Making
an Impact: Shatter ConesMaking
an Impact: Shatter Cones
November 2004
In this geology activity, students visited the Beaverhead, Montana, site of a meteor impact and mapped the locations of shatter cones, geologic formations characteristic of an impact site. Using mapping software, students created an interactive map of the site and drew conclusions about the size of the impact crater.
http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-10/ss0411_40.pdf
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Turning
Bread Into Rocks: A Multisensory Unit Opener
October 2000
By presenting an analogy that relates a common item (bread) to new subject matter (rocks), students can draw inferences and deepen their grasp of the inherent relationships. Using all five senses, students become research scientists by carefully observing three loaves of bread to findsimilarities or differences. Each bread type in the analogy offers both a visual and a tactile connection to the often subtle differences in rock groups.
Click here to read more:
http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=ss&n=45039
Viewing
Volcanoes
March 2005
When Mount St. Helens threatened to erupt again in 2004, it grabbed headlines
and captured the imagination of the country. Science classrooms nationwide used
the event as an opportunity to make real-world connections to Earth science
concepts introduced in the classroom.
Click here to read more:
http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=ss&n=50317
Modeling
Geyser Eruptions in the Classroom
April 2005
In this activity, students build a model of a geyser. The model allows them to investigate the relationships among the hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere and develop descriptions, explanations, and predictions.
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