Senior High School Core Subject: Earth Science

Earth Science is one of the core subjects of the senior high school curriculum. Some examples of the things that you will learn from taking this subject include:

 

• The universe and the solar system
  • The formation of the universe and the solar system
  • The subsystems that make up the Earth

• Earth, Materials, and Resources
  • Minerals and rocks
    • the three main categories of rocks
  • Mineral resources
    • the origin and environment of formation of common minerals and rocks
  • Energy resources
    • the various sources of energy (fossil fuels, geothermal, hydroelectric)
  • Water resources
    • the amount of usable water resources on Earth
  • Soil resources
    • the distribution of arable land on Earth
  • Human activity and the environment
    • waste generation and management

• Exogenic Processes
  • weathering, erosion, mass wasting, and sedimentation
• Endogenic Processes
  • folding and faulting of rocks
• Deformation of the Crust
  • the internal structure of the Earth
• Plate Tectonics
  • continental drift
  • seafloor spreading

• History of the Earth
  • Major events in the Earth’s past
  • relative and absolute dating
  • the major subdivisions of geologic time (including index fossils)
  • how the planet Earth evolved in the last 4.6 billion years

While studying, you will also be asked to demonstrate what you have learned by participating in class activities that may include the following:

• Comparing the different hypotheses explaining the origin of the Solar System
• Identifying common rock-forming minerals using their physical and chemical properties
• Identifying the minerals important to society
• Identifying the various water resources on Earth
• Making a concept map and using it to explain how the earth systems are interconnected
• Making a plan that the community may use to conserve and protect its resources
• Preparing a plan that the community may implement to minimize waste
• Making a map showing places where erosion and landslides may pose risks
• Using visual models to predict what could happen as tectonic plates continue to move
• Describing the possible geologic events that occurred in a certain area based on rock layers

These examples only cover the scope of the core subjects. For the scope of the contextualized and specialized subjects, please refer to their respective lists.