Teacher's Diary

Field Trip to Stony Brook University

 

Recently, my students got the chance to perform two labs using equipment in the Stony Brook University Earth and Space Center. Above is a picture of them using the stream table, a really cool piece of equipment that allows students to see rivers forming and changing on a small scale. They loved it! They got to get their hands dirty building a dam, examine how changes in slope changed the rivers that formed and watch a delta get destroyed by storm surge from a hurricane.

The second lab was on porosity and permeability - this one wasn't as good as the first one. For one thing, it wasn't explained as well, the kids were tired after a long day and weren't listening as well and it was also something that we could have easily done back at the classroom. If I go again, I think I would only do the stream tables lab and then perhaps take them on a full campus tour of the university.

We did get a mini tour, however, to the administration building where they have "Stony Brook's Dinosaur." The Majungasaurus crenatissimus is a 70-million year old carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Madagascar by a team of paleontologists from Stony Brook. The full skeleton is on display there and is pretty interesting, with its strange front limbs and long tail. If you do take a trip to Stony Brook, make sure not to miss this!

If you are interested in taking your own classes to the labs at Stony Brook, see the Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CESAME) website. They offer programs not just in Earth Science, but also Physics, Biotechnology and Chemistry. The programs are regularly $20 per student, but the fee is waived for Title I schools. I highly recommend the program!

Total Lunar Eclipse Tonight!

I wanted to get this out early, so hopefully you can get this out to your students in time. There will be a total lunar eclipse tonight around 3 am! I'm offering extra credit to any student who wakes up and makes observations of what they see. I got this image, and other great information from www.mreclipse.com. The website has similar images for different time zones, so you can find out when your area of the world will be able to see totality. It also has detailed information about eclipses that could be useful in class. This is perfect since the next thing I will be talking about in class (when we get back from winter break) is phases of the moon, including how and why eclipses happen. Awesome teachable moment!

The Moveable Museum and Other AMNH Resources

One of the greatest things about teaching in a big city like NYC is that there are resources everywhere you turn. Some of them are great, some of them are so so and some turn out to be terrible. But there is no shortage of opportunities for learning outside the classroom.

One of the biggest concerns, however, of inner-city classrooms is a lack of sufficient funding to make use of all the opportunities available. Sometimes, though, you come across an incredibly rich experience that is also entirely free.

The American Museum of Natural History museum has such an experience: the Moveable Museums.

Yesterday, I had the joy of welcoming the "Discovering the Universe" bus to my school. The museum educators came into each of my 4 classes, gave an intro to astronomy lesson and then took students onto the bus - a large, windowless vehicle that has been gutted and turned into an interactive laboratory for students to explore concepts in astronomy and astrophysics.

My students looked at infrared cameras, peered into different types of telescopes to gaze far into outer space and operated a flight simulator to explore the planets of our solar system. I heard kids saying it was the first time they had enjoyed science and others comparing the activities to playing video games. Even my worst students kept their behavior in check long enough to experience a whole new world of astronomy. Today we discussed the museum and students were still engaged and interested in sharing their experiences. Best of all, it was totally free and only took an hour and a half per class, so they could still attend most of their other classes.

The Museum of Natural History has a wide array of resources for teachers, from Educator Evenings, where teachers get to view museum exhibits for free and gain access to related resources, to whole staff development workshops. The museum itself is a great resource for students and teachers alike, but the educational outreach they do is far greater than the museum alone. I highly recommend all teachers take a look at what they have to offer. The programs are great, most of them are free, and it really gets students engaged in topics that can often seem irrelevant to their daily lives.

Wicklow Mountains National Park

Today, I had the wonderful experience of visiting Wicklow Mountains National Park in Glendalough, Ireland. Now I know this isn't a field trip I could take my students on, but just in case I have any Irish fans, I thought I'd share just how great this experience was. Actually, in all honesty, I think it is a reminder to all of us to use the resources available at National and State Parks, places I know my students rarely, if ever, visit on their own.

The Wicklow Mountains contain many classic Irish landscapes, with heath and bog and green pastures and lakes. It was truly spectacular, and only a short (and very scenic) bus ride from Dublin. Despite the heavy underbrush, I found several beautiful outcrops of rock that would have been perfect for an Earth Science class, especially one that showed a clear fold in sedimentary layers, most likely from the metamorphism that created the mountains themselves.

I have written before about how valuable I think field trips are and I stand by that. In fact, I feel more strongly about it every time I visit a new place that my students need to get out of the city as much as possible. They need to expand their experiences and especially get closer to nature. Today I was walking, completely alone, through pine forests on a mountaintop, feeling amazing. Suddenly, the thought occurred to me that in the same situation, my students would be terrified, thinking someone was going to jump out of the trees at them. They would interrupt the quiet birdsong, trying to fill up the silence. They wouldn't know how to understand a place like that, simply because they haven't been to enough similar places. Exposure is so important and the younger the better.

I have a chance to show my students things they would otherwise never see, and they are still at an age when it may make a difference.

Summer Vacation

One of the greatest things about being a teacher (besides the incredibly rewarding experience of changing the lives of hundreds of students) is having the summers off. Although I did teach summer school, I decided to also get away from New York and travel for a while as well. I'm still away and really enjoying my freedom from serious responsibilities.

However, I have found that, even thousands of miles away from home, I am still constantly thinking about my students and my classroom. I analyze the rocks that make up historic buildings and try to come up with geologic reasons that type of rock might have been used. I notice changes in geography and the phases of the moon progressing just as they do at home. I think about ways to bring all of the sights I am enjoying to my students, many of whom have never even been out of New York, let alone the USA.

Just last night, I was having a conversation about how my students have such limited experiences. I was amazed last year when I took them to Sterling Hill Mines in New Jersey. Many of them were ecstatic at being on their first trip outside the state. The novelty helped them stay focused and engaged. I think it is critical to every child's development that they be exposed to as much as possible while they are young and forced to observe and question what they see. This is the best way to develop critical thinking skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. Even though my students are already in high school, I don't think it is too late for them.

Although there is little hope that I will be able to take my students to investigate the rock formations near Avignon, France, I can certainly take back pictures and stories. At least then I am showing them that places outside their small sphere do exist and people travel there. It hopefully will open up possibilities in their minds, while also being instructional in terms of differences in available materials because of differing geology.

Overall, I hope that the rest and relaxation I have been getting will provide opportunities for furthering my teaching, as well as giving me the needed rest to pursue another grueling year of teaching.

Spring at Last

Today, spring was certainly in the air - the air of Central Park, that is. I took my students on another trip to Central Park and the weather was simply perfect. The warm air made them a bit drowsy and difficult to move, but it mellowed them out too, so there wasn't too much craziness. On top of that, they couldn't complain about it being too cold or too hot. We ate hot dogs and ice cream, looked at glacial striations on exposed bedrock and played Wiffleball under the trees.

As I was warned, the spring stretches on into eternity, so it was a very needed break from the monotony of the classroom. I was excited to get outside for once and I was glad to see the kids getting out to the park on such a nice day. The group size was perfect too - I planned the trip on a Friday so that students who didn't want to come would be tempted to take the day off. As a result, I was left with a group that really wanted to be there, for the most part.

One of the greatest things about teaching in New York City is the amazing access we have to resources for science, English, culture and the arts. It is so important for educators to use the resources (some - like the park - are completely free too) to further their students' experience. So get out there while the weather is good!

Death Valley - Why Educators Should Take More Trips

My trip to Death Valley is beyond spectacular. It is exhausting, with far more information being thrown at me than I can possibly take in, but exhilarating - climbing craters at dusk, sliding down moonlit sand dunes and hiking for miles amid eerily quiet rocks.

This place would be incredible at any time, even if I had come as a tourist, but being part of a group of all Earth Science teachers from New York gives it a whole new meaning. We are learning the in-depth geology of this place, while also practicing our field study skills so that we can share them with our students. I am becoming better at rapidly identifying rocks and looking at features to tell geologic history. I know my students will benefit from my experience too.

I had initially signed up for this trip as a way of getting graduate credit quickly (3 credits in 8 days is not bad), but now I understand why it is worth so many credits. We wake at dawn every morning, head to the field and spend 12-14 hours in the field, basically staying out until it gets dark. We hike for miles, talking about the rock formations along the way. By the time we get home, I'm too tired to even organize my notes or think about grading or planning for school.

Earth science teachers have so many opportunities to get out into the field with geologists, often completely free. Being a student in the field reminds us about why we love science to begin with. We get to explore, get dirty and really learn something new. It is this experience that is so important to share with our students. Too many of my inner-city kids have already buried their natural curiosity. As a science teacher, it is my job to dig it back out and make them enjoy learning again. Sometimes it is difficult to see how when stuck in a classroom from 8am - 3pm every day, but here in the wide open air, it is obvious.

I am already planning Death Valley centered lessons for when I get back. I hope that by sharing my amazing experience, I can inspire some of them to give science a chance. Hopefully it will stir up their adventurous, curious side and get them excited about Earth Science.

Photo courtesy of http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/california/death-valley

A Day at the Mines

Today was a gorgeous day, full of blue skies, turkey vultures and mine shafts. That's right, I took my kids on a field trip to Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, New Jersey, where they got to learn about the dangers of mining and the rock types that abound in a mine.

I have said it before and will continue to say it: I believe trips are the best way to get kids excited about learning. My students are often rowdy to the point of wildness, unruly and unmanageable. But get them out in a field in New Jersey and they will beg you to help them fill their cardboard box with the 6 different rocks they are supposed to find. The toughest kids grow wide-eyed upon entering the cold, damp mine tunnel. It was an experience that none of them are likely to have again and I made it possible for them.

Talk about an authentic learning experience. Our tour guide was an old, soft-spoken man who worked in a mine himself for most of his life. He told the kids stories about how he started out as a "mucker," breaking up rocks by hand that hadn't been broken down enough in the initial dynamite blast. He told them about a friend of his who was crushed under a giant piece of iron and killed. And he told them about the marble that lined the walls we walked through. They took it all in and really experienced it.

Trips are hands-on learning amplified. Not only are the kids investigating science for themselves, they are experiencing it with their whole bodies. Taken out of their normal, safe environment, even the toughest kids become angels. They know instinctively that they can't get away with things that they get away with back at school, so they don't even attempt it. I am always truly amazed to see that side of them.

For anyone in the New York or New Jersey area, I highly recommend that you take your students to Sterling Hill. The tour guides are fabulous and the learning experience the kids receive is unparalleled. I could tell that it opened so many of them up to science and made what we have been learning about come alive.

To the right, check out one of the cool fluorescent rocks found at the mine!