SCI 0900: Earth Science
05/01/2025 to 05/30/2026 • Modified 10/14/2025Course Description
This year-long course allows students to explore the Earth and its place in the universe. Students examine the Earth’s structure, topography, rocks, minerals, weather, natural events, oceans, and climate, and how these have contributed to the planet’s geologic history. Earth’s specific and deliberate position in the universe is examined so that students can analyze the rationale behind the scriptural truth of Creation and the secular explanations of how and when Earth began. Students are expected to write a researched essay to contrast a secular view with a biblical view related to the geological impact of Noah’s Flood.
This course requires the use of an at-home physical lab kit to perform the labs. Enrolled students are issued a purchase voucher that they redeem with the kit vendor during the first week of the course. The lab kit is then shipped directly to their home.
If the student is in 8th grade, please follow these specific guidelines regarding enrollment. Successful students will have excellent written and organizational skills and be self-motivated and responsible concerning time management.
Next Start Date*
Next Monday
Prerequisite
Schedule
Module 1: Introduction to Earth Science
- Week 1: Worldview & Science
- Week 2: The Scientific Method
- Week 3: Measurement of the Earth
- Week 4: Mapping the Earth
Module 2: Astronomy
- Week 5: The Big Picture
- Week 6: Our Place in the Solar System
- Week 7: The Planets
- Week 8: More About the Planets
- Week 9: Review & Quarter 1 Exam
Module 3: What’s Going on Inside the Earth?
- Week 10: Plate Tectonics
- Week 11: Volcanoes & Earthquakes
- Week 12: Earthquakes & Mountains
- Week 13: Mountains & Rock Layers
- Week 14: Fossils & What They Teach Us
Module 4: Let There Be Rocks
- Week 15: Minerals & Igneous Rocks
- Week 16: Sedimentary & Metamorphic Rocks
- Week 17: The Rocks Under Your Feet
- Week 18: Rock Identification & Quarter 2 Exam
Module 5: All About Soil
- Week 19: Resources, Weathering & Soil
- Week 20: Erosion
Module 6: Earth’s Features
- Week 21: The Oceans
- Week 22: Moving Water
- Week 23: Floodplains & Deserts
- Week 24: Glaciers – Rivers of Ice
Module 7: The Atmosphere
- Week 25: Structure of the Atmosphere
- Week 26: Water in the Atmosphere
- Week 27: Clouds & Quarter 3 Exam
Module 8: Weather
- Week 28: Precipitation & Air Pressure
- Week 29: Wind
- Week 30: Weather Forecasting
Module 9: Big Weather & Climate
- Week 31: Storms
- Week 32: Temperature
- Week 33: What is Climate?
Module 10: Human Impact on the Earth
- Week 34: Is Our Climate Changing?
- Week 35: Environmental Issues
- Week 36: Review & Quarter 4 Exam
