Teaching Activities

Investigating Earthquakes: GIS Mapping and Analysis (College Level) part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with GIS:Examples
Brian Welch, Saint Olaf College
This is a college-level adaptation of a chapter from the Earth Exploration Toolbook. The students download global quake data over a time range and use GIS to interpret the tectonic context. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Datasets and Tools:Datasets, Activities, Computer Applications
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics, Structural Geology:Geophysics and Structural Geology, Geoscience:Geology:Tectonics, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Earthquakes, Geography:Geospatial, Geoscience:Geology:Structural Geology:Regional Structural/Tectonic Activity
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Names in the Field: A Simple GPS Field Exercise part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with GIS:Examples
Brian Welch, Saint Olaf College
Simple field exercise to introduce the concepts of GPS position data acquisition. Students "write" words in a field and upload the data to map it in GIS or spreadsheet software. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities, Field Activity
Subject: Geography:Geospatial, Geoscience:Geology
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Image Classification part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with GIS:Examples
Brian Welch, Saint Olaf College
An exercise to use a simple image analysis program to classify land surface types seen in satellite imagery in order to analyze changes in landscape development over time. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Hydrology, Geography:Human/Cultural, Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Geography:Geospatial, Physical, Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning, Biology:Ecology
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Looking into Earth with GIS (College Level) part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with GIS:Examples
Brian Welch, Saint Olaf College
College-level adaptation of the Earth Exploration Toolbook chapter. Students work with a free GIS program, ArcVoyager SE, to explore earthquake data and plate tectonics. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities, Datasets and Tools:Datasets with Tools, Computer Applications
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics, Structural Geology:Regional Structural/Tectonic Activity, Geophysics and Structural Geology, Geography:Geospatial, Geoscience:Geology:Tectonics
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Annotating Change in Satellite Images part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with Data:Examples
Rebecca Teed, Wright State University-Main Campus
During this exercise, students compare a series of satellite images taken 3-4 years apart to investigate the effects of human land use and annotate the images using ImageJ software. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity, Audio/Visual:Images/Illustrations, Datasets and Tools:Datasets with Teaching Activities
Subject: Geography:Physical, Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning, Geography:Geospatial
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Mapping Plate Boundaries part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Interactive Lectures:Examples
Rurik Johnson (Plymouth Middle School)
Students can discover plate boundaries by plotting different sets of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on maps. These are then stacked on the overhead projector, outlining the tectonic plates. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Datasets and Tools:Datasets with Teaching Activities, Activities:Classroom Activity
Subject: Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Volcanism, Earthquakes, Geography:Physical, Geospatial, Geoscience:Geology:Tectonics, Environmental Science:Ecosystems:Biogeochemical cycling

GPS Treasure Hunt part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Games:Examples
Rebecca Teed, Wright State University-Main Campus
Students are divided into teams, each of which is given a list of instructions and a GPS unit, and sent to find certain locations. At each stop, they identify a particular building stone or a plant. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Field Activity
Subject: Geography:Geospatial, Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics:Geodesy, Biology, Environmental Science, Geoscience:Geology
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

When is Dinner Served? Predicting the Spring Phytoplankton Bloom in the Gulf of Maine (College Level) part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with GIS:Examples
Brian Welch, Saint Olaf College
College-level adaptation of the Earth Exploration Toolbook chapter. Students explore the critical role phytoplankton play in the marine food web. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity
Subject: Biology:Ecology:Principles, Geography:Geospatial, Environmental Science:Ecosystems:Ecology, Geoscience:Oceanography
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

World Population part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with Visualizations:Visualization Examples
This starting point example compiled by R.M. MacKay. utilizes the MyWorld Geographic Information System (GIS) software created at Norhtwestern University.
Access and visualize world population data using the user friendly MyWorld GIS software. Data includes total population, population density, projected population, male and female population, and age specific population, etc.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Audio/Visual:Animations/Video, Activities:Lab Activity, Classroom Activity, Audio/Visual:Maps
Subject: Geography:Geospatial, Human/Cultural, Environmental Science:Human Population