2025.11.25 Earth Science

of the : What is your favorite Thanksgiving Dessert?

2025.11.24 Earth Science

of the : What is the MVF (most valuable food) on the Thanksgiving dinner table?

2025.11.21 Earth Science

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2025.11.20 Earth Science Do Now

Based on the simulation from yesterday...

Describe what a half-life is in your own words.

Do this on your own without help of your neighbors

2025.11.20 Earth Science

of the : If you were a photographer, what would you take photos of all day?

2025.11.19 Earth Science Do Now

Keep working on radio active dating

2025.11.19 Earth Science

of the : What was your favorite recess game from elementary school?

Explore 1: Composition, Age, and Craters

Guiding Question

What can the composition and age of rocks from objects in the solar system tell us about its past?

Today’s Goals

• Collect and analyze data on rock ages, composition, and density from Earth, Moon, and other objects.
• Use evidence to explain why craters on other bodies remain stable but craters on Earth change.
• Prepare to model the early solar system.

Materials and Resources

• Handout: Early Solar System Investigation.
• Online simulation: Radioactive Dating Game (PhET).
• Class routine: Domino Discover for whole-class synthesis.

Part 1a — Radiometric Decay (Simulation)

Tasks:

• Explore decay of Carbon-14 and Uranium-238.
• Record half-life behavior and decay patterns.

Prompts:

• What patterns do you notice in how fast Carbon-14 changed? Uranium-238?
• How are their rates different, and why does that matter for dating?

Part 1b — Relative Dating (Rock Layers)

Tasks:

• Examine fossil ages within layered rocks.
• Connect layer position to relative age.

Prompts:

• What pattern do you notice within the same layer?
• What pattern occurs as you go to lower layers?
• Which isotope is appropriate for different-aged samples—and why?

Part 2 — Ages Across the Solar System

Tasks:

• Compare ages of minerals from Earth, Moon, Mars, meteorites.
• Note tectonic activity, water, atmosphere presence on different objects.

Prompts:

• What do ages suggest about formation timing of Earth and other objects?
• How might water/atmosphere/tectonics relate to crater counts we observe?

Part 3 — Moon Impact Melt Rocks

Tasks:

• Analyze ages of impact melt rocks (3.75–4.0 billion years).

Prompts:

• What does this suggest about asteroid activity in the early solar system?
• How might similar impacts have affected Mars and Earth?

See–Think–Wonder

• See: What do you notice in the age, composition, and decay data?
• Think: What do these patterns imply about solar system history?
• Wonder: What questions do these data raise about crater stability and change?

Complete your STW on the handout; be ready to share one key idea.

Domino Discover (Whole-Class)

• Share one important idea from your group’s Summary.
• Listen for trends, inferences, and questions.
• Aim: Surface key evidence needed for tomorrow’s explanations.

Explain 1: Age and the Heavy Bombardment

Guiding Question

How old are the solar system and the impact craters?

What We’ve Figured Out (Recap)

• Earth, Moon, and Mars formed around the same time (~4.5 BYA).
• Radiometric dating provides consistent ages across multiple bodies.
• Moon’s impact melt rocks date a major bombardment to ~4.0 BYA.
• Crater differences need more than “age” to explain them.

Modeling Task (Triads)

Handout: Explaining the Craters in the Inner Solar System

Steps:

1. Answer the six guiding questions on page 1.
2. Read the short text; use Think–Talk–Open Exchange to compare evidence and claims.
3. Build a brief model of the early inner solar system and its impact history.

Optional context video:

• The Late Heavy Bombardment

Discussion Prompts

• What evidence supports a Late Heavy Bombardment (~4.0 BYA)?
• If the Moon and Mars show many ancient craters, what should we infer about Earth?
• Where is Earth’s evidence—and why might it be missing from the surface?

Class Consensus Discussion (Structure)

1. Select groups to share; a peer restates each share.
2. Class asks clarifying questions.
3. Confer in table groups; then whole-class consensus.

Focus:

• Link evidence to claims with clear scientific reasoning.
• Make ideas public and visible; elevate accurate explanations.

Key Points to Make Public

• Oldest minerals across Earth/Moon/Mars/other objects ≈ 4.5 BYA → co-formation from the same dust disk.
• The Late Heavy Bombardment (~4.0 BYA) evidenced by dated Moon melt rocks.
• Inner bodies (Mars, Venus) show craters; proximity implies Earth was bombarded too.
• Earth’s surface has changed (hydrologic + geologic processes), which can erase or alter ancient crater evidence.

Summary Task (Individual)

• Write a short explanation: “What was the early solar system like, and what does the evidence suggest about Earth’s impact history?”
• Include:
  • Evidence (ages, isotopes, melt rock dates).
  • Reasoning (why this evidence supports your claim).
  • Clarify where Earth’s surface record may be incomplete and why.

2025.11.18 Earth Science

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Engage: Craters and Earth's History

Essential Questions

• Why do we see so many craters on the Moon and Mars, but not on Earth?
• How often have asteroids struck Earth in the past?

Investigative Phenomenon

• On Earth, about 128 impact craters have been discovered.
• On Mars, there are >300,000.
• On the Moon, there are >1,000,000.

What do these differences suggest about stability and change in the solar system?

Today’s Goal

• Examine images of Mars, the Moon, and Earth.
• Identify patterns in crater presence and appearance.
• Develop initial claims for why Earth shows fewer craters despite similar ages of oldest minerals.

What You’ll Do

1. Individually complete a See–Think–Wonder using the handout:

   • See: What do you observe in the crater images for Mars, Moon, Earth?
   • Think: What patterns or ideas do these observations make you think of?
   • Wonder: What questions do you have about crater differences?

2. In groups, discuss and agree on one important idea to share.

3. Use the Domino Discover routine to surface class-wide trends.

See–Think–Wonder: Guidance

• See:

  • Count and compare crater density, size, depth, and distribution.
  • Note surface features (erosion, water, atmosphere indicators).

• Think:

  • Consider possible reasons for differences across bodies.
  • Connect to stability and change of planetary surfaces.

• Wonder:

  • Ask about formation times, bombardment periods, and surface processes.

Initial Claim (Draft)

• Write a brief claim answering:

  • “Why are there so few craters on Earth compared to Mars and the Moon?”

• Support with at least two observations from your See–Think–Wonder.

Group Share: Domino Discover

• Each group shares their one key idea.
• Classmates:
  • Repeat/rephrase the idea for clarity.
  • Ask clarifying questions.
  • Note trends across groups.

Goal: Surface patterns and questions that set up our investigation.

Success Criteria

By the end of Engage, you can:

• Identify key patterns in crater data across bodies.
• State a defensible initial claim supported by observations.
• Pose investigable questions about Earth’s crater record.

Setting Up the Next Step

Next, we will analyze the age, composition, and density of rocks from Earth, Moon, and other objects to test our claims and explore the solar system’s early history.

2025.11.17 Earth Science

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Initial Explanation (Individual → Group)

Individually:

• Draft a model (words and/or diagram) for why intelligent life took so long to evolve on Earth
  Include:
• Environmental constraints (atmosphere, energy sources)
• Biological innovations (complexity, nervous systems)
• External events (mass extinctions)
  Then in groups:
• Combine ideas into one collaborative model

Model Quality Checklist

Does your model:

• Identify key turning points and prerequisites for intelligence?
• Show cause/effect chains (not just a list)?
• Use labels, arrows, and annotations for clarity?
• Connect to Stability & Change (CCC7): What persisted vs. what shifted?

Driving Question Board (DQB)

Individually:

• Write 3–5 specific questions needed to explain “why did it take so long?”
• One question per sticky note
  As a class:
• Share, sort, and categorize on chart paper or digital board
• Create umbrella questions for each category

Conferring Prompts (DQB)

• Why do these questions belong together?
• What category connects them?
• Are we missing sub-questions?
• Can we formulate an umbrella question for each cluster?

Engage: Craters and Earth's History

Essential Questions

• Why do we see so many craters on the Moon and Mars, but not on Earth?
• How often have asteroids struck Earth in the past?

Investigative Phenomenon

• On Earth, about 128 impact craters have been discovered.
• On Mars, there are >300,000.
• On the Moon, there are >1,000,000.

What do these differences suggest about stability and change in the solar system?

Today’s Goal

• Examine images of Mars, the Moon, and Earth.
• Identify patterns in crater presence and appearance.
• Develop initial claims for why Earth shows fewer craters despite similar ages of oldest minerals.

What You’ll Do

1. Individually complete a See–Think–Wonder using the handout:

   • See: What do you observe in the crater images for Mars, Moon, Earth?
   • Think: What patterns or ideas do these observations make you think of?
   • Wonder: What questions do you have about crater differences?

2. In groups, discuss and agree on one important idea to share.

3. Use the Domino Discover routine to surface class-wide trends.

See–Think–Wonder: Guidance

• See:

  • Count and compare crater density, size, depth, and distribution.
  • Note surface features (erosion, water, atmosphere indicators).

• Think:

  • Consider possible reasons for differences across bodies.
  • Connect to stability and change of planetary surfaces.

• Wonder:

  • Ask about formation times, bombardment periods, and surface processes.

Initial Claim (Draft)

• Write a brief claim answering:

  • “Why are there so few craters on Earth compared to Mars and the Moon?”

• Support with at least two observations from your See–Think–Wonder.

Group Share: Domino Discover

• Each group shares their one key idea.
• Classmates:
  • Repeat/rephrase the idea for clarity.
  • Ask clarifying questions.
  • Note trends across groups.

Goal: Surface patterns and questions that set up our investigation.

Success Criteria

By the end of Engage, you can:

• Identify key patterns in crater data across bodies.
• State a defensible initial claim supported by observations.
• Pose investigable questions about Earth’s crater record.

Setting Up the Next Step

Next, we will analyze the age, composition, and density of rocks from Earth, Moon, and other objects to test our claims and explore the solar system’s early history.

2025.12.14 Earth Science

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Group Synthesis: Tell the Story

In table groups:

• Share circled details; look for overlaps and disagreements
• Decide on the most important ideas (limit 5–7)
• Write your “story of the phenomenon” with:
  • Sequence of events
  • Causes and effects
  • Stability and change (what stayed consistent vs. what shifted)
• Optional: labeled diagram with arrows/annotations

Performance Task: Preview

You will:

• Explain why modern humans emerged after ~4.5 billion years and five mass extinctions
• Make and defend an argument:
  • Does life exist elsewhere?
  • Does intelligent life exist elsewhere?
  • Why haven’t we made contact?
  • What can humans learn from these ideas?

2025.11.13 Earth Science Do Now

1. Have you ever wondered about whether life exists somewhere outside of Earth?
2. Do you believe life exists somewhere outside of Earth? Why?
3. Do you think we will ever find life on other planets or communicate with other intelligent life?

2025.11.13 Earth Science

of the : Do you believe in Aliens?

Do Aliens Exist?

Astrobiology

Evolution of Life on Earth

Directions:

1. Silently read or watch the “text” provided to you.
2. Record or annotate three details that are most important to the phenomenon being described for each text.
3. Share with your group. Each person should identify the details that they circled.
4. Discuss as a group, and determine the overall story. What is the phenomenon?

Are We Alone?

Does life exist somewhere outside of Earth? What about life that has technology and can communicate like humans?

4.5 billion years passed and 5 mass extinctions occurred before humans appeared on Earth. So far we have yet to come in contact with any other beings from another planet or even find evidence that proves any sort of life exists elsewhere.

So are we alone?

Your task in this unit is to work with classmates to investigate some factors that influence the evolution of life on Earth and explain why modern human's emergence on Earth required nearly 4.5 billion years. Then use your findings to make and defend an argument about the probability of intelligent life existing somewhere outside Earth.

Developing an Initial Explanation

What set of conditions allowed for the evolution of humans on Earth, and why did it take so long?

Your first step in this investigation is to consider details from the Tell the Story texts and work with classmates to develop an initial model that illustrates your group's ideas about why it took so long for humans to appear on Earth.

Driving Questions

Develop questions you have in order to figure out what was required for intelligent life to evolve on Earth and why did it take so long.

• Each question goes on a separate sticky note.
• Put them on your whiteboard
• Organize them

2025.11.12 Earth Science Do Now

1. Take out Performance Organizer Task Packet
2. What is one positive contribution you can make today to this class or your classmates?

2025.11.12 Earth Science

of the : Vacation on the beach or adventure in the mountains?

2025.11.10 Earth Science Do Now

Without asking a friend, or looking at your notes... Write down on a whiteboard:

1. What is the fuel for the sun?
2. What are Kepler's 3 Laws
3. What are the stages in the lifecycle a sun-like star?

2025.11.10 Earth Science

of the : Cranberry Sauce? Yey or Ney? Homemade or Canned?

2025.11.08 Earth Science Do Now

1. Hand in all Astronomy Packets:
   • Kepler's Law
   • Sun
   • Stellar Evolution
   • Orbits (don't worry about it being incomplete)

2025.11.06 Earth Science

of the : If you could have dinner with 1 person (past or present), who would it be?

2025.11.04 Earth Science Do Now

1. Find a partner
2. Go to a vertical whiteboard space (rolling boards, cabinet, front whiteboard, curved wall)
3. Get a few (2-4) markers and an eraser
4. Erase your board
5. Wait patiently for your next set of instructions

2025.11.04 Earth Science

of the : What is your favorite holiday?

Whiteboard Summary:

• What do we need to know about the sun, stellar life cycle, and Kepler's Laws?
  • What are the BIG IDEAS?
  • What are some important details?
• Use words and pictures
• Don't just copy your notes - lots of words isn't great, try to summarize and simplify.

Do this first without any notes. Then review your notes and add to your board

2025.11.03 Earth Science

of the : What came first? The chicken or the egg?