Teaching Activities

The First Field Trip: An introduction to sedimentation and stratigraphy part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Field Labs:Field Lab Examples
Elizabeth Cassel, University of Idaho
An example set of tasks and questions for the first field trip of a 300-level Sedimentology and Stratigraphy course.

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Field Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Making a Soil Monolith part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Field Labs:Field Lab Examples
Aleshia Mueller, Carleton College
This extended exercise engages soils students in both field and laboratory work through the collection and preservation of a soil monolith. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Audio/Visual:Animations/Video, Activities:Field Activity:Importation of field observations into the classroom, Activities:Field Activity, Lab Activity, Project, Field Activity:Field laboratories
Subject: Geoscience:Geology
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

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

Rock/Mineral Scavenger Hunt part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Games:Examples
Rebecca Teed, Wright State University-Main Campus
Take students into the field and give each team a list of rocks or mineral types you want found and brought back within the time limit. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities, Field Activity:Field laboratories
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Mineralogy:Physical Properties
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Petrology in the Field and Laboratory part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Undergraduate Research:Examples
Rachel Beane, Bowdoin College (rbeane@bowdoin.edu)
In this multi-week project, students collect samples in the field, analyze them using various tools and instruments, then present their results and interpretations.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Field Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Mineralogy, Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology:Igneous Rocks, Metamorphic Rocks, Geoscience:Geology:Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology, Mineralogy:Mineral Analysis, Geoscience:Geology:Geochemistry
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Biodiversity Count part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Campus Living Laboratory:Examples
Suzanne Savanick, Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College, ssavanic@carleton.edu
In this class exercise, students count the number of species they can find in a five minute block of time in both an urban lawn and natural, remnant forest area. The students are introduced to the concept of low ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity:Short Activity, Activities:Field Activity:Field trip , Activities:Classroom Activity
Subject: Biology:Ecology:Metabolism, Biology:Diversity
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Floodplains in the field (with GIS) part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with GIS:Examples
Mary Savina, Carleton College; Brian Welch, Saint Olaf College
In this GIS-enhanced lab, students measure a topographic and geologic cross-section across a floodplain by simple surveying and auguring techniques. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Field Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Geology, Hydrology, Environmental Science:Ecosystems:Biogeochemical cycling
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

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

Comparing Rain-Gauge Data with Radar-Derived Precipitation Estimates part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Field Labs:Field Lab Examples
Christopher J. Woltemade and Diane Stanitsky-Martin
Student teams collect rain-gauge data and compared it with radar-derived precipitation estimates. They use GIS to analyze discrepancies between the two datasets. -

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Field Activity:Importation of field observations into the classroom, Research experiences for students, Activities:Field Activity, Field Activity:Field trip
Subject: Geoscience:Hydrology:Surface Water, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Meteorology:Measurements, Clouds and precipitation
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review