School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Science, Grade 5

Skills and Processes | Earth/Space | Life | Chemistry | Physics | Environmental
Clarifications: Each clarification provides an explanation of an indicator/objective to help teachers better understand the skills and/or concepts.

Standard 2.0 Earth/Space Science

Topic A. Materials and Processes That Shape A Planet

Indicator 2. Cite and describe the processes that cause rapid or slow changes in Earth's surface.

Objective a. Identify and describe events such as tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and flooding which change surface features rapidly.

Clarification

Earth's surface features can change rapidly during brief violent events such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and volcanic eruptions. These natural processes can reshape the Earth's surface in a matter of minutes, hours, or days.

  Cause Effect
Earthquakes Occur when molten rock below the Earth's surface causes solid rock masses to move against each other on or below the Earth's surface.

The masses touch at a fault. A fault is a fracture in the Earth's crust between two rock masses.
 		 Rock masses can move vertically or horizontally in relation to each other

Landslides and rockslides
Tornadoes Rising air within a thunderstorm updraft tilts rotating air from horizontal to vertical. Strong winds
Displaced soil
Hurricanes Very large and violent tropical storms
Winds greater than 75 mph (121 kph)
Start as small thunderstorms over warm water. Heat from the water fuels the storm.
Winds and moisture swirl upward and increase the storm's strength.		 Flooding
Landslides
Coastal erosion
Floods Caused by long, steady, heavy rains or by rapid melting of large amounts of snow.
The soil cannot absorb the water fast enough.
The water runs into rivers which then overflow.		 Soil is swept away from one place and deposited in another place
Volcanic eruptions Volcanic eruptions occur when a rupture in the Earth's surface allows hot molten rock or ash to escape from below the surface. A "cone" of rocks and magma forms above the surface.
Atmospheric pollution
Lava overlays landscape
/instruction/clarification/science/grade5/xml/2A2a.xml
Resources for Objective 2.A.2.a:
CLARIFICATIONS | Public Release Items |