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GEOLOGY FOR TEACHERS
GEO 204 02
SUMMARY OF LESSON PLANS AND
CLASS PRESENTATIONS
DECEMBER 6TH, 2006
Fall 2006 – Dr. Sandy, Department of Geology,
University of Dayton
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GEOLOGY FOR TEACHERS - GEO 204 02 FALL 2006
CLASS ACTIVITIES AND PRESENTATIONS
----------Constellations
Terri Downs, Carrie Robison, Mary Fuson
Grades: 4th or 5th
page 3
----Earth Layers
Hillary Byers, Gena Camerlengo, Nora Jennings, Faith Mulach
Grades: 2-3
page 6
----Earthquakes
Laura Payne, Charlotte Rakaczky, Lindsay Williamson
Grades: K-3
page 8
----Earthquakes – earthquake detector
Ellen Cochran, Kasie Drobnick, Jody Pearl
Grade: 3rd
page 10
----Clouds and their development
Melissa Jewell, Kate Lauer, Abby Heffelmire
Grade: 2nd
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Create Your Own Constellation
Terri Downs, Carrie Robison, Mary Fuson
Grade Level: 4th or 5th grade
Objectives:
 To understand what stars are and how they are formed.
 Learn about why constellations were formed and some of the stories about them.
 To make and recognize constellations.
Vocabulary:
 Constellations
 Stars
 Nebulae
Materials:
 Black poster board
 Marshmallows
 Glue/glue sticks
 Milky Ways (for treats)
Procedure:
1. Go through PowerPoint to teach about stars and constellations. In the
PowerPoint, six well-known constellations will be shown (Ursa Minor, Orion,
Gemini, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Ursa Major).
2. Then, proceed to the Create Your Own Constellation activity. Have them split
themselves into five groups of two and one group of three.
3. Explain to the class that each group will each receive a picture of one of the six
common constellations previously reviewed with a sheet of basic facts on all. The
picture, however, will not have the name of the constellation on it so they will
have to figure it out for themselves. They will then use black poster board and
marshmallows to recreate their constellation. They should then read the facts on
their constellation and put it into their own words.
4. Once everyone is finished, they will come up group by group and show the class
their constellation and explain to the class in their own words the information
from the facts sheet.
5. Finally, we will do a review to see if the students took in what they learned. The
teacher will show a sky image of each constellation and ask the students which
one it is. Whichever group gets it right will receive a milky way.
Academic Science Standard:
Earth and Space Science: Content Standard D:
Develop an understanding of objects in the sky
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Basic Facts of Constellations
Ursa Minor
 This constellation contains the North Pole and the North Star.
 Arcas was the son of Callisto, who was transformed by Juno into a bear. One day when
Arcas was in the woods hunting, he came across a bear who stared at him. He was
preparing to shoot his mother in an unrecognizable state when Jupiter prevented it. He
then transformed him into a lesser bear and sent them to the sky.
Orion
 This constellation was named after mythical Greek hunter.
 He was a sea god who was killed by a scorpion. His position illustrates how he looked as
the scorpion was attacking him.
 The three stars across the center of the formation makes up Orion’s belt. His belt is
outlined by the stars angling downwards.
 Orion is the most visible constellation on Earth. It is located on the celestial equator.
Gemini
 It depicts the mythological twins Castor and Pollux. The twins were sailing in search of
the Golden Fleece and were later regarded as patrons of seafarers.
Andromeda
 Depicts the princess in a Greek myth who was being sacrificed to a sea monster. She was
chained to a rock but was later saved by the hero Perseus.
Cassiopeia
 She was a mythical Queen who was depicted to be vain and powerful. She sits on a
throne, playing with her hair. Her husband and daughter Cepheus and Andromeda, two
constellations near Cassiopeia.
Ursa Major
 It’s the third largest constellation in the sky.
 Contains the Big Dipper which is the most recognized feature of a constellation.
 Depicts Callisto who was a mortal maiden huntress in the wild region Arcadia. The god,
Jupiter, immediately wanted her when he saw how beautiful she was. He deceived her as
to get involved with her. Juno, Jupiter’s wife, not knowing what happened was filled
with jealousy. She transformed her into a bear out of fury when she learned she gave
birth to Jupiter’s son, Arcas
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Works Cited
Bell, Cathy. "The Mythology of the Constellations." Princeton University. 2 Dec. 2006
<http://www.comfychair.org/~cmbell/myth/myth.html>.
"National Science Education Standards." The National Academic Press. 2006. National
Academy of Sciences. 3 Dec. 2006
<http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/6c.html#csdk4>.
Ripath, Ian. Stars and Planets. New York: DK Inc., 1998.
Schulz, Norbert S. From Dust to Stars: Studies of Teh Formation and Early Evolution of Stars.
Chichester, UK: Praxis, 2005.
Thompson, Graham R., and Jonathan Turk. Earth Science and the Environment. 3rd ed.
Australia: Thomas Learning Inc., 2005. 274-298.
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Layers of the Crust
Hillary Byers, Gena Camerlengo, Nora Jennings, Faith Mulach
Activity
Grade level: 2-3
After learning about the layers of the Earth, students will build a model of the Earth’s crust
with food. There are many layers of the earth’s crust, which are in turn made up of different
types of rock. Students will learn what each layer of the sandwich represents and then learn
how the earth’s crust is developed and what materials have combined to form it.
Materials
 Stack of paper plates
 Plastic knives
 Dark rye bread
 Light brown bread
 White bread
 Crunchy peanut butter
 White icing with M & M's
 Materials to sketch and label the sandwich (left side: names of food, right side: names of
rocks and characteristics)
 Pictures of different layers of rocks, such as in the Grand Canyon
1st Layer
Paper Plate=Granite
 Igneous rock
 Laid down billions of years ago
 Much thicker than any other layer
 Cannot be drilled through
2nd Layer
White Bread=Sandstone
 The sandstone layer was formed by a river
 Over time the river erodes the bedrock and forms small pieces of sand
 The sand sticks together and forms sandstone at the bottom of the river
3rd Layer
Crunchy Peanut Butter=Conglomerate
 There was a great flood and mud and rocks were deposited over the sandstone
 Over time the mud and rocks formed a sedimentary rock
4th Layer
Light Brown Bread=Shale
 The river carried small pieces of rock called silt
 Over time the river slowed down and then silt gathered together and became shale
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5th Layer
Icing + M&Ms=Fossilized Limestone
 At this point in time an ice age ended
 The glaciers melted and oceans rose causing water to cover what was previously land
6th Layer
Dark Brown Bread=Topsoil
 Covers the rock layers many long years after the ocean and river have disappeared and
the rock layers rose up
 Earthquakes and moving plates can cause the layers to rise
Academic Content Standards
 By the end of grades 3-5 be able to summarize the processes that shape Earth’s
surface and describe evidence of those processes:
 Compare distinct properties of rocks.
 Observe and investigate that rocks are often found in layers.
 Describe that smaller rocks come from the breakdown of larger rocks through the
actions of plants and weather.
 Observe and describe the composition of soil.
 Investigate the properties of soil.
 Investigate that soils are often found in layers and can be different from place to
place.
Resources
 S. Olesik, WOW Project, Ohio State University, 2000.
http://www.wow.osu.edu/experiments/geology/ebmf.html
 http://www.wow.osu.edu/experiments/geology/ebmf.html
 http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/interior.html
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Earthquakes: Lesson and Activity
Laura Payne, Charlotte Rakaczky, Lindsay Williamson
Grade Level: K-3rd grade
Description: This lesson will begin with a PowerPoint with information about earthquakes being
shown to the students so they gain some background knowledge before the activity. Then the
students will do the activity with graham crackers and cheese slices. After, there will be a
discussion about the outcomes of the activity and relating it to earthquakes and their occurrences.
Materials:
Graham crackers
Cheese slices
Lesson: Present information with PowerPoint and ask children if they have any questions
regarding the topic.
Activity: Pass out 3 cheese slices and one graham cracker to each group of 2 or 3 students. Have
the children break the graham cracker along the perforated line. Slide the two graham cracker
pieces against one another and observe the crumbs that fall off the cracker. Break one of the two
pieces in half and rub those two pieces together. Observe how it is more difficult and bigger
pieces break off. Next, have children take a cheese slice and pull it on opposite sides so it breaks
apart. Have the students notice where the cheese breaks. Then, take another slice and put two
slits in the piece on opposite sides of the cheese slice. Have the children pull the slice apart and
notice the difference between outcomes of the two slices. Put more slices in another piece of
cheese and have the children pull the third piece of cheese apart. Compare the differences in the
breaks of all three cheese slices. Compare the breaks to the faults in earthquakes.
Review of Lesson: Have the students connect the experiment with the fault lines and stress
fractures on an earthquake. Note any similarities between the different cheese slices. To
incorporate other subjects in to this lesson have the children count how many pieces of cheese
they have and how many slits they make in the cheese to practice math skills.
National Science Education Standards:
Our presentation relates to the National Science Education Standards through the following
standards:
Earth and Space Science- Standard: Summarize the processes that shape Earth’s surface
and describe evidence of those processes.
-Our activity meets this standard because the students are able to see how
earthquakes change the surface of Earth.
Physical Science- Standard: Compare the characteristics of simple physical and chemical
changes.
-Our activity meets this standard with showing the students the differences of the
Earth’s crust before and after the earthquake.
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Physical Science- Standard: Describe the forces that directly affect objects and their
motion.
-Our activity meets this standard through informing the students about the
different causes of earthquakes and how they affect the Earth.
Scientific Inquiry- Standard: Organize and evaluate observations, measurement and
other data to formulate inferences and conclusions.
-Our activity meets this standard because the students witness the different
characteristics and outcomes of earthquakes and form opinions on the severity of
earthquakes.
Sources:
• www.dlese.org/dds/index.jsp
• http://whyfiles.org/094quake/index.php
• http://www.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/geo101/quakelec.htm
• http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?Page=3&TopicR
elationID=334&Content=16764
• http://www.madsci.org/experiments/archive/871082838.Es.html
• http://www.madsci.org/experiments/archive/1117652897.Es.html
• http://www.madsci.org/experiments/archive/871082838.Es.html
• http://www.madsci.org/experiments/archive/1117652897.Es.html
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Lesson Plan: Earthquake Detector
Ellen Cochran, Kasie Drobnick, Jody Pearl
STANDARD: Science Standards: Earth and Space Sciences for ECE- #4 Explore and compare
changes in the environment over time
Grade Level: 3rd
Itinerary for Classroom Discussion
+Powerpoint – posted to class syllabus
-What is an Earthquake?
-Why do Earthquakes happen?
-Show map of tectonic plates
-Where do most Earthquakes happen?
-How are Earthquakes measured?
+Explain and walk class through activity
Supplies:
-4 shoe boxes
-4 pairs of scissors
-1 roll of clear tape
-4 rulers
-4 sheets of paper
-yarn
-4 fine markers
Subject Areas Covered:
-Language Arts
-Math
-Science
-Social Studies
-Visual Arts
What: Earthquake Experiment demonstrating how a detector works.
Why: Research earthquakes and how they are detected and measured. Then make your own
simulated seismograph.
Benefits:
-Students investigate earthquakes and describe the interactions inside the Earth that cause
them to occur.
-Students research the equipment and systems for detection and measurement for
earthquakes.
-Children build and engage in a working simulation of a seismograph.
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Directions:
1. Work in teams of 3 to build a replica of an earthquake detector. Use a ruler and
scissors to cut 4-inch (10 cm) slits in the bottom edges of the two long sides of the box.
2. Cut paper into strips slightly smaller than 4 inches (10 cm) wide. Attach pieces
together with clear adhesive tape to form a long strip. Insert the strip of paper into the
slits so the ends of the strip extend out of the slits.
3. Attach two rubber bands around the box so the bands are stretched wide to the sides of
the other two slits. Place a fine tip marker between the two rubber bands. Cut two pieces
of yarn with scissors and tie the marker into place between the rubber bands so the tip
lightly rests on the strip of paper in the box.
4. Work together with one partner jiggling the box and the other pulling the paper
through to get a continuous reading of the magnitude of the simulated earthquake.
www.crayola.com
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Portable Clouds Lesson Plan
Melissa Jewell, Kate Lauer, Abby Heffelmire
Grade Level: 2nd graders
Objectives:
- For the children to be able to recognize and identify characteristics and general types
of clouds.
- To be able to identify the weather changing patterns in Ohio.
Materials/Equipment:
- Posters with the types of clouds
- Handouts
- 20 oz Bottles
- Matches (for teacher’s use only)
- Warm water
Procedure:
- State what a cloud is and how clouds form
- Cirrus Clouds and their specific clouds within this grouping
- Stratus Clouds and their specific clouds within this grouping
- “Alto” Clouds and their specific clouds within this grouping
- Cumulus Clouds and their specific clouds within this grouping
- Introduce activity
- Pass out bottles
- Fill bottles with warm water
- Close cap, allow water to evaporate
- Have teacher drop match into bottle and place cap back on
- Students need to squeeze and release the bottle to form the cloud
- Watch clouds form in bottle
Ohio Science Academic Standard:
- Observe and describe weather changes: can see the changes in the weather through
the clouds and what types of clouds there are.
- Measure changes in the weather (amount of precipitation): can view the precipitation
in the bottle and how the air pressure and match affect the formation of clouds
Resources:
- Thompson, Graham, and Jonathan Turk. Earth Science and the Environment.
Thomson Learning, Inc. 2005.
- Wicker, Crystal. Weather Wiz Kids. Viewed December 3, 2006. copyright 2006.
< http://www.weatherwizkids.com/index.htm>
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