Earth's Formation & Early Earth History Activity Bundle HS-ESS1-6

Launch student learning into Earth’s ancient history with this activity bundle. In this resource collection, student investigations begin four billion years ago with the formation of the Solar System and a planet that looks wildly unlike the place we live today. This storyline is designed to address topics like the formation of the Solar System, Earth, and Earth’s Moon, as well as Kepler’s Laws. (Note: The resources included in this bundle provide a starting point for learning, but they do not represent a complete storyline.)

This resource bundle works toward student mastery of the Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and/or Crosscutting Concepts in the tagged Performance Expectations. 

Learn more about the intentions for this unit at https://iexplorescience.com/earth-science-curriculum/

This unit digs into questions like:

• How did the Solar System form?
• How did Earth form? 
• What was “early Earth” like?
• What is the Moon, and how did we “get” it?
• How does studying other planetary bodies help us understand our own planet?
• How do scientists use evidence to construct an account of the formation of the universe, solar system, and Earth?

This Bundle Includes:

• A Closer Look At The Moon(s)
• Earth’s Formation and Early History – Digital and Print Workbook
• Ancient Evidence: Earth’s Formation Early History
• Formation Of The Moon
• Orbital Motion - Digital Simulation Exploration
• Exploring Factors That Affect Gravity and Gravitational Force Simulation
• Processes In Solar System Formation - Video Analysis
• Timeline Of Earth’s History - Card Sort Review

This Bundle Includes:

• 50+ student pages
• detailed teacher lesson guides
• complete answer keys + rubrics

*While this bundle was not fully designed for virtual learning, some of the included resources are compatible with distance learning and include Google Slides digital workbooks.

How can this unit be used?

• launch student-driven storylines where questions sparked by engaging phenomena lead learning toward the standards
• engage students in three-dimensional explorations to uncover the science content
• follow up explorations with meaning-making reviews and extension tasks 
• develop student understanding of Earth’s ancient history and how the Solar System formed
• support students in analyzing data and constructing explanations from evidence
• most resources can be used by students individually or in small groups
• meet the intent of the NGSS through three dimensional learning

How much class time will this take?

• These resources alone can likely be completed in up to two weeks.
• This bundle is designed to supplement other activities you are incorporating into your NGSS-aligned unit, though. Therefore, this time frame does not account for additional resources and activities you may incorporate into your unit storyline.
• Storyline length can always be adapted to fit your needs.

This activity works towards the following Disciplinary Core Ideas:

• ESS1.C The History of Planet Earth Although active geologic processes, such as plate tectonics and erosion, have destroyed or altered most of the early rock record on Earth, other objects in the solar system, such as lunar rocks, asteroids, and meteorites, have changed little over billions of years. Studying these objects can provide information about Earth’s formation and early history.
• PS1.C Nuclear Processes Spontaneous radioactive decays follow a characteristic exponential decay law. Nuclear lifetimes allow radiometric dating to be used to determine the ages of rocks and other materials.
• ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System Kepler’s laws describe common features of the motions of orbiting objects, including their elliptical paths around the sun. Orbits may change due to the gravitational effects from, or collisions with, other objects in the solar system.

Can I see an example of how you structure your lessons and student materials?

Download my Let's Talk Trash Anchor Phenomenon freebieHERE</a>!

What if I have questions?

You can email me at nvantassel@iexplorescience.com with questions about resources or implementation. I'm happy to help!

Check Out These Related Resources

Evidence For The Big Bang Theory BUNDLE - HS-ESS1-2

Evidence for Earth's Structure & Earth's Interior Layers - NGSS HS-ESS2-3

Evidence For Plate Tectonics Bundle - HS-ESS1-5 - Rocks & Surface Features

Catastrophic Cycles - Geoscience Processes & Plate Tectonics Storyline Bundle

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