3D Earth and Space Science - Mapping Earthquakes and Volcanoes

Earth and Space Science 5E Lesson: ENGAGE
What do students know about plate boundaries and their interactions?
HS-ESS2.B Plate Tectonics and Large Scale System Interactions

I really like the work being done by the New Visions for Public Schools curriculum project. Their updates for 2016-17 give us a meaningful look at how to transition from NY's MST standards to the NYSSLS. The project is a work in progress, but what's great about it is that teachers can truly observe the shift in thinking from traditional instruction to 3-dimensional instruction. Judging by the improvements I've seen over the past three school years, this project seems to be a potentially valuable resource for science educators (as it has already proven to be in other subjects).

This lesson comes from the second Earth Science unit: Plate Boundaries and Surface Features. There is a nice 5E structure to the unit, but I found that this first lesson needed some support. Once again, a Crosscutting Concept graphic organizer comes to the rescue. After engaging in this activity, Earth Science students are immediately able to jump into using the ESRT p. 5 map and can begin modeling the landforms found at different plate boundaries.

Link to Lesson Slides

3D Earth Science - Earth's Motions - Longitude and Time Zones

Lesson adaptation from your current curriculum:

Regents Earth Science

Using models to figure out longitude, time zones, and the "15 degrees of rotation per hour" rule

Sometimes teachers ask me when they should make the switch to the new NYSSLS standards. Knowing that we still need to prepare our students for the current Regents' exams is definitely a source of anxiety for anyone making the leap to 3-dimensional learning. One of the things that I advise teachers to do is to take a current Regents' topic and "three-dimensionalize" it. This can give teachers a great introduction to how to use the Science and Engineering Practices (SEP's) and Crosscutting Concepts (CCC's) in their coursework every day.

The understanding of Earth's motions and their contribution to annual and diurnal changes in Earth's systems is a concept that seems to be migrating toward middle school standards in the NYSSLS. However, there are some very specific skills that students need to master for their Regents' exam in Earth Science. This lesson was written to aid students in understanding Earth's rotation, longitude, and time zones, and utilizes a 3-dimensional approach.

Click here to view the original Google Slides file.

This is still a work in progress so you might notice parts that are unfinished. I'd love any suggestions that you might have.

Students in Regents' Earth Science construct models of time zones

Adapting current lessons by applying a 3-dimensional approach

3D Earth and Space Science:

Lesson Adaptation from current NYS Regents Earth Science standards

This lesson is an example of how teachers could shift current Regents instruction to incorporate a 3-dimensional approach, while still maintaining progress toward the Regents science exams. Introducing students to the crosscutting concepts serves to enhance current curriculum as well as prepare them (and us!) for the shifts taking place with the adoption of the NYSSLS.

Here's a great set of universal graphic organizers that supports the crosscutting concepts:

In this lesson, it is crucial for students to be able to understand the structure and function of the system so they can model what is happening in the chosen phenomena.

Click the "Read More" link to view student work examples and teacher reflection.

Engaging Students with Whiteboards - Earth Science

Earth and Space Science 5E Lesson: 
What do students already know about weathering and erosion? (HS - ESS2-5)

A sort and classify activity is the perfect way to introduce students to using group whiteboards... lots of engagement and collaboration under the direction of guidance tasks provided by the teacher.

This particular activity comes from the New Visions Earth Science Curriculum, which has a lot of great 5E learning activities.

Image source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/b7/8c/43/b78c436d12d7c61576e6f8fade0b626b.jpg

More about the 5E Model of Inquiry: https://bscs.org/bscs-5e-instructional-model

More about New Visions for Public Schools - Curriculum and Instruction Projects

Earth Science Curriculum Homepage

Unit Plan - Landscapes & Surface Processes

Regents Earth Science: A spiral approach to teaching maps

In the current NYS Regents Earth Science course, mapping is a skill that reinforces learning across multiple content areas. Many teachers choose to include a unit on mapping early in their curriculum sequence to give students the background skills needed to interact with learning later on in the course. This is similar to the way in which Earth Science courses address skills-based topics such as measuring and density, and rock and mineral identification.

More recently, many teachers have proposed shifting topics out of the "prologue" or preview of the course, and spiraling their introduction within the context of other Earth science themes. For example, teachers introduce density when discussing the separation of the Earth into layers and the mechanism of convection currents. Igneous and metamorphic rocks form by tectonic processes, and sedimentary rocks link the study of lithospheric landforms with the interactions of the hydrosphere and atmosphere.

The same can be done with map skills. Outside of their contextual use in interpreting landscapes, maps are arbitrary constructs to students. Especially with the shift toward a 3-dimensional approach to student learning, maps can and should be more of a thematic link between multiple core ideas within the discipline. Deliberate decisions about the introduction of the different types of maps can have an important impact on student understanding, especially if aligned with the development of a student's math skills. This also allows teachers to free up the time usually spent introducing skills at the beginning of the course and dive deeply into the curriculum itself - addressing the concern that a 3-dimensional approach "takes longer" in an already-full Earth Science curriculum.