C Curriculum Explorer
Science·Earth's Systems·conceptual

Earth's atmosphere

Develop a model to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere interact as connected Earth systems

Suggested ages 10–11

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Learning journey

Your child is learning about Earth as a connected system, exploring how water is distributed across our planet and how the land, water, air, and living things all interact with each other.

Evidence of understanding

  • Name the four Earth systems: geosphere (rock/land), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), biosphere (living things)
  • Describe at least two interactions between different Earth systems with examples
  • Create or interpret a model showing how a change in one system affects others

Assessment prompt

Can Earth's atmosphere explain how rain (atmosphere) falls on mountains (geosphere), flows into rivers (hydrosphere), and provides water for plants and animals (biosphere)?

Standards alignment

5-ESS2-1US · ngss-k5

5-ESS2-1

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) K-5