Earth and Space Science PDF

SAS# 10 Earth and Space Science - explores the interconnections between the land, ocean, atmosphere, and life of our planet. - These include the cycles of water, carbon, rock, and other materials that continuously shape, influence, and sustain Earth and its inhabitants. - Here...

SAS# 10 Earth and Space Science - explores the interconnections between the land, ocean, atmosphere, and life of our planet. - These include the cycles of water, carbon, rock, and other materials that continuously shape, influence, and sustain Earth and its inhabitants. - Here are the topics about Earth and Space Science that is being taught in intermediate grades: Geology (study about earth) Astronomy (study about celestial bodies) Meteorology (study of atmosphere and atmospheric event on our weather) Now let us talk about the STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES that we can consider in teaching this subject in intermediate grades. 1. Peer-to-Peer Teaching - Traditionally, teachers used the lecture formal to teach children about Science. One of the drawbacks to the lecture format is that it does not engage students in their learning. - This teaching technique encourages rote memorization and note-taking instead of excitement about the world of science. - Peer-to-peer teaching is when the students actually get involved in teaching each other about science. This is an active learning method that encourages students to discuss scientific topics, develop questions about the material, and work in teams to learn new information. - The three of the ways to use peer-to-peer teaching in the classroom. 1. Buzz groups, they spend approximately 20 minutes studying a topic and gathering information. At the end of the session, one representative from each group presents information to the entire class. 2. Solution and critic groups, the teacher assigns one group of students to gather information and give a presentation. A second group of students acts as the critic group by evaluating the presentation. 3. Affinity groups work together outside of the classroom and then present their findings during normal class time. All of these techniques help students develop research and presentation skills that will help them in the science classroom as well as other areas of life. 2. Real life scenarios - The use of real-life case studies reinforces classroom learning. These scenarios are ideal for classes of any size, but they work best when each student has access to needed specialized equipment. - Case studies should be relevant to students, as this will make it easier to engage them in learning. Case studies should also address timely topics, as students are likely to become disinterested when presented with a case study that is not relevant to today's technology. 3. Current event tie-ins - Some students do not enjoy science classes because they cannot imagine how they will ever use the information presented. Tying current events into science lectures and experiments is a great way to spark interest in the discussion at hand. - One good example of a current event related to science is the earthquakes. Teachers can use this current event to discuss the effects of the earthquake in the environment. Tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters are also ideal for inclusion in this type of discussion. Science teachers can even discuss these news topics and then introduce a lab activity on creating a tornado in a bottle or examining the effects of earthquakes. Once students are interested in a topic, they are more likely to ask questions about it and take a real interest in learning more. 4. Hands-On Activities with Follow-Up Work - Hands-on activities are a great way to introduce students to the world of science. - Whether a chemistry teacher has students mixing chemicals in a lab or a physics teacher asks students to design and dévelop a physics experiment, these are excellent opportunities  for learning. All hands-on activities should be followed by follow-up work, whether the teacher assigns an essay or asks students to complete a group project. Assignment questions should ask students to analyze the results of the activity and explain why a certain set of events may have occurred. These assignments reinforce learning and help students better understand scientific principles. SAS #11 GEOLOGY (SPHERE OF EARTH) - is the study of the earth gec means earth, and clay means study ef. This is a very simple definition for something so complex. - Geology involves studying the materials that make up the earth, the features and structures found on Earth as well as the processes that act upon them. In geology spheres of the earth are also being discussed. 1. ATMOSPHERE - is the air around the Earth made up of different gasses (mostly nitrogen and oxygen). The atmosphere forms a protective layer around Earth, keeping the planet warm and protecting it from the Sun's radiation. The study of the atmosphere is called meteorolog and includes the weather. 2. LITHOSPHERE - is the outer layer of the Earth. It includes the Earth's crust and part of the mantle. The lithosphere is broken up into giant sections called tectonic plates. 3. HYDROSPHERE is the area of Earth covered by water including the oceans, glaciers, lakes, and rivers. Around 75% of the Earth's surface is covered by the ocean. The study of the ocean is called oceanography. 4. BIOSPHERE - is the region of Earth where life exists. It includes all the biomes and ecosystems around the planet. We have talked about a lot of strategies in our previous activities and discussions. In this activity, let me teach you the different approaches in teaching before we proceed in all the remaining topics of earth and space science and the strategies we can use in teaching those topics. As we all know, approach gives rise to a strategy which may use more than one method of teaching. Here are some of the APPROACHES we use in teaching: 1. Teacher-centered approach - in this approach, the teacher is perceived to be the only reliable source of information in contrast to the learner-centered approach which is premised on the belief that the learner is also an important source because he/she too knows something and is therefore capable of sharing something. Teaching is consist of the teacher telling and prescribing what learners should do. The learner is a passive recipient of instruction. The teacher-centered approach is also teacher dominated. 2. Subject matter-centered approach - gains primacy over that of the learners. The teacher finishes teaching subject matter as scheduled even if learners have not learned it. Sticking to course syllabus or lesson plan is the main priority of subject matter-centered teachers. 3. Interactive classroom - have more student talk and less teacher talk. Students are given opportunity to interact with the teacher and with other students. In teacher dominated classroom only the teacher's voice is heard. 4. Constructivist approach - students are expected to construct knowledge and meaning of what they are taught by connecting them to prior experience. In the "banking approach", teachers deposit knowledge into the "empty' minds of students for students to commit the memory. 5. Integrated teaching approach - makes the teacher connects what he/she teaches to the other lessons of the same subject (intradisciplinary) or connects his/her lesson with other subject thus making his/her approach interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary.  6. Collaborative approach - welcome group work, teamwork, partnership, group discussion while an individualistic approach will want individual students working by themselves. 7. Direct teaching approach - teacher directly tells or shows or demonstrate what is to be taught while in the guided approach, teacher guides the learner to discover things for him/herself. In the guided approach, the teacher facilitates the learning process by allowing the learner to be engaged in the learning process with his/her guidance. SAS #12 GEOLOGY (Rocks and Minerals) ROCKS - Has a definite - chemical composition - Color is usually the same, - Usually have a shape, - No fossils. - Made up of minerals. MINERALS - Minerals are inorganic compounds. - Color is not the same. - Usually doesn't have a definite shape. - Sometimes have fossils VENN DIAGRAM (also called primary diagram, set diagram or logic diagram) - is a diagram that shows all possible logical relations between a finite collection of different sets. - These diagrams depict elements as points in the plane, and sets as regions inside closed curves. - In that diagram, you can see the difference between rocks and minerals and their similarities as well. This will help your students understand more about the difference between rocks and minerals as well as the similarities. - What was written in the Venn diagram is the concept of rocks and minerals being taught to intermediate grades. - In this topic, types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic,) and its cycle are also included. This time, let us talk about the strategies that you can use in teaching this topic to intermediate grade students. Note: the teaching strategies below is from active learning toolkit 2.0. These active learning strategies can be used in any subjects as long it will help the discussion meet the objectives. The use of the strategy must be based on the resources, students' grade level and student's needs. 1. Learning target - What you want your students to know and be able to do as a result of the daily lesson. The most effective teaching and the most meaningful student learning happens when teachers design the right learning target for the day's lesson and use it along with their students to aim for and assess understanding. 2. Performance tasks - A learning experience that deepens student understanding and produces compelling evidence of where students are in relation to the learning target. What will students do, say, make or write during todays lesson to deepen their understanding, aim for mastery, self-assess learning, and/or provide evidence of the students level of understanding. A performance task enables both teachers and students to gather information and use it to improve the quality of their work. 3. Sharing learning targets and success criteria - Conveying to students the destination for the lesson-what to learn, how deeply to learn it, and exactly how to demonstrate their new learning, using student-friendly language.  Students who have clear pictures of the learning target and of the criteria for success are likely to also have a sense of what they can and should do to make their work measure up to those criteria and that goal. 4. Success Criteria - What it will look like if the student hits the learning lesson target. Success criteria help students recognize if they have been successful in their learning. While learning targets help students answer the question "Where am I going?", success criteria help students answer the question "How am I going?" The most significant benefits of success criteria are that they can help to cultivate independent learners, provide effective feedback and create confident students who contribute to activities. When students have success criteria at hand, they are more informed about how they will be assessed. Consequently, they are better able to assess their own and others' work to identify successes and areas for improvement. As you can see in this activity, objectives is being emphasize, because if there are no objectives or learning targets, there will be no goals or clear path on what is needed to be learned. We can also use multimedia, cooperative learning, interactive discussion as a strategy in teaching rocks and minerals in intermediate grades. SAS #13 METEOROLOGY - is the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. - Meteorological phenomena are observable weather events which illuminate and are explained by the science of meteorology. Those events are bound by the variables that exist in Earth's atmosphere. For today's activity, we are going to talk about the difference between meteoroid, meteors and meteorites. METEOROIDS - a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. - are significantly smaller than asteroids, and range in size from small grains to one-meter- wide objects. Objects smaller than this are classified as micrometeoroids or space dust. METEORS - is the visible path of a meteoroid that enters the Earth's (or another body's) atmosphere, commonly called a shooting star or falling star METEORITES - If a meteor survives the plunge through the atmosphere and lands on the surface, it's known as a meteorite. Meteorites are usually categorized as iron or stony In teaching this topic to intermediate grades, we can consider the use of photos, videos, PowerPoint presentation and collaborative activities that students will surely enjoy and will help them understand the topic. In these content notes, I want you to understand that there are many STRATEGIES AND METHODS that you can use in teaching Meteorology. Here are the different METHODS you can use in teaching: 1. Direct Instruction/Lecture methods - aims to acquire procedural knowledge exercised in the performance of some task. It is also used for lessons that are factual and non-controversial. In college of law, for example, professors use direct instruction or the lecture method. They are there to help the students understand and master the law of the land. 2. Demonstration method  - as the name implies, in the demonstration method the teacher or an assigned student or group shows how a process is done while the students become observers. This approach is employed in presenting lessons that use sophisticated equipment and technical know-how. 3. Inquiry method - we will never be able to help children learn if we tell them everything they need to know. Rather we must provide them with opportunities to explore, inquire and discover new learnings. The core of inquiry is spontaneous and belf-directed exploration. 4. Problem solving method - problem solving is a teaching strategy that employs the scientific method in searching for, information. This method is most effective in developing skill in employing the science processes. 5. Project method - A learners solve a practical problem over period of several days or weeks. This method emphasize learning by doing. And also constructing projects develops the students manipulative skils. 6. Cooperative Learning - another way to classify teaching approach is to determine the number of the students involved, meaning from group to partners to individual students. Here, we begin with cooperative. learning. In this method students work in team to tackle academic tasks. SAS #14 WEATHER - is the state of the atmosphere at any given period of time. - The atmosphere is made up of the gasses, like oxygen, that surround the earth. - There are DIFFERENT TYPES of weather and these are; 1. sunny, 2. cloudy, 3. fog, 4. raining, 5. lighting 6. snow, 7. wind and 8. tornado. In this topic, we will also discuss weather forecast, how does weather occur and the difference between weather and climate. Last meeting, we talked about methods in teaching. In this activity I will show you a detailed outline on how to discuss weather in intermediate grades. In this outline, student-centered learning methods and collaborative learning methods are used and the materials are photos and flashcards. This includes the introduction, discussion, procedure of the activity and assignment. Teaching weather step by step guide: 1. Warm up. Start off with your usual warm up and try to get students talking about seasons. Ask students what season they like best and see if anyone can explain why. This could elicit much of the vocabulary you plan to practice during the lesson so if certain vocabulary words come up, write them on the board. You can also talk about different activities students like to do during particular seasons and why some of them, such as snowboarding, cannot be done year round. 2. Through your warm up activity, you can build a vocabulary list on the board which is good because it shows that some students are familiar with these words and will make the introduction easier. If you are unable to elicit any weather related vocabulary, you will have to spend more time on your introduction and practice sections. Once you have completed the warm up, introduce your weather related vocabulary using weather flashcards. Some basic words you may want to include are sunny,  cloudy, raining, snowing, hot and cold. Drill these new words using choral repetition first and then call on students to say them individually. 3. After students have had some practice pronouncing these words, conduct a short activity to give them some further practice. You can do this by giving each student a small version of one of the flashcards. Have students arrange their chairs in a circle and remove one chair. The student in the middle can read his card and the students with the same card should remain seated while the other students have to change seats. This way, the word being said should always change and no one will have to sit still for long. When making these mini weather flashcards, it is important to use the same images that you used on the large flashcards if possible because consistency will help your students memorize the words and associate them with particular images. 4. Next, ask students "How's the weather?" which automatically introduces the structure for the question of this lesson. When students reply "Sunny!" yọu can say "That's right! les sunny," thus modeling the sentence structure you want them to practice. Use the flashcards to have students practice the model sentence using different words. If you want students to say "It's snowing", the snow flashcard should say snowing on it. You want to give students as much practice as possible with the form of the word they will need for the lesson. 5. Students can use the same cards they had earlier or maybe switch with a partner for the next activity. Ask students to walk around the room asking "How's the weather?" and answering the question based on the card they have. Students should try to find someone to say each weather word listed on the worksheet and get signatures from the students they talk to. 6. Now you are going to want students to produce some material on their own. You can have short writing activities where students talk about their favorite and least favorite weather. You can also ask them to say what they like to do when it's sunny, cloudy, or raining for instance. This will give students a bit of writing practice and at the end of the activity you can have volunteers read their responses to the class for more speaking practice. 7. For a review activity, try to include another recent topic, for instance, days of the week into your weather lesson plan. You can do this easily by creating an activity about weather forecasts. Students can work in pairs where each student has a weekly weather forecast with some blanks. Students have to talk to their partners about the weather on different days to successfully complete their weekly forecast. Students should take turns asking and answering questions. The structure of the question for this activity would be "How's the weather on Monday?" while the sentence structure could be "It's sunny." or "On Monday, it's sunny." SAS #15 ASTRONOMY - is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, and comets. Let us talk about the difference between planets, stars and moons. PLANETS - are large object such as Jupiter or Earth that orbits a star. Planets are smaller than stars, and they do not produce light. STARS - are huge ball of gas held together by gravity. The central core of a star is extremely hot and produces energy. Some of this energy is released as visible light, which makes the star glow. Stars come in different sizes, colors, and temperatures. MOON - is the large round object that circles the Earth that shines at night by reflecting light from the sun. Now let us talk about the strategies you can use in teaching this topic to intermediate grades. But first, let us be reminded about the two laws in teaching mentioned by the author of our reference. First Law: ○ Assume that your audience knows LESS than you think they should. ○ In other words, don't assume that they know facts that you think should be "obvious." Implementing this law means reviewing basic facts before moving on to new material. Such a review will help students with weak knowledge and won't hurt those who know the facts already (such students may even feel "smart" because they already know some of what you are saying). Second Law: ○ Assume that your audience is MORE intelligent than you think they are. This law goes hand-in-hand with the first because implementing it prevents you from talking down to your audience. In essence, this law is just a reminder that lack of knowledge is not the same thing as lack of intelligence. Your audience may know little about astronomy, but may still be extremely intelligent and very knowledgeable in other subject areas. A corollary to this law is that you should not "simplify' important concepts in the sense of making them simple-minded, but rather extract the key points. Indeed, much of the challenge of tailoring a presentation to an audience lies in distinguishing the key points from "details" that will only confuse your key points. STRATEGIES in teaching astronomy in intermediate grades 1. Provide a Contextual Framework - Just as a builder cannot know where to place bricks without having some idea of the structure of a house, we cannot expect students to absorb scientific facts without having a context in which to place them. - Thus, the first key strategy for teaching astronomy is to provide your students with a mental edifice, often called a contextual framework, within which they can organize the astronomical concepts and facts that you want them to learn. 2. Create conditions for conceptual change - Most teachers recognize that a student cannot learn a new concept without making a personal effort, which is why simple lecturing is a fairly ineffective form of teaching. Less recognized, however, is that teaching also involves the unlearning of mistaken ideas that can get in the way of real understanding. For example, most students have "learned" that there is no gravity in space. Unless you first help them unlearn this idea, they cannot truly understand Newtons law of gravity. In other words, true learning involves what educational researchers call conceptual change, in which a student replaces an erroneous idea about some concept with a correct idea. 3. Make every material relevant - In an ideal world, students would learn simply because of inherent curiosity. In reality, most students are far more motivated to learn when they can see the relevance of the subject matter to their own lives. In this respect, we are fortunate in astronomy: The desire to understand our connections to the cosmos is a unifying human trait across all cultures, and most students therefore come to our classes with an intuitive sense that astronomy is relevant to their lives. Thus, the third key strategy is to be explicit about the connections between astronomy and questions about human existence, at least to the extent possible - Here are several examples: When discussing our solar system, emphasize how learning about other planets helps us understand Earth. 4. Limit use of jargon - once heard that the number of new terms introduced in a typical astronomy course is larger than the number of words taught in the first semester of a foreign language course. While I'm not sure if this is literally true, it makes an important point: We can hardly expect students to learn a new subject if we are teaching it to them in a foreign language. Thus, it is absolutely imperative that we limit the use of jargon in teaching. 5. Challenge your students - The final key strategy harks back to the second law of teaching above: Don't be afraid to challenge your students. Students can learn surprisingly difficult material when they have a special interest in learning it. And. because many students are intensely curious about many topics related to astronomy, you can teach them many challenging concepts