K-12 Earth
Science Educational Materials
This page
maintained by Dr. Mark Abolins. Mark.Abolins@mtsu.edu
MTSU Geosciences – Earth
Science for Teachers B.S. – MTeach
Teacher Preparation Program
MTSU Geosciences
Laboratory Facilities
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Featured resources developed by NSF REU Site:
Geoenvironmental Challenges
Earth Science in the
High School Chemistry Classroom
·
Teaching ideal gas laws the Earth Science way.
·
Connects with the atmosphere, aviation, and
oceanography (including plate tectonics).
·
Includes links to videos and on-line information.
·
Includes instructions and handouts for hands-on
learning.
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Developed in 2015 by Wayne Birch, a science teacher at
Nashville Big Picture High School. Based
on an activity developed by pre-service teachers who participated in the 2014
NSF Geoenvironmental Challenges REU Site.
Solubility
(High School Earth Science)
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Students learn how dissolution leads to karst.
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Explicitly addresses NGSS HS-ESS2-5 (plan
and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on
Earth materials and surface processes).
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Provides abundant opportunities for students to plan
and conduct their own investigation by using sugar cubes, droppers, spray
bottles, and other materials to investigate dissolution.
·
Versions of these activities are in widespread use in
K-12 education.
Geological
Influence on Environmental Justice: An Historical Injustice (High
School Earth Science)
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Intended to be used in conjunction with solubility
(above).
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Includes Native American history (Trail of Tears).
·
Includes African American history (Cemetery
Community). After the American Civil
War, African Americans near Murfreesboro, TN lived on agriculturally marginal
karst lands called cedar glades.
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Includes links to reading materials and a case study
handout.
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Developed and used by Stewarts Creek High School
(Tennessee) Earth Science teacher Jerri Birkofer. Used in conjunction with parts of Solubility
(above), field trips, and an examination of contemporary environmental problems
at Center Hill Dam, TN.
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An adaptation of a classic classroom activity in which
students use Oreo™ cookies to model plate boundaries.
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Addresses NGSS MS-ESS2-2 and MS-ESS2-3.
·
Includes an activity involving the application of
knowledge about graphs and latitude and longitude.
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Includes a link to a clip from “Ice Age: Continental
Drift.” (Watch the video and discuss
misconceptions.)
·
Includes links to the original Purdue University
outreach materials.
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Developed by pre-service teachers who participated in
the 2014 NSF Geoenvironmental Challenges REU Site.
·
Currently used in some general studies Earth Science
courses at Middle Tennessee State University to give students an example of
what they could do in the classroom after earning an Earth Science for Teachers
B.S.
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National
Association of Geoscience Teachers
Other links (an evolving compilation by members of the
Teacher Education Division of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers)
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Introductory
Geoscience Videos
InTeGrate
Teacher Preparation Modules
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Exploring
Geoscience Methods Module
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Interactions
between Water, Earth’s Surface, and Human Activity