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As part of ESS 2, students develop a
variety of classroom activities and curriculum units. These
activities and units are targeted at the middle school level and address
Ohio Academic Content Standards. All of the resources listed below emphasize
active learning based on inquiry.
Activities and units are grouped below
based on subject matter:
The Earth in Space
Measurements, Mapping and Geospatial Technology
Ecosystems/Biogeochemical Cycling
Geology - Earth History
Geology - Plate Tectonics
Weather/Water
Please note that these materials are
under various stages of development. Teacher guides for the
activities and curriculum units described below are currently being
prepared for the web. If you would like advance information about
any of the activities or units described below, please contact Donna
Witter (dwitter@kent.edu) who will
put you in contact with the author of the material.
The Earth in Space
|
Activity/Unit
Title |
Description |
Type of
Activity/Unit |
|
Absorption and
Reflection of Solar Energy
|
Students construct
dioramas to illustrate effects of man-made elements of the
environment on the absorption and reflection of solar energy. |
classroom |
|
Earth and Seasons |
Students participate in
a web-quest to develop an understanding of why Earth has seasons. |
computer |
|
The Moon's Role in
Earth's Tides |
Students
investigate how motions of the moon contribute to tides on Earth.
|
|
|
Using Web-Based
Technology to Understand Our Surroundings |
Students use web-based
tools to identify features of their local area and to investigate
relationships between natural and man-made elements of their
environment. |
computer |
|
A.R.T.S.,
Global Warming and the Urban Heat Island Effect: A Global Energy
Budget Curriculum Unit |
Students explore
the global radiation balance.
Specific
activities:
- Engage the Brain (classroom activity)
- GLOBE Surface Temperature Protocol (field activity)
- Inquiry-Based Questioning (classroom activity)
- Daisyworld (computer activity)
- Heat IT UP (lab activity)
- Causal Chain (classroom activity)
- Design an Environmentally Friendly Shopping Mall (classroom
activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
Measurements,
Mapping, and Geospatial Technology
|
Activity/Unit
Title |
Description |
Type of
Activity/Unit |
|
Measurement
and Math Review for Earth Science Curriculum Unit |
Students
participate in activities to enhance understanding of systems of
measurement, units of measurement, and the concepts of precision,
accuracy, and significant figures.
Specific
activities:
- My Foot (classroom activity)
- Round-Robin Measuring Investigation (lab activity)
- Map Scale Conversion Investigation (classroom activity)
- Slideshow Review and Tutorial (classroom activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
|
Mapping Latitude and
Longitude |
Students use several
web-based tools to understand latitude, longitude and coordinate
mapping. |
computer |
|
Using
Technology to Map Our Environmental Community |
Students use
web-based tools to map their local community. |
computer |
|
Coordinate
Mapping in the Field |
Students learn
about latitude, longitude and mapping as they explore their school
grounds using GPS. |
field |
|
Mapping
Terrain to Address Middle School Science Academic Content Standards |
Students apply a
variety of mapping tools to the problem of flood analysis.
Specific
activities:
- Modeling Elevation (classroom activity)
- GPS Field Activity (field activity)
- Coordinate Mapping Using Web-Based Tools (computer activity)
- Flood Risk Map Production (classroom activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
Ecosystems and
Biogeochemical Cycling
|
Activity/Unit Title |
Description |
Type of
Activity/Unit |
|
Individuals,
Populations and Ecosystems - Describing the Natural Environment |
Students observe their
local environment to understand basic principles of ecological
classification. |
field |
|
Understanding the
Carbon Cycle |
Students investigate
the role of the oceans in the carbon cycle by considering how
carbon moves between the ocean and other elements of the earth system
(i.e., atmosphere, sediments). |
classroom and
computer |
|
Using Energy |
Students investigate how
living organisms obtain and use energy. |
classroom |
|
Ecosystem
Field Study |
Students apply
knowledge of ecosystems to examine natural features of their
surroundings. |
field |
|
Investigating
Ecosystems |
Students explore
interactions among the parts of an ecosystem.
Specific activities:
- Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems (computer activity)
- Macro Field Trip (field activity)
- Micro Field Trip (field activity)
- Ecosystems and Change (classroom activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
Geology - Earth History
|
Activity/Unit Title |
Description |
Type of
Activity/Unit |
|
Edible Rocks |
Students act as
geologists by observing and describing physical characteristics of "Edible
Rock" samples. This activity provides scaffolding for any later
units which require descriptions of genuine rock samples. |
classroom |
|
Hands On Modeling of
Sediment Transport, Deposition and Erosion |
Students use laboratory
models to understand how small-scale phenomena can illustrate
grand-scale processes in nature. |
laboratory |
|
How'd That Happen? |
A guide for a
geomorphology field trip in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. |
field |
|
Making Sandstone |
Students
construct their own "sandstone" samples to understand that the formation of sandstone is the result of a variety
of weathering, erosional and lithification processes and that the
composition and texture of sandstone is a direct result of these differing
processes. |
classroom, laboratory |
|
Observation and
Inference |
Students make observations and inferences from
rock samples to understand how information can be gathered using the five
senses and how logical conclusions can be drawn from observations and past
experiences. |
laboratory |
|
Observation vs.
Inference - An Introduction to Earth History |
Students investigate
how observations are differentiate from inferences and explore how
inferences made by geologists can be considered valid portraits of
Earth's processes and history. |
classroom |
|
Shake, Rattle, and
Roll |
Students explore
the difference between observation and inference
by working with sealed film canisters containing common objects, including
a variety of earth materials. This unit can be used as an
introduction to more extensive exploration of earth history. |
classroom |
|
Sherlock Holmes |
Students use
detective skills to understand how rocks can be categorized into
sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic classifications.
|
classroom |
|
Virginia
Kendall Ledges, Cuyahoga Valley National Park |
Students explore the
geological history of Northeast Ohio in a field trip to the Cuyahoga
Valley National Park (field guide provided). |
field |
|
The Ice Age of
Ohio |
Students explore the
glacial history of Ohio and its effect on modern landforms. |
classroom and field |
|
Landforms |
Students model the
processes that generate landforms |
classroom and
laboratory |
|
Timing is No
One's Fault |
Students explore
principles relate to understanding time in geology and inferring a
sequence of geological processes from observations
Specific activities:
- Relative vs Absolute Time (classroom activity)
- Faults, Folds, and Stresses (field activity)
- Dikes, Sills, and Plutons (field activity)
- Sketch-Share-Pair (classroom activity)
- Geopardy (classroom activity)
- Geoscapes Final Challenge (field activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
|
Rocks and
Minerals |
Students explore
properties of rocks and minerals and investigate the rock cycle.
Specific activities:
- Why Learn About Minerals? (classroom activity)
- Rock vs Mineral (classroom activity)
- Mineral Mysteries (classroom activity)
- Rocks Are Made of Minerals (classroom activity)
- Igneous Rocks - Growing Crystals (lab activity)
- Sedimentary Rocks (lab activity)
- Metamorphic Rocks (lab activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
Geology - Plate Tectonics
|
Activity/Unit Title |
Description |
Type of
Activity/Unit |
|
Earthquakes and
Seismic Waves |
Students learn about four types
of seismic waves and how earthquakes epicenters can be located using
seismic data. |
classroom,
computer |
|
Earthquakes,
Volcanoes and Plate Tectonics
|
Students study
correlations between earthquakes, volcanoes and tectonic plates to
understand relationships between geologic hazards and plate
boundaries. |
classroom, computer |
|
Laboratory
Investigation of Plate Motion |
Students work with a physical model in the laboratory to
understand how lithospheric plates move and how the effects of plate
motion contribute to the development of Earth's landscape.
|
laboratory |
|
Plate Tectonics - View from the Starlab |
Students explore plate
motion, active versus passive margins, and the history of plate
motion on Earth using the "Starlab" system. |
This activity uses "Starlab"
equipment |
|
President's
Panel on Plates |
Students explore the
locations of plate tectonic activity and volcanism in a simulated
response to the President's request for information about his travel
itinerary |
computer, classroom |
|
Plate
Tectonics Curriculum Unit |
Students explore the
mechanism of plate tectonic motion and the diversity of plate boundary
processes.
Specific activities:
- Morphemic Analysis (classroom activity)
- Investigation of Plate Boundaries (lab activity)
- Tectonic Proofs via Round-Robin (classroom activity)
- Concept Map and Misconception Moment (classroom activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
|
Plate
Tectonics Curriculum Unit |
Students explore the
role of Earth's internal heat in driving plate tectonics and examine
the evidence behind the theory of plate tectonics
Specific activities:
- The Role of Heat (classroom activity)
- Structure of the Earth (classroom activity)
- Continental Drift and Magnetic Reversals (classroom activity)
- Mechanisms of Plate Movement (classroom activity)
- Plate-Boundary Interactions and Resulting Landforms (classroom and
computer activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
|
What's on YOUR
Plate - Plate Tectonics and You |
Students explore the
theory of plate tectonics
Specific activities:
- Reconstructing Pangaea (classroom activity)
- Learning Through a Lava Lamp (lab activity)
- Supporting the Theory (classroom activity)
- Destroying Ocean Crust (classroom activity)
- The Theory of Plate Tectonics (classroom r activity)
- Earthquake and Volcano Internet Activity (computer activity)
- Dr. Seuss Project (computer activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
Weather/Water
|
Activity/Unit Title |
Description |
Type of Activity/Unit |
|
Density of Air and
Gases
|
Students investigate the
influence of temperature on the density of air.
This activity can serve as scaffolding for investigations of atmospheric
convection and weather. |
laboratory |
|
The Greenhouse Effect |
Students investigate how
the greenhouse effect works and how it is related to global warming. |
computer |
|
Lake-Effect Snow
|
Students investigate the
impacts of wind, fetch, lake temperature and topography on the
development of lake-effect snow. |
classroom |
|
Observing and
Understanding Weather |
Students make and
interpret weather observations to understand weather prediction. |
curriculum unit |
|
The Rising Water
Mystery |
Students investigate how air
pressure and albedo influence atmospheric motion. |
laboratory |
|
Weather Balloons |
Students analyze
vertical profiles (graphs) of temperature and dew point to understand
the role of condensation in atmospheric heating. |
classroom |
|
Urban vs Rural
Flooding |
Students explore the
differences in urban and rural flooding and the impacts of flooding and
precipitation on pollutant dispersal. |
laboratory |
|
The Water Cycle
and Society |
Students participate
in a variety of activities with the goal of understanding the role water
plays in Earth systems and on society
Specific activities:
- Properties of Water (classroom and lab activity)
- Freshwater vs Seawater (lab activity)
- Water's Density: Temperature and Salinity (lab activity)
- The Water Cycle (classroom activity)
- Reservoirs and Residence Time (classroom activity)
- Water Cycle Skits (classroom activity)
- Water Usage and You (classroom and computer activity)
- Hypothetical Village X (classroom activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
|
Water Cycle
Curriculum Unit |
Students investigate
interactions between the components of the water cycle and how these
interactions impact society
Specific activities:
- Water Web (classroom activity)
- Where's the Water? (classroom activity)
- Simply Cyclic (lab activity)
- Water in Air (lab activity)
- Water and Society (classroom activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
|
Global
Circulation and Climate Zones |
Students investigation
relationships between atmospheric circulation and biomes
Specific activities:
- Introduction to Climate (classroom activity)
- Global Circulation and the Coriolis Effect (computer activity)
- Mission Biome (computer activity)
- Climate Control (classroom activity)
- Biome Travel Brochure (classroom and computer activity) |
curriculum unit
(various types of activities) |
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