Quarter 1 Concepts
Cycle 1
 Identify the components of earth's crust
 Compare and contrast the components of earth's inner and outer cores
 Identify the location of convection currents that result in movement of
tectonic plates
 Explain why similar fossils are found on different continents
Cycle 2
 Determine how the direction of a convection current effects tectonic plate
movement
 Sequence the steps of new land formation through seafloor spreading (3)
 Identify the effects of different types of plate boundaries on earth's crust
 Relate plate boundary movements to their resulting landforms, including:
mountains, faults, rift valleys, trenches, volcanoes (6)
 Sequence the stages of erosion and deposition
 Identify the stage of sediment based on its shape, e.g., round, jagged edges
(2)
 Identify causes for earthquakes
Cycle 3
 Determine the environmental changes that took place over time based on
a diagram of fossil and rock layers
 Identify changes in the fossil record due to earth's processes, e.g.,
volcanism, erosion
 Identify the conditions that resulted in coal beds
 Identify a type of volcano based on its formation and composition