Shaping the land California Geology and Geography Level 4 CA

CALIFORNIA ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS- Grade 4 READING 1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development Word Recognition 1.1 Read narrative and expository text alou

Project GLAD East Bay Teacher Institute Shaping the Land: Geology and Geography of California

Level 4

IDEA PAGES

I UNIT THEME – Geology affects the Geography of California and the World, and the formation of the earth is a dynamic, ever

evolving process Climate Change is accelerating this process.

 Powerful forces have shaped the earth, and continue to transform the land where we live.

 Climate Change is accelerating the rate which our land transforms through these natural processes.

 Cross Cultural Theme

 Different cultures have stories and legends that explain natural phenomena and answer questions about how Earth was created and changes.

 Living things in California and around the world are affected by climate change Working together, we can help save our planet.

 Realia – Rocks and minerals, topographic Map of California and Globe

 Poetry and Chants

 Field Trip to Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the Oakland Museum of California

 Science Videos: Bill Nye the Science Guy: Weathering and Erosion and The Earth’s Crust

III CLOSURE/ASSESSMENT

 Process charts

 Share Big Books

 Personal Explorations

 Student Made Big Book

 Topographic Map of California with paragraph on different aspect of California region, including landforms found there, types of rocks present, processes that formed it, and impact of climate change in that region.

 Ongoing, Formative Assessment: CCD predictions, Team Tasks, Learning Logs and Home-School Connections



IV CONCEPTS - Grade 4

 Similarities and differences among landforms

 Fast and Slow processes

 Climate Change and its impact on the earth

 Different cultures use legends and stories to explain these occurrences

 Calfornia as a unique geography and varied landforms

a Students know how to differentiate among igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks by referring to their

properties and methods of formation (the rock cycle) (Exposed to this concept, not the focus).

5.0 Waves, wind, water, and ice shape and reshape Earth's land surface As a basis for understanding this concept:

a Students know some changes in the earth are due to slow processes, such as erosion, and some changes are due to

rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes

b Students know natural processes, including freezing and thawing and the growth of roots, cause rocks to break

down into smaller pieces

c Students know moving water erodes landforms, reshaping the land by taking it away from some places and

depositing it as pebbles, sand, silt, and mud in other places (weathering, transport, and deposition).

IDEA PAGES 2

Investigation and Experimentation

6.0 Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations As a basis

for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations

a Differentiate observation from inference (interpretation) and know scientists' explanations come partly

from what they observe and partly from how they interpret their observations.

c Formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships

f Follow a set of written instructions for a scientific investigation

VI CALIFORNIA HISTORY/ SOCIAL SCIENCE STANDARDS – Grade 4

4.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the physical and human geographic features that define places and regions in California

4.1.1 Explain and use the coordinate grid system of latitude and longitude to determine the absolute

locations of places in California and on Earth.

4.1.2 Distinguish between the North and South poles; the equator and the prime meridian; the tropics;

and the hemispheres using coordinates to plot locations.

4.1.3 Identify the state capital and describe the various regions of California, including how their

characteristics and physical environments affect human activity.

4.1.4 Identify the locations of the Pacific Ocean, rivers, valleys, and mountain passes and explain their

effects on the growth of towns.

5 Use maps, charts, and pictures to describe how communities in California vary in land use, vegetation,

wildlife, climate, population density, architecture, services, and transportation.

VII CALIFORNIA ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS- Grade 4

READING 1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development

Word Recognition 1.1 Read narrative and expository text aloud with grade-appropriate fluency and accuracy and with

appropriate spacing, intonation, and expression.

Vocabulary and Concept Development 1.2 Apply knowledge of word origins, derivations, synonyms, antonyms, and idioms to determine the

meaning of words and phrases.

1.3 Use knowledge of root words to determine the meaning of unknown words within a passage 1.4 Know common roots and affixes derived from Greek and Latin and use this knowledge to analyze

the meaning of complex words.

1.5 Use a thesaurus to determine related words and concepts

1.6 Distinguish and interpret words with multiple meanings

2.0 Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material They draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies as needed

Structural Features of Informational Materials 2.1 Identify structural patterns found in informational text Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 2.2 Use appropriate strategies when reading for different purposes

2.3 Make and confirm predictions about text by using prior knowledge and ideas presented in the text

itself, including illustrations, titles, topic sentences, important words, and foreshadowing clues.

2.5 Compare and contrast information on the same topic after reading several passages or articles

2.6 Distinguish between cause and effect and between fact and opinion in expository text

2.7 Follow multiple-step instructions in a basic technical manual

3.0 Literary Responses and Analysis:

Structural Features of Literature 3.1 Describe the structural differences of various imaginative forms of literature, including fantasies,

fables, myths, legends, and fairy tales.

Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 3.2 Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions 3.3 Use knowledge of the situation and setting and of a character’s traits and motivations to determine

the causes for the character’s actions.

3.4 Compare and contrast tales from different cultures by tracing the exploits of one character type and

IDEA PAGES 3

WRITING 1.0 Writing Strategies 2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)

2.1 Write narratives 2.2 Write Responses to literature 2.3 Write information reports 2.4 Write summaries that contain the main ideas of the reading selection and the most significant details WRITTEN and ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS

1.0Written and Oral English Language Conventions Sentence Structure

1.1 Use simple and compound sentences in writing and speaking

1.2 Combine short, related sentences with appositives, participial phrases, adjectives, adverbs, and

in contractions.

1.5 Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to identify titles of documents

Capitalization 1.6 Capitalize names of magazines, newspapers, works of art, musical compositions, organizations, and

the first words in quotations when appropriate.

Spelling 1.7 Spell correctly roots, inflections, suffixes and prefixes, and syllable constructions

LISTENING and SPEAKING

1.0 Listening and Speaking Strategies Comprehension

1.1 Ask thoughtful questions and respond to relevant questions with appropriate elaboration in oral

settings.

1.2 Summarize major ideas and supporting evidence presented in spoken messages and formal

presentations.

1.3 Identify how language usage reflect regions and cultures

1.4 Give precise directions and instructions

Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication 1.5 Present effective introductions and conclusions that guide and inform the listener’s understanding of

important ideas and evidence.

1.6 Use traditional structures for conveying information

1.7 Emphasize points in a way that help the listener or viewer to follow important ideas and concepts 1.8 Use details, examples, anecdotes, or experiences to explain or clarify information

1.9 Use volume, pitch, phrasing, pace, modulation, and gestures appropriately to enhance meaning Analysis and Evaluation of Oral Media Communication

1.10 Evaluate the role of the media in focusing attention on events and in forming opinions on issues 2.0 Speaking Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)

2.1 Make narrative presentations 2.2 Make informational presentations 2.3 Deliver oral summaries of articles and books that contain the main ideas of the event or article and

the most significant details.

2.4 Recite brief poems, soliloquies, or dramatic dialogues, using clear diction, tempo, volume, and

phrasing

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VIII CALIFORNIA ELD STANDARDS – Grades 3-5

Listening and Speaking (Grades 3-5 ELD Standards) Comprehension

B: Speak with few words/sentences

Answer simple questions with one/two word response Retell familiar stories/participate in short conversations/using gestures

EI: Ask/answer questions using phrases/simple sentences

Restate/execute multi step oral directions

I: Ask/answer questions using support elements

Identify key details from stories/information

EA: Identify main points/support details from content areas A: Identify main points/support details from stories & subject areas

Respond to & use idiomatic expressions appropriately

Comprehension, Organization & Delivery of Oral Communication B: Uses common social greetings

EI: Identify main points of simple conversations/stories

Communicate basic needs Recite rhymes/songs/simple stories

I: Speak with Standard English grammatical forms/sounds

Participate in social conversations by asking/answering questions Retell stories/share school activities using vocabulary, descriptive words / paraphrasing

EA: Retell stories including characters, setting, plot, summary, analysis

Use Standard English grammatical forms/sounds/intonation/pitch Initiate social conversations by asking & answering questions/restating & soliciting information

Appropriate speaking based on purpose, audience, subject matter Ask/answer instructional questions

Use figurative language & idiomatic expressions

A: Question/restate/paraphrase in social conversations

Speak/write based on purpose, audience, & subject matter Identify main idea, point of view, & fact/fiction in broadcast & print media

Use Standard English grammatical forms/sounds/intonation/pitch

Reading - Word Analysis (Grades 3-5 ELD Standards)

Concepts about Print, Phonemic Awareness, Decoding & Word Recognition

B: Recognize familiar phonemes

Recognize sound/symbol relationships in own writing

EI: Read orally recognizing/producing phonemes not in primary language

Recognize morphemes in phrases/simple sentences

I: Read aloud with correct pronunciation of most phonemes

Use common morphemes in oral & silent reading

EA: Use knowledge of morphemes to derive meaning from literature/texts in content areas A: Use roots & affixes to derive meaning

Reading - Fluency & Systematic Vocabulary Development

(Grades 3-5 ELD Standards)

Vocabulary & Concept Development B: Read aloud simple words in stories/games

Respond to social & academic interactions Demonstrate comprehension of simple vocabulary with action Retell simple stories with drawings, words, phrases

Uses phrases/single word to communicate basic needs

IDEA PAGES 5

EI: Use content vocabulary in discussions/reading

Read simple vocabulary, phrases & sentences independently Use morphemes, phonics, syntax to decode & comprehend words Recognize & correct grammar, usage, word choice in speaking or reading aloud Read own narrative & expository text aloud with pacing, intonation, expression

I: Create dictionary of frequently used words

Decode/comprehend meaning of unfamiliar words in texts Recognize & correct grammar, usage, word choice in speaking or reading aloud Read grade level narrative/expository text aloud with pacing, intonation, expression Use content vocabulary in discussions/reading

Recognize common roots & affixes

EA: Use morphemes, phonics, syntax to decode/comprehend words

Recognize multiple meaning words in content literature & texts Use common roots & affixes

Use standard dictionary to find meanings Recognize analogies & metaphors in content literature & texts Use skills/knowledge to achieve independent reading

Use idioms in discussions & reading Read complex narrative & expository texts aloud with pacing, intonation, expression

A: Apply common roots & affixes knowledge to vocabulary

Recognize multiple meaning words Apply academic & social vocabulary to achieve independent read

Use idioms, analogies & metaphors in discussion & reading Use standard dictionary to find meanings

Read narrative & expository text aloud with pacing, intonation

Reading Comprehension B: Answer fact questions using one/two word response

Connect simple test read aloud to personal experience Understand & follow one-step directions

Sequence events from stories read aloud using key words/phrase Identify main idea using key words/phrases

Identify text features: title/table of contents/chapter headings Follow simple two-step directions

EI: Use simple sentences to give details from simple stories

Connect text to personal experience Identify sequence of text using simple sentences Read & identify main ideas to draw inferences Identify text features: title, table of contents, chapter headings

Identify fact/opinion in grade level text read aloud to students

I: Orally respond to comprehension questions about written text

Read text features: titles, table of contents, headings, diagrams, charts, glossaries, indexes Identify main idea to make predictions & support details

Orally describe connections between text & personal experience Follow multi-step directions for classroom activities

Identify examples of fact/opinion & cause/effect in literature/content texts

EA: Give main idea with supporting detail from grade level text

Generate & respond to text-related comprehension questions Describe relationships between text & personal experience Identify function of text features: format/diagrams/charts/glossary Draw conclusions & make inferences using text resources Find examples of fact, opinion, inference, & cause/effect in text Identify organizational patterns in text: sequence, chronology

A: Make inferences/generalizations, draw conclusions from grade level text resources

Describe main ideas with support detail from text Identify patterns in text: compare/contrast, sequence/ cause/effect

EI: Write narratives that include setting and character

Respond to literature using simple sentences, drawings, lists, chart Write paragraphs of at least four sentences

Write words/simple sentences in content areas Write friendly letter

Produce independent writing

I: Narrate sequence of events

Produce independent writing Use variety of genres in writing Create paragraph developing central idea using grammatical form Use complex vocabulary & sentences in all content areas

Write a letter with detailed sentences

EA: Write detailed summary of story

Arrange compositions with organizational patterns Independently write responses to literature Use complex vocabulary & sentences in all content areas Write a persuasive letter with relevant evidence

Write multi-paragraph narrative & expository for content areas

A: Write short narrative for all content areas

Write persuasive composition Write narratives that describe setting, character, objects, events Write multi-paragraph narrative & expository compositions Independently use all steps of writing process

Writing Conventions B: Begin own name and sentences with capital letter

Use period at end of sentence

EI: Begin proper nouns & sentences with capital letter

Use period at end of sentence/use some commas Edit for basic conventions

I: Produce independent writing

Use standard word order

EA: Produce independent writing with correct capitals, punctuation, spelling

Use standard word order Edit for basic conventions

A: Use complete sentences and correct order

Use correct parts of speech Edit for punctuation, capitalization, spelling Produce writing with command of standard conventions

Reading Literary Response and Analysis (Grades 3-5 ELD Standards) Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level Appropriate Text

B: One/two-word oral responses to factual comprehension questions

Word/phrase oral response identifying characters and settings Distinguish between fiction & non-fiction

Identify fairy tales, folk tale, myth, legend using lists, charts, tables

EI: Orally answer factual questions using simple sentences

Orally identify main events in plot Recite simple poems

Orally describe setting of literature piece Orally distinguish among poetry, drama, short story

IDEA PAGES 7

I: Paraphrase response to text using expanded vocabulary

Apply knowledge of language to derive meaning from text

EA: Describe figurative language

Distinguish literary connotations from culture to culture Identify motives of characters

Describe themes stated directly Identify speaker/narrator in text Identify main problem of plot and how it is resolved Recognize first & third person in literary text

A: Describe characteristics of poetry, drama, fiction & non-fiction

Evaluate author’s use of techniques to influence reader Describe directly stated & implied themes

Compare & contrast motives of characters in work of fiction

Maps – topographic and regular – reading a map Diagrams – extracting information from a diagram, drawing diagrams to represent information

Classify objects Scientific thinking processes: observing, communicating, comparing, ordering, categorizing, relating, inferring, applying

Participation and study skills

IDEA PAGES 8

X VOCABULARY

weathering

physical weathering

sediments

movement

tectonics

XI RESOURCE LIST

Content Books

Brian Knapp, 2000 Earth Science: Discovering the Secrets of the Earth Grolier Educational Corporation Martin Redfern, 1999 The Kingfisher Young People’s Book of Planet Earth Kingfisher Publications Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch, 2008 How we Know About What we Know About our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids

Explore Global Warming Dawn Publications

Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, 2000 Shaping the Earth Clarion Books

Penelope York, 2002 Earth: Open Your Eyes to a World of Discovery DK Children

IDEA PAGES 9

Dr R.F Symes, 2000 Eyewitness: Rocks and Minerals DK Children

Nick Clifford, 1996 Incredible Earth DK Publishing Inc

Gail Gibbons, 1998 Planet Earth/Inside Out HarperCollins

Melvin & Gilda Berger, 2003 Are Mountains Growing Taller?: Questions and Answers About the Changing Earth Scholastic Reference

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, 2008 California Science

John Farndon, j Challoner, R Kerrod, R Walshaw, 2001 The Illustrated Science Encyclopedia Amazing planet Earth Anness Publishing Limited

Steven Gilbar, 1998 A Literary Anthology of California Nature Writing: Natural State University of

California Press, Berkeley

Allan Schoenherr, 1992 A Natural History of California University of California Press, Berkeley

Pat Murphy and Paul Doherty, 1996 The Color of Nature Chronicle Books, San Francisco

Dougal Dixon and Raymond Bernor, 1992 The Practical Geologist Quarto Publishing

GLAD Research Resources

Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe, 2005 Understanding by Design Prentice Hall

Robert J Marzano, 2004 Building Background Knowledge For Academic Achievement: Research On What Works In Schools Association for Supervision & Curriculum Deve

Joan Wink, 2005 Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World Pearson Education

UNIT PLANNING PAGES

• Pictorial – Sierra Nevada

• Narrative – How California Was Made (Turtle Narrative)

• Graphic Organizer- World and California Map

• Expository group frame

Describe, compare and contrast location and features of different California landforms

• Coop Strip with responding, revising and editing

• Poetry Frame and Flip Chant

• Narrative - Story Map

• SQ3R - Landforms – 4th Grade Text

 Sketch and Draw

-Pictorial -Graphic Organizers (CA and World)

- Narrative- retell -Flip Chant

-Add to the Walls -Team Important Book Page

• ELD Review

• Coop Strip Paragraph

 Portfolio assessment: Teacher and student self-assessment

 Assessment of skills in Group Frames and Learning Logs

 Assessment of personal Process Grid

 Team Exploration

 Teacher/Student Rubric

 Personal Exploration

 Teacher /Student Rubric

 Team/class social Action Plan – Global Warming and its impact on California landforms

 Teacher and student made quizzes - landforms, location, description geological forces and processes(fast, slow), Interesting facts (focus on Global Warming effects)

 Topographical Map of California with key landforms labeled, and process grid information included in 1-3 short paragraphs

SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLANS DAY 1:

FOCUS/MOTIVATION

• Scientist Awards - standards

• Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word - Geologist

• Graphic Organizer –World Map

• 10/2 lecture with primary language

• Learning Log

 ELD Review

• Graphic Organizer- California Map - Landforms and Regions

GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE

• T-graph for Social Skills- Team points

• Picture File Cards/Realia

• Writer's Workshop

- mini lesson –Sketch and Write memory of being outside

- Author's Chair- Question/Comment

CLOSURE

• Process charts

• Interactive Journals

• Home/School Connection - #1 – Land where parents grew up

SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLANS

DAY 2:

FOCUS/MOTIVATION

 Three standards/ awards

 Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word - Subduction

 Process Home/School connection•

 Review input with word cards – World Map ,

 Review Narrative with word cards and conversation bubbles - Chant

 Chant- highlight, sketch, add picture file cards

INPUT

 Pictorial Input Yosemite Valley - rock cycle, fast/slow processes

 10/2 lecture with primary language

 Learning Log

 ELD review – Rock Cycle, Landforms in Yosemite Valley

 Rock Cycle Chant

GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE

• Picture file – classify examples of Fast and Slow Processes

• Groups share one category

SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLANS DAY 3:

FOCUS/MOTIVATION

• Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word - Stumper word search

• Home/School Connection

• Big Book

• Review input with word/picture cards –

 Review Narrative with Story Map

 Read Aloud: Wild Fox

GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE

 Students develop interview for parents

SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLANS DAY 4

FOCUS/MOTIVATION

 Three standards/ award

 Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word – Stumper words

 Home/School Connection

INPUT

 Read Aloud: Endangered Wetlands

 Expository reading - ecological current issues- global warming and its impact on the earth

READING/WRITING

• Flexible Group Reading –

Clunkers and Links – (at or above reading)

EL Retell Team Tasks oral evaluation

 Found Poetry

CLOSURE

 Oral book share groups – Team chooses book from research center to share

 Turn in Learning Logs for assessment

 Home/school Connection

 Interactive Journals

SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLANS DAY 5:

READING AND WRITING

 Flexible Group Reading

 -Struggling/ emergent reading with coop strip paragraph

Team Tasks:

- ELD/Emergent reading

 Ear-to-Ear reading with Poetry Booklet

 Listen and sketch

 Focused reading with personal CCD

• Process Inquiry Chart

• Process Week - "What helped you learn?"

Have you Heard About the Earth?

By: Sera Hernandez

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Our planet Earth has been around for about 4.6 billion years In that time, it has dramatically changed from a mass of rocks, to a planet with majestic mountains, golden valleys, endless rivers, and massive oceans In fact, the Earth’s surface is constantly changing

through a variety of slow and fast processes

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Earth’s surface is covered by a layer of rock called the crust Beneath the crust is the mantle, the thickest

layer of the earth The mantle is so fiery hot that it

actually melts rocks The heat changes the rocks into a thick, heavy liquid called magma Underneath the

mantle is the earth’s core, which is composed of solid rock.

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Earth’s crust is made up of 30 huge rocks, called

tectonic plates, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle These plates have been moving for millions of years and still drift today

Geologists divide the rocks that make up the Earth’s crust into three groups: igneous, sedimentary, and

metamorphic rock These rocks all come from the

same original material, which moves around in a big cycle.

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

There are natural processes that cause rocks to change size and shape When air, wind, ice, or plants change the shapes of rock, it is called weathering Sometimes water seeps into cracks in a rock and freezes, taking

up more space and ultimately cracking the rock Trees sometimes speed up rock cracking with their roots As the roots grow, they creep between cracks and when they thicken, they force the cracks to open wider

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Once rocks are weathered, they are often transported

by rain, wind, or flowing water in a process called

erosion As water rushes from its source, in the

highlands, down to the sea, it constantly picks up

chunks of rock, sand, and mud along the way Wind picks up small pieces of rock, sand, and soil and

carries it to other places When weathered rock is

picked up and moved by wind or water, it is called deposition

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Landforms, natural features on Earth’s surface, can change over short or long periods of time Some

landforms, such as valleys and canyons, can take

millions of years to form by swiftly running rivers or enormous masses of ice called glaciers When glaciers melt, they show how much of the Earth has been

gorged away, leaving U-shaped valleys behind

Oceans shape the coastlines, which are where oceans meet the land Ocean waves also pound rocky cliffs, changing their appearance and making them smaller

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Wind also changes the shape of the Earth’s surface by carrying sand and bits of rock Strong winds can pick

up huge amounts of loose sand and pile it up in heaps

or hills, called dunes Unusual rock formations are

also a result of wind erosion, where swirling sand

attacks cracks in rocks

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Some changes to the Earth’s surface occur quickly, like volcanoes, earthquakes, and landslides

Earthquakes and volcanoes can take place when two plates that run side by side, move against each other They can also cause landslides, where large amounts

of loose rock and soil move rapidly The force of

gravity and storms can also cause landslides Floods and mudslides can play a role in shaping the land, too.

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Earth is always changing Mountains are building up and wearing down, while continents drift and shift

apart Oceans are getting bigger, while others grow smaller Volcanoes are erupting and earthquakes are cracking open the earth’s surface Rivers will dig great canyons, and glaciers will carve new valleys

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Shaping the Land: California Geology and Geography, Level 4, CA 25

Big Picture/World Map Pictorial

Background Information (BI)

Earth’s surface is covered by a layer of rock called the crust Beneath the crust is the mantle, the thickest

layer of the earth The mantle is so fiery hot that it actually melts rocks The heat changes the rocks into a

thick, heavy liquid called magma Underneath the mantle is the earth’s core, which is composed of solid

rock, iron and nickel

The Earth’s crust consists of the oceanic and continental crust Earth’s crust is made up of 30 huge rocks, called tectonic plates, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle These plates have been moving for millions of

years and currently drift at rates of about one to four inches each year As the continents formed, the plates

crashed into each other forming mountains, and causing earthquakes and volcanoes The main seven plates

are labeled on this map

The Subduction zone is an area on Earth where two tectonic plates meet and move towards one another,

with one sliding underneath the other and moving down into the mantle (diagram – opposing arrows, one under another), at rates typically measured in centimeters per year This often involves an oceanic plate sliding beneath a continental plate (though subduction zones can occur at the boundary of oceanic plates) and

typically creates an orogenic zone or volcanic arc subject to many earthquakes In a sense, subduction

zones are the opposite of divergent boundaries, areas where material rises up from the mantle and plates are moving apart

About 250 million years ago, the Earth had one huge supercontinent called Pangaea There are seven

continents today on Earth, which include Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe,

Australia, and Antarctica

Shaping the Land: California Geology and Geography, Level 4, CA 27

Big Picture/California Pictorial

BI – California Pictorial

(First two paragraphs only used if World map/tectonic plates pictorial is not used – this content is important

to understand so we include it in whichever big picture graphic organizer is used for the unit–the California Map or the World Map.)

The Earth’s surface is covered by a layer of rock called the crust Beneath the crust is the mantle, the thickest

layer of the earth The mantle is so fiery hot that it actually melts rocks The heat changes the rocks into a

thick, heavy liquid called magma Underneath the mantle is the earth’s core, which is composed of solid

rock, iron and nickel

When Earth was first forming, there was just one continent, a huge land mass called Pangaea Over time, billions of years, this mass separated into the seven continents we have today The Earth’s crust consists of

the oceanic and continental crust Earth’s crust is made up of 30 huge rocks, called tectonic plates, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle These plates have been moving for millions of years and currently drift at

rates of about one to four inches each year As the continents formed, the plates crashed into each other forming mountains, and causing earthquakes and volcanoes

Twp of these plates meet at the coast of California, and their movement has helped shape the land California

is a state that contains many different types of landforms that were formed through both slow and fast

processes North to South the state is 800miles long East to West it is about 250 miles wide Mountain

ranges border the coast and form a natural border between California and its neighboring states, Oregon, to

the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and Mexico to the south The capitol of California, Sacramento, is

located in northern California, in the San Joaquin Valley near the Sacramento/San Joaquin River delta

The California Coast is one of the most beautiful places in the world, with many different types of landforms:Valleys, Deserts, Mountains, Coast, Delta, and more Sharp, dramatic cliffs formed by weathering, erosion and deposition, and broad beaches made of sediment and sand

The San Joaquin Valley, which millions of years ago was an inland sea, is considered the “nation’s salad bowl,” and many types of crops are farmed there The San Joaquin/Sacramento River delta protects the land from the forces of the ocean, and is home to many types of wildlife,

The Sierra Nevada Mountains are home to famous and beautiful natural landforms like Lake Tahoe,

Yosemite Valley and King’s Canyon Millions of years ago, the range was just 3000 feet tall and the ocean

extended over the land, covering an oceanic ridge Those ancient mountains eroded away into the San

Joaquin River Valley Later volcanoes formed, then glaciers, then the majestic mountains we see today, somerising over 12,000 feet (show Mt Whitney, tallest mountain)

California has two major deserts: the Mojave Desert, where Death Valley is located and the Anza-Borrego

Desert which borders Mexico The desert is a diverse ecosystem with very little water

The land was formed through fast processes (earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides), and slow processes (WED – Weathering, Erosion, Deposition) The geography of California changes over time through

geological processes in a dynamic duet of cause and effect

Shaping the Land: California Geology and Geography, Level 4, CA 29

Pictorial Input Chart

BI- Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada, which means “snowy mountain range” in Spanish, stretches 400 miles reaching north to south across the state of California The Sierra Nevada is comprised of numerous landforms, such as Mt Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous U.S at 14,505 feet The Sierra Nevada mountain range is alsothe home of the famous Yosemite Valley, and Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America

The Sierra Nevada has experienced great geological change through a mixture of fast and slow processes Millions of years ago, volcanoes erupted in the Sierra region Large igneous deposits covered the area north

of Yosemite as a result of the volcanoes Also, subduction zones, or areas on Earth where two tectonic plates meet and move towards one another, caused many earthquakes in the region This caused uplift of the

Sierras, which in turn increased the speed of stream flow, impacting the formation of V-shaped valleys in the region

However, glaciation, or the slow movement of large masses of ice, is responsible for the U-shaped Yosemite Valley Other fast and slow processes also play a role in the formation of the Sierra Nevada region such as landslides, or the down slope movement of rock, and exfoliation, where rocks peel off in sheets The WED process, composed of weathering, erosion, and deposition, are all slow processes that also change the

appearance of the Sierra Nevada

Unfortunately, because of global warming, the snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada is expected to be reduced by half in the coming decades This is a problem because California depends on seasonal snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada to provide water to the state Animals such as the Yosemite toads, Pacific treefrogs, and garter snakes are also threatened by climate change

B Pictures:

Geological Time Story Timeline – From “Geology of the Sierra Nevada” by Mary Hill

1 Underwater mountains

2 Earth’s Layers- molten granite – Realia- piece of granite

3 Hot rock rising towards surface/Layers of sediment – Sierra Nevada fotthills

4 Blob of old rock in Sierra Nevada foothills- high peak/ Mineral deposits-gold vein

5 Gently rising mountains from a shallow sea

6 Forces of Erosion – WED/Central Valley – Before/After

7 Mountain-rivers-lagoon-margined sea-broad valleys

8 Volcanic range, erupting volcanoes/mud floes

9 Sierra Range/Glacial Moraine

10 Layers of the Earth

Narrative Input (Background- a California Scene of Mountains, rivers, ocean and Valleys)

How California was Made – A Native American Legend by the Gabrielino Native people, Southern

California Tribe

1 Long, long ago, before there were people, there was hardly anything in the world but water One day, Great Spirit looked down from heaven He decided to make a beautiful land “But where could he begin?” he said aloud All he saw was water

2 Then he spotted a giant turtle “Turtle come,” he beckoned and turtle came to the Great Spirit The Great Spirit decided to make the beautiful land on the turtle’s back

But one turtle was not big enough The land that the Great Spirit wanted to make was very large So he calledout, "Turtle, hurry and find your six brothers."

3 Turtle swam away to find them It took her a whole day to find the first It took another day to find the next After six days, Turtle had found her six brothers "Come," she said "The Great Spirit wants us."

4 Great Spirit called down "Turtles! Form a line, all of you head to tail, north to south Umm you have three on the south, please move a little to the east Hmmm Yes, that’s just right What a beautiful land you turtles will make! Now listen! It is a great honor to carry this beautiful land on your backs So you must not move!"

5 The turtles stayed very still Great Spirit took some straw from his supply in the sky He spread it out on the turtle’s backs Then he took some soil and patted it down on top of the straw

6 Great Spirit cleaned his hands on a fluffy white cloud Then he went to work, shaping mountains and valleys and lakes and rivers When he was finished, he looked at the beautiful land he had made Great Spirit was very pleased But soon trouble began The giant turtles grew restless They wanted to stretch their legs

7 "I want to swim east," said one

"I want to swim west, with the setting sun," said another

8 The turtles began to argue They could not agree which way to move One day, four of the turtles began to swim east The others began to swim west The Earth shook! It cracked with a loud noise

9 But after a minute, the shaking stopped The turtles had to stop moving because the land on their backs was so heavy They had only been able to swim a little way from each other When they saw that they could not swim away, they stopped arguing and were at peace again

10 Every once in a while, though, the turtles argue again Each time they do, the Earth shakes!

Sierra Nevada Narrative Input

By Anne Ginnold

Adapted from Chapter 1 of “Geology of the Sierra Nevada” by Mary Hill (copyright permission to

reprint granted by Anne Ginnold)

1 Although the Sierra Nevada seems old to us, in geologic time it’s just been in existence for 440 million years, one-tenth of the Earth’s 4 Billion year history

2 From looking at the layers of rock in today’s Sierra Nevada foothills, we know that the Sierra Nevada began its life under the sea, and remained underwater for 240 million years

3 Then deep within the earth, bodies of molten granite began to cool into rock, a process that took 130 million years to complete!

4 The hot rock began to rise towards the surface, disrupting the layers of sediment in the sea, pushing them aside, melting others Today, these layers can be seen in the foothills

5 In the High Sierra, blobs of the old rock, caught up in the younger granite, are found near the high peaks, remnants of a vanished sea that have not yet eroded away Valuable mineral deposits formed where old rocks and granite met Gold and other metals were left in veins and fissures as the last of the Granite cooled

6 Over time the forces of erosion then began to attack the new mountain range, tearing rock from the mountainside to wash down rivers into a shallow, subtropical, lagoon-margined sea Sierran rivers, not all where they are today, ran in broad valleys flanked by hills rising gently eastward Altogether 9 vertical miles of rock was eroded over the next 25 million years, filling the shallow sea with sediment,and forming the Central Valley

7 About 30 million years ago, volcanoes began to erupt Violent explosions blanketed the northern Sierra with hot ash The ash was followed by mud flows, leaving only a few projected peaks Shortly after this, the Sierra began to rise rapidly

8 By whatever means-earthquakes certainly had a part - the Sierra was lifted high enough for glaciers toform

9 The earth grew colder, glaciers formed, changing the shape of the peaks and valleys The years of the great glaciers – sculptors with ice and snow – had begun

10 From looking at the layers of rocks we can learn about the processes that formed the mountains, eroded them away, and reformed them into the majestic mountains of today We can see fossils of animals long dead or extinct and plants they used to eat By looking at the land and how it was formed,

we can deduce what types of landforms existed in the past The Sierra Nevada is a young range The seasare gone, the volcanoes are presently quiet, and even the earthquakes are not strong enough to move mountains But over time, over millions of years, the land will continue to change through fast and slow processes Who knows what California will look like in a million years!

The Geology and Geography