 |
|
 |
Each month we present a resource that a community member has suggested for inclusion into the library. Your contributions are what make DLESE a community-owned project. Please do contribute by suggesting your favorite sites. More about selecting the Resource of interest.
|
Also see... |
|
Catch the SEACOOS Wave! The SEACOOS virtual classroom offers a variety of materials for learning about many aspects of waves including their effect on the natural and man-made world. A poster, lesson plans, real-time data and interactive models, as well as a basic fact sheet are available. A Powerpoint presentation offers an introduction to wave data and using episodic wave data for inquiry lessons. National Science Education Standards (NSES) and selected state standards are associated with the lesson plans and activities.
Why
Some Students Have Trouble with Maps & Spatial Representations: An
On-line Tutorial for Geoscience Faculty is designed to assist
undergraduate geoscience educators in effective teaching using spatial
representations, including maps, cross sections and 3-D models. The tutorial
draws upon cognitive science research and presents the information in the
context of learning tasks that commonly occur in teaching geoscience at
the undergraduate level. The resource includes a self-guided interactive
tutorial, a self-test of spatial abilities, vignettes from geoscience classrooms
and field-learning settings, and some ideas for making these concepts learnable
and teachable.
Mt. St. Helens
The lava dome inside the crater of Mt. St. Helens continues to grow, and scientists are watching and monitoring the situation closely. The Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam provides static images of the volcano as viewed from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The U.S. Geological Survey maintains a site with updates and current activity at USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory where links to news and current activity can also be found.
Engage your students in the human aspect of this ongoing event with the interactive simulation model Eruption! Designed for the Mac, the goal of the exercise is to preserve as many people and as much property as possible in spite of the threat from the volcano. Students learn about different kinds of warnings of impending eruptions, cooperation between different people in the decision process, and the cost of evacuating and of losing a settlement.
See also resources about the following related topics:
| Why do volcanoes erupt? Where do volcanoes erupt? Effects of volcanoes Volcano hazards Predicting volcanoes |
Deadly volcanoes Active volcanoes (distribution, living on them, etc.) Volcano simulations Visuals about volcanos (animations, pictures, etc.) Volcanoes and plate tectonics |
Earth Science Week 2004 takes place October 10-16. Sponsored by the American Geological Institute (AGI), this year’s theme is Living on a Restless Earth, focusing on the natural hazards that take place on our planet and the geoscientists who study such events, helping the public to understand their causes, and how to minimize their effects. National contests (artwork, essays, photographs), classroom activities, a newsletter, and links to monitoring and information on earthquakes, volcanos, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, drought, fires, etc. are available.
ESW activities can help teachers and students focus in the classroom on current Earth events such as the Mount St. Helens activity. The Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam provides static images of the volcano as viewed from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The U.S. Geological Survey maintains a site with updates and current activity at USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory where links to news and current activity can also be found, and the University of Washington Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network provides additional information.
Hurricane season is here! Whether directly affected or not, these dramatic events can provide a learning experience on many levels. Keep abreast of the current storm at the Tropical Prediction Center, where you can view advisories, maps and forecast tracks. Middle school students can learn about hurricane science and safety with the Hurricane Strike! module, while more advanced students can utilize the multimedia technology of the online meteorology guide Hurricanes. One of DLESE's newest collections, the NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, offers data, images and animations from previous Atlantic storms.
Classroom Antarctica This collection of units is designed to teach students about the global importance of Antarctica. The activities have been designed to challenge students to tackle often-complex topics, access a wide array of additional resources, and work together to synthesize their learning into an informed perspective on the topic. Topics include ice, the ocean, geology, weather, topography, auroras, the history of Antarctic exploration, living in Antarctica, animals, plants, the Antarctic Treaty, and the environment. Each unit has a selection of activities that are adaptable to the range of abilities in a class and the particular interests of the students. The units are self-contained but offer additional web links and materials for classroom support for extended study. website: http://classroomantarctica.aad.gov.au/index.html
The American Field Guide offers video clips of the outdoors that tap into the sights and sounds of a wide variety of wilderness environments throughout America. The videos can be browsed by categories that include animals, ecosystems, Earth and space, plants, and public policy. Lesson plans for middle and high school weave segments of video together into units of inquiry around specific topics. The lessons were all written by high school teachers and draw upon national and state standards for science learning. The project is supported by Oregon Public Broadcasting and PBS.
The Cassini-Huygens mission has realized a seven-year goal of reaching the planet Saturn and beginning an extensive study of its rings and 31 known moons. Up-to-date information on the mission is available from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, including images and video clips. An extensive formal education program for grades K-12 is aimed at encouraging students of all ages to participate in learning about mathematics, science, and technology, in the context of a fascinating deep space mission. NASA's Welcome to the Planets provides additional reference material and archived images of Saturn as well as other planets in our solar system.
June 8th is World Ocean Day, created in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The Ocean Project is helping to coordinate events and activities worldwide with aquariums, zoos, museums, and the World Ocean Network, including launching a campaign to have the United Nations officially designate World Ocean Day as June 8 each year. DLESE offers a myriad of ocean-related resources for classroom use as well as informal settings. Do your own search on DLESE or use our already assembled searches on ocean topics. We are working with regional and national COSEEs (Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence) to help identify and disseminate educational resources to support public understanding of the key role that the oceans play in global environmental cycles and processes.
The Global Learning Observations to Benefit the Environment Program (GLOBE) is a hands-on international environmental science and education program. GLOBE links students, teachers, and the scientific research community in an effort to learn more about our environment through student data collection and observation. The Teacher's Guide offers extensive information and activities for participants and non-participants alike exploring the atmosphere, hydrology, soil science, and land cover. Each chapter offers the individual protocols, learning activities, data sheets, and field guides. Users can also search by concept and grade level. An earlier version of the guide is available in Spanish.
World Wise Schools' global
education materials offer interdisciplinary lessons about the environment
and the Earth system. In cooperation with the Peace
Corps, this program offers classroom resources based on volunteer experiences
around the world. Place-based study guides address environmental issues and
include the study of a particular country, its culture and geography. Social
studies teachers who are presenting the study of a particular region of the
world can use one of the countries from that region to illustrate the environment
and environmental issues.
Earth
Day—April 22, 2004—offers a timely opportunity
to study the environment on a local and global scale. World Wise Schools' global
education materials offer interdisciplinary lessons about the environment
and the Earth system. In cooperation with the Peace
Corps, this program offers classroom resources based on volunteer experiences
around the world. Place-based study guides address environmental issues and
include the study of a particular country, its culture and geography. Social
studies teachers who are presenting the study of a particular region of the
world can use one of the countries from that region to illustrate the environment
and environmental issues. Look for other Earth Day related activities and events
for classrooms and communities at Earth
Day Network.
Mission Geography curriculum support materials link the content, skills, and perspectives of Geography for Life: The National Geography Standards with NASA missions, research, and science. The project uses existing NASA data and images to engage students in active, hands-on inquiry, modeling the scientific method and developing students’ understandings of environment-society relations and Earth science. Grade level-specific modules are available to download on a variety of topics including volcanoes, remote sensing, water resources, and human interactions with the Earth.
The
Understanding Evolution
website offers teachers valuable support for teaching and learning about evolution.
The heart of the site is Evolution 101, which can serve as a primer to evolutionary
theory or an intensive course in the nitty gritty details of speciation, micro-
and macroevolution, and ongoing research into how evolution happens. Strategies
for teaching and responding to student misconceptions and roadblocks are offered.
There are numerous practical examples of how evolution impacts our daily lives,
including over 50 lesson plans and activities. The Understanding Evolution website
(evolution.berkeley.edu)
is funded by the National Science Foundation
and the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute (HHMI) and created jointly by UC Berkeley's Museum
of Paleontology and the National
Center for Science Education.
NASA's second rover, Opportunity, successfully landed in a small impact
crater on Mars on Saturday, January 24th. This crater offers a quite different
view of the surface of the planet, including exposed bedrock and extensive deposits
of a mineral called crystalline hematite, which usually forms in the presence
of liquid water. The Spirit rover landed January 3rd in the Gusev Crater
and is currently experiencing some software problems following two weeks of
exploration and imagery transmission. MarsQuest
Online offers a variety of interactive resources that engage the user in
the science of this mission as well as previous Mars research. There are classroom
resources as well as visualizations and games designed for independent inquiry
of water, life, volcanoes and canyons of Mars. Up-to-date information on the
mission and the rovers' progress is available from NASA's
Mars Exploration Program. See resources about Mars : Canyons,
Craters,
Volcanoes,
Water,
Life,
more...
Two Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, land on the red planet
this month to explore the environments of the Gusev Crater and the Meridiani
Planum in search of answers about the history of water on Mars. MarsQuest
Online offers a variety of interactive resources that engage the user in
the science of this mission as well as previous Mars research. There are classroom
resources as well as visualizations and games designed for independent inquiry
of water, life, volcanoes and canyons of Mars. Up-to-date information on the
mission and the rovers' progress is available from NASA's
Mars Exploration Program.
See resources about Mars : Canyons, Craters, Volcanoes, Water, Life, more...
The selection process for the Resource of interest considers the following factors, in order:
Last modified January 4, 2005. 
