Friday, September 6, 2013

Week 1 - Home School Science Welcome!!!

Welcome everyone to the new EPEEC Home School Science blog.  This is an exciting year for us.  We have a brand new home school curriculum featuring a no-repeat format. This will enable the home school families the opportunity to continue to take part in a program year after year and not repeat topics, lessons, or curricular units.  The program, as designed now, will run for about 3-5 years with other options in the future.

This first year of roll-out will encompass Earth Science.  We will be covering many of the Next Generation Science Standards as adopted by the state of Illinois.  Here is the focus for the 2013-2014 school year:


Earth Science Year 1
30 week course - 2 hours per week

 A. The universe and its stars / Earth and the solar system
1.      Patterns of movement of the sun, moon, and stars as seen from Earth can be observed, described, and predicted.
B. The history of planet Earth
2.      Some events on Earth occur very quickly; others can occur very slowly.
C. Earth materials and systems
3.      Wind and water change the shape of the land.
D. Plate tectonics and large-scale system interactions
4.      Maps show where things are located. One can map the shapes and kinds of land and water in any area.
E. The roles of water in the Earth’s surface processes
5.      Water is found in many types of places and in different forms on Earth.
F. Weather and climate
6.      Weather is the combination of sunlight, wind, snow or rain, and temperature in a particular region and time.  People record weather patterns over time.
G. Biogeology
7.      Plants and animals can change their local environment.
H. Natural resources
8.      Living things need water, air, and resources from the land, and they live in places that have the things they need.  Humans use natural resources for everything they do.
I. Natural hazards
9.      In a region, some kinds of severe weather are more likely than others.  Forecasts allow communities to prepare for severe weather.
J. Human impacts on Earth systems
10.  Things people do can affect the environment but they can make choices to reduce their impacts.


We will be covering many interesting topics this year. We can't wait to meet everyone and begin this wonderful journey together.  Thank you for choosing the Elmhurst Park District.

Mr. Dan West and Miss Beth Kosson

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