General Recommendations:
- Read through the lab and teacher resources BEFORE implementing them with your students.
- Print out any paper-based materials before starting the lab.
- Have students keep a journal or notebook to record all of their notes, questions, and findings.
Preparation
- The career cards should be printed front-to-back in the order that they appear in the document.
- There are two sets of cards; the first set of cards contains a job title and description with key words associated with each job on the back of the card. The second set of cards shows a picture of each scientist or crew member and images of equipment and/or tools used for their jobs on the ship. Print and cut the cards in advance to save time.
In Part A: Engagement Activity - To introduce students to the International Ocean Discovery Program, begin the lesson by showing the Introduction to IODP video. Explain to students that in this EarthLabs module they are going on a voyage with the scientists of Expedition 341 to uncover clues about what the climate was like in the past in southern Alaska.
Then students watch a video to learn about the tools and laboratory facilities on board the JOIDES Resolution that make deep-sea drilling possible. While they watch, students take notes in a table and describe the purpose of various parts of the ship, and note any interesting facts about them.
Facilitation Tips:
- If you show the video from your computer, pause the video at one or two minute intervals so students can take notes and ask questions.
- If students watch the video on their own device, tell them to watch the video several times if necessary.
Wrap Up: Have a discussion with students about the facilities on board the JR. How would they like to spend two months aboard the vessel? Ask students if anything surprised them about the tools used to obtain deep-sea cores.
In Part B: Students learn about the different scientific jobs required for the success of Expedition 341. Although many of the scientists on board the JR have backgrounds in Earth science, the point of the exercise is to show that it takes a team of experts in a variety of occupations in close collaboration to insure a smooth running ship and research endeavor.
In Part C: Where Are We Going? Students watch a video in which the geologic objectives of Expedition 341 are explained by geologist, Dr. Ken Ridgway (Purdue University). In the video, Dr. Ridgway explains how the drilling sites are related to geologic processes on shore in Alaska and how climate and mountain building/tectonics are related. He also explains how he became interested in a career in science and offers a personal perspective on careers in science.
Facilitation Tips
Some of the geologic terms in Part C and in future labs might be new to students. You might choose to have students write down new vocabulary in their notebooks and define these bolded terms in their own words.
The video of Dr. Ridgway is ~ 9 minutes long. You may want to show this video in segments. The scientific objectives are explained from 0:00 min. – 3:04 min.; preliminary findings and climate – mountain belt interactions are explained from 3:05 – 4:04 min.; background interest in science, personal perspective, and future work is discussed from 4:05 – 8:45 min.
Background Information for Teachers: Climate Detectives Career Card Activity
Preparation
The career cards should be printed front-to-back in the order that they appear in the document. The odd numbered pages contain information that students will use in the activity, and the evenly numbered pages contain a graphic that should be printed on the back of each card. Each group of students will need a full set of cards. To save time, print, cut, and sort cards into three sets (Job Descriptions, Keywords, and Scientist Cards) in advance. In total, there are ten pages of cards. The first set of cards contains a job title and description, the second set of cards has a list of key words that students will match to each job description. The third set of cards show pictures of scientists and crew members with images of equipment or tools used for their jobs on the ship
Procedure
1. Working in groups of 2-3, students should obtain a set of career cards. Explain that each set of cards contains two categories: "Job Descriptions/Key Words" and Scientist/Crew member cards, which show pictures of Exp. 341 scientists/crew members and images of tools and equipment used for their jobs.
2. Students should begin by reading the Job Description cards. Instruct them to set aside the job description cards that sound the most interesting to them. They should summarize the job descriptions of their top three choices in column 1 of their table. Students can create a table in their notebook or use the handout provided.
3. Next, students will watch a number of interviews of scientists. Depending on computer access, students can do this individually or in small groups. Their task is to match the scientist trading card to the appropriate job description, based on information gathered from the video. Students should fill in column #2 of their table when they think they have found the scientist or crew member that represents their "most interesting" job choice(s).
4. Provide students with an answer key so they can check their work.
Answer Key:
| Keywords |
Job Description |
Scientist or Crew member |
| Grain size, Ice Rafted Debris (IRD), Mud, Glacial, Hand lens, Smear slide, Sand, Volcanic ash, Interglacial, Bioturbation, Layered |
Sedimentologist |
Laurel Childress, Juliane Müller, Matthias Forwick, Chris Moy |
| Pleistocene, Microfossil, Foraminifera, Miocene, Oxygen isotope, Diatom, Pliocene, Radiolarian, Paleoclimate, Proxy data, Geologic time |
Paleontologist |
Christina Belanger |
| Ion, Pore water, Alkalinity, Methane, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Sulfate, pH, Squeeze cake, Chloride |
Geochemist |
Erin McClymont, Christian Marz |
| Normal polarity, Paleomagnetism, Reverse polarity, Magnetometer, Geologic time, Magnetic field, Excursion |
Paleomagnetists |
Joe Stoner |
| Sedimentary layers, Depth scale, Matching, Physical Properties, Drill hole, Stratigraphy, Magnetic properties |
Strategraphic Correlator |
Alan Mix |
| Electric circuit, Design, Electronics, Mechanical, Problem-solve, Repair, Maintenance, Technology |
Engineer |
Charlie Winn |
| Density, Magnetic susceptibility, Strength, Composition |
Geophysicist |
Lindsay Worthington |
| Catwalk, Chemistry lab, Core barrel, Core description lab, Sample analysis, Paleomagnetism lab, Laboratory equipment |
Lab Specialist |
Heather Barnes, Rachael Gray |
| Electrical circuit, Light fixture, Troubleshoot, Maintain, Repair, Test, Electrical wiring |
Electrician |
Robert Gutherie |
| Electric circuit, Design, Eletronics, Mechanical, Problem-solve, Repair, Maintenance, Technology |
Instrumentation Specialist |
Etienne Claassen |
| Galley, Menu, Management, Plan, Inventory, Freshness, Food |
Chief Cook |
Taylor McKirdy |
| Core barrel, Drill string, Mechanics, Drill bit, Tools, Drill floor, Rig |
Tool Pusher |
No interview |
Facilitation Tips:
- There are 12 scientists and other staff members of theJR represented in the career sample. In the interest of time, it might be best to either assign each student a few staff members to work on or make a contest out of it: Working individually, who can identify the most staff members in a period of 20 minutes?
Wrap Up: Take a poll of the students: Which job would you like to have on the JR?
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