This is an adaptive credit recovery course, in which students will complete a pretest for each module, and will be exempted from activities for topics where mastery is demonstrated. This type of credit recovery course targets individual areas of need in the curriculum and minimizes repetition of content where students have demonstrated their understanding.
Students explore the physical structure of the Earth, including the rock cycle, tectonic activity, and mountain formation. Students will learn about weathering, erosion, and soil formation before exploring the concept of systems. Systems include the Earth as a system, feedback in systems, and the Earth’s major nutrient cycles. Students will move on to review geologic history, including the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere, the geologic time scale, and fossil records. The course wraps up with a review of natural resources and the effects of human populations on these resources.
Major topics include:
- Formation of the earth and fossil records.
- Properties of various types of rocks and their locations.
- Impact of the Earth’s tectonic system on surface geography.
- Geologic history and the geologic time scale.
- Renewable resources and energy sources.
- Urbanization and the impact on Earth’s systems.
Students learn through online lesson activities, videos, and interactive activities. Each module begins with a pretest, proceeds to lessons that conclude with a brief self-check, and wraps with a module exam. The course concludes with a cumulative exam.
This course uses content from Accelerate Education taught by a VHS Learning instructor who is certified in their content area and who follows VHS Learning policies. The course will be hosted in the Buzz learning management system. Students may spend 40 hours completing this course, though actual time-spent will vary based on individual student performance in module pretests.
Credit recovery courses do not meet initial eligibility requirements for NCAA. Students who require flexible courses meeting initial eligibility requirements should consider VHS Learning self-paced courses, which can be found in the VHS Learning Catalog.