|
INTRODUCTION TO COURSE and EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE
Part
1: General Course Information
A . Introduction
to program
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 New York and
New Jersey science education standards and assessments You will also be able to
explore new strategies for implementing educational technologies into your
teaching. Much information you will need is available on the E2C web site,
www.earth2class.org.
B.
Course Schedule
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.
C.
Distance-Learning Course Expectations, Evaluation, and Other Essential
Information
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
Readings
Recommended textbook:
Spaulding & Namowitz, 1999, Heath Earth Science.
McDougal Littell, Evanston IL or
an equivalent widely-used textbook.
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.
Recommended
supplementary books:
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.
3. Course Expectations and Evaluation
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, 296
Central Ave., Englewood NJ 07631-1658.
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.
D. Standards & Assessments
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 New York State
“Physical Setting/Earth Science” and “Intermediate Level Science” cores for
various topics.
Dr. Pearl Solomon, Professor
Emeritus at St. Thomas Aquinas College, has created a presentation entitled
“Co-Opting the Standards: Getting Them to Work for You.” To view this helpful
guide, click
here.
Part 2: Overview of Earth System Science
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
www.earth2class.org:
"The
Changing Earth Science Curriculum: From ESCP to www.” (Geotimes,
Sep. 1999)
“The Case for Earth Science” (Teachers
Clearinghouse for Science and Society Newsletter, Spring 2004.)
If you are
a NYS Earth Science teacher, you might also wish to read
"Meeting the
Geoscience Standards of New York State" (The Earth Scientist, Winter
2005)
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
Begin to peruse the suggestions
for integrating educational technology into your classroom provided by Dr.
Cristiana Assumpcao and others
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.
7. Planning for Your Course
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.
|
Support |
Links
