tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post2288839600836506357..comments2024-02-23T05:11:31.034-08:00Comments on Always Formative: Sharing is CaringJason Buellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03029995715142652159noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-3598054895158161992012-06-22T17:47:24.766-07:002012-06-22T17:47:24.766-07:00I focus around the Earth as an entire system and h...I focus around the Earth as an entire system and how each subsystem affects the entire system. I tend to emphasize the "how" everything happens which allows me to add chemistry and a bit of physics into my instruction. I mean, lets face it...chem and phys have cooler labs. <br />Some common misconceptions: continents don't move, earthquakes are rare, clouds are filled back up over the oceans, fog and clouds are not the same thing, and everything involving the earth-moon and earth-sun relationships. Almost forgot, size and scale of everything. For me, the cause of seasons is the most difficult to fix. IF anyone has a tried and true method - please share. I have tried every lab/activity on the internet and I still have one or two that will tell me the reason for summer is that the Earth is closer to the sun. Grrr...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06913421191083095752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-21749299529415305182012-06-10T06:41:04.476-07:002012-06-10T06:41:04.476-07:00If you possibly can -- and I know this is a stretc...If you possibly can -- and I know this is a stretch -- consider how to get the kids to go orienteering. We could talk...Tim Ericksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16827602816746254630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-55562385918448749112012-06-03T04:40:51.938-07:002012-06-03T04:40:51.938-07:00I have taught Earth Science at the high school lev...I have taught Earth Science at the high school level, and I do base my curriculum around systems and cycles. I also try to emphasize that small changes lead to big changes in every topic we study, from plate tectonics to other surface processes (glaciers, river systems, etc). I have found this to be pretty effective as a concept to tie back into all the time, so they can see exactly how the Earth is constantly getting a "face lift."<br /><br />As far as resources, I have found that the Teacher's Domain has a lot of nice interactives and videos for students (http://www.teachersdomain.org/) I also like the Geoblox sets (http://www.geoblox.com/)so students can build their own models and summarize or write stories about the slow processes that cause those changes.Teriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04938337391643376755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053151003977377665.post-46914494168127099862012-06-01T18:57:57.677-07:002012-06-01T18:57:57.677-07:00Jason,
As for earth science topics, I think the mo...Jason,<br />As for earth science topics, I think the most important thing I can think of that students should know is the theory of continental drift. And not just some "gee whiz Pangea" stuff, I'd like students to understand that this theory is young—younger than most of their grandparents, not to long before then, people thought the idea that continents were moving underneath our feet to be crazy. I think there are probably some great demos you could do to help them understand sea floor spreading by rigging up oppositely aligned bar magnets under a piece of cardboard, and then have students use a compass to measure the changes in the magnetic field, and then if you had two different setups, you could tell them some time differential—this second piece of cardboard represents the same piece of crust, 10,000 years later, and students could calculate how quickly the sea floor is spreading. <br /><br />For space science, I think you could base the whole course around launching a space balloon—this could cover so many topics of atmospheric and space science and it's super exciting for kids to do. You could easily put together a working balloon for less than $1000, and I feel like I've seen programs out there that are donating space ballon kits to schools (but I couldn't find any by googling). Geoff Schmit has writtne <a href="http://pedagoguepadawan.net/191/inspiring-younger-students-with-near-space-balloons/" rel="nofollow">some excellent posts</a> about the things his high school space balloon club has done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com