Earth and Beyond

 

4.1 Students recognise and analyse some interactions (including the weather) between systems of Earth and beyond.

4.2 Students collect information which illustrates that changes on Earth and in the solar system occur on different scales of time and space.

Some interactions between systems of the Earth:

·          between atmosphere, water and land — weather, water cycle

·          between land and water — weathering, erosion, mountain building, changing course of rivers, formation of rocks  (sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous)

Some interactions between systems beyond Earth:

·          between Earth, moon and sun — moon phases, tides, eclipses, day, night, seasons

·          interactions in the solar system — orbits, rotations

·          asteroids, meteors, comets

·          space exploration

Changes occurring on different scales of time and space:

·          sites and rates of erosion compared to the sites and rates of rock formation

·          timelines involved in various erosion and deposition processes — the rock cycle

·          catastrophic events (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, flooding, tsunamis) and size of affected areas

·          movement of pollutants

·          magnitude of atmospheric events — storms compared to cyclones

·          climatic changes, rainfall and temperature patterns, El Ni–o and La Ni–a

·          continental drift

·          time space probes take to pass various bodies

·          times for revolutions and rotations

4.3 Students summarise information to compare ways in which different communities use resources from the Earth and beyond.

 

Community use of Earth’s resources:

·          making bricks, dyes, petrochemical products, pottery

·          extracting products from ores, fossil fuels

·          using waterways — transport, irrigation, washing, bathing, town water supplies, recreation

·          farming, recreation, forestry

·          use of land and water

Community use of resources from beyond:

·          sun’s radiation

·          navigation using sun and stars

·          yearly calendar, time of day, omens

·          to determine crop plantings and harvesting

·          festivals and religious events

·          information from the universe