Earth's Systems Curriculum Resources
Explore Earth's Systems concepts with our comprehensive science curriculum resources aligned with NGSS standards. Interactive and printable resources for K-12 learners across all grade levels.
The Carbon Cycle
The carbon cycle shows how carbon travels through the atmosphere, living organisms, and the Earth. It maintains the bala...
RI.4.4RI.4.2
The Phosphorus Cycle
The phosphorus cycle explains how phosphorus moves through rocks, soil, water, and living things. Essential for DNA and ...
RI.4.4RI.4.2
Understanding the Carbon Cycle
The carbon cycle explains how carbon moves through the environment, plants, and animals. Processes like photosynthesis a...
RI.4.4RI.4.2
Understanding the Oxygen Cycle
The oxygen cycle explains how oxygen circulates through air, water, and living organisms. Plants produce oxygen during p...
RI.4.4RI.4.2
The Great Barrier Reef
This passage introduces the Great Barrier Reef, a magnificent underwater ecosystem off the coast of Australia. It descri...
RI.3.1RI.4.1
The Oxygen Cycle
The oxygen cycle illustrates how oxygen moves through the atmosphere, water, and living organisms. Driven by photosynthe...
RI.4.4RI.4.2
The Water Cycle
The water cycle describes how water continuously moves through our planet via evaporation, condensation, precipitation, ...
RI.4.4RI.4.2
The Nitrogen Cycle
The nitrogen cycle describes how nitrogen moves through the air, soil, and living organisms. It involves processes like ...
RI.4.4RI.4.2
Understanding the Phosphorus Cycle
The phosphorus cycle details how phosphorus travels through rocks, soil, water, and organisms. Essential for DNA and bon...
RI.4.4RI.4.2
The Water Cycle: Earth's Recycling System
This educational reading passage explores the water cycle - Earth's natural system for recycling water that has existed ...
Determining Earth's Carrying Capacity
Earth's carrying capacity refers to the maximum number of people the planet can support sustainably. This depends on fac...
The Gaia Hypothesis
The Gaia Hypothesis, proposed by James Lovelock, suggests that Earth functions like a living organism, with all its part...
Measuring Carbon Stored in Vegetation
Measuring carbon stored in vegetation is crucial for understanding climate change. Plants absorb CO₂ during photosynthes...
7.RI.7.1
Conserving Forests for Water Supply
Forests play a critical role in maintaining clean water supplies and regulating the water cycle. Conserving upstream for...
7.RI.7.3
Four Ways Forests Affect the Atmosphere
Forests play a vital role in regulating the atmosphere by absorbing CO₂, producing oxygen, cooling temperatures, and imp...
7.RI.7.1
Landform Types Word Sort
This classification activity helps students understand how different landforms are created. Students sort various Earth ...
4-ESS2-2
Weathering Types Word Sort
This classification activity helps students understand different types of weathering processes. Students sort various ex...
4-ESS2-1
Tracking Earth's Water
The 'Tracking Earth's Water' activity guides students to sort 12 water-related words into freshwater and saltwater categ...
Water Around the World
In 'Water Around the World,' students classify 12 water sources into solid and liquid forms, learning about where water ...
Building a Terrain Model
The 'Building a Terrain Model' activity challenges students to classify 12 landscape features and design a model to repr...
Mapping the Landscape
In 'Mapping the Landscape,' students categorize 12 words into landforms and bodies of water to deepen their understandin...
Composition of the Ocean
The ocean is made up of water, dissolved salts, gases, and organic matter. Its composition varies with depth and influen...
RI.5.3
Stream Flow
Stream flow refers to the movement of water in rivers and creeks. It is influenced by precipitation, slope, and human ac...
RI.5.5RI.6.9
What is a Mineral?
A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a specific chemical composition and crystal structure. Minerals...
RI.5.3RI.6.3RI.7.3
Difference Between a Rock and a Mineral
Rocks are mixtures of minerals, while minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with a specific composition and...
RI.5.3RI.6.3RI.7.3
Convection Currents in the Ocean
Convection currents in the ocean are driven by temperature and density differences. They play a key role in the thermoha...
RI.5.5
Runoff from Precipitation
Runoff from precipitation replenishes rivers and lakes but can cause flooding and pollution. Solutions like rain gardens...
RI.5.3RI.6.3RI.7.3
Topography of the Ocean Floor
The ocean floor features diverse landscapes like continental shelves, abyssal plains, and mid-ocean ridges. These format...
RI.5.3
Porosity and Permeability of Soil and Rock
Porosity and permeability are key properties of soil and rock that affect water movement underground. They influence gro...
RI.5.5RI.6.9
What is Transpiration
Transpiration is the process by which plants release water vapor into the atmosphere. It cools plants, contributes to hu...
RI.5.3RI.6.3RI.7.3
Do All Minerals Have Crystal Structures?
All minerals have a crystalline structure, but not all form visible crystals. The size and shape of crystals depend on f...
RI.5.3RI.6.3RI.7.3
Circulation in the Ocean
Ocean circulation involves the movement of seawater driven by wind, temperature, and salinity. It includes surface curre...
RI.5.3
Surface Ocean Currents
Surface ocean currents are driven by wind and influenced by Earth’s rotation. They transport warm and cold water, regula...
RI.5.3
Divergent Plate Boundary: Where Earth's Crust Pulls Apart
This science passage explains how divergent plate boundaries form where Earth's crust pulls apart, creating features lik...
MS-ESS2-3RI.6.1RI.7.4RI.8.2
Convergent Boundary: When Earth's Plates Collide
This science passage describes three types of convergent plate boundaries (oceanic-continental, oceanic-oceanic, contine...
MS-ESS2-3RI.6.1RI.7.4RI.8.2
Transform Plate Boundaries: Earth's Sliding Plates
This NGSS aligned nformational passage examines transform plate boundaries where tectonic plates slide horizontally past...
MS-ESS2-3RI.6.1RI.7.4RI.8.2
Types of Plate Boundaries
This science passage explores how geologists use rock formations, fossil distributions, and seafloor structures to ident...
MS-ESS2-3RI.6.1RI.7.4RI.8.2
How Are Metamorphic Rocks Formed?
This science passage explains how metamorphic rocks form through metamorphism, detailing the effects of heat (150°C-1,00...
MS-ESS2-3RI.6.1RI.7.4RI.8.2
What Type of Plate Boundary Is the San Andreas Fault?
This explanatory passage examines the San Andreas Fault as a transform plate boundary where the Pacific and North Americ...
MS-ESS2-3RI.6.1RI.7.4RI.8.2
Intrusive Igneous Rocks: Formation and Features
This passage explains the formation of intrusive igneous rocks through slow cooling of magma beneath Earth's surface. It...
MS-ESS2-3RI.6.1RI.7.4RI.8.2
The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ): Earth's Weather Belt
This science passage explains the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a key equatorial weather system. Covering NGSS ...
MS-ESS2-5MS-ESS2-4RI.6.7
Frost Wedging: How Ice Splits Rock
This passage explains frost wedging as a mechanical weathering process. Aligned with NGSS MS-ESS2-1 (Earth’s systems) a...
MS-ESS2-1MS-ESS2-2RST.6-8.3
Chemical Weathering: The Breakdown of Rocks Through Chemical Reactions
This passage explains chemical weathering processes, aligned with NGSS MS-ESS2-1 (Earth’s systems) and ESS2-2 (surface ...
MS-ESS2-1MS-ESS2-2RST.6-8.4
Limestone Caves: Nature’s Underground Wonders
This passage explains limestone cave formation through carbonation, aligned with NGSS MS-ESS2-1 (Earth’s systems) and L...
MS-ESS2-1LS2.CRST.6-8.7
All About Seismometers
This informational science passage explores seismometers and their role in measuring earthquakes, designed specifically ...
MS-ESS3-2MS-ESS2-3RST.6-8.2
What Is the Difference Between Magma and Lava?
This educational reading passage explains the critical difference between magma and molten rock beneath Earth's surface ...
MS-ESS2-3MS-ESS3-2RST.6-8.4
Obsidian: The Natural Glass Rock
This science reading passage explores obsidian, a volcanic glass that forms when lava cools so rapidly that crystals can...
MS-ESS2-3MS-ESS3-2RST.6-8.4
What Is an Atmospheric Physicist?
This NGSS-aligned middle school science passage introduces students to the role of an atmospheric physicist. It explains...
What Is a Physical Oceanographer?
This NGSS-aligned passage introduces middle school students to physical oceanography—the study of how ocean water moves ...
What Is Storm Surge and Why Is It So Dangerous?
This NGSS-aligned reading passage introduces middle school students to the concept of storm surge, a major hazard caused...