Geoscience Education in the Mountain State:CATS Geology Telecourse, Spring 1999,
Sample Unit Plan
Geoscience Education in the Mountain State:
Unit Plan Expectations
Sample Unit Plan
This unit was submitted for the CATS Physical Geology Telecourse. It is an excellent example of a well designed, functional classroom plan for introducing geology concepts. Your unit plan needs to cover a minimum of five classroom meetings.
CHANGES OVER TIME
INTRODUCTION: The module "Changes Over Time" was developed to include activities and applications for a high school setting. This module would take approximately fifteen 50 minute class periods to teach. More or less time is possible, depending on the present level of understanding of the students.
Pre-assessment - In cooperative groups, ask the students to make a list on a piece of freezer paper of at least three ways that the earth can be compared to a puzzle. (Examples may be the continents look like they could fit together, natural occurrences seem to be patterned, continents seem to have mountain ranges only near their edges, etc.) Students hang their freezer paper lists on the walls around the room. Discuss the lists. (Dr. Deb suggestion: This may be hard for some students. It might work better as a class brainstorming activity.) (IGO-ES.2)
Exploration - Pass out enlarged cut-outs of the continents without telling the students what they have. Ask the students to try and fit the pieces of this "puzzle" together. Glue the puzzle down to a piece of cardboard and have each group attach the puzzle to their group's piece of freezer paper. (Dr. Deb suggestion: This is something many students may have done already in an earlier grade. What new ways can this be done?) (IGO-ES.1 & ES.2)
Embedded Assessment - Ask the students to write in their journals a one paragraph explanation of what they did, why they put the pieces of the puzzle together that way, and what they think they have. (Dr. Deb suggestions: How might the students test their ideas of "what they have?") (IGO-ES.1)
Concept Development/Science History - Discuss the scientist Alfred Wegener. Compare him to the students by asking "Have you ever told someone a true story that they refused to believe?" Explain that this is similar to the position Wegener was in. He believed that the present-day continents were once part of a giant connected land mass known as Pangea. He thought that this land mass broke up about 250 million years ago. He was positive that the fit of the continents was beyond coincidence, so he decided to find more evidence to back up his thinking.
One type of data that Wegener gathered was fossil records. He discovered fossils of a tree fern known as Glossopteris, and he discovered a reptilian fossil known as Mesosaurus. The other very important data Wegener brought into his research was the comparisons of glacial deposits from the various continents. One of the most amazing similarities was that between the deposits found in South America, Africa, India, and Australia. He concluded that these "coincidences" were actually clues that led him to develop the theory of Continental Drift. (Dr. Deb suggestion: The students might research the history of plate tectonic theory to discover and understand how it extends far beyond Wegener.) (IGO-ES.39; ES.59; ES.60)
Application - Suggest to the students that if fossil evidence was important to the theory of Continental Drift, then rock strata would have probably been equally important, if Wegener would have been able to obtain that information. Tell the students that they are going to be given a new piece of evidence to further support the theory. Give each cooperative group a geologic column of different regions of the earth. (Make certain that you include the columns from South America and Africa that are identical at the bottom.) Instruct the students on how to build a model of a geologic column out of colored sand. (Dr. Deb suggestion: This is really hard to do! It is hard to find geologic columns from around the world. It might be better to have them make the colored sand columns of local outcrops or drill records so they understand the concept of correlation.) (IGO- ES.2; ES.6; ES.20; ES.42; ES.62)
Procedure for making colored sand geologic columns:
Assessment - With their matching column groups, ask students to come up with a written explanation of why these particular columns match, how could this evidence support or disprove the theory of Continental Drift, and ask them to explain in at least one page how the theory is being used by scientists today. Explanations will go into their journals. Students will probably need additional time to research the applications of Wegener's theory. Essays will be graded on a rubric. (Dr. Deb suggestion: This activity only shows similar rock types in the columns. Actuall correlation requires something distinctive about a particular layer of rock that allows it to be conclusively identified at another location. Plant and animal fossils, ash falls, etc. work really well for this. How could you modify your columns to include some reference to things which would ensure that you are demonstrating a correlation process that was similar to that used by Wegener? ) (IGO-ES.3; ES.5; ES.72)
RUBRIC FOR ASSESSING SCIENCE ESSAYS
4.0 points -- clearly written and contains five or fewer grammatical, mechanical, and usage errors, contains properly sequenced or developed ideas. (For example, the student knows how to move from one thought or explanation to the next, without jumping back and forth between ideas.), contains accepted ideas about Wegener's theory of Continental Drift, including the similarity of rock strata, geological structures, and fossils on opposite sides of the Atlantic, and the existence of a supercontinent known as Pangea, meets the length guidelines of one full page or more
3.0 points -- may contain between six and ten grammatical, mechanical, and usage errors, properly sequenced or developed ideas, but may sound "choppy" to the reader (example - the writer may develop one idea in the first paragraph, but add to that idea in a paragraph that is not dealing with that topic), contains accepted ideas about Wegener's theory of Continental Drift mentioned in 4.0 paper, may miss the length guideline by no more than five lines from the bottom of the paper.
2.0 points -- may contain between eleven and fifteen grammatical, mechanical, and usage errors, contains paragraphs, but the information may not be properly developed (example - the writer may try to tackle three different concepts or ideas in one paragraph without clearly explaining any of them or a paragraph may not explain the topic the writer began in that paragraph.), may contain one incorrect concept about Wegener's theory of Continental Drift or leave out one of the four accepted ideas mentioned in the 4.0 paper, may miss the length guideline by at least five, but not more than ten lines from the bottom of the of the paper.
1.0 points -- may contain more than fifteen grammatical, mechanical, and usage errors, either contains no paragraphing, or the paragraphing is incorrect--example - no concept is developed fully in any one paragraph, may contain between two and four incorrect concepts about the theory of Continental Drift or omit two of the four accepted ideas mentioned in the 4.0 paper, may miss the length guideline by more than ten lines, but less than twenty-one lines from the bottom of the page.
0.0 points -- written about a topic other then the one specified by the teacher, may miss the length guideline by more than twenty lines from the bottom of the page, five or more incorrect concepts about Wegener's theory of Continental Drift or omits more than two of the accepted ideas mentioned in the 4.0 paper.
Preassessment - Now that the students understand the theory of the movement of the continents, ask them what they think they know about the causes of this movement. (Use freezer paper and cooperative groups to come up with possible causes of continental movement.) Ask one student from each group to try and convince the class to believe their theory by supporting that idea with evidence. (The evidence may be "fudged" for this purpose, but the student must present it as though it were true.) (IGO-ES.1; ES.2)
Introduction Activity - Convection Currents in a Pan - Place a pan filled with cold water on two blocks of wood, about two or three inches high. Put five drops of dark food coloring in the middle of the water, trying not to let the water become too disturbed. The coloring should settle to the bottom of the pan. Light a small, one inch votive candle and carefully slide it under the pan of water to the middle. Have students record their observations, including a brief explanation of the activity. "Describe what happened to the food coloring." Now sprinkle a thin layer of pepper on top of the water. Students record what they observe. (ES.4; ES.20; ES.21; ES.39; ES.40)
Concept Development - Introduce the layers of the earth to the students. Compare the core of the earth to the flame of the candle in the experiment, explaining that this heat generates energy for the mantle. Compare the mantle to the water in the pan in the experiment. Explain that the mantle is a solid that sometimes acts like a liquid. The mantle can move in a liquid manner because the core provides enough heat to reduce the density of the rocks throughout the mantle. Finally, compare the crust of the earth to the pepper on the top of the water. Explain that the crust is a thin layer compared to the rest of the earth made up of rigid plates, and that the movement of the mantle (the convection currents generated by the heat of the core of the earth) is the cause of the movement of the plates. Show the students a picture of what scientists believe to be the behavior of convection currents in the earth. (Any Earth Science text will have a picture.) Let the students examine a map of the plates of the earth. (Most maps include arrows that indicate the direction and degree at which each plate is moving.) (IGO-ES.20; ES.21; ES.24; ES.39; ES.40)
Embedded Assessment - On a piece of unlined paper, ask the students to sketch a model of the convection current lab. They will use red arrows to indicate the movement of the food coloring (the convection currents) in the pan. They will use dark arrows to show the movement of the pepper. Label every part of the lab. On the other half of this paper, the student will sketch a cross-section of the earth, labeling each part. The student will then use red arrows to demonstrate the movement of the convection currents within the earth and dark arrows to show the movement of the plates above these currents. Ask students to write their own explanation of the sketches on the paper. (Students should be graded on completion of the sketches and the understanding of the lab. If the student shows signs of misconceptions involving the lab and its relevancy to the earth, reteach concept and allow the student to re-do sketches and/or explanation.) (IGO-ES.4; ES.39)
Research Question - In groups of two, assign the groups to research the plates of the earth. They are to gather the facts and present these facts and findings in a flow chart or concept map to be developed using either the Inspiration program or Microsoft Publisher. (Assessment of flow chart should be based on depth of investigation, organization of facts, and the use of Inspiration or Microsoft Publisher.) (IGO-ES.68; ES.69; ES.70)
Extension of Concept - Ask the students if they have wondered just how much force it would take to actually move a continental plate. Ask the student to hypothesize about how many Newtons they think it would take. (Remind students that a Newton is approximately 4.4 lbs.) Allow the students to grapple with this for a minute. Ask the students what sort of information they would need to know about the continental plate before they really took an educated guess. Obviously they would need to know the mass of that continent, the density, how far the continent could move in a certain amount of time, etc. Ask the students to get into groups of three. Assign the following problem to the groups. (IGO-ES.11; ES.14; ES.15; & P.21; P.22)
*How much force would it take to move a continent with a density of 3 grams/cm3 approximately 1 cm in a year of the continent is 5,000 km wide, 5,000 km long, and 10 km deep? Use the following formulas:
Mass = Volume x Density (M = VD) Volume = length x width x depth
Force = Mass x Acceleration (F = MA)
Use correct units in each step -- Volume (cm3) Density (g/cm3-) Mass (g) Acceleration (cm/sec2)
Reminders -- One kilometer = 1,000 meters 1 meter = 100 centimeters 1 year = 365 days How many hours? Minutes? Seconds?
(Dr. Bob suggestion: This exercise could be centered around the question "How long would it take to "create" the width of the Atlantic Ocean at a rate of 2.5 - 3cm per year? This quesiton brings the idea of sea floor spreading into focus.)
Open-Ended Question - We now know that the earth's crust is made up of rigid plates, both oceanic and continental. We know that these plates move, and we also relatively know how much force is behind this movement. What do you think would happen if these plates were to "bump" into each other? What would happen when they pulled apart? In your journal, describe the types of events that you believe would result from this kind of collision.(IGO-ES.1; ES.5; ES.13)
Concept Development - Introduce the terms "divergent boundary," "convergent boundary," "transform fault," and "subduction zone." Explain the differences in each of these plate boundaries. Using a laser disk or CD show the students the result of each boundary. (IGO-ES.39; ES.40; ES.68)
Embedded Assessment - You will need: a long piece of freezer paper, some modeling clay (at least 3 different colors), and your hands. (Younger students could use different flavors of fruit roll-ups instead of clay.)
PROCEDURE:
Students should be able to orally explain the different boundaries and the result of each. If a student seems to be having difficulty, assign further reading or allow student time to re-examine the laser disk on his own or with the teacher during lunch or planning. (IGO - ES.1; ES.2; ES.13; ES.15; ES.19; ES.20; ES.23)
INVESTIGATION - Using the plate map of the world, explain what you see around the plate boundaries. Divide students into small groups. Each group will research either volcanoes, earthquakes, or mountains. Groups must construct a bulletin board to display their findings. Use a rubric to assess the display. (IGO-ES.24; ES.39; ES.41; ES.69; ES.70)
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT - (MINI-LECTURE or READ ALONG) Now that the students understand where mountain-building takes place, it is time to discuss the orogeny (mountain building event) that affected West Virginia.
BACKGROUND - There are three accepted geologic areas of time: the Paleozoic, the Mesozoic, and the Cenozoic. Early historians divide life after the Precambrian primarily on the basis of what type of life forms existed. Each period is also characterized by certain geologic events. Here is a list of several common such types of events:
As the earth began the Paleozoic era, North American was much different from today. The entire continent lay further south and it had very few land features. The land that is now West Virginia lay almost directly on the equator. Large slow-moving streams meandered across the lands, and the Iapetus ocean separated North America from both Africa and Europe.
At some point during the early Paleozoic, the Iapetus Ocean ceased opening and the plates reversed their directions. Ancient Africa (known as proto-Africa) began moving westward toward proto-North America. These two continents collided several times during the Paleozoic era. Each time, a major mountain system was formed along the eastern part of North America.
During and after each orogeny, the mountains were reduced by weathering and erosion over millions of years. The rock and mineral products of these periods of erosion were spread to both the east and west. The sediments that were spread to the east were mostly carried to the ocean and lost forever. There is still evidence to the west of us, however.
We have excellent evidence preserved in the rocks affected by the Alleghenian orogeny. This was the orogeny that produced the Appalachian mountains. These rocks are extremely folded in some places, and even faulted in others. Hundreds of feet of the original Appalachian mountains have long been eroded into sediments. The height of many of our mountains is the result of water cutting deep valley through easily eroded rock. So as you can see, the true majesty of our mountains was never seen by man.
Long before our mountains were ever formed, most of West Virginia was covered by a shallow sea. The entire sea harbored marine invertebrates. How do we know this? Fossil records show us that animals like brachiopods and crinoids (animals that lived in salty shallow waters) were very abundant in our state. People have found these fossils on mountaintops. So we have two options to consider: 1) the ocean was hundreds of feet deep and covered the mountain tops, or 2) the ocean was shallow and existed before the mountains were formed. The best theory is 2, because the types of marine fossils found today are those that could have only survived in water that was shallow enough to allow sunlight to penetrate to the bottom. Sunlight helped plant like animals create their own food. These animals gave the bigger guys, like the brachiopods and gastropods something to eat. In an extremely deep ocean, the sunlight could not have reached these bottom dwellers. (IGO-ES.3; ES.5; ES.40; ES.42)
EXPLORATION ACTIVITY #1 - Contact the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey's Educational Outreach Specialist to set up a fossil hunting/career exploration field trip. The Ames limestone of the Morgantown area is extremely fossiliferous in places. This is an excellent site for a fossil hunt. This field trip should be used to illustrate the point of a West Virginia that supported marine life. (*NOTE - Many of the fossil sites are along Interstate 68 and some of the exits. Be sure that there are enough chaperones for adequate supervision of the area.) While on the field trip, you may ask for a tour of the Geologic Survey at Mont Chateau. This will give the students an idea of the jobs available in the various field of science. Students will be required to keep a field notebook. The notebook should be small enough to fit in a pocket.
ASSESSMENT OF FIELD TRIP - The students will be assessed on their field notebooks.
Requirements of notebook - 1) provide an index that lists page and notes taken on that page; 2)
contain at least three scaled sketches; 3) each stop must be numbered; 4) time, date, and weather
conditions must be recorded at every stop; 5) notes must be written when teacher indicates.
(NOTE - If this is the first time the students are used to using field notebooks, the teacher needs
to direct these five objectives. If the students are used to using field notebooks, little prompting
should be used.) Field notebooks are collected upon return to school. The notebooks must
contain all five objectives listed in order to receive a "
+" (20 points). A notebook which contains 3 or 4 of these objectives receives a
"" (15 points). A notebook containing
2 or less of these objectives receives a "-" (10 points). If a student does not keep a notebook, the student receives a zero for the
field trip experience. If a student violates any safety regulations, the student will automatically receive
a zero for the field trip experience. (IGO-ES.6; ES.20; ES.21; ES.23; ES.57; ES.67; ES.70)
EXPLORATION ACTIVITY #2 - Students will conduct an experiment to determine different properties of limestone, in contrast to those of sandstone. Be sure that the students bring home plenty of limestone samples from their field trip. (If the field trip is not possible in your classroom, get permission to gather limestone from your closest parking lot of set of train tracks.) (IGO-ES.4; ES.6; ES.7; ES.16 & C.16; C.18; C.52)
Materials: limestone, sandstone, pH indicator, .05 or .10 Hydrochloric Acid, periodic table of the elements, test tube or well plate, safety goggles, gloves, rock hammer, magnifying glass, drawing paper, sea shell, a small bone, mortar and pestle.
OPEN-ENDED ACTIVITY/Societal Aspect - After observing the various characteristics of limestone and sandstone, the students will receive a bowl of polluted water (the water will have a pH of approximately 4.6). They will be told that this water is comparable to water exposed to acid mine drainage. Students will design a way to elevate the pH of the water to 7.0 using limestone. Students will be required to write up their lab procedures and results and to write an essay on the effects of Man on the environment. (IGO-ES.9; ES.10; ES.11; ES.63; ES.64; ES.65; ES.67; ES.72 & B.7; B.8)
FINAL ASSESSMENT - The final assessment of this unit will be two part. First, the students will take a standard multiple choice, short answer, and listing written test worth 100 points.
The other half of the evaluation will be based on a 10-15 minute presentation on the concepts learned within the unit. Students will work in groups of two. The presentation must include a 4-5 page typed report, a student produced video or a power point slide show, a poster-sized concept map of the unit based on the students' understanding of how the facts fit together, and a talk on the projected future of the earth based on either the rate of movement of the plates on the earth or Man's treatment of the environment.
References:
Science Interactions by Glencoe - Course II and Course III
RockCamp I Resource Book (1996)
Mountains and Videos, by Barbara Taylor, Kingfisher Books
Science Plus, Blue level, HBJ
Colored Sand Geologic Columns Activity by Debra Rockey
SCIENCE IS..., by Susan V. Bosak, Scholastic Canada LTD
WV Instructional Goals and Objectives Accomplished Within the Module
Environmental Earth Science -- Eleven/Twelve
Nature of science
| ES.1 | recognize the open-ended structure of science |
| ES.2 | participate in activities that consider alternate, changing points of view to stimulate the development of a sense of inquiry |
| ES.3 | recognize the limits of science |
| ES.4 | recognize science as composed of observations set in a testable framework of ideas |
| ES.5 | conclude that science is a blend of logic, mathematics, and imagination |
Science Attitudes/Habits of Mind
| ES.6 | model and exhibit the skills attitudes and/or values of scientific inquiry (e.g. curiosity, logic, objectivity, openness, skepticism, appreciation, diligence, integrity, fairness, creativity) | |
| ES.7 | demonstrate ethical practices in science (e.g. establish research protocol, accurate record keeping, replication of results, peer review) | |
| ES.9 | apply scientific information to personal and societal decision making | |
| ES.10 | apply scientific approaches to seek solutions for everyday problems (e.g., personal community health, population growth, natural resources environmental quality, natural and human induced hazards, and scientific and technological challenges) |
Scientific Process/Thinking Skills
| ES.11 | demonstrate science processes within a problem solving setting (e.g., observing, measuring, communicating, comparing, ordering, categorizing, relating, inferring, and applying) |
| ES.13 | identify analyze and infer using patterns and relationships in data (e.g., cause and effect, graphical analysis including interpretation, interpolation and extrapolation) |
| ES.14 | use SI (metric) measurements |
| ES.15 | apply rational thinking processes that underlie scientific approaches to problem solving by employing critical thinking skills, imagination and creativity while working individually and/or cooperatively |
| ES.16 | use the tools of science safely, accurately, and appropriately |
| ES.19 | design, conduct, evaluate, and revise experiments (e.g., identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations, design and conduct scientific investigations, use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications, formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence, recognize alternative explanations, communicate and defend a scientific argument, understand about scientific inquiry) |
Laboratory Investigations/Hands-on Learning
| ES.20 | engage in active inquiries, investigations and hands-on activities for a minimum of 50% of the instructional time to develop conceptual understanding and laboratory skills |
| ES.21 | conduct explorations in a variety of traditional and nontraditional educational environments (e.g., laboratories, museums, libraries, parks and other outdoor locations) |
| ES.22 | use computers and other electronic technologies (e.g., computer, CBL, probe interfaces, laser disks) to collect, analyze and/or interpret data, interact with simulations, and research |
| ES.23 | properly and safely manipulate equipment, materials, chemicals, organisms, and models |
Science Themes and Subject Matter
| ES.24 | review the following foundational earth science concepts including rocks and minerals, properties of waves, constructing and interpreting weather maps, surface features found on maps, climatic relationships to biomes, use of data gathering instruments, temperature-phase change relationships |
| ES.34 | identify components of the solid earth (e.g., shape, dimensions, and structure) |
| ES.39 | identify and describe tectonic forces |
| ES.40 | understand the cause and effect relationships of degradational and tectonic forces with respect to the dynamic earth and its surface |
| ES.41 | construct and/or interpret information on topographic maps |
| ES.42 | list, identify, and sequence eras, epochs, and periods in relation to earth history and geologic development |
| ES.57 | investigate which federal and state agencies have responsibility for environmental monitoring and actions |
Science History
| ES.59 | identify contributors to the scientific body of knowledge including scientists both past and present as well as contributions from diverse cultures |
| ES.60 | recognize the historical development of significant scientific events and their impact on modern thought and life |
| ES.62 | understand and appreciate the evolving nature of scientific thought and knowledge and the patterns by which major scientific ideas change |
Science, Technology, and Society
| ES.63 | apply science and use technology to solve problems |
| ES.64 | describe the costs and the benefits of scientific skills and new technologies needed to address personal and societal needs |
| ES.65 | engage in decision making activities and actions to resolve science-technology-society issues |
| ES.67 | explore connections among science, technology, and career opportunities |
Computer and Technology
| ES.68 | access, gather, store, retrieve, and organize data using hardware and software designed for these purposes |
| ES.69 | access Internet resources for a variety of purposes (e.g., research, exchange data, E-mail, and real-time investigations) |
| ES.70 | demonstrate skills in use of word processing data bases, spreadsheets, graphics, and telecommunications |
| ES.71 | identify and solve problems with the appropriate technology |
| ES.72 | incorporate correct grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and graphical representation for both written and oral communication |
PHYSICS ELEVEN/TWELVE
Science Themes and Subject Matter
| P.21 | investigate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the concepts of kinematics (e.g., distance, time, velocity, acceleration) |
| P.22 | investigate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the concepts of dynamics (e.g., force, impulse, gravitation, conservation of energy, conservation of momentum, Newton's Laws) |
CHEMISTRY ELEVEN/TWELVE
Laboratory Investigations/Hand-on Learning
| C.18 | properly and safely manipulate equipment, materials, chemicals, organisms, and models |
Science Themes and Subject Matter
| C.52 | calculate the pH and or pOH for various solutions and relate to the pH |
WVGES Education Specialist, Tom Repine (repine@wvgs.wvnet.edu)
Page last revised: July 1999
Please send questions, comments, and/or suggestions to webmaster@wvgs.wvnet.edu
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