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Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes I e * Mountaintop Fossil & * s The Esposito family went hiking on a tall mountain. Mrs. Esposito picked up a shell fossil on the top of * s the mountain. The fossil was once a shelled organism that lived in the ocean. The family had different ideas about how the fossil ended up there. This is what they thought: a a * 4 o e & t Mrs. Esposito: A bird picked up the organism and dropped the shell as it flew over the mountain. 6 4 * Mt. Esposito: \fater, s q ice, or wind eventually carried the fossil to the top of the mountain. & Rosa: A mountain formed in an area that was once covered by ocean. Sofia: The fossil ff-owed out of a volcano that rose up from the ocean foor. & & $ \flhose idea do you most agree with and why? Describe your ideas about how a fossil could end up on the top of a tall mountain. 6 s 6 & a & e , I o e 4 ' s q a c s o * e Uncoverin$ Student ldeas in Science 165 Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes Mountaintop Fossil Yescher ffiwtws The purpose of this assessment probe is to elic- rock. The imprints left by the hard shells of mollusks and even mineralized parts of their it shells remained Purpose students' ideas about mountain formation. The probe is designed to determine whether formed over the fossils. Over time, these layers of rock from the uplift of land, including areas that were uplifted to form mountains. As moun- were once part ofoceans. tains formed, the fossils were elevated along with the rock in which they were formed. To- Related Concepts day the processes of weathering and erosion fossils, landforms, uplift, weathering and erosion expose the fossils in the rock that were formed Explanation millions of years ago. The sediments may end up in the ocean and again turn to rock over students recognize that mountains The best answer is Rosas. Over long periods of geologic time, the Earth's crust goes through several changes. \fhere oceans' shallow long periods of time, possibly forming new mountains many millions of years from now. seas' may be mountains. Ancient marine organisms Curricular and lnstructional Gonsiderations died and w€re covered with sediments that, over time, hardened and formed sedimentary Elementary Students and muddy marshes once existed, today there 166 in the sedimentary rock' Additional layers of sedimentary rock formed National Science Teachers Association Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes tunity to examine different types of landforms and rocks, including fossils, with the emphasis until late in middle school or high school. It is also important to note that vast intervals of geologic time are difficult for students to on observations and descriptions. Explanations comprehend. Students at this level should have the oppor- ir"ffi should be based on processes and changes that students can experience and observe. It is dif- ficult for students at this level to comprehend the very long periods of geologic time it takes High School Students At this level students transition from descrip- tive understandings of geologic phenomena they learned about in middle school to modern for rocks and mountains to form. explanations, including plate tectonics. They Middle School Students It is important for students at this should have an integrated knowledge about to un- the Earth system that includes the rock cycle, derstand how sedimentary rock is formed, in- crustal dynamics, geochemical processes, and cluding the embedding of plant and animal remains that leave a record of the appearance the expanded concept of geologic time. They and disappearance ofdifferent species and the for determining the story of the Earth's crust, environment that existed at that time. The climate, and evolving life forms. age should understand and use the evidence base study of the Earth's history provides evidence cluding the distribution of land and sea, fea- Administering the Probe It may be helpful to show students an example tures of the crust such as mountains, and the of a shell fossil. You might also show a picture populations of living organisms that existed of a tall mountain chain, such as the Andes, at different times. Students should have opportunities to study a variety of landforms, in- where shell fossils have been found. cluding mountains, and how they came to be. gone through many changes and that where Related ldeas tn National Science Edueation Standards (NRC 1ee6) oceans once existed, mountains may exist today. The theory of plate tectonics is intro- K-4 Properties of Earth Materials duced at this level. *" about the evolution of the Earth's features, in- They should understand that the Earth has Because students do not have direct con- tact with the phenomena of uplift and wear- ing down of mountains as well as the longterm nature of geologic processes' instruction and hands-on experiences should be descriptive. Detailed explanations should wait * Fossils provide evidence about plants and animals that lived a long time ago and the nature of the environment at that time. 5-8 Structure of the Earth k Landforms are the result of a combination ofconstructive and destructive forces. lndicates a strong match between the ideas elicited by the probe and a national standard's learning goal. Uncovering Student ldeas in Science L67 Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes Constructive forces include crustal deformation, volcanic eruption' and deposition of sedimenu destructive forces include 3-5 Processes That ShaPe the Earth . Rock is composed of different combinations of minerals. Smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering ofbedrock and larger rocks' Soil is made partly weatheri ng and erosion. from weathered rock, partly from plant remains-and also contains many living 5-8 Earth's HistorY . The Earth processes we see today, including erosion, movement of lithospheric plates' and changes in the atmospheric composi- tion, are similar to those that occurred in the past. Earth history is also influenced by occasional catastrophes, such as the im- organisms. 6-8 Ptocesses That ShaPe the Earth . Sediments of sand and smaller particles (sometimes containing the remains of organisms) are gradually buried and cemented together by dissolved minerals and form pact of an asteroid or comet' 9-12 The Origin and Evolution of the Earth SYstem o solid rock again. . Sedimentary rock buried deep enough may be reformed by pressure and heat' perhaps Geologic time can be estimated by observing rock sequences and using fossils to correlate melting and recrystaliizing into different kinds of rock. These reformed rock layers may be forced up again to become land surface and even mountains. Rock bears the sequences at various locations' Current methods include using known decay rates of radioactive isotopes present in the rocks evidence to measure time since the rock was formed' o the atmosphere, and organisms resulted in the ongoing evolution of have the Earth system' \7e can observe changes Related Research c Students of all ages may hold the view that the world has always been the way it is now and any changes that occurred were sud- such as earthquakes and volcanic erup- tions on a human time scale, but manY processes such as mountain building and plate movements take place over hundreds . den and comprehensive (Freyberg 1985)' Very few younger children who were inter- viewed in a study by Happs (1982) appreciated the relationship between sedimen- of millions of Years. Related ldeas in Bench marks for Science Literacy (AAAS 19e8) temperatures, and forces that created it. Interactions among the solid Earth, the oceans, of the minerals, tary rocks and the sedimentary process by which they were formed. r Students often ing as think of mountain build- occurring only through catastrophic ffihb"t*""ntheideaselicitedbytheprobeandanationalstandard'slearninggoal. National Science Teachers Association 1.ffi Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes events such as earthquakes or volcanoes. uplifts and not the catastrophic types such They often fail to recognize the slow pro- as volcanoes, provide a vicarious way for of uplift over millions of years (Phil- students to observe long-term constructive cess lips 1991). o Processes. Some students have a landform and ocean basin conception that involves a progressively decreasing slope from the center of the continents to the center of the bottom of the ocean and then back up again (Marques and Thompson 1997). Related NSTA Science Store Fublications and NSTA Journal Articles American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 1993. Benchmarksfor science eracy. Suggestions for lnstruction and Assessment o Provide examples of tall mountains such as the Himalayas and the Andes and show examples of marine fossils that have been found there. Encourage students to think of all the possible ways these fossils could have gotten there and have them research their ideas. . o New York Oxford University Press. Driver, R., A. Squires, P. Rushworth, and V \7ood- Robinson. 1994. Mahing science: Research sense of second'ary into childrenls ideas. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Ford, B. 1996. Project Eartlt science: Geology. Arlingron, VA: NSTA Press. Gilbert, S., and S. Ireton. 2003. models in earth and NSTA Press. s?ace science. Understanding ArLington, VA: many different types Hemler, D., and T. Repine. 2002. Reconstructing of landforms as possible to help determine the geologic timeline: Adding a constructivist and describe the different ways in which slant to a classic activity. 7/te Science Teacher 69 they formed. (4): 32-35. Students should see as Elementary students can observe the ba- Keeley, P. 2005. Science curriculum topic study: sic processes of the rock cycle-weather- Bridging the gap between standards and practice. ing, erosion, transport, and deposit-using water, sandboxes, and rock tumblers' Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. National Research Council (NRC) 1995. National Later they can connect these experiences science ed.ucation standards. to explanations ofhow features ofdifferent National Academy Earth formations came to be and how they are always changing. e lit- Films or internet simulations of mountain- building processes, particularly the slower Uncovering Student ldeas in Science \Tashington, DC: Press. Norell, M. 2003. \X/hat is a fossil? Science dren 40 Phillips, \( & Chil' (5):20. 1991. Earth science misconceptions. 7he Science Tbacher 58 (2):21-23. 169 Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes Freyberg, P. 1985. Implications across the curricu- lum.In Learning in Relatedr Currioulum, -Topic Study Guides ,,, (Keeley20,05)1 : ,' : I: " Tec-tonicsl' ', Pro-cesses R' Osborne and Freyberg, 125-135. Auckland, New Zealand: Heinemann. ' 'l " "FossifEvidence'' t :"L"a,dfot*ar, ;.:' -.. 'lPlate P. science, eds. Happs, J. 1982. Rocks and rninerab. LISP \Torking ' Paper204. Hamilton, New Zealand. University of \faikato, Science Education Research Unit. .',, lThat Ch4nge the Surface olthe Keeley, P. 2005. Science curriculurn topic studl: Bridging the gap between standards and practice. Earth" Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. l'Rocks ind rMinerals'r r'WeaiherinA and Eroslonl Marques, L., and D. Thompson.1997. Misconcep- tions and conceptual changes concerning continental drift and plate tectonics among Portuguese students aged 76-17. Research References and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 1993. Benchmarksfor science eracy. NewYork: Oxford University Driver, R., A. Squires, P. Press. Rushworth, and V. 'Vood- Robinson. 1994. Mahing science: Research lit' sense of secondary Tbchno in Science logical Education L5 (2) : 19 5-222. National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National science education standards. \Tashington, DC: National Academy Press. Philiips, \( i99i. Earth science misconceptions. Tlte Science Tbacher 58 (2): 2l-23. into children's ideas. London: RoutledgeFalmer. L70 National Science Teachers Association