Earth System Science Courses

Communicate the Quake: An interactive earthquake role-play used to teach communication skills part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Role Playing:Examples
Communicate the Quake is an interactive role-play used to teach upper-level undergraduate students about earthquake hazards, emergency management, and risk communication through the management of an authentic earthquake event.

The Volcanic Hazards Simulation: A complex role-play used to teach communication, teamwork and decision-making skills part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Role Playing:Examples
The Volcanic Hazards Simulation is a complex role-play used to teach upper-level undergraduate students about volcanic forecasting and emergency management through the management of an authentic volcanic scenario.

Drawing Contour Lines part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Spatial Reasoning with GeoClick Questions:Examples

Correlation part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Spatial Reasoning with GeoClick Questions:Examples
× Formative assessment questions using a classroom response system ("clickers") can be used to reveal students' spatial understanding. Students are shown this diagram and told, "Fossils ...

The First Field Trip: An introduction to sedimentation and stratigraphy part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Field Labs:Field Lab Examples
An example set of tasks and questions for the first field trip of a 300-level Sedimentology and Stratigraphy course.

Understanding Doppler radar radial velocity fields part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Spatial Reasoning with GeoClick Questions:Examples
This activity is designed to help students learn how to interpret Doppler radial velocity radar images with meteorological applications, as well as giving students a chance to practice their spatial skills.

A Quantitative Visualization of Mantle Melting part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Spatial Reasoning with GeoClick Questions:Examples
Here is an exercise to acquaint students with pressure-temperature diagrams related to Earth's interior, teach why the mantle melts in the context of pressure and temperature, demonstrate the role water has on melting, and review the three ways to melt the mantle.

GeoClick: reading the Michel Levy Color chart part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Spatial Reasoning with GeoClick Questions:Examples

GeoClick: Sedimentary Environments part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Spatial Reasoning with GeoClick Questions:Examples
Students apply their understanding of sedimentary rocks and sediment characteristics to identify where rocks may be forming using a simplified cross-section of a landscape from mountain to sea.

Paper Fans and Paper Planes: A classroom PPF example part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Classroom Experiments:Examples
This in-class exercise has students create a classroom PPF which is simple to implement in about 15-20 minutes but has lasting impacts and applications.