Cliffhanger
Earth's Spheres
Grades 5-6

The Mission

19 min

Storyline

Using their knowledge of Earth's sphere interactions, students will help save a cliffside city from falling into the ocean.

This is not a drill. A cliffside town called Oceana was set up years ago on the coastline of Exanis. However, ocean waves and strong currents have been eroding this coastline for years and this is now lea...

3-Dimensional Science

Phenomenon

Earth's systems interact and shape the surface of the planet.

Science and Engineering Practices

Developing and Using Models

Develop and/or use models to describe and/or predict phenomena.

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena, using logical reasoning, mathematics, and/or computation.
Use data to evaluate and refine design solutions.

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solution

Construct an explanation of observed relationships (e.g., the distribution of plants in the back yard).
Use evidence (e.g., measurements, observations, patterns) to construct or support an explanation or design a solution to a problem.
Identify the evidence that supports particular points in an explanation.
Generate and compare multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the design solution.

Crosscutting Concepts

Systems and System Models

Students understand that a system is a group of related parts that make up a whole and can carry out functions its individual parts cannot. They can also describe a system in terms of its components and their interactions.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems

Four major Earth systems interact. Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller pieces and move them around.

Resources

Targeted Standards

Timeline