304s00

Red Rocks Amphitheatre east of Denver, Colorado WBL 1996

GEOL 304

PS-122, T 0900-1250

Geology in the Classroom

Winter, 2005

Instructor: W. Britt Leatham, Ph.D.

BI-108, bleatham@csusb.edu

Office Hours: M 1300-1500 and T 1200-1400 or by appt.

LAST UPDATED 01/13/05

"Try to learn something about everything and everything about something."
--Thomas Henry Huxley

Announcements-- updated later this week

Final Grades--an example from a previous class

K-12 California Science Standards--this is PDF file and can be printed

CCTC 2002 Multiple Subject Content Assessment--this is a PDF file and can be either viewed or printed

Play Dough Recipe--works well

Some cool websites

www.visibleearth.nasa.gov

www.usgs.gov

www.discoveryschool.com

www.fourmilab.to/earthview/

Tentative Syllabus (follows below)

Breadth Portfolio	50%
Specialized Geological Team Explorations	25%
Active Participation and Special Events	25%
TOTAL	100%

Tentative grading rubric for each required element: (see sample evaluation sheet also)

4 = excellent, unusual effort, and memorable

3 = noteworthy, above average

2 = acceptable, but not noteworthy

1 = definitely needs work

0 = nothing to evaluate

Final grades will be computed from the total percentages as follows:

95-100 = A	90-94 = A-	88-89 = B+	84-87 = B
80-83 = B-	78-79 = C+	74-77 = C	70-73 = C-
68-69 = D+	64-67 = D	60-63 = D-	00-59 = F

Class Listserver: All students MUST subscribe to the GEOL_304 list server. This is essentially an electronic means of communicating with other students in the class. The listserver is a convenient mechanism to post materials for the other students in the class, to ask for help, and to review some of the work presented during the special events. Please feel free to communicate with other members of your group and the class using this medium. Just remember that all who subscribe will get your message.

I will manually subscribe you to the listserver by Wednesday, January 12^th. You will know that you are subscribed because you will receive an introductory email with some info about the listserver.

Major geological themes for the portfolio and the class include:

Planets, Stars, and Space (Questions and summaries due January 31)
Understanding Earth materials and resources: minerals, rocks, etc. (Questions and summaries due February 7th)
Land-shaping processes--externally driven (Questions and summaries due February 14th)
Land-shaping processes--internal dynamics (Questions and summaries due February 21st)
Geological time, fossils, and events in Earth history (Questions and summaries due February 28th)
Philosophical methodologies and analytical tools for interpreting the Earth--How geologists work and what they use to do their work. (Questions and summaries due March 7th)

Guidelines for Breadth Portfolio:

Obtain suitable three-ring binder for portfolio. A portfolio is essentially a portable case for carrying loose papers. This portfolio should be a cumulative summation and record of your experiences this quarter in geology. Use dividers to organize your portfolio--make a section for each of the major subjects, a section for your notes, etc.

Analyses may be neatly handwritten or printed.

Portfolio should also contain a table of contents and an overall analysis/summary--minimum of two pages.

Each of the six themes should be separated within the portfolio. Each section of the portfolio should include (in this order):

An approved self-authored question and analysis (minimum 400 words). This analysis will help you develop a depth of knowledge about a single facet of each major theme.

A separate summary statement for the major themes listed above (minimum 400 words). This summary will help you develop a breadth of knowledge about each major theme.

A one-page glossary/vocabulary page of geologically significant terms or concepts. The definitions for those words should be drafted in your own words, and not copied from a dictionary.

A current event tied to the major theme and an accompanying one-page minimum analysis of that event.

Self-Authored Question and Analysis

You must include at least ONE, self-authored question and appropriate analysis about a geological concept for each of the major themes listed above. Your questions must be first APPROVED by the instructor for both content and appropriateness BEFORE you attempt to write the analysis.
The question will allow you to explore one single facet of each of the earth science themes listed above. Questions that are geared towards factual definition. Try to ask "How..." or "Why..." or "Do..." questions that relate, compare, and contrast--avoid questions of regurgitative definition (e.g. "what"). Examples of some questions that are acceptable include:
After you have an APPROVED self-authored question, answer your question in a minimum 400 word (i.e. one page to one and a half pages) analysis. Please reference the source(s) of your information.
Each question analysis MUST include the pertinent K-8 science standards that it addresses.

Include a summary statement (400 words minimum) for each major theme. The summary statement should explore all facets of the theme, and should focus on the breadth of the theme, rather than on the in-depth question you designed and answered. These statements are similar to the chapter summaries or introductions you encounter in many of your college texts. For example, if you had designed a question around how stars shine for the Planets, Stars, and Space theme for your self-authored question, you should summarize the theme by including an analysis of planets, moons, galaxies, comets, meteors, and how we study them.

Glossary/Vocabulary Page

Include a one-page glossary/vocabulary page of geologically significant terms or concepts you uncovered in your question and summary research for EACH theme in your portfolio. A one-page glossary must contain at least seven geologically significant terms or concepts, and not be based on words/concepts that are not part of Eearth science lingo. Each significant term/concept should be defined in your own words, and not copied from the internet, or a dictionary. You may include a labled sketch if desired to help us understand that particular concept. Sketches should be hand drawn, similar to what you might produce on a chalkboard or whiteboard. Please feel free to substitute an appropriate, definition-based word puzzle for your glossary page, if desired.

Current Event and Analysis

Find and include a minimum of one current event from popular media (news, magazine, etc.) tied to each major theme. Popular media includes newspapers, internet news sites, magazines, television, movies, and radio. It does not include scientific journals or specialized books or textbooks. Each current event must be accompanied by a one-page analysis of the significance of the event and its relationship to the discussion topic. Only events that are reported in the media between 01/01/05 and 03/01/05 can be used for this assignment.

Portfolio is due MONDAY, March 21st, the last regular class of GEOL 304 for Winter Quarter. You will be able to pick-up your graded portfolio the day of the final (Friday, March 25th@ 8:00 am [MORNING CLASS] and Friday, March 25th @ 4:00 pm [EVENING CLASS]) in an exit interview.

Special Events

Special events for individual presentation of a single geologic concept via poetry, prose, art, dance, model, costume, etc.
These are NOT Lesson plans. Please do not tell us what you would do in a class.
It is okay to get the class to participate through a guided experience--we could sing, dance or otherwise participate with the appropriate guidance.
Each student must participate in ANY three of the six sessions listed below. Your choice.
Limit to 2.5 minutes/presentation.
All presentations are peer-evaluated.
All presentations must be accompanied with a hand-out, and keyed to a K-8 California Science Standard.
Tentative Schedule (subject to modification, although the general order will be retained):

Outer Space Day	January 21st
Earth is a Wiggly, Active Planet Day (quakes, faults, plate tectonics, tsunamis, etc.)	January 28th
We get it from the Earth Day (Earth resources including: minerals, rocks, hydrocarbons, gases, etc., but NOT food and other biological resources)	February 7th
Some like it hot Day (volcanos, lava, and magma and other hot things from inside the planet)	February 14th
Air, Water, and Ice Day (oceans, rivers, glaciers, weather, climate, etc)	February 21st
Fossils and "Entries in the Earth's Diary" Day (what important things happened a long time ago)	February 28th

Specialized Geological Team--Guided Explorations

OBJECTIVE--What do you want us/(you) to learn? A good teacher has something that want their students to learn--content is the core of teaching. What your choose will govern how you might best learn it. Choose your content carefully, and make sure that it coincides with the standards espoused by your organization, particularly in this case the state of California. Remember that if you are curious about something, then likely your students will be too. As a group, pick a specific earth science process or concept for in-depth exploration and have a rationale for your choice. You should not pick the procedure first because you think a particular method or experimental procedure is "cute", nor should you pick an activity from a book or off the internet, trying to decide what it is that "we" are supposed to learn. The topic should be picked by consensus with the other members of your group, and approved by the instructor, prior to proceeding.
Procedure--Determine how you will help the class learn the concept via a hands-on laboratory or field experience (avoid demo or lecture, allow us to participate). You might have the class work either as individuals or groups, and make and explore a models, run a simulations, discover relationships, or other appropriate "hands-on" activities.
RELEVANCE--Make the concept meaningful by finding a societal issue that it affects. For example, understanding how earthquakes transmit energy can effect how we regulate land use, or understanding how minerals react with the environment can effect the production of potentially harmful compounds in the environment, or understanding how rivers and streams transport sediment can effect how and where potentially economic reserves of mineral and hydrocarbon resources are located. How we live is directly governed by decisions that we have to make based on what we know. Make a poster or other visual display showing what the issue is, negative and positive aspects of how that issue affects us, AND propose YOUR best solution based on that analysis. You will need to take time during your exploration for a class discussion.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY--Establish who in your group will do what. You will have the opportunity to evaluate the other members of your group, based on their participation.
Evaluation--Explorations will be peer-evaluated, using a scoring rubric, similar to the one presented in class.
MATERIALS--Handouts and a "lab" write-up are expected at the time of presentation and are to be given to the rest of the class and to the instructor.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN--Team presentations are scheduled for March 14^th and March 21st.