State Standards
North Carolina: by Debbie Denise Reese Ph.D.
Primary Objectives Supported
Use the 4.5 billion year history of the Moon, visible through binoculars or a $200 telescope, to construct an understanding of the formation and history of the Earth.
5.P.1.4 Predict the effect of a given force or a change in mass on the motion of an object.
6.E.1.1 Explain how the relative motion and relative position of the sun, Earth, and Moon affect the seasons, tides, phases of the Moon, and eclipses.
6.E.2.1 Summarize the structure of the Earth, including the layers, the mantle, and core based on the relative position, composition, and density.
8.E.2 Understand the history of Earth and its life-forms based on evidence of change recorded in fossil records and landforms.
8.E.2.1 Infer the age of Earth and relative age of rocks and fossils from index fossils and ordering of rock layers (relative dating and radioactive dating).
Secondary Objectives Supported
5.P.1.1 Explain how factors such as gravity, friction, and change in mass affect the motion of objects.
5.P.1.2 Infer the motion of objects in terms of how far they travel in a certain amount of time and the direction in which they travel.
5.P.1.3 Illustrate the motion of an object using a graph to show a change in position over a period of time.
6.P.2.3 Compare the physical properties of pure substances that are independent of the amount of matter present, including density, melting point, boiling point, and solubility to properties that are dependent on the amount of matter present to include volume, mass, and weight.
7.P.1.1 Explain how the motion of an object can be described by its position, direction of motion, and speed with respect to some other object.
7.P.1.2 Explain the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces acting on an object (including friction, gravity, and magnets).
7.P.1.3 Illustrate the motion of an object using a graph to show a change in position over a period of time.
7.P.2.1 Explain how kinetic and potential energy contribute to the mechanical energy of an object.
7.P.2.2 Explain how energy can be transformed from one form to another, (specifically potential energy and kinetic energy) using a model or diagram of a moving object (roller coaster, pendulum, or cars on ramps as examples).
8.P.1.3 Compare physical changes such as size, shape, and state to chemical changes that are the result of a chemical reaction to include changes in temperature, color, formation of a gas or precipitate.
8.E.2.2 Explain the use of fossils, ice cores, composition of sedimentary rocks, faults, and igneous rock formations found in rock layers as evidence of the history of the Earth and its changing life-forms.