Earth Science for 6th Grade

A Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) Implementation Guide

Earth science, as presented by the Georgia Performance Standards, consists of astronomy, meteorology, oceanography, and geology. Realizing that all of these disciplines interact on Earth, one need not teach them as separate units in isolation. We believe students need to see the connections within the disciplines, and we encourage you to integrate the disciplines and standards as much as possible. Your creativity will make this a reality.

Founded in 1989, Georgia Youth Science & Technology Centers, Inc. (GYSTC) is a private, non-profit educational organization designed to increase interest and enthusiasm in science and the technologies, particularly among elementary and middle school teachers and students. The home office of GYSTC is headquartered at Chattahoochee Technical College. There are thirteen regional centers located around the state.

This curriculum document has been created to assist you on your journey through the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). The Backward Design Model (McTighe, Jay and G. Wiggins, Understanding by Design, ASCD, 1998) was used as a framework for developing units of study. We found the model to be very helpful to us as we “unpacked” the state standards. In the Backward Design Model, the standards and essential learning—what students should know and be able to do—are addressed up front. Assessment, instruction and learning activities are aligned with the Georgia Performance Standards. We also relied on the valuable information found in Benchmarks for Science Literacy (Oxford University Press, 1993). The curriculum is intended to help students think and problem-solve in a scientific manner, and to possess a sound scientific knowledge base. We see this as a living document—something you can add to and revise to suit your individual needs. Your creativity will breathe life into our work.

In addition, we feel that science can and should be integrated with other subject areas. We trust that you will work with your colleagues in language arts, social studies, mathematics and other disciplines as you plan your year of instruction. The process skills we are so found of in science are quite similar to the ones used in teaching students to read. And one only has to reflect on the discovery of gold in the north Georgia mountains to see Earth science’s role in history.

Earth science is dynamic. In fact, it rocks! We hope this document will inspire you and assist you as you share the wonders of science with your sixth grade students. In reality, this document itself is dynamic. Had it not been for a deadline, we would have kept adding to it and changing it. We look forward to sharing it with you, learning from you, and adding “souvenirs” to it from our journey together.
 

 

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