Earth Science Education – summer in-service for teachers 2007 – Register through Granite or Jordan School Districts. For university credit, register through Granite District.

TITLE: Geologic History of Salt Lake County

OBJECTIVE: Teachers will appreciate how Salt Lake County’s geologic resources, geologic hazards, scenery, and topography are the product of the county’s fascinating geologic history.

DESCRIPTION:

Content: This course simplifies the fascinating and complex history of Utah’s geologic past. It encourages teachers to:

· Better understand our area’s geologic past,

· Become even more curious about how landforms are formed,

· Appreciate challenges faced by scientists in the past and present,

· Maintain open and questioning minds toward scientific explanations,

· Put global environmental changes into a geologic perspective.

Skills: Apply scientific reasoning to figure out aspects of Utah’s geologic past.

The class is taught outside for 3 sessions PLUS an all-day field trip. Teachers of all levels are welcome especially 4^th grade teachers of fossils and 9^th grade teachers of Earth systems.

REQUIREMENTS / DESCRIPTION OF EVALUATION COMPONENT:

Class assumes about an hour of homework for every class contact hour. Daily reading assignments or exercise and one classroom literacy project

INSTRUCTOR: Genevieve Atwood, Ph.D., former State Geologist of Utah, and, presently, Chief Education Officer, Earth Science Education

TARGET AUDIENCE: K-12 especially 4^th grade (fossils, geologic features), 3^rd grade (organisms interact with their environment), and 5^th grade (environments and survival).

THEMATIC LEARNING: theme of change.

DATE:	TIME	PLACE	ADDRESS
Monday, July 14	9:00 – 11:30 AM	Creekside Park pavilion	1630 East Murray-Holladay Road
Tuesday, July 15	9:00 – 11:30 AM	Pleasant Green Park	3280 South 8400 West
Wednesday, July 16	8:00 AM – 4:00PM	FIELD TRIP leaves from Creekside Park pavilion	1630 East Murray-Holladay Road
Thursday, July 17	9:00 – 11:30 AM	Herriman Elementary School	13170 South 6000 West

NUMBER OF CLOCK HOURS OF CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION: 15.5 hours = 1 credit hour.

UNIVERSITY CREDIT AVAILABLE THROUGH SUU. Register through Granite District.

CLASS LIMIT: 30

SPECIAL SUPPORT from Kennecott Utah Copper: Participants receive approximately $50 of text materials and classroom supplies.

Geologic History of Salt Lake County

OUTLINE OF ALL CLASSES / SYLLABUS

Session 1:

· How to read a geologic map

· Concepts of historical geology... how we decipher Utah’s geologic past

· Fossils and how they contribute to the understanding of Utah’s geologic past.

Session 2:

· Development and history of our present landscapes

· Geologic history of Utah, including dinosaurs, deserts, seas, basins, plate tectonics, and how the landscape changed

· Fossils and rock types… clues to Utah’s geologic past

· The past 20 million years

· Emphasis on global climate changes of the past few million years, cycles of glaciation, presence of large lakes (such as Lake Bonneville), and evidence for drier climates than now.

Session 3: FIELD TRIP

· Hands-on experience. Teachers as earth scientists.

· Quantify relationships. Think spatially.

· Map relationships of rock units in the field.

· Interpret the story of Salt Lake County’s geologic past.

· Roadside geology, how to distinguish major rock units.

Session 4:

· Review the entire story.

· Practice telling the story of geologic features in Salt Lake County.

· Link the landscapes and geologic history of Salt Lake County to reading and story telling

· Discuss ways to teach intended learning outcomes using Earth science concepts and our County’s spectacular geology

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES INCLUDE:

Collaborative learning (e.g. Grand Canyon exercise); Writing to learn (homework literacy project); Progressive development of skills (from basic geography to mapping geology in the field); Role modeling inquiry (e.g. session of “why” questions); Assessment (e.g. participant evaluation of their own understanding); Learner centered, knowledge centered, and assessment centered exercises.

Based on research including but not limited to: National Research Council, 2000. How People Learn, Chapter 6, The design of learning environments; National Research Council, 2000. Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards; Center for Earth and Space Science Education, 2002. Revolution in Earth and Space Science Education, blueprint for change; and Harris, M.T. 2002. Developing geoscience student-learning centered courses, vol 50, Journal of Geoscience Education, p 515-523.