Using DLESE to Improve Delivery in Geoscience Education Holly Devaul and Mary Marlino DLESE Program Center

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Using DLESE to Improve Delivery in Geoscience
EducationHolly Devaul and Mary MarlinoDLESE
Program Center
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Digital Library for Earth System Education

• http//www.dlese.org
• Supported by the National Science Foundation
• The geoscience member library of the National
  Science Digital Library

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www.dlese.org

• A collaborative effort to provide support and
  leadership in addressing the national reform
  agenda for science education, scientific
  literacy, and scientific discovery
• Supports a broad audience
• of educators and learners
• K-12, university, informal
• education, the public
• Improve the quality and
• efficiency of teaching and
• learning about the Earth system

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What does DLESE offer?

• Free access to learning resources about the Earth
  System

• Lesson plans, computer and lab activities,
  data visualizations, instructor guides,
  virtual field trips
• Themed collections about a specific topic
• Reviewed collections

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What does DLESE offer?

• Community connections
• Professional development
• Opportunities to contribute reviews, tips,
  provide feedback
• News and Opportunities

2003 Annual Meeting
First Teaching Box workshop, June 04
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• Searching in DLESE
• Keyword, grade level and resource type

High school
Keyword ozone
Datasets- In-situ or Remotely sensed
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Search by educational standards

• Plan to expand to more detailed national
  standards and map to state standards
• A growing number of resources are cataloged to
  standards

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Tools for evaluating resource quality and
providing feedback
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Moving beyond resource discovery

• Support for resource selection, use and
  sequencing
• Weaving resources together to develop an overall
  Earth systems approach to teaching and learning
• Provide guidance for use, but with customization
  capability to modify for specific learning
  environments

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On-line Teaching Boxes

• A collaborative project to create classroom ready
  instructional units using DLESE resources
• Teams of teachers, science
• advisors, interface designers,
• facilitators
• Whats in a teaching box?
• How to translate to electronic?
• Topics (so far)
• Evidence for Plate Tectonics
• Dynamic Weather

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Overview of the Plate Tectonics Box
Plate Tectonics Box Volcanoes as Evidence
Overview of box Introductory activity
Fossil distribution Earthquakes Volcanoes Sea
-floor spreading Culminating activity
Whats this Teaching Box Concepts
List of lessons
Prerequisites Procedure

• What is Exploring the Evidence for Plate
  Tectonics?
• This is an organized set of on-line resources and
  supporting materials that help teach students to
  find the evidence for plate tectonics. It is
  meant to provide an inquiry-based exploration of
  each of four lines of evidence
• fossil distribution
• the location, depth, and type of earthquakes
• location and types of volcanoes
• sea-floor spreading
• Lessons are organized into teachable units for
  each of these topics.
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• In addition, we have provided an introductory
  activity to engage the students and to provide a
  segue into the theory first proposed by Alfred
  Wegener.
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• At the end of this unit on Exploring the Evidence
  for Plate Tectonics, students will have
  constructed an understanding of the four lines of
  evidence. An optional culminating activity, In
  Support of Wegner, is included that can be used
  as assessment of this understanding.
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• As an understanding of latitude and longitude is
  essential for several of the activities, an
  optional teaching unit on this topic is also
  included.
• Appropriate for Middle school, grades 6-8
• Time to complete The introduction, all four
  topics, and the culminating activity can be
  covered in as few as 18 class periods and could
  be expanded to as many as 28 class periods.
  Several pathways are offered within each topic
  area, so that teachers can select a suite of
  lessons that best suits their classrooms.

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Overview of the Plate Tectonics Box
Plate Tectonics Box Volcanoes as Evidence
Overview of box Introductory activity
Fossil distribution Earthquakes Volcanoes Sea
-floor spreading Culminating activity
Whats a Teaching Box Concepts
List of lessons
Prerequisites Procedure

• Preparatory Lesson
• Latitude and Longitude
• Finding yourself in the classroom
• Introductory Activity Testing the fit
• Fossil Distribution as Evidence for Plate
  Tectonics
• Fossils Provide Evidence of Past Life
• Dating of Fossils
• Fossils of Evidence of Past Environments
• Fossil Distribution as Evidence for Plate
  Tectonics Tying it all together
• Earthquakes as Evidence for Plate Tectonic
• Plotting Earthquakes from Real-time Data
• Fault Types and Plate Boundaries
• How deep is the earthquake?
• Earthquakes as EvidenceTying it all together

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Volcanoes Teaching sequence
Plate Tectonics Box Volcanoes as Evidence
Overview of box Introductory activity
Fossil distribution Earthquakes Volcanoes Int
roductionConcepts/standards Teaching
sequence Resources Sea-floor spreading Culminati
ng activity
Getting started Lesson 1
Lesson 2 Lesson 3

• There are three lessons in this sequence
• Locating Volcanoes Around the World is composed
  of two activities, which together will take
  between two and three class periods.  
• Correlation of Volcano Types and Plate
  Boundaries is composed of four activities, which
  together will take between four and five class
  periods. 
• Volcanoes as Evidence Tying it all Together? is
  the culminating lesson composed of a single
  activity that will take two class periods.
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• Students should be able to plot locations given a
  whole number latitude and longitude. See Lesson
  Latitudes and Longitudes
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• Students should have general knowledge of the
  structure of the earth, earthquakes, and
  volcanoes prior to beginning this topic.
  Students should know the layers of the earth and
  their composition. Students should know that
  earthquakes result in movement of landmasses (of
  varying scale) moving past one another. Types of
  faults are defined by the direction of movement
  of the land relative to one another.
  Additionally, students should know the types of
  volcanoes, the difference between lava and magma,
  and the types of eruptions (i.e., explosive vs.
  non-explosive) that may occur.
• Questions to initiate cognitive engagement and
  active learning
• What are some volcanoes that you know and where
  are they?
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• Possibly do a volcano slide show that highlights
  stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes) and shield
  volcanoes other volcano slides could be included
  as just a way of reviewing / re-engaging students
  in volcanoes.
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• Following are two sites where the teacher may
  gather images for a PowerPoint slide show
• Images of Volcanoes (By Region)
• http//volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/v
  olc_images/volc_images.html

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Volcanoes Resources for the classroom
Plate Tectonics Box Volcanoes as Evidence
Overview of box Introductory activity
Fossil distribution Earthquakes Volcanoes Int
roduction Concepts/standards Teaching
sequence Resources Background info For the
classroom Sea-floor spreading Culminating
activity
Activities Labs Demos
Tutorials Assessments Rubrics
Lessons
Discover Our Earth, Volcanoes Exercise
http//atlas.geo.cornell.edu/education/student/vo
lcanoes/volcano_1.html A mapping tool. Part of
an earth system educational web site that
encourages learning for all ages. Snack
Tectonicshttp//www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link/t
eacher_resources/teach_snacktectonics.htmlFrom
the teacher resources area of Windows to the
Universe. Students create a tasty model that
illustrates plate tectonic motions. Blank
World Maphttp//swiki.dlese.org/CA-Pilot/uploads/
BlankWorldMap.pdfSmall 8.5 x 11 maps.Good for
individual student use. Volcanoes Can We
Predict Volcanic Eruptions? http//www.learner.or
g/exhibits/volcanoes/dynearth.htmlInformation
about why volcanoes erupt in different ways and
about separating plates, colliding plates, and
hot spots.
Concepts Technical requirements
Full description Use in teaching
sequence
Concepts Technical requirements
Full description Use in teaching
sequence
Concepts Technical requirements
Full description Use in teaching
sequence
Concepts Technical requirements
Full description Use in teaching
sequence
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Volcanoes Concepts and standards
Plate Tectonics Box Volcanoes as Evidence
Overview of box Introductory activity
Fossil distribution Earthquakes Volcanoes Int
roductionConcepts/standards Teaching
sequence Resources Sea-floor spreading Culminati
ng activity
The locations and types of volcanoes provide
evidence for plate tectonics
Stratovolcanoes (Booming volcanoes) occur at
subduction boundaries because the magma
originates from the melted crust
Shield volcanoes (Fizzling volcanoes) occur at
spreading centers because the magma comes
directly from the mantle
Types of volcanoes can be identified by both
shape and rock composition
There is more than one type of volcano
Most volcanoes are located along plate boundaries
Volcanoes only occur in certain locations
National standards Associated
resources Placement in teaching
sequence
NSES 5-8 D - Earth and space science Structure
of the earth system Lithospheric plates on the
scales of continents and oceans constantly move
at rates of centimeters per year in response to
movements in the mantle. Major geological events,
such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and
mountain building, result from these plate
motions. State Standards 6th Grade Earth
Science California Science Content Standards,
Grade 6 Focus on Earth Science - Plate Tectonics
and Earths Structure Investigation and
Experimentation 7. Scientific progress is made by
asking meaningful questions and conducting
careful investigations. As a basis for
understanding this concept and addressing the
content in the other three strands, students
should develop their own questions and perform
investigations. Students will a.
Develop a hypothesis. b. Select and use
appropriate tools and technology (including
calculators, computers, balances, spring scales,
microscopes, and binoculars) to
perform tests, collect data, and display data.

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Next steps

• Continue interface design, translating to
  web-based, interactive (customizable) environment
• Classroom testing of the teaching boxes by
  teachers and students
• initial feedback by students has been very
  positive
• Usability studies of overall product - teacher
  involvement critical
• CSTA meeting workshop with 60 teacher
  participants, many volunteered
• Iterative design process, working prototype
  planned for January 2005
• New topics!

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Opportunities to get involved

• Submit teaching tips or reviews for the resources
  you use
• Suggest new resources for the library
• Attend an annual meeting
• Participate in user testing
• of new library services

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support_at_dlese.org