← Earth and Environmental Science syllabus

VirginiaEarth and Environmental Science

Reporting Category: Scientific Investigation and the Nature of Science

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you organize Earth science data into a table or graph and read a trend from it?

Organize, analyze and interpret data using tables and graphs (line, bar, scatter), identify trends and the relationship between variables, and calculate the rate of change and percent (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1).
A SOL-level answer on data and graphs for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: choosing the right graph type, putting the independent variable on the x-axis, reading and describing trends, interpolating and extrapolating, calculating rate of change and percent deviation, and what a gradient on a map means, with worked exam questions.
13 min answer →

How do you design a fair test, and how do you tell the variable you change from the one you measure?

Plan and carry out investigations: identify the independent, dependent and controlled variables, use a control, and explain why repeated trials and a large sample make results more reliable (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1).
A SOL-level answer on experimental design for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: the independent, dependent and controlled variables, the control group, why you change only one variable at a time, and how repeated trials and sample size improve reliability, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

Which instrument and which SI unit do you use to measure each Earth science quantity?

Use appropriate tools and SI units to make and record measurements in Earth science, including length, mass, volume, temperature, time, air pressure, wind speed and rainfall (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1).
A SOL-level answer on measurement for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: the SI units for length, mass, volume, temperature and time, the instruments used in Earth science (thermometer, barometer, anemometer, rain gauge, graduated cylinder, balance), how to calculate density, and how to read instruments correctly, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

What is the difference between a hypothesis, a theory and a law, and how do scientists use models and evidence?

Construct, use and evaluate models, distinguish a fact, hypothesis, theory and law, and explain how scientific knowledge is built from evidence and changes over time (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.1).
A SOL-level answer on the nature of science for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: what a scientific model is and its limitations, the difference between a fact, hypothesis, theory and law, how evidence and peer review build reliable knowledge, why scientific ideas change, and the difference between observation and inference, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →