INTRODUCTION TO COURSE and EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE
Part 1: General Course Information
This course provides
the opportunity to investigate
concepts and activities about Earth System Science utilizing the “Earth2Class
(E2C) Workshops for Teachers” offered at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
of Columbia University. These are compatible with the
The sequence of Sessions follows one approach to developing
a middle or high school Earth Science course, but you may choose to study them
in another order.
The Earth2Class web site provides:
--links to Workshops
in the current series and to archival versions from previous Workshops
--selected examples
of curriculum developed by E2C participants and others
--guides to
developing educational technologies suitable for creating classroom
applications
--links to selected
Internet sites and other resources connected with the Workshop themes
--additional
educational resources for teachers and students
--forms to provide
feedback evaluations about the E2C Workshops
--“virtual tours” and
other resources
Links to pertinent sections of the
E2C web site are included within the text for each Session of this course.
2. Related
This edition provides one of the
best presentations of the significant concepts in Earth Science, but if your
school uses a different book, you may wish to find the equivalent chapters. If
you do, please let me know through your “Reading Notes/Reflections.” A chart
providing equivalent chapters in other widely used textbooks is available here.
Any review book appropriate for the state assessments in your teaching assignment level.
Additional pertinent readings available through the E2C web site will be suggested.
Participants
registered for a grade will produce a “teaching portfolio,” which will include:
Ø Notes/reflections
about the E2C Workshops (15%)
Ø Reading
notes/reflections about the pertinent chapters for each session (20%)
Ø “Questions
about Key Concepts” and “Planning for Your Course” for each session (20%)
Ø Identification
of pertinent Core Concepts/Standards (10%)
Ø Submission of
DLESE reviews of pertinent Internet sites
(10%)
Ø Sample lesson
plan (15%)
Ø Reflections
about the overall course (10%)
More information
about what will be expected in each of these will be provided in the
description of each Session, via e-mail messages and, for those in attendance,
at the E2C Workshops
4. Submission of Assignments
A. Electronic
assignments can be e-mailed to: michael@earth2class.org.
“Printed” materials
may be faxed to 201-541-9702 or mailed to: Dr. M. J. Passow,
B. Use the e-mail
address above for any questions or comments. You should also use these
addresses to let me know about any problems in completing assignments,
attending Workshops, or other course matters.
An important purpose of this course
is to help you become better acquainted with State Standards which will you
might use to develop suitable courses for your students. You should be able to
assess the appropriate Core Curriculum and other materials for the course(s)
you teach.
On-line
versions are available at:
NYSED cores and
assessments www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai
NJ Standards http://www.state.nj.us/njded/cccs/10sciintro.html
National Science
Education Standards: http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/
You can access these
through the E2C web site “Educational Resources/Standards” section. We have
also created annotated versions of the
Our planet functions as a system—that is, it acts as a whole entity, but can best be understood
by examining separate components that
function in complex interactions.
Learning about these parts and gaining a better understanding of the historical
development and value of an awareness of the Earth System is the goal for this
first session.
1. Pertinent reading:
Spaulding
& Namowitz, Heath Earth Science,
ch. 1, 2
“From ESCP to www.” (Geotimes,
Sep. 1999)
“The Case for Earth
Science” (Teachers Clearinghouse for
Science and Society Newsletter, Spring 2004.)
2. Pertinent E2C Workshops
Become familiar with what is available
through the E2C website by exploring the “Overview” PowerPoint. You will need
to navigate through the site to find many of the resources available there used
for this course.
3. Key General Concepts
Branches
of Earth Science
Origins
of the Solar System, Earth, Oceans, and Atmosphere
Earth’s
Dimensions
Maps and electronic imagery
4. Questions about the Key Concepts (These are to be
answered and submitted.)
1.
Briefly
describe theories about the origin of the oceans.
2. Briefly describe theories about the origin of the
atmosphere.
3. Make simplified drawings of latitude and longitude systems.
4.
Explain with a
drawing how to locate Polaris (the North Star.)
5.
Describe the
general relationship between the altitude of Polaris and the latitude of the
observer.
6.
What are some
advantages and disadvantages of globes compared with maps?
5. Educational Technology
6. DLESE review
Open
www.dlese.org. Follow the appropriate
prompts to locate at least two web sites dealing with imaging. Send the URLs as
part of your course submission materials. If possible, provide feedback to
DLESE using the Community Review System.
1.
Identify representative state science education standards pertinent to
this session’s theme.
2.
Describe one
activity in which students might utilize information or data available through
the resources you used for this session.