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Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Name |
Description |
| Lesson 1: Introduction to Oceanography & Remote Sensing: | This lesson covers:
•How the ocean moves and why it is important to all life on Earth
•Different geologic features in the ocean and how they impact currents
•How the Earth and ocean are studied by satellites and remote sensing
•How to use a web based program to interpret real world satellite data |
| Sea Ice Analysis: | The changing climate is an important topic for both scientific analysis and worldly knowledge. This lesson uses data collected by the National Snow and Ice Data Center to create and use mathematical models as a predictive tool and do critical analysis of sea ice loss. |
| Sea Level Rise: The Ocean's Uplifting Experience: | The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the concept of sea level rise as it occurs through climate change by having them examine 3 specific parameters: ice distribution, thermal expansion, and analyzing and interpreting data. The lesson and activities within the lesson were designed using the three dimensions of the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards – specifically crosscutting concepts, science and engineering practices, and disciplinary core ideas. While there isn’t any required pre-requisite learning required for this lesson, a general understanding of sea-level rise, glaciers, and climate may be beneficial to students. During classroom breaks, pairs of students will develop/discuss their models, revise their interpretations of their models or data, and think-pair-share their thoughts on the investigation segments. |
| Gr 9-12. Environmental Factors of the Everglades, Lesson 2: Parallels: | Students trace the latitude of the Everglades and different locations around the world, comparing the weather, climate, and other environmental factors of the K-O-E watershed with those of other land masses on or near the 28th parallel. |
| Gr 9-12. Environmental Factors of the Everglades, Lesson 3: Survival: | Students will learn about Everglades ecosystems as they “travel” through the plant communities of the Everglades watershed. |
| Earthquake Structures and the Richter Scale: | In this engineering design challenge, students will build an earthquake-proof structure out of spaghetti and marshmallows and then test them with an earthquake shake table. Students will research earthquake damage and how designs have changed with our new technologies and our understanding of earthquakes. After testing and research, students will prepare and present a final presentation on their findings. They will also explore the use of the Richter scale as a measurement of earthquake intensity. This is a culminating activity for a unit on Earth's forces. |
| Sinkholes Under Your Home: | In this MEA, students will determine the best location for building homes based on sinkhole data. Students will determine the best location for building new homes for a growing population, investigate sinkhole data, and determine the best location for the new homes.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx |
| Land Formation-Rotation-Stations: | Students will learn about sinkholes, aquifers, sand dunes, lakes, springs and sea level changes in this rotational activity. Students will work in small groups and complete a short web-quest with a demo or small project. |
| Plate Tectonics Games & Dream Vacation: | Students will love the copious amounts of plate tectonics review games in this lesson. They will also create their dream vacations by making their own Tectonic Travel Itinerary! |
| When North Becomes South: | In this lesson, students will analyze an informational text intended to support reading in the content area. The article explains how the National Science Foundation (NSF) is using some of their ships and equipment to study the magnetic properties of the ocean floor. The data they collect will help them better understand the phenomenon known as geomagnetic reversal. The article also includes a brief explanation of what geomagnetic reversal is. The lesson plan includes a note-taking guide, text-dependent questions, a writing prompt, answer keys, and a writing rubric. Numerous options to extend the lesson are also included. |
| Making of the Ocean Floor: | This is a 5-E lesson exploring the ocean floor features and how each feature formed. The objective is to explain that the ocean floor is dynamic and has changed over the years. It involves the understanding that tectonic plates impact the oceanic plates and continental plates. It also address the other processes that change the ocean floor. It includes the use of technology, Google Earth, hands-on inquiry, and guided research. |
| Predicting Tectonic Activity using Earthquakes: | Students will predict plate movement by analyzing earthquake patterns from earthquake coordinate locations they have plotted on a map and comparing those patterns to animated earthquakes distribution in years 2011 and 2014.
|
| The Science of Sinkholes: | In this lesson, students investigate how sinkholes form, identify sinkholes that have filled with water and are now permanent water features, and find relationships between geology, natural processes, and sinkhole formation in Florida. |
| Investigating Earthquakes with Google Earth: | Students will explore the relationship between earthquakes and the tectonic plate boundaries using Google Earth. Students will track earthquakes noting location, magnitude and date. Students will apply their findings to formulate an understanding the processes that shape the earth. |
| Formation of Oceanic Features: | This is a picture inquiry based lesson for students to explore four specific oceanic features (mid-ocean ridge, trench, seamount, and continental shelf). Groups of three students will observe and explain features found in pictures and share ideas with their peers. |
| Relating Surface Area and Volume: | Students will recognize that while the surface area may change, the volume can remain the same. This lesson is enhanced through the multimedia CPALMS Perspectives Video, which introduces students to the relationship between surface area and volume. |
| Name |
Description |
| Coastline Geology: | Christopher Williams, Coastal Geologist, talks about the characteristics of coastlines. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Coastlines of Florida: | Christopher Williams discusses the different types of coastlines that are found in Florida. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Where are the fish?: | Dean Grubbs discusses where fish populations are found and the ocean features that are present around Florida. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Why did we throw it away?: | Dean Grubbs explains how different types of trash, like plastics, ends up in the ocean and how they become a detriment to marine life. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Karst Geology: | Geologist Harley Means discusses the characteristics of karst geology. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Human Impact on the Ocean: | Dean Grubbs explains the ways in which humans can impact the ocean. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Velocity of the Aucilla River: | Harley Means discusses the mathematical methods hydrologists use to calculate the velocity of rivers.
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Sea Level Assessment using Tide Gauges and Satellites : | Physical oceanographer Gary Mitchum explains how and why tide gauges and satellites are useful for understanding sea level changes. Video funded by NSF grant #: OCE-1502753. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Satellite Technology for Investigating Ice Sheet Mass and Sea Level Changes: | In this video, Don Chambers explains how satellite technology is essential for assessment of sea level changes. Video funded by NSF grant #: OCE-1502753. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Remote Measurement of Ice Sheet Mass via Satellite: | Watch as Don Chambers explains the role of satellites in measuring the mass of ice sheets and the connections between ice sheet mass changes and sea level. Video funded by NSF grant #: OCE-1502753.
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Assessment of Sea Level by Sediment Core Sampling and Analysis: | Watch as Brad Rosenheim, a geological oceanographer, explains how modern technology and sampling methods are used for sea level research. Video funded by NSF grant #: OCE-1502753. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Assessment of Past and Present Rates of Sea Level Change: | In this video, Brad Rosenheim describes how Louisiana sediment cores are used to estimate sea level changes over the last 10,000 years. Video funded by NSF grant #: OCE-1502753. |
| Assessment of Antarctic Ice Sheet Movement Rate by Sediment Core Sampling: | Eugene Domack, a geological oceanographer, describes how sediment cores are collected and used to estimate rates of ice sheet movement in Antarctica. Video funded by NSF grant #: OCE-1502753. |
| Analyzing Antarctic Ice Sheet Movement to Understand Sea Level Changes: | In this video, Eugene Domack explains how past Antarctic ice sheet movement rates allow us to understand sea level changes. Video funded by NSF grant #: OCE-1502753.
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide. |
| Name |
Description |
| Geomagnetic Reversal: Understanding Ancient Flips and Flops in Earth's Polarity: | This informational text resource is designed to support reading in the content area. The article discusses how the National Science Foundation (NSF) has been using one of their ships to gather information which scientists can use to explore the process of geomagnetic reversal. The article explains the basic concept of geomagnetic reversal and how the information gathered can help in understanding it. Finally, the article discusses several different roles that scientists have taken on in the NSF's ongoing operations. |
| April Becomes First Month with Carbon Dioxide Levels Above 400 PPM: | This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. This article discusses a troublesome milestone in climate science: the CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere stayed above 400 ppm for the entire month of April 2014. The article discusses the significance of this measurement and how CO2 levels impact the atmosphere. |
| Yellowstone National Park is a Volcano: | This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. This article tells the geologic history of Yellowstone, the volcano. It describes the basic "hot spot" premise and the features resulting from a hot spot in the middle of a continental plate. The article is reassuring about the future of Yellowstone—as it points out, there is no imminent danger, just fascinating geology! |
| New Magma Layer Found Deep in Earth's Mantle?: | This informational text is intended to support reading in the content area. The National Geographic article discusses models and theories that shed new light on the structure of Earth's layers, including new evidence to suggest a molten later of rock trapped deep in the Earth's mantle. |
| Introduction to Sedimentary Rock: | This informational text is intended to support reading in the content area. The article describes how sedimentary rocks are destroyed and created through the rock cycle via the processes of weathering, transportation, sorting, and deposition. |
| Electrocution: New Way to Erode Mountains: | This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. This article explains how lightning impacts a mountain's shape and magnetic charge. |
| How Sinkholes Form: | This informational text is intended to support reading in the content area. This article discusses how sinkholes form, ways to recognize impending sinkholes, and ways to prevent them. |
| Name |
Description |
| Plate Tectonics: | This short informational text, diagrams, a video, and guided questions from the CK-12 Foundation discusses plate motions and the role of convection. |
| MIT BLOSSOMS - Can Earthquakes Be Predicted?: | This learning video uses a simple analog setup to explore why earthquakes are so unpredictable. The setup is simple enough that students should be able to assemble and operate it on their own with a teacher's supervision. The teaching approach used in this module is known as the 5E approach, which stands for Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation. Over the course of this lesson, the basic mechanisms that give rise to the behavior of the simple analog system are explained, and further elaboration helps the students to apply their understanding of the analog system to complex fault systems that cause earthquakes. It is important that students be familiar with the following prerequisite concepts before beginning the module: earth's interior structure, plate tectonics and plate motions, properties of Earth materials, and faults and fault motions. This lesson can be completed in 50 minutes if the basic materials for construction of the analog setup are compiled prior to getting started in class. Materials needed include: two 4" x 4" wooden blocks; two screw eyes, 12x1-3/16" ; one 4"x36" sanding belt (50 Grit); one 1/3 Sheet of sandpaper (60 Grit); one rubber band; 16" of duct tape; one fabric tape measurement ; one pair of scissors; and one hot glue gun. This interactive lesson incorporates two primary types of activities during the breaks between video segments: Analog setup exploration and Guided discussions. The lesson described in this video module has been adapted from activities developed by Hubenthal, M., Braile, L., Taber, J. (2008) Redefining earthquakes and the earthquake machine. The Science Teacher, 75(1), 32-36. |
Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
