Catastrophic Cycles - Geoscience Processes & Plate Tectonics Storyline Bundle

Engage students in learning about Earth's structure, geoscience processes, and plate tectonic theory by investigating the eruption of Mount Vesuvius is 79AD. This bundle of resources is designed to spark and guide student learning into Earth’s geology, specifically matter and energy in its interior, the geoscience processes that shape Earth’s surface, how Earth’s surface has changed over time (plate tectonics), and the interaction between society and these processes. 

Specifically, the anchor experience prepares students to investigate three pathways:

• What are volcanoes? What is inside Earth? How does matter and energy move in Earth’s interior? How do volcanoes form? What happens when volcanoes erupt? What causes volcanic eruptions?
• How do geoscience processes change Earth’s surface? How do volcanic eruptions affect Earth’s surface? What are the impacts of geoscience processes on the Earth? How has Earth’s surface changed? What causes these changes? What is plate tectonic theory? What are the impacts (positive and negative) of geoscience processes in human society?
• How can we prepare for catastrophic events? How do we study volcanoes? Can we predict volcanic eruptions? What are seismic waves? How do we measure waves? How can we minimize damage caused by catastrophic events?

This Curiosity Spark (Storyline Starter) is designed to tie to:

*Catastrophic Cycles bundle material may not fully assess every standard listed below.

Please read the complete description below to understand what you are purchasing or watch this video overview: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/689802994/ff6ddc1c5b

• MS-ESS2-1 Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the processes of melting, crystallization, weathering, deformation, and sedimentation, which act together to form minerals and rocks through the cycling of Earth’s materials.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the identification and naming of minerals.]
• MS-ESS2-2 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying time and spatial scales. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how processes change Earth’s surface at time and spatial scales that can be large (such as slow plate motions or the uplift of large mountain ranges) or small (such as rapid landslides or microscopic geochemical reactions), and how many geoscience processes (such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and meteor impacts) usually behave gradually but are punctuated by catastrophic events. Examples of geoscience processes include surface weathering and deposition by the movements of water, ice, and wind. Emphasis is on geoscience processes that shape local geographic features, where appropriate.]
• MS-ESS2-3 Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions. [Clarification Statement: Examples of data include similarities of rock and fossil types on different continents, the shapes of the continents (including continental shelves), and the locations of ocean structures (such as ridges, fracture zones, and trenches).] [Assessment Boundary: Paleomagnetic anomalies in oceanic and continental crust are not assessed.]
• MS-ESS3-1 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth’s mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how these resources are limited and typically non-renewable, and how their distributions are significantly changing as a result of removal by humans. Examples of uneven distributions of resources as a result of past processes include but are not limited to petroleum (locations of the burial of organic marine sediments and subsequent geologic traps), metal ores (locations of past volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with subduction zones), and soil (locations of active weathering and/or deposition of rock).]
• MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how some natural hazards, such as volcanic eruptions and severe weather, are preceded by phenomena that allow for reliable predictions, but others, such as earthquakes, occur suddenly and with no notice, and thus are not yet predictable. Examples of natural hazards can be taken from interior processes (such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions), surface processes (such as mass wasting and tsunamis), or severe weather events (such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods). Examples of data can include the locations, magnitudes, and frequencies of the natural hazards. Examples of technologies can be global (such as satellite systems to monitor hurricanes or forest fires) or local (such as building basements in tornado-prone regions or reservoirs to mitigate droughts).]