These are more chemistry inquiry activities that I haven't the time to peruse right this second.
http://www.inquiryinaction.org/classroomactivities/
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Google Earth
As an EPA contractor I used Google Earth to locate power plants, ethanol generators, and town boundaries. As an Earth science teacher, I think that Google Earth will be a valuable tool for students to learn about and with.
One of my first lessons will be about interpreting maps of all kinds. Certainly, we will discuss how to read and create paper 2D maps of all sorts: topographic, soil, etc. However, GE provides the students with a much more powerful tool that they will be more likely to use when they enter the workforce (or just around the house). The ability to quickly search and view in three dimensions is something that paper maps simply can't compete with. It is also pretty fun to play with!
I'm still fleshing out exactly how I'll introduce and teach the tool in an Earth Science context (as opposed to just teaching the software). I've found a few sites that seem helpful:
Google Earth for Earth Science:
This appears to be related to a presentation that a couple of high school science teachers from NY did on using GE in the classroom. The poster is interesting, but the collection of links is a great starting point. There are a number of kmz files relating geology, tectonics, glaciers, and hydrology. There are a few links to lesson plans that look like they could be useful later in the semester when I get to topics like subduction zones.
KML Geology:
This site from SDSU contains a number of overlays for geological formations (many in the SoCal area). It could be helpful when doing geology or oceanography. At this point, it could provide an extra source of practice overlays for students to interpret.
My main issue right now is to figure out how to create an inquiry-based lesson that teaches the essentials of GE and map interpretation. A scavenger hunt seems too structured to fit into the IBL model, but this *is* the beginning of the semester so it could be a nice way to transition into the course. A nice product for classwork could be kml's submitted through the school website because it would also teach how to submit work on the website.
I would rather the lesson contain exploration instead of just being a tedious, repetitive task. Maybe some prediction involved? Description of the site found?
Hopefully I can make the first GE activity exciting enough that the students stay on task and are excited to use it in the future.
Inquiry based learning
A bit of background and thoughts on IBL to keep in mind when evaluating these lessons -
1) Teacher - intro
2) Student Lesson - intro
3) Student Lesson - body
4) Student Lesson - reflect
5) Teacher - reflect
Very close to Engage->Explore->Explain model, which relates to the scientific method.
The SIMPL approach (as I read it) seems to have the teacher provide the background needed for the lesson, then lets the student work on the lesson (developing their own ideas), and then has the teacher tie it back together into a take-home message.
There is also the very basic version of: tell the students what they will do, have them do it, then tell them what they did.
According to the typical process for IBL:
The learner should engage in a scientific question, gather evidence, use evidence to formulate explanation, connect explanation to background, and present their work using evidence the justifies their explanation.
The nice thing is that these processes teach students how to learn on their own and solve their own problems in a methodical, adult way. Using these methods students should be able to answer any question. The lessons typically have differentiation built in to the process and fit into many different classes in Bloom's Taxonomy.
Let me not forget that science is supposed to be about curiosity and research. Sure, some stuff is just not practical to get through methods other than direct instruction, but science education SHOULD be mostly interactive.
Chemistry related: what element would you be
I'll be teaching chem next semester, it never hurts to get an early start!
Berkeley Space Lab and WISE
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/cms/
This is one site that I'm going to file away for future lessons on space (coming later in the semester). They have a bunch of slick-looking media and a number of classroom ready lessons.
There are also some good meteorology and atmospheric sciences lessons.
On Berkeley's WISE there are two promising activities - one involving planetary motion and the other involving plate tectonics.
Stream ecosystems and human impact
This is going to be a blog that is more about personal thoughts and organizing ideas that I have come across on the web for lesson planning in my high school Earth science course. I figure that this can be a better way to keep track of internet resources that I come across as I can provide some meta data and thoughts on the sites as I come across them. Since I'm doing this mostly for myself, there is going to be quite a bit of stream-of-consciousness in the writing.
I'm going to start with an inquiry based lesson that I came across on stream health. This was posted at: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/mudcreek/contents
This lesson starts off with a think-pair-share engagement activity involving the identification of two pictures per groups of a natural stream and an urban stream. This would be a good warm-up as it gets the students thinking about what they can look for in each type of stream, leading into the next activity.
For exploration the students are to get some background on a stream including mapping and nearby construction. They will then be taken to the field and allowed to observe and fill out an observation sheet. I like this portion quite a bit because the observation is structured, but open-ended (in the sense that the students write only what they observe no matter how detailed). There is a decent amount of differentiated learning that goes on with this type of activity, while still providing some amount of scaffolding and guidance so that the students are not just lost and confused. It actually reminds me quite a bit of some of my college-level ecology courses.
This is also a good lesson on general science. A scientist needs to be a keen observer of their surroundings, both in developing questions (building a problem and hypothesis) and collecting their data.
I'd expect this portion to take the rest of a block (90 min) class period to complete. By the time that the warm-up is completed and discussed along with providing instructions, getting to the creek, carrying out the activity, and getting back the period should be about over.
I'd likely work the explanation portion into the next day. I'd want the students to spend some time before class developing questions and considering possible reasons for their findings. The lesson provides information and images that I could use to help them along. I would want their to be a fair amount of group discussion in developing an explanation. I'd add a portion where each student provides the explanation in their own words to turn in.
The creators of the lesson provided some optional elaboration exercises.
The first elaboration exercise involved the physical description of the stream - including habitat diversity, shapes, and substrates. It provides sample data to either do this in class or methods to do this in the field.
The second elaboration looks at chemical indicators such as pH, DO, TDS, and turbidity. Again, it provides sample data and field methods.
The third elaboration looks at biological indicator species. It uses a dichotomous key to either identify invertebrates from photos or in the field.
My concern with these elaboration exercises are that they require a background that a typical 9th grader does not have. They have likely little experience with biology, chemistry, or ecology. These activities would therefore require quite a bit of time to introduce and analyze. They may also not line up too well with the NCSCOS for Earth science. On the other hand, these are excellent opportunities to excel for a more advanced or motivated student. They could also be used as follow-up activities in Honors ENS, biology, or chem.
Come to think of it, it would be pretty neat to tie all of the courses together and have all science students evaluate stream health. They could build a bit more of their knowledge of stream ecology each year.
For the evaluation portion of this lesson, there are a number of "essential" questions that go into the assessment for this lesson. I touched on some of this a bit in the explanation portion. There are some group work and writing opportunities here to follow up with this lesson.
These last two notes are important to bring up to students.
Connecting to real life: Our actions have clear consequences on stream health (the ability for a stream to support life). Apart from the wildlife and natural aspect of the issue, NC streams feed our reservoirs. Poor stream health leads to poor quality drinking water.
Potential jobs: There are jobs that work in stream remediation. Environmental engineers, park rangers, people working in construction, etc. should all be familiar with this type of study.
Overall this looks like a lesson that I would want to use. Based on the aerials of my high school, there are a few ponds nearby. Around here you don't have a pond without a stream.
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