Earth Science A Credit Recovery

This is an adaptive credit recovery course, in which students will complete a pretest for each module, and will be exempted from activities for topics where mastery is demonstrated. This type of credit recovery course targets individual areas of need in the curriculum and minimizes repetition of content where students have demonstrated their understanding.

Students explore the dynamic systems of Earth and Space to understand how the systems developed through time, how the systems are interrelated, and how humans impact the systems. Students will investigate the universe and its stars, the planets of the Solar System, and the systems that make up Earth. Students will examine the role of water on our planet and sun-driven interactions affecting climate and weather. They will also model biogeochemical cycles and energy flow through Earth’s systems.

Major topics include:

The Nature of Science
The Universe and its Stars
Earth’s Place in the Universe
Earth’s Atmosphere
Water on Earth
Biogeology

Students learn through online lesson activities, videos, and interactive activities. Each module begins with a pretest, proceeds to lessons that conclude with a brief self-check, and wraps with a module exam. The course concludes with a cumulative exam.

This course uses content from Accelerate Education taught by a VHS Learning instructor who is certified in their content area and who follows VHS Learning policies. The course will be hosted in the Buzz learning management system. Students may spend 40 hours completing this course, though actual time-spent will vary based on individual student performance in module pretests.

Acknowledgements

Students should confirm that their high school will accept this course for credit recovery before registering for this course.

Course Objectives

Analyze feedback in interactions between Earth’s systems.

Course Learning Objectives:

Describe what characterizes a scientific question and methods used to answer scientific questions.
Describe how theories, laws, and models are used in science.
Explain the formation of the universe.
Describe the structure of the universe and methods used to study stars.
Understand and explain the forces and actions responsible for formation of the solar system.
Identify planets and explain orbits of planets, including movement of Earth.
Explain composition of the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface.
Describe how surface heating impacts global climate.
Explain the relationship between air masses and weather.
Describe the distribution of Earth’s fresh water and implications on life.
Analyze feedback in interactions between Earth’s systems.
Compare the movement of matter and energy through biogeochemical cycles.