STANDARD 5.8 (Earth Science) — All students will gain an understanding of the structure, dynamics, and geophysical systems of the Earth.

DESCRIPTIVE STATEMENT: The study of science should include a study of the planet Earth and its relationship to the rest of the universe. This standard describes what students should know about the composition of the earth and the forces that shape it, while Standard 5.9 describes what students should know about astronomy and space science.

CUMULATIVE PROGRESS INDICATORS: Building upon knowledge and skills gained in the preceding grades, by the end of Grade 12, students will...

1. Earth’s Properties and Materials
   1. Explain the interrelationship of the geosphere, hydrosphere, and the atmosphere.
2. Atmosphere and Water
   1. Describe how weather (in the short term) and climate (in the long term) involve the transfer of energy in and out of the atmosphere.
3. Processes that Shape the Earth
   1. Use the theory of plate tectonics to explain the relationship among earthquakes, volcanoes, mid-ocean ridges, and deep-sea trenches.
   2. Know that Earth is a system in which chemical elements exist in fixed amounts and move through the solid Earth, oceans, atmosphere, and living things as part of geochemical cycles.
   3. Recognize that the evolution of life on Earth has changed the composition of Earth’s atmosphere through time.
4. How We Study the Earth
   1. Analyze the evidence produced by a variety of techniques that is used to understand changes in the Earth that have occurred over time.
      1. topography
      2. fossils
      3. rock stratification
      4. ice cores
      5. radiometric data