS-ESS2-2)
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  • Shore Explorations