C Curriculum Explorer
Science·Space Systems & Earth's History·conceptual

Rapid earth changes

Use information from several sources to provide evidence that Earth events can occur quickly (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions) or slowly (erosion, mountain building)

Suggested ages 7–8

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Learning journey

Your child is learning that Earth changes over time — some changes happen quickly like earthquakes and volcanoes, while others like erosion and mountain building take millions of years.

Evidence of understanding

  • Give at least two examples of rapid Earth events (earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, flood)
  • Give at least two examples of slow Earth processes (erosion, mountain formation, canyon carving)
  • Use evidence from text, images, or video to support the distinction between fast and slow changes

Assessment prompt

Can Rapid earth changes give examples of things that change the Earth quickly, like an earthquake, and things that change it very slowly, like a river carving a valley?

Standards alignment

2-ESS1-1US · ngss-k5

2-ESS1-1

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) K-5