Natural Science 172: Earth Science
Fall Semester, 2009
Lectures: Monday
& Wednesday 10:30
– 11:15 SAC Hall
144
Laboratories: Tuesday 1:30
– 3:30 MLH 220
Instructor: Tom
Walker tcwalker@lcsc.edu 792 – 2798 MLH 120C
Office Hours: Monday
& Wednesday 8:00 –
9:30 Or By Appointment
Text: Conceptual Integrated
Science; Hewitt, Lyons, Suchocki, and Yeh
Quick
Links to Major Headings:
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Grading: Laboratory Participation (8 @ 25pts) = 200
Notebook Entries
Daily Participation/Discussion (16 days @ 12.5pts) = 200
Practicum Midterm = 100
Total = 500 points
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A > 94% |
A- 90 – 93% |
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B+ 87 – 89% |
B 83 – 86% |
B- 80 – 83% |
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C+ 77 – 79% |
C 73 – 76% |
C- 70 – 72% |
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D+ 67 – 69% |
D 60 – 66% |
F < 60% |
This course is
structured to provide you with Earth Science content knowledge and the
pedagogical skills for the transfer of your newly gained knowledge to your
future students.
I have aligned
this course to meet the goals of
The
use of cell phones during class time is restricted. If there are circumstances
that require you to have a cell phone on you will leave it with me at the front
of the room!
There will not be any cell phones on during
quizzes of exams! Anyone that uses a cell phone during exams will receive a 0
for that exam; No excuses, No discussion, No rebuttal!!
You may use a computer to take notes as long as it does not
disturb anyone else in class and as long as you are in fact taking notes. If I
become aware that you are using a computer for other purposes (email, web surfing, …) this privilege will be revoked immediately and
not reinstated!
Notebooks: You will keep a
laboratory notebook for the duration the semester. Entries into this notebook
will be restricted for laboratory use only. Entries will include all of each
scenario’s activity/demonstration/data. All entries begin with a focus
question, followed by a hypothesis, continuing with all recorded
observations/measurements, a reflection that reaffirms or refutes your original
hypothesis and a wrap-up that allows your personal input. Your notebooks will
be collected at the end of each scenario to be evaluated for its organization
and completeness.
The
Scenario is
a statement that provides an overall picture of what we are being asked to
accomplish. You will have to breakdown each scenario to find exactly what it is
you are being asked to do. Once you are able to identify the problem(s) you
will construct a Focus Question.
The Focus Question identifies the specific problem(s) the scenario is asking you
to solve. The Focus Question is to be written as a question (how can I/we find
out …). The number of problems you are being asked to solve and the material
you are being supplied with in the scenario will determine the length of your
focus question.
Predictions/Hypotheses follow the Focus Question and are written to
illustrate how you are going to solve the identified problem(s). In order to
construct a hypothesis you need to have prior knowledge where as a valid
prediction can be made with little prior knowledge. The more precise your
predictions are written the more precise you will be able to write your Claims
& Evidence
Data Collection will be designed and conducted by you either individually or
within small groups. You will set up experiments, make models, and record all
of your visual & empirical observations.
Making Meaning Conference: Now we take a
moment and put all the analysis, data collection, and observations together and
try to make sense of what it all means. What new skills were gained while
conducting the analysis? What new methods of observation were developed while
recording empirical measurements? What was observed? What measurements were
recorded? This is the most important segment for this teaching and learning
style and must be conducted after each activity. You are evaluating each
student’s level of understanding; not for the process of learning but for the
comprehension of the information they just experienced. The sooner this
conference is conducted following the actual experiments the better reflection
of comprehension.
Claims & Evidence are statements based on your newly gained
knowledge or skills. Each Claim you write will be based on the new information
you just gained or the new skill you mastered. The Evidence is written in
support or to show how you gained your new knowledge or how you attained your
new skill. For every Claim there is a Because
to support the claim. (I claim that
liquid water will begin to freeze solid at 320F -- Because –now the Evidence - when
I placed a cup of liquid water in a refrigerator’s freezer, as the water’s
temperature reached 320F in began to solidify.)
Your Reflection provides you
with the ability to go back and reflect on your predictions. Re-read your focus
question and predictions then write a statement that addresses the following:
Did your experimental evidence support your prediction?
Do
you wish to affirm or revise your prediction? Why?
My
prediction was accurate because...
I
wish to revise my prediction because…
The Wrap-Up is a written
evaluation summarizing the processes you just performed. Following your
reflection you will write a short paragraph relating how the exercise affected
you personally. Was there something really unique about your experiments or
outcomes that surprised you? Was there a true WOW moment for you? Are there more questions you would like
answered? Did you enjoy the exercise or was it a waste of time? How could you
change the exercise to make it better? This is the time to be honest about your
learning experience.
Laboratories: Many of the Tuesday’s Labs will be conducted outside.
Please make sure that you wear or bring clothes appropriate for Laboratory work
and outside activities (sturdy shoes and any extra things in case of inclement
weather, i.e., hat, gloves, rain jacket…) Science does not stop due to
inclement weather.
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Week 1 Jan. 11 -
15 |
Date |
Lecture Topic |
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Supplemental |
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Monday |
Introductions: Tom Walker
& Dr. Matt Brady Syllabi Introduction to the Nature of Science National Science Teaching Standards |
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NEW Teacher Professional
Development For 2010 !! National
Science Teaching Standards Ch 6
Science Content Standards Activities with Interactive Online
Simulations Earth Science Activities and Lesson Plans |
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Wednesday |
The Celestial Sphere Apparent brightness & Luminosity The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram The Universe The Life Cycles of Stars The Big Bang-The Big Expansion |
Text Ch 28 649 – 668 Text Ch 28 649 – 668 |
Earth’s
Rotation and Revolutions Site to help you pronounce science
words Astronomy
Activities for the Classroom Athena: Earth and Space
Science for K-12 NASA Near Earth Object Program Earth Science
Education Resources Newly added sites |
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Week 2 Jan. 18 –
22 |
Monday |
Martin
Luther King Jr. Day Campus
Closed |
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Wednesday |
Overview of the Solar System The Nebular Theory The Solar System The Sun & Inner Planets The Outer Planets The
Sun-Earth-Moon relationships |
Text Ch 27 625 - 648 |
SKY TOUR - Major
Meteor Showers 2009 Lunar and Planetary Institute |
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Week 3 Jan. 25 -
29 |
Monday |
Earth’s Interior Seismology Isostasy Plate Tectonics Rocks & Plate
Tectonics Plate Boundaries |
Text Ch 22 505 – 522 Text Ch 22 523 - 530 |
Plate Tectonics Classroom
Activities & Lessons USGS:
Understanding Plate Motions USGS Cascade Volcano Observatory |
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Wednesday |
Earthquakes Richter Scale and Modified Mercalli Scale |
- NEW - Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country USGS
Earthquakes Hazards Program Earthquake
Resources from Idaho Geological Survey Simon Kattenhorn at the U of I: Earthquake Resources |
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Week 4 Feb. 1 - 5 |
Monday |
Mineral Physical Properties |
Text Ch 23 531 - 540 |
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Wednesday |
Rocks Sedimentary, Igneous, & Metamorphic The Rock Cycle |
Text Ch 23 541 - 555 |
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Week 5 Feb. 8 -
12 |
Monday |
Remote Sensing Longitude and latitude |
Text Ch 24 556 – 557 Text Ch 24 558 - 563 |
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Wednesday |
Landforms – Folds & Faults Volcanoes |
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Week 6 Feb. 15 -
19 |
Monday |
Presidents’
Day Campus
Closed |
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Wednesday |
Earth’s Water Oceans Surface Water Groundwater Glaciers |
Text Ch 24 564 - 578 |
Idaho Geological
Survey: Landslides |
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Week 7 Feb. 22 –
26 |
Monday |
Weather Weather & Climate Reasons for the Seasons Solar Radiation |
Text Ch 25 579 - 583 Text Ch 25 583 - 593 |
Meteorology
Activities in the Classroom |
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Wednesday |
Atmosphere Structure & Composition Circulation Earth’s Rotation
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Earth
Science lesson plans for K - 5 grade |
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Week 8 March 1 -
5 |
Monday |
Atmosphere Phase change of water Air masses Fronts Storms |
Text Ch 25 595 - 607 Text Ch 26 608 - 612 |
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Wednesday |
Earth’s History The Rock Record Relative & Radiometric Dating |
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Week 9 March 8-12 |
Monday |
Earth’s History Geologic Time Scale Precambrian - Cambrian Ordovician – Permian Mesozoic - Cenozoic |
Text Ch 26 612 – 616 Text Ch 26 616 - 624 |
Fossil
Collections of the World Dendrochronology for
Educators Paleogeography of
Southwestern US Web Geological Time
Machine: Allen Collins - Historical Zoologist U.C.Berkeley’s
Geological Time Machine (this is a cool interactive
web site for all ages) |
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Wednesday |
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Tues.
Labs |
Laboratory Topics |
Lecture Topic |
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January 12 |
Notebook Format Sharing Notebook entries Making Meaning Conference Telescopes: Differences and Advantages Sky Maps & Planispheres Sun, Earth, & Moon relationships Using models to demonstrate seasonal changes & Moon phases Optional evening
for locating stars & identifying constellations There will be at least one get together for a Star party First options are Wednesdays January 26 or February 2 |
Science Teaching Standards Scaffolding Inquiry Learning Resources for Learning Science The Solar System The Universe |
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January 19 |
Outside Activity with compasses, GPS’s & maps Longitude and Latitude Degrees 0, minutes ′, and seconds ″ Data Collection Notebook Entries |
The Universe |
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January 26 |
Creating Earthquakes
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Earth’s Interior |
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February 2 |
Minerals and Rocks Classifying Minerals according to their physical properties Identifying Rocks: A short walk off campus to collect rocks |
Minerals &
Rocks |
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February 9 |
Volcano Modeling |
Landforms: Folds & Faults Saturday February 13 Vans Reserved 9:00am –
3:30pm |
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February 16 |
Flowing Water: Erosion & Deposition Groundwater Pollution Plume |
Earth’s Water |
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February 23 |
Weather Observations: Cloud Charts Stream Tables: Erosion & Deposition |
Atmosphere and
Weather |
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March 2 |
Geologic Time within the fossil record |
Earth’s History |
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March 9 |
Exam Covering all Content including a Lab Practicum Component |
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