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Scope and sequence · Science

High School Geology

A one-credit high school geology course with lab: minerals and rocks, plate tectonics, rivers and glaciers, caves, fossils and rock layers, the Flood and the Ice Age, mining and gems, maps and the great geologists, and a Field Lab on the ground where you live.

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What to cover

36 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: Minerals and Rocks

  • MUST COVER 1.1 What a Mineral Is · unit test
  • MUST COVER 1.2 Igneous Rocks · unit test
  • MUST COVER 1.3 Sedimentary Rocks · unit test
  • MUST COVER 1.4 Metamorphic Rocks and the Rock Cycle · unit test

Unit 2: The Restless Earth: Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes

  • MUST COVER 2.1 Earth’s Interior and Plate Tectonics · unit test
  • MUST COVER 2.2 Earthquakes · unit test
  • MUST COVER 2.3 Volcanoes · unit test
  • MUST COVER 2.4 Mountains and the Shape of the Land · unit test

Unit 3: Weathering, Erosion, Rivers, and Glaciers

  • MUST COVER 3.1 Weathering and Soil · unit test
  • MUST COVER 3.2 Rivers and Streams · unit test
  • MUST COVER 3.3 Glaciers · unit test
  • MUST COVER 3.4 Deserts, Wind, and Coasts · unit test

Unit 4: Groundwater, Caves, and the Water Beneath Our Feet

  • MUST COVER 4.1 Groundwater and Aquifers · unit test
  • MUST COVER 4.2 Caves and Karst · unit test
  • MUST COVER 4.3 Hot Springs, Geysers, and Geothermal Energy · unit test
  • MUST COVER 4.4 Floods, Water Quality, and Stewardship · unit test

Unit 5: Fossils and Reading Rock Layers

  • MUST COVER 5.1 How Fossils Form · unit test
  • MUST COVER 5.2 Steno’s Principles and Reading Rock Layers · unit test
  • MUST COVER 5.3 The Geologic Column and Index Fossils · unit test
  • MUST COVER 5.4 Dating Methods, Relative and Radiometric · unit test

Unit 6: The Flood, Catastrophe, and the Ice Age

  • MUST COVER 6.1 Uniformitarianism and Catastrophism · unit test
  • MUST COVER 6.2 The Flood of Genesis and Flood Geology · unit test
  • MUST COVER 6.3 The Grand Canyon as a Case Study · unit test
  • MUST COVER 6.4 The Ice Age · unit test

Unit 7: Earth’s Riches: Mining, Gems, and Energy

  • MUST COVER 7.1 Ores and Mining · unit test
  • MUST COVER 7.2 Gems and Precious Stones · unit test
  • MUST COVER 7.3 Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas · unit test
  • MUST COVER 7.4 Building Stones, Salt, and Stewardship · unit test

Unit 8: Maps, Field Geology, and the Great Geologists

  • MUST COVER 8.1 Topographic Maps and Landforms · unit test
  • MUST COVER 8.2 Geologic Maps and Cross-Sections · unit test
  • MUST COVER 8.3 The Founders: Nicolaus Steno and James Hutton · unit test
  • MUST COVER 8.4 The Founders: William Buckland and Louis Agassiz · unit test

Unit 9: Field Lab: Doing Geology Where You Live

  • MUST COVER 9.1 The Geologist’s Kit and the Field Notebook · unit test
  • MUST COVER 9.2 Reading Your Local Landscape · unit test
  • MUST COVER 9.3 Catastrophe and Calm: Experiments on Rates · unit test
  • MUST COVER 9.4 The Geology Field Report (Capstone) · unit test

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.

WeekPlanDoneNotes
Wk 1Lesson 1.1 What a Mineral Is: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 2Lesson 1.2 Igneous Rocks: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 3Lesson 1.3 Sedimentary Rocks: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 4Lesson 1.4 Metamorphic Rocks and the Rock Cycle: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Unit 1 test
Wk 5Lesson 2.1 Earth’s Interior and Plate Tectonics: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 6Lesson 2.2 Earthquakes: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 7Lesson 2.3 Volcanoes: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 8Lesson 2.4 Mountains and the Shape of the Land: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Unit 2 test
Wk 9Lesson 3.1 Weathering and Soil: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 10Lesson 3.2 Rivers and Streams: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 11Lesson 3.3 Glaciers: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 12Lesson 3.4 Deserts, Wind, and Coasts: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Unit 3 test
Wk 13Lesson 4.1 Groundwater and Aquifers: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 14Lesson 4.2 Caves and Karst: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 15Lesson 4.3 Hot Springs, Geysers, and Geothermal Energy: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 16Lesson 4.4 Floods, Water Quality, and Stewardship: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Unit 4 test
Wk 17Lesson 5.1 How Fossils Form: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 18Lesson 5.2 Steno’s Principles and Reading Rock Layers: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 19Lesson 5.3 The Geologic Column and Index Fossils: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 20Lesson 5.4 Dating Methods, Relative and Radiometric: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Unit 5 test
Wk 21Lesson 6.1 Uniformitarianism and Catastrophism: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 22Lesson 6.2 The Flood of Genesis and Flood Geology: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 23Lesson 6.3 The Grand Canyon as a Case Study: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 24Lesson 6.4 The Ice Age: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Unit 6 test
Wk 25Lesson 7.1 Ores and Mining: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 26Lesson 7.2 Gems and Precious Stones: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 27Lesson 7.3 Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 28Lesson 7.4 Building Stones, Salt, and Stewardship: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Unit 7 test
Wk 29Lesson 8.1 Topographic Maps and Landforms: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 30Lesson 8.2 Geologic Maps and Cross-Sections: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 31Lesson 8.3 The Founders: Nicolaus Steno and James Hutton: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 32Lesson 8.4 The Founders: William Buckland and Louis Agassiz: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Unit 8 test
Wk 33Lesson 9.1 The Geologist’s Kit and the Field Notebook: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 34Lesson 9.2 Reading Your Local Landscape: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 35Lesson 9.3 Catastrophe and Calm: Experiments on Rates: reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity
Wk 36Lesson 9.4 The Geology Field Report (Capstone): reading, picture study, vocabulary, questions and the hands-on activity

Grading: Comprehension questions (weekly) 30%, Hands-on activity write-ups (weekly) 30%, Unit tests 15%, Field Lab report and presentation (final exam) 25%