Lessons and Materials Below you will find a variety of lessons and materials to use with those lessons that will enhance your Earth Science classroom curriculum. 1. A Walk Through Time (created by Ardis Herrold and Judy Ruddock) - Students will walk 460 steps, stopping along the way to learn about significant events in Michigan's geologic history. This activity is contained in the following two files: 2. Fluorescent Minerals (created by Ardis Herrold and Parker Pennington IV) - This handout includes the of fluorescence, types of fluorescence, common examples of fluorescence, fluorescence activities and resources. This handout is contained in the following file: MESTA_Fluorescent_Minerals.pdf 3. Walking in the Footsteps of Galileo (created by Ardis Herrold) - This PowerPoint highlights the life of Galileo and his observations of the Galilean moons of Jupiter. The PowerPoint asks the class to view a short video about Galileo and the moons of Jupiter. Two videos (approximately five minutes long) can be found on YouTube if you search for "Galileo and Jupiter's Moons". This PowerPoint and references are contained in the following files: Walking_Footsteps_Galileo.ppt and Selected_References_WFG.pdf 4. Temperature Variability - This exercise allows students to practice evaluating temperature variability at weather stations. Using dice, students will determine and plot the temperature variability for a weather station over twenty year period of time. Once all groups have created their station's graph (temperature vs. year), students will attempt to determine what the temperature trend is for each of the other groups weather stations. This activity is contained in the following two files: variability_exercise.doc and variability_graph.doc 5. MESTA Year of the Dwarf Planets (these lessons were presented by Ardis Herrold at the 2015 MESTA Conference) - These astronomy lessons highlight the year of the dwarf planets. The activities are contained in the following four files: MESTA Dwarfs.doc and Determining the Composition of Pluto.docx and Characterizing KBO.docx and Potato Light Curves.doc 6. What We Can Teach Using Sand (created by the NJ Sea Grant Consortium) - This activity shows how to use sand samples to illustrate basic concepts or processes found in the areas of earth and marine sciences. Different classifications of sand are also shown. This activity is contained in the following file: What_we_can_teach_using_sand.pdf 7. The Winter of 2013/2014 - What Happened to Climate Change? (keynote address given by Dr. Daria Kluver (CMU) at the 2014 MESTA Conference) - This presentation describes the causes for the unusually cold winter. This PowerPoint is contained in the following two files: Kluver_MESTA_2014_images_P1.ppt and Kluver_MESTA_2014_images_P2.ppt 8. Lab: Paleoproxy Records of Climate Change (modified by Dr. Ryan G. Vannier) - This lab activity has students looking at deep sea cores, ice cores, and oxygen isotopes data. This lab key is contained in the following file: 9. Introduction to Ice Core science (modified by Dr. Ryan G. Vannier) - This activity has students looking at 420,000 years of ice core data. This activity key is contained in the following file: ACTIVITY_Ice_Core_Science_KEY.docx 10. Activity on foraminifera and oxygen isotopes (modified by Dr. Ryan G. Vannier) - This activity has students using data from shells of planktonic foraminifera found in sediment cores to determine past climates. This activity is contained in the following file: ACTIVITY_Forams_and_O_Isotopes.docx 11. Climate Change Overview / Debate activity (modified by Dr. Ryan G. Vannier) - This activity has students watch a climate change debate video and then determine differences between the Earth today vs. the Ice Age and attempt to answer the question of whether or not human activity in the the past 100 years has caused the climate of Earth to change. This activity is contained in the following file: ACTIVITY_CC_Overview_Debate_KEY.docx 12. Lost at sea (modified by Dr. Ryan G. Vannier) - This activity provides an introductory lecture showing how you can determine where you are if you are lost at sea, and a follow-up activity where students apply this knowledge to plan an actual trip. This activity is contained in the following two files: LECTURE-Lost_at_Sea.pdf and Lost_at_sea_KEY.docx |