Earth and Space Science · California Grade 6
MS-ESS2-6
Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on how patterns vary by latitude, altitude, and geographic land distribution. Emphasis of atmospheric circulation is on the sunlight-driven latitudinal banding, the Coriolis effect, and resulting prevailing winds; emphasis of ocean circulation is on the transfer of heat by the global ocean convection cycle, which is constrained by the Coriolis effect and the outlines of continents. Examples of models can be diagrams, maps and globes, or digital representations.
Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include the dynamics of the Coriolis effect.
Chapters
This is a Grade 6 PE in the California integrated sequence. The chapter explains why air and ocean water circulate (stronger sunlight near the equator, cooling near the poles) as examples of convection, but does not develop latitude bands, the Coriolis effect or regional climates, so it supports rather than assesses the PE.
Worksheets (2)
| Chapter | Worksheet | Role | How it connects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ch. 10 | W3 · Two Furnaces, One Surface: Where Earth's Energy Comes From Reading with evidence | supports | Paragraphs on unequal solar heating and sinking polar water give background for the ocean and air circulation patterns in this Grade 6 PE of the California sequence. This chapter touches that PE only as background. |
| Ch. 10 | W8 · Follow the Energy: A Twelve-Card Jigsaw Across Earth's Systems Collaborative investigation | supports | The sea-breeze, sinking polar water and thunderstorm cards are examples of circulation driven by unequal heating, the subject of this Grade 6 PE in the California sequence. They are used here only as examples of convection, not to assess circulation patterns. |
Labs (0)
| Chapter | Lab | Role | How it connects |
|---|