With all of the news coverage of the recent tsunami and its aftermath in Japan, many teachers are looking for ways to explain the phenomenon to their students. Students are seeing videos and pictures of the devastation in Japan, and many of them don’t completely understand the science behind this type of weather disaster. This lack of understanding can lead to fear in students (and teachers) of all ages. Joann has been collecting resources for The Gateway to help teach students about tsunamis. The resources she is featuring in her column and social media posts this week look at tsunamis from many different angles. She has found a really nice variety of resources, and I really like the way they integrate the study of tsunamis into subjects ranging from art to science.
It was hard for me to pick out my favorite activities to use in the classroom. These are all great stand-alone resources, but there are so many different aspects of tsunamis that might spark students’ interests, I thought it would be neat to allow students to choose which angle of tsunamis they want to study. To allow this choice, I needed to figure out how to combine ideas from lots of Joann’s picks into one activity. I wanted to create an activity that could be adapted for many different age groups and that would appeal to students with a wide range of interests. It would include creative and critical thinking and it would involve students teaching others about what they learned, the best form of learning in my opinion.
Tsunami News Broadcast
In this activity, students will create news broadcasts to explain tsunamis to a selected audience. You might choose a group of younger students, other students in the class, or parents as the audience. Students could present their newscasts live, as a video, as an audio podcast, a glog, or you might want to give them the choice of creating a newspaper to present.
Choose four to six tsunami-related topics. (I did this by looking at the topics covered in this week’s featured resources on The Gateway.) Create a list of these topics to distribute to small groups of students with a few suggested links or research ideas for each topic. Explain to the students that they are a news team responsible for creating a news broadcast covering a few different aspects of tsunamis to help their viewers better understand the crisis in Japan.
I have found that it is very beneficial to let students teach one another, and this is a fun, creative way for students to do that. One strength of this type of activity is that it allows the students to make choices. If you select 6 possible topics, students could choose 4 of those topics to cover in their news broadcast. This way, they are spending their time researching things that interest them the most.
The following is a list of topic ideas for students to include in their broadcasts. There are many more possibilities, so have fun and use your imagination!
The science of a tsunami: If students understand the science behind a tsunami, their fears of a similar event occurring near them might be alleviated. Look at resources like this to find out what causes these giant waves and to get ideas for visual representations to use in a news broadcast. The NSTA also collected some good resources and here are the top 3 sites from Free Technology for Teachers.
Fact v. Fiction: Students will need to use critical thinking to determine whether the things they see in the media are true or false. Look here to help students create a section of the broadcast devoted to how to decide what is real. This is especially important when looking at the reports about the nuclear reactors. This lesson from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission explains a lot about how nuclear power works.
History of Tsunamis: There have been other major tsunamis throughout history. How do those tsunamis compare to the recent event in Japan? Here is an example of the type of resource that might be useful for this topic.
Survivor studies: A study of the stories of survivors might give them empathy for the people affected by the disaster. Look at sites like this to find some stories of survivors of natural disasters to include in a broadcast.
Making a Difference: A service project with the goal of helping tsunami victims could give people a sense of a purpose instead of fear. What can students do to help? Discuss ideas that have been implemented or that students could implement to help tsunami victims. See lessons like this and others from LearningToGive.org for some ideas.
Will it Happen To Me? Reading Rockets collected resources to help students understand tsunamis and whether or not one might occur near their home. Students might want to dedicate a section of their broadcast to this topic.
This is just a beginning of a plan. You might have some better ideas, and if you do, we would love for you to share! Join us on Facebook and Twitter to learn even more. We will share any presentations, podcasts, glogs, or pictures you share with us to inspire other teachers to discuss this important topic in the classroom.
~Peggy's Corner - 4/8/2010~
Showing posts with label Natural History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natural History. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Disappearing Act
There have been at least six well-documented mass extinctions on Earth over the past 500 million years, a phenomenon that has both puzzled and intrigued scientists for centuries. Various types of organisms on Earth become extinct fairly frequently, but mass extinctions are distinguished by the large numbers of species that become extinct over a relatively short period of time. The Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction, responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago, is perhaps the most famous mass extinction. It’s forever branded into our brains from being the topic of feature films, artists’ paintings, and numerous books.
Yet mass extinctions are not the dramatic fare served up by Hollywood renderings. Many students tend to think of mass extinctions in technicolor, special effects-laden terms, with enormous quantities of dinosaurs dropping in their tracks in one fell, dramatic swoop. In reality, mass extinctions tend to happen much more slowly. The scientific rule of thumb is that an event qualifies as a mass extinction if 20-50% of many diverse organisms on Earth become extinct over a period of not more than one million years. The majority of scientists today believe that we are currently in the midst of another mass extinction, caused by humans and our inhabiting virtually every part of the globe. Named the “Sixth Extinction” or the “Holocene extinction,” this event is characterized by decreasing biodiversity as a result of human activity. Many scientists believe that, collectively, the human species has the ability to halt the current extinctions; this viewpoint could make for interesting classroom discussion and debate.
There are numerous theories about what has caused mass extinctions in the past. The Ordovician extinction that occurred 444 million years ago is thought to have been triggered by gamma rays, while the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction is believed to have been prompted by a large asteroid crashing into the Earth near Chicxulub, Mexico, and sending up vast quantities of dust and debris into the atmosphere. Recently, some scientists have posited that a dark satellite orbits the Sun once every 27 million years, each time smacking a flood of comets out of a celestial cloud at the edges of our solar system and sending them crashing to Earth. Other scientists chalk mass extinctions up to natural evolution, or Nature’s version of hitting a reset button. Students must realize that at this point, all of the theories surrounding mass extinctions are just that – theories. For the time being, no one really knows what ultimately caused mass extinctions in the past. While some theories are more plausible and have more adherents than others, the ability to discuss the various theories is a valuable exercise in critical thinking skills at all grade levels.
My picks this week all focus on the concept of mass extinctions, with age appropriate resources for various grade levels. I’ll also be featuring many more lessons, articles, and other resources on mass extinctions throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so please be sure to take a look.
Dinosaurs 1: Where Are the Dinosaurs?
Subjects: Paleontology, Natural History
Grade: K-2
The extinction of a species can be a difficult concept for younger kids to grasp. In this lesson, students explore the concept of extinction by studying dinosaurs. This lesson was created by Science NetLinks, which offers standards-based lesson plans and resources that are reviewed by scientists and educators.
Big Burp: A Bad Day in the Paleocene
Subjects: Ecology, Biology
Grade: 5-6
The focus of this lesson is global warming and the Paleocene extinction. In this activity, students will be able to describe the overall events that occurred during the Paleocene extinction event, describe the processes that are believed to result in global warming, and infer how a global warming event could have contributed to the Paleocene extinction event. This lesson was prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Ocean Explorer program, which provides public access to current information on NOAA scientific and educational explorations and activities. While most resources here focus on the marine environment, there are also resources related to other scientific areas as well.
Extinction in the Classroom
Subjects: Natural History, Paleontology
Grade: 10-12
Using images of evidence from the fossil record, students are asked in this lesson to consider whether dinosaur biodiversity was stable, growing or diminishing at or near the end of the Cretaceous Period, and to identify those species that have successfully survived this 65 million-year-old mass extinction event. Students will also evaluate different theories explaining this last great mass extinction event, and have a chance to share and debate their insights with their peers. A French version of this resource is also available here. This resource was prepared by the Canadian Museum of Nature, which is Canada's national natural history museum located in Ottawa, Ontario. In addition to lesson plans, the Museum also offers educational workshops, activities, and games.
~Joann's Picks - 12/3/2010~
Yet mass extinctions are not the dramatic fare served up by Hollywood renderings. Many students tend to think of mass extinctions in technicolor, special effects-laden terms, with enormous quantities of dinosaurs dropping in their tracks in one fell, dramatic swoop. In reality, mass extinctions tend to happen much more slowly. The scientific rule of thumb is that an event qualifies as a mass extinction if 20-50% of many diverse organisms on Earth become extinct over a period of not more than one million years. The majority of scientists today believe that we are currently in the midst of another mass extinction, caused by humans and our inhabiting virtually every part of the globe. Named the “Sixth Extinction” or the “Holocene extinction,” this event is characterized by decreasing biodiversity as a result of human activity. Many scientists believe that, collectively, the human species has the ability to halt the current extinctions; this viewpoint could make for interesting classroom discussion and debate.
There are numerous theories about what has caused mass extinctions in the past. The Ordovician extinction that occurred 444 million years ago is thought to have been triggered by gamma rays, while the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction is believed to have been prompted by a large asteroid crashing into the Earth near Chicxulub, Mexico, and sending up vast quantities of dust and debris into the atmosphere. Recently, some scientists have posited that a dark satellite orbits the Sun once every 27 million years, each time smacking a flood of comets out of a celestial cloud at the edges of our solar system and sending them crashing to Earth. Other scientists chalk mass extinctions up to natural evolution, or Nature’s version of hitting a reset button. Students must realize that at this point, all of the theories surrounding mass extinctions are just that – theories. For the time being, no one really knows what ultimately caused mass extinctions in the past. While some theories are more plausible and have more adherents than others, the ability to discuss the various theories is a valuable exercise in critical thinking skills at all grade levels.
My picks this week all focus on the concept of mass extinctions, with age appropriate resources for various grade levels. I’ll also be featuring many more lessons, articles, and other resources on mass extinctions throughout the week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so please be sure to take a look.
Dinosaurs 1: Where Are the Dinosaurs?
Subjects: Paleontology, Natural History
Grade: K-2
The extinction of a species can be a difficult concept for younger kids to grasp. In this lesson, students explore the concept of extinction by studying dinosaurs. This lesson was created by Science NetLinks, which offers standards-based lesson plans and resources that are reviewed by scientists and educators.
Big Burp: A Bad Day in the Paleocene
Subjects: Ecology, Biology
Grade: 5-6
The focus of this lesson is global warming and the Paleocene extinction. In this activity, students will be able to describe the overall events that occurred during the Paleocene extinction event, describe the processes that are believed to result in global warming, and infer how a global warming event could have contributed to the Paleocene extinction event. This lesson was prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Ocean Explorer program, which provides public access to current information on NOAA scientific and educational explorations and activities. While most resources here focus on the marine environment, there are also resources related to other scientific areas as well.
Extinction in the Classroom
Subjects: Natural History, Paleontology
Grade: 10-12
Using images of evidence from the fossil record, students are asked in this lesson to consider whether dinosaur biodiversity was stable, growing or diminishing at or near the end of the Cretaceous Period, and to identify those species that have successfully survived this 65 million-year-old mass extinction event. Students will also evaluate different theories explaining this last great mass extinction event, and have a chance to share and debate their insights with their peers. A French version of this resource is also available here. This resource was prepared by the Canadian Museum of Nature, which is Canada's national natural history museum located in Ottawa, Ontario. In addition to lesson plans, the Museum also offers educational workshops, activities, and games.
~Joann's Picks - 12/3/2010~
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