Teacher's Diary

Photo of the Week - Greenhouse Projects

On Friday, my students mostly completed building mini-greenhouses, which we are using as a way of studying Earth's atmosphere and the greenhouse effect. I'm a big fan of project-based learning, and even though my new school doesn't require it, I'm trying to do as many hands-on labs and projects as possible. This upcoming week, my students will place their greenhouses outside with tomato and lettuce plants inside and see how they do throughout the winter. One of my students also suggested the idea of placing thermometers both inside and outside the greenhouses so we can monitor whether or not they are having a measurable effect on the air temperature inside.

I did this project last year with my students, but we only got as far a paper designs, since we never got the ok from the school to order the materials. This year, I took matters into my own hands and requested what I needed from DonorsChoose. If you haven't used it before, it is a gold mine for teachers. Check it out!

Photo of the Week - Far Side of the Moon Image

I just finished up my astronomy unit and have asked my students to complete their moon phase observations over Thanksgiving break. However, this is a view of the moon they will never observe. This is an image of the side of the moon that faces away from the Earth. It is also colored based on topography, with white being the highest elevation and purple being the lowest. It's a great image that I will be showing not only in my Earth Science class, but also to my Science Olympiad team for practice with remote sensing techniques. It is a good exercise for students to analyze images like this critically, to pick out the information the picture provides. I hope you will use it with your students too.

The original photo was found here, at NASA's alway-wonderful bank of Astronomy pictures.

Photo of the Week - Sunset from a Plane

There is something eerie about how the sun follows you as you fly from east coast to west. On my recent trip to Las Vegas, I experienced a seemingly endless evening until the sun finally set behind the endless clouds. It was a truly spectacular start to a great trip. It also seems fitting as the year comes to a close to remind ourselves of the cyclical nature of education. One year ends and another begins, just as the sun sets and rises again. Pretty soon it will be time to start reflecting and planning for the next batch of kids.

Photo of the Week - Red Rock Canyon

Last weekend, I spent a wonderful whirlwind 2 days in Las Vegas. I went to Death Valley around this time last year, but I had actually never spent any time in Las Vegas itself. Of course, being the science nerd I am, I ended up going hiking in Red Rock Canyon (where I took the photo above) instead of wasting the days in the casinos - though I gave those a brief try too. I highly recommend this scenic state park for anyone out in the area. It was spectacular, great views and a great hike, plus a lovely drive through the canyon to get to the trailhead. The rocks show beautiful sedimentary layers that certainly tell the ancient story of these hills. Thanks to my boyfriend for using his skills to process the photo!

Photo of the Week - Unconformity

 As we get towards the end of the school year, I am finally teaching my students about rocks and minerals and Earth History. I saved this unit until the end of the year this year because it is hands on and moves quickly, plus it is the largest portion of the Regents. I want it to be fresh in their minds when they walk into the test.

I have been saving this photo, taken by Bill Lesniak and generously shared via the ESPIRIT listserv, to present to both my students and my readers. It is a fabulous example of an unconformity, where the passage of time is shown in the missing layers between the folded, darker brown part of the rock and the lighter upper layer that still lies flat.

Once we have finished talking about what rocks and minerals are and figure out how to identify them, we will start talking about how landscapes change over time. This photo is great because it shows two processes, disturbance and weathering. The bottom layers have been deformed by a seismic event, while the missing layers have disappeared because of wind and water that has broken them down and eroded them away. The photo makes both things very clear.

Photo of the Week - Seneca Lake

 Spring break has finally arrived and after all the drama at my school (more to come), the break has come none too soon. I am looking forward to a stress-free week, starting off with a relaxing two-day getaway to Seneca Lake.

The ride up was a mix of sun and rain showers, but since I will be starting the rocks and minerals unit when I get back from break, I was focused more on the rock outcrops by the side of the highway than on the weather. I think I need to start driving around to random outcrops to collect classroom samples more often - there is so much great rock just sitting by the side of the road!

Needless to say, my driving companion refused to stop at any of the numerous outcrops or inquire about broken rock pieces at any of the granite countertop places we also passed. Still, it was fun to drive past so much rock.

We arrived at out Bed and Breakfast and explored the tiny town a bit. It was still raining and a bit windy, but walking along the lake was still a great experience. The water was clear green-blue with some white-capped waves in the distance. We watched ducks paddling against the wind.

My students enjoy hearing about my personal life and I'll be sure to tell them all about this trip. Since weathering and erosion are topics still to be covered, I'm sure the Finger Lakes will be a great way to get them excited about glacial erosion. The shape of the lakes is so different from what most of them are used to and it will be interesting to see what they hypothesize as the reason for the unique shape.

I also hope to find some interesting rocks to bring back. I have asked each of them to bring in a rock from wherever they so for break. Many of them will be going no further than the corner store, while some are going to Florida, upstate NY or even other countries. When we return, students will have an opportunity to compare the rocks and try to decide what makes them similar or different. Obvious differences will be rounded rocks from beaches and rivers compared with jagged rocks from Central Park, but I'm hoping they will notice some of the more subtle differences, such as composition and method of formation, even if they can't explain it in those terms.

Even if I return with nothing more than a few pictures, the trip will be worth it both for me and my students. I will return refreshed and ready to teach for another few months, plus I will be excited about the upcoming unit. Meanwhile, the pictures will help me engage my students in a discussion about why different parts of the country look so different. I hope it will keep their interest, since the Regents are fast approaching and I feel a little bit behind on my material (though not nearly as behind as I felt last year). Here's to a wonderful spring break!

This aerial view of Seneca Lake was originally found here.

Photo of the Week - Geologic Maps

At the SCONYC conference last weekend, I went to a session on 3D imagery and how to use it in the classroom. The United States Geological Survey supposedly has 3D topographic maps but I couldn't find them on the website. I'll keep looking and post them here if I ever find them.

However, in the process, I did find the map above - a cross section of the 37th parallel - which shows the bedrock across the country in a really interesting way. You can search for maps of your own here. 

Photo of the Week - Yellowstone Supervolcano

 My students are fascinated by the idea of 2012, as I have mentioned several times. When I showed them this picture (originally found here) and talked to them about the destruction that could be caused by an eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano, they were incredibly excited to discuss tectonic activity.

Showing students stuff like this and the video also found on the blog above gets them excited about learning. Many of them do not feel a connection to volcanoes or earthquakes since we don't really have any here in New York. Talking to them about events that could potential influence the United States or even the entire world brings tectonics home for them.

Using this and another picture of Yellowstone to hook them, I continued the PowerPoint by showing them pictures of other active locations. The visuals definitely helped them focus and by starting with Yellowstone, I kept them engaged. My earthquake unit is going pretty well, though taking a bit longer than planned. However, I am incredibly grateful that my students seem interested and are actually learning this material better than previous material. It is nice to find a project and get them excited about it - especially during this time of year, when everyone is really just hoping for spring to come!

Photo of the Week - Supermoon

I hope that many of you were able to experience the "supermoon" that occurred yesterday. The moon was full and it was also at perigee, the point of closest approach to Earth, so it appeared larger than a typical full moon would. I was unfortunately at the movies and missed the rising of this moon, so I only got to see it once it was higher up in the sky. Even then, it looked bigger than usual.

For those who missed it, the moon should still appear fairly large at rising, even though it is no longer completely full. Plus, there are countless websites on which to browse pictures of the event, from the website where I got this gorgeous photo to the BBC's collection of amateur photographs. Enjoy!

Photo of the Week - All Eyes on Japan

Of course, even my students are being inundated with information about the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck just offshore Japan, causing widespread damage, creating a tsunami that traveled all the way to California and igniting fear of a possible nuclear meltdown at a 40 year old power plant in Fukushima. I have been amazed by the fact that, not only were the earthquake and following tsunami devastating, but hundreds of aftershocks are still going on and many of them have been over 6.0 magnitude themselves. This was an incredibly powerful earthquake.

And talk about a teachable moment. I have just begun the unit on plate tectonics and earthquakes with my students and they are suddenly so excited and engaged in what they are learning. On Friday, when I had barely wrapped my head around what had happened, students were rushing to my room, asking if I had heard about it. This earthquake has the potential to discuss topics ranging from subduction plate boundaries to earthquake engineering. We have already compared the damage to the earthquake last year in Haiti and discuss the differences in infrastructure between the two locations. Many of my students are from the Caribbean islands, so the Haiti earthquake struck close to home.

In the map above, the original earthquake is the largest red dot, right in the middle and partially covered by the aftershocks. This map, and more like it, can be found at the USGS website. There are also a number of good videos of the earthquake, tsunami and earthquake damage at the BBC website. While this is a great opportunty to get students engaged and involved, my thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones in this tragic event. I hope that many of the people in Japan who are still missing will be found alive soon.