STAAR Need to Know 1 STAAR Reporting Category 3 Earth and Space Middle School Science Science STAAR Need to Know

STAAR Need to Know 2 Changes in the Earth over time Weathering- the process of rocks being broken down into smaller pieces.

STAAR Need to Know 3 Two types of Weathering Mechanical Rocks break into smaller pieces by physical means – Water, ice, wind, gravity, organisms & changing temperatures Chemical Rocks break into smaller pieces by chemical reactions – Air, water, acid & salts react with minerals in rocks to form new substances

STAAR Need to Know 4 Erosion The movement of particles from one location to another is erosion The movement of particles from one location to another is erosion Weathered particles of rock are transported by gravity, living organisms, water, glaciers & wind. Weathered particles of rock are transported by gravity, living organisms, water, glaciers & wind. Destructive

STAAR Need to Know 5Deposition The settling (depositing) of eroded particles as sediments wherever they are transported by wind or water. The settling (depositing) of eroded particles as sediments wherever they are transported by wind or water. Constructive

LAND & EROSIONAL FEATURES STAAR Need to Know 6

7 Rock Cycle

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9 Plate Tectonics Plate tectonics explains the movement of large sections of Earth’s crust called tectonic plates. The force behind tectonic plate movement is thought to be currents of magma flowing in Earth’s mantle.

PLATE TECTONICS STAAR Need to Know 10

STAAR Need to Know 11 Plate boundaries Tectonic plates slowly collide against one another along plate boundaries. Sections of the plates may break off and be pushed down, up, or to the side. Mountain ranges, ocean trenches, earthquakes & volcanic activity are all common along plate boundaries. Pacific Plate is the largest

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STAAR Need to Know 15 All the land that drains into a specific body of water. Groundwater and surface water both contribute to the water in a watershed. Surface water becomes groundwater by soaking into the sand and soil or by traveling through cracks in rock.

STAAR Need to Know 16 Two important ways that oceans affect climate on land 1.Land heats up faster than water because land has a lower specific heat than water does. This causes the air over land to heat faster than the air over water. The warm air rises, starting a convection current that pulls air toward land from the ocean. This keeps air over the land from getting too hot and brings moist ocean air inland. 2.Warm air holds more water vapor than cold air does. When warm, moist air is cooled, clouds form and can produce precipitation. This warm air can be cooled by rising into the colder upper atmosphere, by moving over cold ocean or lakes, or by mixing with colder air. (Ex. Front boundary- the edge where cool, dry air meets warm, moist air. Often causes stormy weather)

WEATHER SYSTEM STAAR Need to Know 17

WEATHER SYSTEMS STAAR Need to Know 18

WEATHER & CLIMATE STAAR Need to Know 19

WEATHER & CLIMATE STAAR Need to Know 20

STAAR Need to Know 21 Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen changes back & forth from nitrogen gas to the nitrogen compounds used by plants & animals. Nitrogen is passed from plants to other organisms through food webs in the ecosystem. Once plants & animals use the nitrogen it returns to the atmosphere as a gas, completing the cycle. Some fertilizers contain nitrogen compounds because plants need nitrogen to grow. Though there is plenty of nitrogen gas in the atmosphere, plants can’t use this form. In nature nitrogen can be changed from a gas to a form that plants can use by lightning or by soil bacteria and fungi in a process called nitrogen fixation.

STAAR Need to Know 22 Problems if too much Nitrogen in environment

STAAR Need to Know 23 Carbon Cycle

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STAAR Need to Know 26 Effects of carbon on environment One of the biggest ways humans affect the carbon cycle is by burning fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels transforms carbon into carbon dioxide. Higher levels of carbon dioxide cause the atmosphere to hold more heat energy. This may be the cause of warmer temperatures measured in recent years on Earth. (Called “The Greenhouse Effect”) This could affect the climate in many places. The kinds of plants and animals in these climates may change if the warming continues.

STAAR Need to Know 27 Without the carbon and nitrogen cycles, there would be no life on earth!

STAAR Need to Know 28 Catastrophic events affect the earth

STAAR Need to Know 29 Ways humans affect the earth Two common forms of pollution: 1.Gases released into the atmosphere 2.Chemicals that are carried by water into a watershed

STAAR Need to Know 30 Humans can cause extinctions Human can change: The quality of the air, water & soil we use Ecosystems by removing plants & animals & by introducing new species, such as invasive plants & pets Invasive species don’t naturally live in the ecosystem where they are introduced. Invasive species compete with/or drive out native species (species that live naturally in an ecosystem) FIRE ANTS- invasive species- accidentally introduced to North America from South America. They have few predators in NA & aggressively attack & kill many kinds of native plants & animals. They have upset the balance of ecosystems in many southern states.

STAAR Need to Know 31 Renewable

STAAR Need to Know 32 Non renewable

STAAR Need to Know 33 Inexhaustible

STAAR Need to Know 34 Eclipses

STAAR Need to Know 35 Solar eclipse When the moon is aligned so that its shadow falls on Earth’s surface, the sun’s light is blocked from reaching part of the Earth. Called solar eclipse because it’s the sun that is being blocked from our view.

STAAR Need to Know 36 A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon. This puts the moon in Earth’s shadow. Lunar Eclipse

STAAR Need to Know 37 4 main Phases of the Moon

STAAR Need to Know 38 Moon phase diagram

LUNAR CYCLE STAAR Need to Know 39

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STAAR Need to Know 41 Moon’s Revolution & Rotation

STAAR Need to Know 42 Seasons Have you ever noticed that the sun travels lower across the sky in winter than in summer? This is because Earth is tilted on its axis at a 23.5 o angle. During winter part of Earth tilts away from the sun. This causes the sun’s rays to strike that part of Earth at a lower angle than in the summer.

EARTH’S REVOLUTION It takes 365 ¼ days for Earth to complete 1 revolution around the sun STAAR Need to Know 43

STAAR Need to Know 44 Seasons- Remember it’s the TILT of the Earth that causes the seasons

STAAR Need to Know 45 Winter Solstice- shortest day of the year Days are shorter & nights are longer during winter. This occurs in December in the Northern Hemisphere & in June in the Southern Hemisphere. Each hemisphere receives less sunlight & therefore less heat energy during the winter. This is why temperatures are colder during winter.

STAAR Need to Know 46 Summer Solstice- longest day of the year This occurs in June in the Northern Hemisphere and in December in the Southern Hemisphere. Earth’s revolution around the sun causes part of the Earth to tilt toward the sun at different times of the year. This causes that part of the Earth to receive more sunlight at a more direct angle. This is why days are longer and nights are shorter.

STAAR Need to Know 47 Equinox Equinox- means “Equal Night” Daytime lasts exactly as long as nighttime on the first day of autumn – the Autumnal Equinox (about September 21) and the first day of spring - the Vernal Equinox (about March 21).

STAAR Need to Know 48 8 Planets 8 Planets

STAAR Need to Know 49 The Sun & Gravity

THE BIG BANG THEORY The most widely accepted theory for the formation of the universe. The most widely accepted theory for the formation of the universe. It states that all matter & energy were once packed into a tiny particles smaller than speck of dust. It states that all matter & energy were once packed into a tiny particles smaller than speck of dust. This particle was incredibly hot & dense which suddenly began to expand. This particle was incredibly hot & dense which suddenly began to expand. Overtime universe cooled & continued to expand. Overtime universe cooled & continued to expand. Evidence suggest that big bang took place about 13.7 billions years ago. Evidence suggest that big bang took place about 13.7 billions years ago. STAAR Need to Know 50

STAAR Need to Know 51 The Sun is a Star Our sun is a medium-size yellow star. It is 4.6 billion years old. In the sun, hydrogen undergoes nuclear fusion, a process that releases vast amounts of energy. During fusion hydrogen atoms join to form helium atoms. Hydrogen fusion is the source of light, heat, and other radiation from the sun.

STAAR Need to Know 52 Comets Comets are made of various solids (like dirt & dust) and ice crystals. When their orbits take them close to the sun, dust and ice heat up to produce a “tail” behind the comet. Larger comets may even become visible without the aid of a telescope.

STAAR Need to Know 53 Asteroids Asteroids are rocky and usually follow regular orbits around the sun. Asteroid belt- the area between Mars and Jupiter that contains many asteroids orbiting the sun.

STAAR Need to Know 54 Nebulae Nebulae are huge clouds of dust and gas. Some scientists think that our solar system was formed from nebula.

LIFE CYCLE OF A STAR Nebula Nuclear Fusion Protostar Main Sequence Red Giant White Dwarf Supernova Neutron Star Black Dwarf Black Hole STAAR Need to Know 55

STAAR Need to Know 56 Galaxies are groups of millions or billions of stars. The galaxy we live in is the Milky Way galaxy and has over 100 billion stars. It would take 100,000 light years to travel across it!

STAAR Need to Know ,000,000 meters per second is the same as 300,000 kilometers per second. That’s the Speed of Light!

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STAAR Need to Know 59 Closest star to Earth (besides the Sun) Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to our Solar System. Traveling at the speed of light, it would take about 4 years & 3 months to reach it from Earth. (That makes it about 280,000 times farther away from Earth than our sun!)

STAAR Need to Know 60 H-R Diagram In the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram each star is represented by a dot. Stars are plotted by their luminosity (brightness) and surface temperature.

DISTANCES & PROPERTIES IN THE UNIVERSE STAAR Need to Know 61

DISTANCES & PROPERTIES IN THE UNIVERSE STAAR Need to Know 62 Red Shift: moving away & Blue Shift: coming closer

TYPES OF TELESCOPES TelescopesType of RadiationSources of RadiationSome Uses OpticalVisible lightStars, planets, moons To study the size, composition, & movement of starts & galaxies RadioRadio waves Galaxies, stars, black holes To find black holes & map galaxies UltravioletUltraviolet light Distant stars, clouds of dust & gas To map sources & analyze their composition InfraredInfrared lightStars & galaxies To study planets around other stars X-Ray Hot gases & exploding stars To study gas clouds between galaxies STAAR Need to Know 63