John

John Aellig Prof. Corrio EDC 448 October 31, 2007

Rock My World: A Diverse Text Set for Eighth Grade Science

The diverse text set below is intended for an eighth grade science class. These pieces are intended to be used in a unit on geology. The students would primarily be learning about the formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and how some are related to volcanic activity. It is assumed that the students would initially have only an "everyday" knowledge of geology, rocks, and volcanoes.

Print Resources (5)

1. Carruthers, M. W., Ricciuti, Edward. (1998). //National Audubon Society: First Field Guide: Rocks and Minerals.// New York: Scholastic Inc.
 * This text is written by the leader of field guides, the National Audubon Society. The book is broken down into four main sections; “The world of rocks and minerals”, “How to look at rocks and minerals”, “Field guide”, and “Reference”. The first section discusses definitions of terms such as “geology” and “rock”. The section also covers the three classes of rocks and volcanoes. The second section examines the three types of rocks in a more detailed manner and introduces different characteristics that can be found in rocks such as colors, streaks, and lustre.
 * I selected this text because it was produced by the leading industry field guide writers. The book gives a good overview of the three different types of rocks. It has a useful field guide that allows for easy identification of most rocks.
 * This text would mainly be used to create lecture material for each class based off the federal, state, and local standards of content area objectives. Students will be asked to hand-in a short written/ typed response to photocopied selections.

2. Pellant, Chris. (1992). //Eyewitness Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals.// New York: DK Publishing, Inc
 * This is an easy-to-use field guide to rocks and minerals. It uses a “photo-encyclopedic approach” that makes it perfect for beginner users. The text also provides a forty-page introduction that includes required field equipment, rock formations, and different classifications of rocks to name a few.
 * I selected this field guide mainly for the innovative “photo-encyclopedic approach”. I feel that this visual approach will help the students visually relate to the material. It will also allow me to convey different types of rocks without necessarily needing to find the actual specimen, which may be difficult to acquire.
 * This guide would be primarily used to supplement the rock samples in class. The highly detailed photographs provide an outstanding substitute to the real thing. Students will be asked to hand-in a short written/ typed response to photocopied selections.

3. Christian, Peggy. (2000). //If You Find a Rock.// San Diego: Harcourt, Inc
 * //If You Find a Rock// is a quirky look at different types of rocks from a child’s point of view.
 * This picture book was chosen to give a nontraditional look at geology. I feel that this book would be a wonderful start to the beginning of my unit.
 * The students would read this book at the beginning of the unit to create an environment that is light and airy. I feel that beginning the unit on a somewhat relaxed note would allow the students to let their guard down and consider the relevance of the material.

4. Pellant, Chris, Phillips, Roger. (1990). //Rocks, Minerals & Fossils of the World.// Boston: Little, Brown And Company.
 * This guide provides a comprehensive look at the world of rocks, minerals, and fossils. It is written like most other guides in the field. However, this guide is written for an older and more educated audience. The text is intended to give a more in-depth look at geology and take over where other texts leave off.
 * The rationale for using this text was to fill in the reference gaps that the other two primary texts may leave open. One of the authors of this text also wrote one of the other reference guides in this set. However, this text looks at the subject in a more in-depth manner which helps convey the material more completely.
 * The students would not generally interact with this material directly. This text would be used to create lectures in conjunction with the other two reference guides. Students will be asked to hand-in a short written/ typed response to photocopied selections.

5. Lorenz, Brenna. (1998, December 28). Heptune: //Songs of Geology and Other Science-Related Jokes and Humor. "Ode to Olivine in Thin Section."// Retrieved October 28, 2007, from http://www.heptune.com/geosong.html#GEOLOGY%20POEM
 * The poem is three verses long. It describes the features of Olivine in an elegant manner.
 * This poem was chosen so I could provide a not strictly academic but relevant diversion to the unit. I feel that using this piece would allow the students to have a slight break from the purely academic texts. If needed I would use this poem as an extra credit or homework assignment and have the students research what Olivine is commonly used for, what type of rock it is, and how it is formed.
 * The students would interact with this piece in the form of a read aloud at the beginning of a class period or as an extra credit or homework assignment.

Media Resources (2)

6. Lorenz, Brenna. (1998, December 28). Heptune: //Songs of Geology and Other Science-Related Jokes and Humor. "The Geologist's Come-All-Ye."// Retrieved October 28, 2007, from http://www.heptune.com/geosong.html#GEOLOGY%20POEM
 * This song looks at the life and work of a geologist in a humorous way. It describes some of the characteristics of the geology profession and their love for "Granite stew."
 * I chose this text so I could use it to break up the geology unit and keep it fun. I feel that using this piece which takes five minutes to read would allow the students to see science in a silly and entertaining light. If I had time I could also use the song as a way to introduce the students to geology as a profession then have the students go on a web quest to research what geologist really do and how accurate the song's depictions are.
 * The class would use the song as a read aloud at the beginning of class or in a stand alone activity that aloud the students to research the professional activities of a geologist.

7. NASA, NPS, USGS. //Flight Into Grand//. Retrieved November 1, 2007, from http://www.nps.gov/grca/photosmultimedia/flight_into_wmv.htm This is an online animated film from the National Parks Service. It gives students an aerial tour of the canyon while a narrator discusses various features of the canyons geology. § I selected this activity because I felt that the animation would give the students a realistic view of the Grand Canyon. The spectacular views combined with the narration of the features of the canyon make it a useful classroom tool and an inspiring, close-up example of how beautiful rock formations can be. § The students would be shown this video toward the end of the unit to show what the effects of erosion over time and show the power of nature over thousands of years.

Online Interactive Resource (2)

8. C, Tom. //GeoFind Puzzle.// Retrived October 28, 2007, from http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow4/nov98/games/wordfind/wordsearch3.html
 * The //GeoFind Puzzle// is an online interactive crossword puzzle that allows the students to find sixteen different words related to geology. The application has the ability to show the students where the words are located in the puzzle and also re-scramble the puzzle.
 * This activity is effective at familiarizing the students with the geological terms they are going to encounter throughout the lesson.
 * I would ask the students to use the activity in groups of two on the first day of the lesson after a brief introductory of the topic to be covered in the lesson.

//9. Savage Earth Animation: Volcanic Eruption.// Retrieved October 30, 2007, from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/animations/volcanoes/main.html
 * The //Savage Earth Animation: Volcanic Eruption// is an online animation of the different stages of a volcanic eruption. The animation is accompanied by text that coincides with the animation.
 * This animation was chosen because I felt that it would extremely interesting and would enhance the way the textual information on volcanoes was grasped. This is because it provides students with an engaging visual aid that breaks from more traditional illustrations.
 * The students would be shown this animation in conjunction with the textual material presented on volcanoes. This provides a fascinating and integrated approach to understanding the material.

Professional Resource (1) 10. (2003). //12.2: Sedimentary Rocks.// Retrieved on October 30, 2007, from http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us/tools/lessons/12.2/lesson.html
 * The //Sedimentary Rocks// lesson plan is designed to introduce the students to sedimentary rocks. The lesson teaches them how they form and common examples of sedimentary rocks. The lesson has three major activities; the first activity is a lab activity where the students observe how a mixture of sand and water reacts when it is shaken. This activity is supposed to represent a river coming into contact with the ocean. The second activity is homework where the students need to label various types of sedimentary rocks located from the shoreline out. The third activity is an identification activity that involves the students being given different types of sedimentary rocks and using various techniques to identify them.
 * I decided to use this lesson plan because I felt that the activities were conducive to active learning and the student's understanding of sedimentary rocks. I feel that the interactive activities cover the material in a helpful and hands-on way. This lesson aids student's understanding of how sedimentary rocks are formed instead of just being able to identify the type of rocks in a lineup.
 * The students would be asked to use this text by participating in the various activities outlined in the lesson, both at home and in class.

I would first do a reading of the picture- book by Peggy Christian (Text 3) to begin the unit. I feel that this would give a nontraditional start for a science class that does not immediately focus on scientific information. After a brief introduction to the material I would have the students use the online crossword puzzle activity (Text 8) in groups to become familiar with the vocabulary of the unit. I would then use Texts 1, 2 and 4 as the primary sources of reference, as they contain more factual information. Prior to covering the material about volcanic rock formation, I would use the online animation of volcanic eruptions (Text 9) to give students a visual aid on volcanic lava flows. When the section on sedimentary rocks was reached I would use some of the laboratory ideas described in the //Sedimentary Rocks// lesson plan (Text 10). The poem and song by Lorenz (Text 5 and 6) would be used at the beginning of the next two classes to lighten the mood for the day's assignments. Finally, the Grand Canyon movie (Text 7) would be used at the end of the unit to wrap- up and review what they had learned. The students would be reading and interacting with each of the texts in part or in whole. They will nevertheless encounter a well-rounded lesson plan involving varied texts and media.

The content area objective that is related to the Rhode Island Grade Span Expectation ESS1 (7-8)-1 1a that states: In Pellant and Phillips //Rocks, Minerals & Fossils of the World// “plate movement using fossil evidence” is reviewed in the section titled “Fossils”. The //Sedimentary Rocks// lesson plan (Text 10) covers all applicable material. The reading strategy that is best summarized in this text set is R-7-7.1: “Obtaining information from text features (e.g., tables of contents, glossary, index, transition words/phrases, bold or italicized text, headings, subheadings, graphic organizers, charts, graphs, or illustrations)(State) The students will be required to use textual clues, understand content information, and review terms from the assigned readings from texts 1,2,and 4 to identify integral information related to the unit.
 * “…**citing evidence and developing a logical argument for plate movement using fossil evidence, layers of sedimentary rock, location of mineral deposits, and shape of the continents.”

John, I think that your lesson is interesting and will hold the attention of your students. The texts you chose seem like they will all work well together for a lesson. I think that you have a good combination of “quirky”, fun texts, and primary informational texts. The only problem I would see is with the primary texts. I believe that it is great to introduce primary texts to students, however at the eighth grade level, they will most likely need a lot of support. In eighth grade most students have not been exposed to primary texts, and might be at a loss when trying to read it. You said that they will most likely respond to only certain portions of the text, this is a good idea as to not overwhelm them. I would recommend incorporating some sort of scaffolding for the texts, especially since you have three more difficult texts, at least provide support for the first, and maybe gradually ease them into the world of primary sources. Thanks, Haley

John Aellig

Your first text was one of my favorite books //National Audubon Society: First Field Guide: Rocks and Minerals.// I spent years camping in the west when my children were very young. Then, your second book, //Eyewitness Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals// is from the Eyewitness Series of which I am addicted. //If You Find a Rock//, was your 3rd choice and I wanted to locate it. Are you going to sing the song from the web-site while you strum on your guitar? Perhaps a few of the students would join in if you gave them the verses before hand.

I like your idea about using the interactive crossword puzzle to build vocabulary.

Are you going to build a volcano? I lived in Portland, Oregon when Mt. St. Helens interrupted. There is a fun movie they made about the man who refused to leave his cabin and consequently died during the eruption. It has some great footage. Are you familiar with it? (Everything was covered with at least an inch of grey soot. Driving around even my neighborhood was very bizarre.)

Regarding the Grand Canyon: I was wondering if you are going to mention the glass structure that a Native American Reservation has built that hangs over the Grand Canyon? Visitors can actually walk out over the canyon and look down.

I think that you have put together an excellent text set with good rationale and usage.

Karen Imbriale