Students use a light source, a polystyrene ball, and their bodies to …
Students use a light source, a polystyrene ball, and their bodies to model and explain the causes of eclipses and the phases of the moon, and then to determine the direction of the moon's revolution and the period of its rotation.
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This activity is a classroom investigation where the students create, in size …
This activity is a classroom investigation where the students create, in size and distance, a solar system model in proportion to a selected sphere representing the earth.
Average inquiry level: Guided inquiry This is a series of scaffolded modules …
Average inquiry level: Guided inquiry This is a series of scaffolded modules to guide students in understanding Plate Tectonic Theory, from its history to modern applications, and is designed for the asynchronous class. These modules may be used as individual classroom assignments or as labs. They were written with the intention of students working from 12-16 hours during an asynchronous week. They can also be used in classes with different modalities. This is not designed for one 3-hour lab session, although individual modules could be used as labs.
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The design of this short Lecture Tutorial worksheet allows students to make …
The design of this short Lecture Tutorial worksheet allows students to make predictions of what rock types they would expect to find on other planets. After a brief lecture, students work in groups to answer the questions to help them understand the conditions of formation for the three rock types.
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This site has a collection of role-playing exercises that provide the students …
This site has a collection of role-playing exercises that provide the students with equations and data to use in collaborative problem-solving.
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In this module, students are asked to look at how long it …
In this module, students are asked to look at how long it takes for planets and moons to complete their orbits, and how fast they are going.
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In this field lab students will go outside and observe a particular …
In this field lab students will go outside and observe a particular area of the schoolyard. Students will design investigations to complete outside and will use outdoor observations to provide evidence for our indoor activities.
While working in groups to facilitate peer tutoring, students manipulate a hands-on, …
While working in groups to facilitate peer tutoring, students manipulate a hands-on, physical model to better comprehend the Earth's position in space, the Earth's rotation axis and seasons.
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This online article, published by the now defunct Daily University Science News …
This online article, published by the now defunct Daily University Science News (the article is still available in their archives), reports on the proposal of Victor Baker and Shigenori Maruyama, made at the 2001 Geological Society of America annual meeting, that the superplume concept of mantle convection has application to the origin of the Tharsis area on Mars. (A superplume is a broad zone of mantle upwelling many thousands of km's across).
As an on-going project, students note the position of the sun by …
As an on-going project, students note the position of the sun by mapping a shadow on the classroom floor. They learn about the earth's tilt and the effect of the sun's light on our seasons.
This is a comprehensive project using the Highland Road Park Observatory camera. …
This is a comprehensive project using the Highland Road Park Observatory camera. This project encompasses the formal portions for both written and spoken communication, and carries 55% of the course credit.
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Students construct a geologic map of a region of Venus' surface using …
Students construct a geologic map of a region of Venus' surface using NASA Magellan synthetic aperture radar(SAR) data (provided) and/or synthetic stereo data (provided, and constructed using Magellan SAR and altimetry data)- 3D anaglyph viewed through red-blue glasses. Mapping can be done digitally using Adobe Illustrator (or a similar graphic program) or using hard copy images and overhead transparencies for mapping. Students construct a complete geologic map, determine a geologic history for the area, and propose hypotheses for the evolution of a large quasi-circular geomorphic/geologic feature that occurs within the map area. Students also propose tests of their hypotheses (whether such tests can be accomplished through further mapping, future missions, experiments, theoretical arguments, calculations, etc.). Students must clearly identify assumptions they make in their hypotheses/models. Individual, or small group, write-ups and completed geologic maps summarize student analysis. This activity connects structural geology to other fields, and provides the students with an opportunity to experience geologic investigation in which there is no single right answer, but there are "wrong" or unlikely hypotheses. This exercise helps students think outside the box with little fear given that they are dealing with - literally - an extraterrestrial world in which very little is known - and yet, we assume that chemistry and physics, as we know them, likely operated on Earth's sister planet. Students are given a short introductory presentation about the environmental conditions of Venus (which could have been different in the past), and an introduction to radar data before they begin.
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Students are first assigned reading from the textbook (Strahler and Merali, Visualizing …
Students are first assigned reading from the textbook (Strahler and Merali, Visualizing Physical Geography) to present the concepts of the global energy balance, including the role of greenhouse gases. In class, I go over the concepts and work with the class to figure out how to calculate solar elevation angle at a given latitude at different dates. Prior to class, I had visited the website of the University of Oregon Solar Radiation Monitoring Laboratory (http://solardat.uoregon.edu/SunChartProgram.html) to generate a Sun chart for my latitude. I have copies of this chart ready. Outside, the students use a compass to find the azimuth and elevation for the sun's arc for the solstice and the equinox. They are asked to trace these different arcs using their arms to get a sense of the difference. Students are then asked to take a compass bearing of the sun's azimuth and use the sun chart to determine the time. (Usually, it is one hour off - they need to figure out why - daylight saving)
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This field investigation involves student dropping various objects into various mediums to …
This field investigation involves student dropping various objects into various mediums to find answers to questions that they propose, dealing with meteors and craters.
This is an activity to help students understand the abstract concept about …
This is an activity to help students understand the abstract concept about how planets move around the sun and their relative size compared with other planets in the solar system.
This is a whole class activity in which the class will physically …
This is a whole class activity in which the class will physically model how the planets move around the sun. I will have the balloons blown up, they will be labeled with the names of the planets, along with different sizes, and colors. Students will see all the planets smallest to biggest and their distance from the sun. The students will learn about vocabulary words: solar system, revolution, rotation, and orbit.
This quiz game is intended to help students review for an upcoming …
This quiz game is intended to help students review for an upcoming exam. Topics of questions are randomly determined by spinning a wheel. Teams answer questions using electronic CPS handhelds.
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