Arlene Jurewicz-Leighton
Structure of Earth
Jason Academy
Overview of Topic
These series of lessons will focus on developing students' awareness of the landscape formation of the fivetown areas, Hope, Lincolnville, Appleton, Camden and Rockport, and how it changed over the last glacial period.
Prior learning
These lessons are geared to the upper middle level grades, 7th to 9th grade who have had some prior exposure to concepts about geological time and the age of bedrock. They are familiar with topographical maps and reading them. They are familiar with the power of ten as a way to develop a scale of information.
Big idea and standards research
Research about students awareness about the physical setting and our planet indicate that they believe, across all ages, that the earth as they see it now has always existed. For example, when asked about why volcanoes and earthquakes happen, they can not give a reason. The same might be said if they looked at the fields, kettle lakes and ponds, bedrock hills, drumlins and moraines of glacial till in our area. Could they give reasons for the landscape's existence or was it just 'always like this'?
Atlas for Science Literacy Processes That Shape The Earth: Changes In The Earth's Surface pg 50 -51
Maine Learning Results
Standard F Earth
F4 Describe factors that can cause short term and long term changes to the earth
Standard K
Scientific Reasoning
K6 Support reasoning by using a variety of evidence
Standard L
Communication
L3 Evaluate individual and group communication for clarity, and work to improve communication
L4 Make and use scale drawings, maps, and three-dimensional models to represent real objects, find locations and describe relationships
L5 Access information at remote sites using telecommunications
L6 Identify and perform roles necessary to accomplish group tasks
Color Key
green - set ups, materials and resources
brown - time and lesson time structure
red - emphasis
Whole class warm up activity
Classtime 20 minutes to 30 minutes
Have a time line with 5 time stops on board. Large enough area to draw or write. As you go through this activity, note what students are describing. Allow student one at a time to come to board to draw what they see if they have problems expressing it.
We will begin with a group 'time' experience using the powers of 10 as our time base. We are outside on a local high spot where you can see over lakes and hills....... may be an area in the Camden Hills or a spot you are familiar with hiking.
"We are going to travel back in time and at each 'stop' , we will look around and describe what you see"
Let's start just alittle bit back in time when you were age 2
Stop 1 What are you seeing or not seeing? ( you're kind of small, huh) Describe what you might be seeing.......is it similar to what is there today? Do things to you look bigger then ? In stop five you may feel that way , again............
Now times 2 by 10
Stop 2 We are back in time 20 years ago
Describe what you are seeing ? Is it different from 20 years ago? In what ways?
Now times 20 by 10
Stop 3 We are back in time 200 years ago
Describe what you are seeing ? Is it different from stop 2 ? Has the landscape changed?
In what ways? More houses or different houses .....roads...........? Were our towns here? people?
Now times 200 by 10
Stop 4 We are back in time 2000 years ago
Describe what you are seeing? Has the landscape changed? Do the hills and lakes look the same? What has changed ? What kinds of people might of been here?
Now times 2000 by 10
Stop 5 We are back in time 20,000 years ago
WHERE are we? Allow time for student answers, If no student knows ........
...We are standing on a huge sheet of ice and it is over a mile thick. Our Camden bedrock is below but not shaped as the hills we now know . Today we'd have to travel all the way to Greenland to experience this kind of terrain.
Teacher explanation and hand out
What are we standing on? (A Glacier)
Our glacier period started over million years ago in the Pleistocene Epoch with four glacial periods, which wiped away the each landscape. The most recent glacial was the Wisconsin advance which started only 55 thousand years ago. By about 20,000 to 18,000 years ago the glacier had covered what is now the entire state of Maine.
From 18,000 years ago to 2,000 years ago we went through some climate and other changes which resulted in landscape you see today All the landforms you see ...shape of hills (not bedrock ), lakes, ponds and shoreline were shaped by what happended. In our next activities we will look at this time period and the changes that happened in our area.
Small group activities
Objective: To show the relationship between glacier advancement and retreat and landforms, shoreline and sea level in coastal Maine from 18,000 years to 2,000 years.
Information/material/ media resources available
4 grade level to adult
several copies
Stone Wall Secrets by Kristine and Robert Thorson
Glaciers and Granite by David Kendall section on glaciers
Roadside Geology of Maine by D. W. Caldwell section on glaciers
The story of the Earth GLACIER by Lionel Bender
A Natural History of Camden and Rockport by E.C. Parker section on glaciers
http://www.geology.uiuc.edu/~xsong/courses/geol250/lectures/lect14/glacier.html handout
Maine Geological Survey Maps - several surface geology maps
Internet sites
http://165.83.32.34/grd/parks/acad/geology.htm
http://www.state.me.us/doc/nrimc/mgs/surfical/surfical.htm
http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/ice_ages/.html
Video
http://www.mainepbs.org/quest/
Quest Origins Maine State Library ice age segment
Quest Mammoth in the Ice Age Maine State Library animated portion of last ice age
Experiments from Stone Wall Secrets Teacher's Guide for students to use as demonstrations
How Heavy Is a Glacier?
Objective: To demonstrate that glaciers are heavy and that's why they can push land down below sea level
How Do Glaciers Move?
Objective: To give students the opportunity to observe and measure the movement of a glacier model
What Happens Under a Glacier?
Objective: To demonstrate that the temperature of ice decreases as pressure increases. Water melts under a glacier; providing a slippery layer for it to move on
How Does a Glacier Make Striations or Glacier Scratches?
Objective: To demonstrate that glacial scratches were made when harder rocks pressed into softer ones.
materials: large sheets of papers, adding machine tape, pens, pencils , and markers
items brought from home, clay and modeling materials, materials for
experiments
computer lab with Internet access/multimedia software
time period 4 80 minute periods and one class period to report out
Day one decide on group members ( 3 to 4 ) and , which task to do and develop questions about task
Each group is handed the scoring matrix to review
Day two research task and assign group members to project (end of day two teacher reviews questions and research queries, redirects and/or reinforces direction of groups)
Day three- end research and develop presentations/demonstrations ( teacher check on presentation)
Day four Continue developing presentation/demonstrations and rehearse
Day five give presentations
Group chooses Task
Task 1
What is the relationship between the glacial advance and retreat of the last 20,000 years and sea level and shoreline changes of coastal Maine during that time ?
(Have at least 4 time period changes)
What do you need to know in order to answer this question?
Where would you look to find this information?
How would you report out on this information to the class so that they understood this relationship?
ie timeline, poster presentation, model, experiments
OR
Task 2
What is the relationship between the glacial advancement and retreat of the last 20,000 years and what happened to the land formations and glacial tills in the Midcoast area?
(Choose at least 4 examples)
What do you need to know in order to answer this question?
Where would you look to find this information?
How would you report out on this information to the class so that they understood this relationship? What form of presentation?
ie timeline, poster presentation, models , experiments
Task Questions
3 Good inqury questions, shows thinking and relationship to task, at least 4 questions developed
2 Adequate inquiry questions, shows thinking and relationship to task , at least 3 questions developed
1 Poor inquiry questions, thinking not clear on relationship to task, less than 3 questions developed
Research/Presentation/Demonstration Development)
3 Group has done excellent research to support task , log of research kept, answered all task questions and developed presentation/ demonstration which addresses task questions and is well planned
2 Group has done adequate research , answered most of task questions , kept log and developed presentation/demonstration which addresses task questions and show some evidence of planning.
1 Group has done some research, but only on one or two questions, log incomplete and presentation/ demonstration shows minor evidence of planning
Presentation/ Demonstration
3 Group gives excellent presentation/demonstration, visuals and models well done and integrated into presentation.
2 Group give presentation/demonstration which covers task questions but visuals and models not well integrated into presentation.
1 Group gives what looks like a draft of a presentation, visuals/models not well intergrated into presentation.
and
3 Group ( more than one person ) can answer questions from class and evidence of a group effort on project
2 Only one person answers questions from class but there is evidence of a group effort on project
1 Group has difficulty answering questions and little evidence of group effort on project
Group assessment on project
Group scores each member:
I helped in each stage of project and/or played the role I was assigned to do:
3 Most/All of the time
2 Some of the time
1 A little Bit
0 Not at all
( in event of a conflict of opinion, teacher scores)
Top score possible 15*
14 to 15 excellent
12 to 13 good*
10 to 11 fair*
9 to 10 needs help*
below 9 not acceptable
Bonus points 2 added to your score
Reflect on what you have learned about after these presentations. What would you like to know more about or made more clear to you? What worked or did not work for you in this project ? If relevant, how could your team improve their working together and/or presentation?
Extension activities
Field trip to the Camden Hills to review surface geology
Field trip to Camden Hill High School to see art installments
Topography of the 5 Town Area
Rock sculpture utilizing stones from the five town area