Earth Science Instructional Guide

Earth and Space Science

Stars

Quarter 1

McGraw Hill Module 23

Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the life span of the Sun and the role of nuclear fusion that includes: ● Hydrogen as the sun’s fuel ● Helium and energy as the products of fusion processes in the sun, ● The sun, like all stars, has a life span based primarily on its initial mass, ● The sun’s lifespan is about 10 billion years. ● Energy transfer mechanisms that allow energy from nuclear fusion to reach Earth. ● Evidence could include: Relationships Students identify the following relationships between components of the given model: ● As a star ages the proportion of elements changes and new elements form. ● Gravity is the balancing force to nuclear fusion. A star explodes when gravity can no longer contain it. Connections Students use the model to illustrate: ● How the relative proportions of hydrogen to helium change as the sun ages. DIFFERENTIATION IN ACTION ○ Observations of the masses and lifetimes of other stars ○ Evidence of heavy elements after supernova explosions ○ Non-cyclic variations over centuries

Skill Building

STEM Unit Project- Have students apply what they learned in their module to their Unit Projects

Extension

Data Analysis Lab: Can you identify elements in a star? (p. 660)

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

Standard 1.1 Standard 1.3

ELA CONNECTIONS

● Cite specifc textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account. ● Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information. ● Write arguments focused on discipline - specifc content. ● Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientifc procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.