Earth Science

This class will cover  the general properties of the earth’s geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.  Students learn about all the sections of the geosphere (such as core, mantle, crust, etc.) and then they study each in more detail.  When studying the earth’s crust, they learn about minerals, rocks, and the rock cycle.  Plate tectonics is then covered, which leads to a discussion of seismic waves, earthquakes, and volcanoes.  Topics such as water polarity, the ability to hydrogen bond, and heat capacity are discussed during the hydrosphere unit study.  Students will then dabble into oceanography.  The atmosphere is then discussed, including the composition of air, the sections of the atmosphere, temperature gradients, and pollutants.  This leads to a discussion of weather.  The course ends with two chapters on space, one that covers the solar system and one that covers the universe as a whole.