SC15.6.11

Science (2015) Grade(s): 6

Developing and Using Models

Cause and Effect

Students know:

The Earth's interior consists of rock and metal. It is made up of four main layers:
1. the inner core: a solid metal core,
2. the outer core: a liquid molten core,
3. the mantle: dense and mostly solid rock, and
4. the crust: thin rock material.
The temperature in the core is hotter than the Sun's surface. This intense heat from the inner core causes material in the outer core and mantle to move around.
It is possible that the movements of material deep within the Earth generate the Earth's magnetic field, called the magnetosphere.
The Earth has a magnetic field with north and south poles. The Earth's magnetic field reaches 36,000 miles into space.
The magnetosphere prevents most of the particles from the sun, carried in solar wind, from hitting the Earth.
Cosmic radiation, which includes solar radiation, is energy from space transmitted in the form of waves or particles.
The Sun and other planets have magnetospheres, but the Earth has the strongest one of all the rocky planets.
The Earth's north and south magnetic poles reverse at irregular intervals of hundreds of thousands of years.
Conditions inside the magnetosphere can create "space weather" that can affect technological systems and human activities. Technological systems that can be impacted may include the operations of satellites, the orbits of low-altitude Earth orbiting satellites, communication and navigations systems.

Students are able to:

Develop a model of Earth's internal composition and identify the relevant components.
Describe the relationships between components of the model.
Use observations from the model to provide causal accounts for events and make predictions for events by constructing explanations.

Students understand that:

The composition of Earth's interior may produce a magnetic field with effects that can be measured.