Earth and Space Science Notes

Objectives: Design investigations, understand concepts, and develop learning experiences for primary age children.
NSES Emphasis: Observational nature of earth and space science.
Children learn through exploration, collection, description, and recording of information.
Investigate properties of earth materials like water, soil, rocks, and minerals.
Teachers should guide children in observing natural and cyclical changes.
Primary years: children can order, group, communicate, and compare observations.

Earth's materials: rocks, soils, fossil fuels, water, and atmospheric gases.
Earth's materials are nonliving.
Materials have properties making them useful.
Soils: color, texture, and water retention.
Rocks: formed differently, nonliving.
Sand: tiny rock pieces.
Water and wind change Earth's surface.
Mountains and land are made of rocks and soil.
Evaporation: liquid to gas (vapor). $H<em>2O(l) -> H</em>2O(g)$
Condensation: gas to liquid. $H<em>2O(g) -> H</em>2O(l)$
Atmosphere: air with wind, moisture, temperature. Weather: atmospheric conditions.
Four seasons, each with unique weather.
Temperature: hotness or coldness.
Clouds and fog: water droplets.
Earth has air and water layers.
Water is liquid; ice is solid.
Sun provides light and heat.
Distant light sources look small.
Sun, moon, stars, and clouds have observable properties, locations, and movements.
They appear to move across the sky. The moon changes size and shape and is seen at different times.
Stars vary in brightness and color, forming patterns that appear to move across the sky.
Human activity affects air, water, and soil quality.

Concrete experiences help children learn properties of earth materials.
Rocks are made of single or multiple substances (minerals).
Assessment: group rocks by color, pattern, buoyancy, or layering.
Lessons follow a format: concept, objective, materials, teaching suggestions.
Basic geology lessons stimulate curiosity about rocks, minerals, and earth processes.
Naturalistic Activity: science center with rocks, magnifiers, and books.
Informal Activity: examine rocks and ask about color, shape, size, similarities, and differences.
Structured Activity:
- Concept: Many kinds of rocks.
- Objectives: Observe, classify rocks.
- Materials: egg cartons, labels, pencils, rocks.
- Procedure: Show rocks, ask where they are found and develop classification schemes.

Concept: Some rocks are harder than others.
Objective: Determine rock hardness, classify rocks.
Materials: Rocks, nails, pennies.
Procedure: Observe rocks and try to scratch them with different objects to determine hardness.

Concept: Rocks are formed in different ways.
Objective: Identify similarities between rocks and cookies, stimulate curiosity about earth processes.
Materials: Cookie recipe, ingredients, cookies.
Procedure: Compare cookie ingredients and the final product to rock formation.

Most of the earth's crust is solid rock, a nonliving material made of different kinds of minerals.
Igneous Rocks: Formed from cooled magma or lava (e.g., pumice, obsidian, basalt, granite).
Sedimentary Rocks: Formed from eroded rocks, sand, clay, silt, pebbles, and other stones.
*Fossils are frequently found in sedimentary rock (e.g., conglomerate, sandstone, shale, and limestone).
Metamorphic Rocks: Changed in form through pressure and heat (e.g., limestone to marble, shale to slate, sandstone to quartzite).

Fossils are shells and bones, prints of leaves, shells, footprints, trees that have turned to stone, or insects that were trapped in tree sap.
Fossils are most likely to be found in sedimentary rock.

*Lessons on weather and seasons are especially appropriate for primary age children.

Temperature, rain, and snow tend to be high, medium, and low in the same months every year.

The sun is the most observable object in the sky. (CAUTION: Children should never look directly into the sun.)
Moon Patterns: The moon looks different every day and makes an ideal subject for observing and comparing.
Binoculars work especially well with young children.