New Visions for Public Schools: Earth Science curriculum

Out of the Big Bang came everything in the Universe. All of the matter that formed Earth, all of the materials that formed the stars and galaxies that light up the night sky, and all of the building blocks for everything in the Universe were once contained in a tiny singularity. Through observations of models, in this unit students will develop an understanding of evidence (cosmic background radiation and red shift) that has led scientists to their current understanding of the Universe’s origin.

This unit includes a performance task, Regents-aligned questions, and is organized into inquiry-based 5E model plans.

Examining the relationship between the Earth’s interior and exterior systems is a key part of understanding how the Earth has developed over its history. In this unit, students will begin to make these connections as they gather evidence to develop a model of the Earth’s interior, its internal processes, and resulting continental plate movements. Understanding the Earth’s internal structure and processes will allow students to investigate the formation of surface features such as young mountains and volcanoes.

This unit includes a performance task, supports for constructing scientific explanations, Regents-aligned questions, and is organized into inquiry-based 5E model plans. It is part of the New Visions Earth Science Curriculum.
Scope and sequence connection: Earth Science: Geology: Plate tectonics.

For nearly five billion years, the Earth’s surface has been constantly built up and broken down by processes taking place beneath and above the Earth’s surface, resulting in the wide range of beautiful and complex landscapes we see today. In this unit, students will continue to make connections between the Earth’s systems when they study interactions between the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere by investigating the rock cycle, water cycle, and processes of erosion such as wind, wave action, and mass movement.

This unit includes a performance task, Regents-aligned questions, and is organized into inquiry-based 5E model plans. It is part of the New Visions Earth Science Curriculum.
Scope and sequence connection: Earth Science: Geology: Surface processes.

The Earth’s geologic time scale tells a story about the inception of life and the rise and fall of species, showing life is fragile in the face of gradual and sudden changes to the environment. In this unit, students will learn how rock and fossil observations in combination with radioactive dating techniques have been used to construct a geologic time scale. Students will also wrap their heads around the vastness of geologic time and the brevity of human existence by generating their own geologic time scale analogies. Finally, students will create a geologic timeline that includes the mapping of mass extinctions throughout Earth’s history and consider whether human behavior might lead to the next mass extinction.

This unit includes a performance task, Regents-aligned questions, and is organized into inquiry-based 5E model plans. It is part of the New Visions Earth Science Curriculum.
Scope and sequence connection: Earth Science: Geology: Earth's history.

What humans see and experience from Earth is largely explained by the Earth’s relative motion and position. Throughout human history, our models of celestial phenomena have evolved substantially based on our collective observations and interpretations. Great thinkers such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Newton have used models as a way to demonstrate their understanding of what we observe from Earth and promote discussion about our Earth’s position and motion relative to the rest of our solar system and universe. In this unit, students will explore simulators, 3-D models, and data in order to develop an understanding of celestial phenomena. Students will then use their understanding to create models that help explain concepts such as the apparent path of constellations and the Sun, seasons, and the phases of the Moon. 

This unit includes a performance task, supports for constructing scientific explanations, Regents-aligned questions, and is organized into inquiry-based 5E model plans. It is part of the New Visions Earth Science Curriculum.

Since the time of their early existence, humans have both reaped the benefits and suffered the consequences of weather. In this unit, students will observe models and analyze data to learn how the interplay between atmospheric variables such as temperature, air pressure, and moisture leads to the typical and sometimes extreme weather events that humans experience. Analyzing weather data to make predictions is a key part of this unit and students’ understanding of how weather patterns can help us predict future weather events. 

This unit includes a performance task, supports for constructing scientific explanations, Regents-aligned questions, and is organized into inquiry-based 5E model plans. It is part of the New Visions Earth Science Curriculum.

Scope and sequence connection: Earth Science: Meteorology: The Atmosphere.

The distribution of human populations and use of resources over time has been largely influenced by the Earth’s geography and climate. At the same time, the decisions humans make about where to live and how they use the Earth’s resources has and will continue to have significant impact on the Earth’s climate and geography. In this unit, students will analyze and create topographic maps of human cities as they consider how geographical features such as oceans, lakes, and mountains have influenced where humans have chosen to live. Students will also make predictions about how changes in the Earth’s surface features that may take place—whether due to climate change or other factors—can influence the migration of human populations in the future.

This unit includes a performance task, supports for constructing scientific explanations, Regents-aligned questions, and is organized into inquiry-based 5E model plans. It is part of the New Visions Earth Science Curriculum.

Earth Science: Human Impact on the Environment.

What is a manageable set of topics and skills that I should review in order to be prepared for the Earth Science Regents exam? Students get prepared with this guide from New Visions for Public Schools.