Scope and sequence · Science
Grade 8 Earth Science: Earth Resources and Careers
A year of true stories about the ground under our feet and the people who work it, from the black blizzards of the Dust Bowl and the woman at Jacob’s well to the gold at Sutter’s Mill, Drake’s first oil well, the gusher at Spindletop, William Smith’s map that changed the world and the forecasters of the National Weather Service, each one taken apart to see how it works, measured at the kitchen table or in the back yard, and gathered at the end into a real report on the earth resources of the student’s own county.
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What to cover
32 of 36 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: Soil
- MUST COVER 1.1 The Dust Bowl (1930s) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Soil Horizons: Reading a Soil Profile · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Contour Plowing: Farming With the Shape of the Land · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 Soil Testing: Asking the Ground What It Needs · unit test
Unit 2: Water Wells
- MUST COVER 2.1 Jacob’s Well: Living Water at Sychar (John 4) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Aquifers: Where Groundwater Lives · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 Drilling a Model Well · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 Water Rights in the West: First in Time, First in Right · unit test
Unit 3: Minerals and Mining
- MUST COVER 3.1 Sutter’s Mill (1848): Gold, Density and the Rush West ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Open-Pit and Underground Mines: Bingham Canyon (1906) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Mine Safety: From Monongah (1907) to the Mine Act (1977) · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 Reclamation: Putting the Land Back (SMCRA, 1977) · unit test
Unit 4: Oil, Gas and Coal
- MUST COVER 4.1 Drake’s Well (1859): The First Oil Well Drilled on Purpose ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Spindletop (1901): The Gusher That Changed Texas · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Traps and Reservoirs: Where Oil and Gas Hide · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 What a Barrel of Oil Makes: Refining, Natural Gas and Coal · unit test
Unit 5: Maps and GIS
- MUST COVER 5.1 William Smith’s Geological Map (1815) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Topographic Maps: Reading the Shape of the Land ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Free GIS: Layers, Coordinates and QGIS · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Mapping My County’s Geology with a USGS Map · unit test
Unit 6: Weather Careers
- MUST COVER 6.1 The National Weather Service: Telegraphs, Balloons and Radar, 1870 to Today ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 Storm Chasers and Forecasters: The First Tornado Forecast, Tinker Air Force Base, 1948 · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Aviation Weather: The Wrights Choose Kitty Hawk, 1900 · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 Career Interview: Jefferson’s Thermometer, July 4, 1776, and the People Who Watch the Weather · unit test
Unit 7: Origins Debate Fairly Told
- MUST COVER 7.1 Young-Earth Creation: What Mount St. Helens Showed on May 18, 1980 ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Old-Earth Christian Views: Hugh Miller, Thomas Chalmers, and the Day-Age and Gap Readings · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 What Secular Geology Claims: Hutton at Siccar Point (1788) and the Radiometric Clock · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 Writing a Respectful Summary of Each: Powell’s Grand Canyon (1869) and the Three-Column Method · unit test
Unit 8: Unit 8: Capstone
- MUST COVER 8.1 Choosing My County and Gathering Maps · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 Collecting Samples · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Interviewing a Working Geologist, Driller, Miner or Forecaster · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 Writing and Presenting the County Earth-Resources Report ★ · unit test
Unit 9: Bonus: Field Lab OPTIONAL unit
- OPTIONAL 9.1 Soil Sample Survey
- OPTIONAL 9.2 Visiting a Well
- OPTIONAL 9.3 County Rock Map Walk
- OPTIONAL 9.4 Interview Field Day
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 36-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Session 1: Lesson 1.1 The Dust Bowl (1930s): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 2 | Session 1: Lesson 1.2 Soil Horizons: Reading a Soil Profile: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 3 | Session 1: Lesson 1.3 Contour Plowing: Farming With the Shape of the Land: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 4 | Session 1: Lesson 1.4 Soil Testing: Asking the Ground What It Needs: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 1 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 5 | Session 1: Lesson 2.1 Jacob’s Well: Living Water at Sychar (John 4): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Aquifers: Where Groundwater Lives: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 Drilling a Model Well: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 Water Rights in the West: First in Time, First in Right: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 2 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 9 | Session 1: Lesson 3.1 Sutter’s Mill (1848): Gold, Density and the Rush West: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 Open-Pit and Underground Mines: Bingham Canyon (1906): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 Mine Safety: From Monongah (1907) to the Mine Act (1977): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 Reclamation: Putting the Land Back (SMCRA, 1977): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 3 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 13 | Session 1: Lesson 4.1 Drake’s Well (1859): The First Oil Well Drilled on Purpose: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 14 | Session 1: Lesson 4.2 Spindletop (1901): The Gusher That Changed Texas: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 15 | Session 1: Lesson 4.3 Traps and Reservoirs: Where Oil and Gas Hide: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 What a Barrel of Oil Makes: Refining, Natural Gas and Coal: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 4 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 17 | Session 1: Lesson 5.1 William Smith’s Geological Map (1815): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 18 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 Topographic Maps: Reading the Shape of the Land: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.3 Free GIS: Layers, Coordinates and QGIS: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 20 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 Mapping My County’s Geology with a USGS Map: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 5 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 6.1 The National Weather Service: Telegraphs, Balloons and Radar, 1870 to Today: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 22 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 Storm Chasers and Forecasters: The First Tornado Forecast, Tinker Air Force Base, 1948: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Aviation Weather: The Wrights Choose Kitty Hawk, 1900: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 Career Interview: Jefferson’s Thermometer, July 4, 1776, and the People Who Watch the Weather: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 6 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 7.1 Young-Earth Creation: What Mount St. Helens Showed on May 18, 1980: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 26 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 Old-Earth Christian Views: Hugh Miller, Thomas Chalmers, and the Day-Age and Gap Readings: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 What Secular Geology Claims: Hutton at Siccar Point (1788) and the Radiometric Clock: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 Writing a Respectful Summary of Each: Powell’s Grand Canyon (1869) and the Three-Column Method: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 7 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 8.1 Choosing My County and Gathering Maps: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 30 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 Collecting Samples: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 Interviewing a Working Geologist, Driller, Miner or Forecaster: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 Writing and Presenting the County Earth-Resources Report: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 8 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 9.1 Soil Sample Survey: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 34 | Session 1: Lesson 9.2 Visiting a Well: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 35 | Session 1: Lesson 9.3 County Rock Map Walk: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 36 | Session 1: Lesson 9.4 Interview Field Day: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 9 review and unit project |
Grading: Unit tests (eight tests, 60 points each) 35%, Field notebook (dated pages, labeled units, honest records, one sentence of meaning) 20%, Experiments and weekly practice (predict, measure, record, check the answers) 20%, Unit projects (Units 1–7) 15%, Capstone county earth-resources report and presentation 10%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69. Below 60: redo the test or the notebook pages with help and retake.