To prepare for this project, students read a journal article about the processes and products of chemical sedimentation and early diagenesis in saline pan environments (Lowenstein and Hardie, 1985). In class, students are given some handouts that tabluate various evaporite minerals and how water chemistry affects their formation and dissolution. A short slide show and video illustrate some different types of saline environments. Photos and samples guide a lecture on the formation of different types of evaporite minerals and how they form. For example, chevron halite crystals are generally large (cm-scale) and grow upward from the floor of a shallow (less than ~0.5 m) surface water body; cumulate halite crystals are smaller (typically mm-scale) and grow on the water-air interface and settle to the bottom, regardless of water depth. Randomly-oriented halite crystals can grow displacively from groundwater in mud or sand. The students learn that the specific sedimentology of halite can be used to trace past surface water depth and groundwater salinity. I also give examples of how past quantitative climate data, past chemical data and even past microbiologial data can be interpreted from evaporites. I emphasize how, in order to understand evaporites, one must think critically about sedimentology and geochemistry.

The students are told, at the end of this lecture, that their next lab period will focus on designing and setting up a research project on growing salt. They are encouraged to start thinking about a research question they can pose about evaporite sedimentology. At this time, I also tell them what materials are available for their use (tap water, distilled water, seawater, various types of saline water I have collected during field trips, various types of store-bought table and road salt (including iodized, non-iodized, sea salt, etc.). A variety of table salts can be purchased cheaply (~$1 - $2/carton) at almost any grocery store. If you live in a cold climate, most grocery stores and hardware stores also sell several types of road salt (~$3-$4/bag). The table salts are mostly Na and Cl; some have lesser amopunts of Ca and SO4. Some road salts have Ca, Mg, Na, and Cl. In my experience, one carton and one bag of each type will provide more than enough salt for a class of 15 students.

When it is time for lab to begin, I gather my students in my research lab (but could also be done in a classroom), where I show them the materials I have available to them: various types of salt, various types of water, and plastic, glass, and metal containers of various shapes (baby food glass jars, plastic take-out food containers, etc). My lab also contains a variety of other miscellaneous materials, such as sand, gravel, clay, morter and pestle, wooden sticks, metal stirring rods, string, plastic tubing, beakers, food coloring (shows fluid inclusion bands well and everyone loves playing with food coloring), etc. I remind the students that they have a microwave oven, a freezer, a lab hood, a windowsill with plenty of sunlight, and a heating vent that can be used, as well. I make available a few thermometers, pH strips (or pH meter), and a hand-held refractometer for measuring salinity. These analytical field instruments are not neccessary for this assignment to work. However, as instructor, I would encourage you to use anything available to you.

I ask each student to tell me informally of their research question/hypothesis and then I try to help them find any materials they need for their experiments. Here are some examples of student research questions that have been tested with this assignment: (1) Does temperature of water affect rate of haite/gypsum growth?: (2) Will evaporite minerals grown from a complex saline fluid form a "bulls eye" pattern as their textbook claims?; (3) Will halite grow preferentially on glass substrates versus wooden and plastic substrates?; (4) Will evaporation of salt water make halite cement equally well in a gravel, a sand, a clay?; (5) What conditions best produce large halite crystals?; (6) Does pH of water influence halite and gypsum precipitation or dissolution?

Students spend most of a lab period (2-3 hours) setting up their experiment. As part of this initial experimental set-up, they start to learn basic research skills such as labelling samples well, documenting starting conditions, and taking detailed notes.

The students are allowed to leave their experiments on a windowsill in my lab or our classroom, on a radiator, in a lab fume hood, or in a lab refridgerator or freezer, depending upon the nature of the particular experiment. I encourage the students to check their samples on a daily basis and remind them to record their observations each time they check their experiment.

I give the students an assignment sheet that details the final lab report requirements. Most students will have results in 2-3 weeks, but some experiments may last up to 4-5 weeks. For this reason, I plan for this lab assignment to be started in the middle of the semester (which works well if your syllabus, like mine, calls for weathering, physical sedimentology, siliciclastics, and carbonates to be covered in the first 6-8 weeks of class; evaporites follow well after carbonates). The final lab report is not due until the end of the semester so that all students have time to bring their expermient to completion, make interpretations, and write their lab report.

At the end of the semester, depending on the number of students and time permitted, I ask the students to informally tell the class about their experiment and show the results. This has worked well for me. However, even in semesters in which we have not done this, the students still become familiar with each other's projects. On the initial experiment day, the students informally share their ideas. As students come to check on their own experiiments periodically, they usually look in on their classmates' experiments as well.

Students tell me that this is one of their favorite lab exercises. It encourages critical thinking and shows the importance of experimentation in science. In addition, I feel as if the students leave my course knowing more about evaporites than the average geologist.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This blog post, written by Joel Cryer of Bottle Biology, provides instructions to construct an inexpensive, self-watering planter that can be used to grow Wisconsin Fast Plants. The blog covers the materials and tools needed, as well as step-by-step instructions to create a universal reservoir bottle growing system. Also included are a variety of diagrams and images to help guide the construction process. Additional resources about growing Fast Plants, and Bottle Biology, are available to view separately.

Students are presented with a guide to rain garden construction in an activity that culminates the unit and pulls together what they have learned and prepared in materials during the three previous associated activities. They learn about the four vertical zones that make up a typical rain garden with the purpose to cultivate natural infiltration of stormwater. Student groups create personal rain gardens planted with native species that can be installed on the school campus, within the surrounding community, or at students' homes to provide a green infrastructure and low-impact development technology solution for areas with poor drainage that often flood during storm events.

In this role-playing activity, learners are presented with a scenario in which they determine whether the Gulf Stream is responsible for keeping northern Europe warm. They must also address the potential future of the Gulf Stream if polar ice were to continue melting. The students work in small groups to identify the issue, discuss the problem, and develop a problem statement. They are then asked what they need to know to solve the problem.

In this lesson, students analyze and synthesize data about how drought is measured, how scientists expect drought to change in the future, and how we can mitigate the impacts of drought in our communities.

In this lesson, students build an understanding of drought in Colorado through exploring case studies, authentic data, and online resources. After completing this lesson, students will be able to understand the basic causes and impacts of droughts, analyze a case study and current drought data in Colorado, and summarize the main preparedness steps and response strategies for drought events.

In this interactive game, students solve challenges that their community faces during the course of an extreme drought event by using available individual and community resources. Students work in three resilience teams to determine the strategies that they will invest in as a community as the drought situation evolves.

This course provides a survey of World History through the lens of human interactions with the environment. From the evolution of ​Homo Sapiens​ through to the present we will examine the ways in which the environment shaped, and has been shaped by, world historical events. Among the major topics this course will focus on are the importance of water to the rise of sedentary societies and empires, natural disasters, disease, capitalism and the environment, the impacts of European expansion and imperialism, and climate change. This syllabus is for a six-week course taught online. 

The marine environment is unique and requires technologies that can use sound to gather information since there is little light underwater. The sea-floor is characterized using underwater sound and acoustical systems. Current technological innovations are allowing scientists to further understand and apply information about animal locations and habitat. Remote sensing and exploration with underwater vehicles allows scientists to map and understand the sea floor, and in some cases, the water column. In this lesson, the students will be shown benthic habitat images produced by GIS. These imaged will lead to a class discussion on why habitat mapping is useful and how current technology works to make bathymetry mapping possible. The teacher will then ask inquiry-based questions to have students brainstorm about the importance of bathymetry mapping.

This article features science lesson plans to teach elementary students about the sun's energy, the relationship between light and heat, albedo, and the absorption of different surfaces. National standards and literacy integrations are provided for each lesson.

This unit was created by Sierra Nevada Journeys in partnership with the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (https://ndep.nv.gov/) and the Truckee River Fund (truckeeriverfund.org). During this unit students will learn about the importance of a watershed, which is tied directly to the water cycle. Using collaboration, critical thinking, and outdoor learning experiences, students will develop an understanding of the impact humans and environmental factors can have on the watershed system and what impact this has on humans. Students will gather evidence and research in order to answer/address questions with empirical evidence. This lesson will provide necessary background knowledge of the water cycle and the Truckee River Watershed. Students will use this background knowledge to understand the inter-connectivity of the two systems.

This unit was created by Sierra Nevada Journeys in partnership with the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (https://ndep.nv.gov/) and the Truckee River Fund (truckeeriverfund.org). During this unit students will learn about the importance of a watershed, which is tied directly to the water cycle. Using collaboration, critical thinking, and outdoor learning experiences, students will develop an understanding of the impact humans and environmental factors can have on the watershed system and what impact this has on humans. Students will gather evidence and research in order to answer/address questions with empirical evidence. In this lesson students will learn about invasive and native species. Students will learn about the impacts certain decisions can have on a watershed.

This unit was created by Sierra Nevada Journeys in partnership with the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (https://ndep.nv.gov/) and the Truckee River Fund (truckeeriverfund.org). During this unit students will learn about the importance of a watershed, which is tied directly to the water cycle. Using collaboration, critical thinking, and outdoor learning experiences, students will develop an understanding of the impact humans and environmental factors can have on the watershed system and what impact this has on humans. Students will gather evidence and research in order to answer/address questions with empirical evidence. In this lesson students will go to a field site to look for evidence of health of a river. Students will hunt for macro-invertebrates and use sensitivity levels as evidence to determine the health of the river.

This unit was created by Sierra Nevada Journeys in partnership with the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (https://ndep.nv.gov/) and the Truckee River Fund (truckeeriverfund.org). During this unit students will learn about the importance of a watershed, which is tied directly to the water cycle. Using collaboration, critical thinking, and outdoor learning experiences, students will develop an understanding of the impact humans and environmental factors can have on the watershed system and what impact this has on humans. Students will gather evidence and research in order to answer/address questions with empirical evidence. In this capstone lesson students will use their experiences and knowledge from the first three lessons, along with additional research on an invasive species, to determine the health of the Truckee River.

In this activity, students create and interpret a water table contour map. Students utilize groundwater well elevations and the depth to the water table at each well to determine the water table elevation at each well location. Then they utilize that information to create a contour map of the water table and determine the direction of groundwater flow.

Poster showing a war-ravaged landscape, and in the distance across a body of water, a city of skyscrapers with a serene man's face (Uncle Sam's?) hovering above. Title from item.

Students first study the movement of water in aquifers through a lecture on Darcy's flow experiment. Then they practice applying the concepts of hydraulic conductivity and head differentials to 1 dimensional column examples. Next they use flow simulators to view flow through a cross section of an aquifer model. This activity is the final piece in the development of the idea of head driven flow. Students are given data about the thickness and head values of an aquifer member. They plot the aquifer thickness and potentiometric surface then determine the flow direction and estimate the groundwater flow velocity.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

A pro-Jackson commentary on the confrontation between the United States and France over reparations due the U.S. under the Treaty of 1831 (See "Spirit of the Times" no. 1836-4). The situation reached crisis intensity in 1836 when France refused payment pending an apology for remarks purportedly offensive to that nation in a Jackson speech the previous December. The print was deposited for copyright on January 25, ten days after Jackson's Special Message to Congress, wherein he suggested preparation for hostilities in the event that payment was not forthcoming. The cartoon spoofs the bellicose climate generated in part by American and French presses before spoliation payments were begun in May, and to the rivalry between New York newspapers the "Morning Courier and New York Enquirer," the "Sun," and the "Herald." The print is based on a fable by Jean de la Fontaine ("Fables de la Fontaine" Livre XII, Fable 4), about two she-goats who confront each other on a plank high above a river. Each is too proud to make way for the other, and hence both end up falling into the river. Similarly, two goats with the heads of French king Louis Philippe (left) and Andrew Jackson (right) meet on a plank bridging a channel. The Jackson goat says "By the 8th of January I shall not go back." Louis Philippe responds "Nor I by the 3d day of July." (January 8 is the anniversary of Jackson's famous victory at the Battle of New Orleans.) Below them John Bull waves his hat and says, "Go it my Harties fifty to one on Brother Jonathan, Some one will profit by this. I don't say who!" On the left the Gallic cock stands on a bale with the words "La raison du plus fort est toujours la meilleure" (loosely translated: "Might makes right"). He crows that "Orleans has been his [Jackson's] rise, Orleans will be his Fall," alluding to Jackson's famous victory at the Battle of New Orleans, and the French royal family, the house of Orleans. On the right is an American eagle with thunderbolts in his talons. In the lower half of the print editors of three French journals, "La Quotidienne, Le Constitutionel" and "Les Debats," shout taunts like "Go on! Go on! Vive la gloire!!" and "Might makes Right" across a small body of water at American editor James Watson Webb, on the right. Webb sits on a bale of saltpetre cheering Jackson and waving a "Bennett Bludgeon" club. The saltpetre symbolizes Webb's aggressive stance on enforcement of the spoliation claims; the bludgeon his well-publicized beating of James Gordon Bennett, editor of the rival New York "Herald," in January 1836. From Webb's pocket a boy surreptitiously removes a copy of Jackson's "Special Message" saying "The "Sun" shines for all," perhaps a reference to the New York "Sun's "non-partisan editorial policy.|Entered . . . 1836 N.Y.; added by hand in ink: "By Jos. Mouls."|Sold at 36 Maiden Lane 3d. Story.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 42.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1836-3.

In this video segment adapted from United Tribes Technical College, meet Native Americans who are concerned about climate change and believe that action today can help future generations once again live in harmony with Earth.