This exercise looks at the dollar losses and deaths caused by flooding …
This exercise looks at the dollar losses and deaths caused by flooding in the US, and at the causes of, and relationships between the two trends.
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This is the data collection portion of a semester-long project. Before this …
This is the data collection portion of a semester-long project. Before this lab, students will have graphed discharge data for one previous water year, graphed similar data collected by classes during a previous year, written one-page explanations of the techniques that they will be using, and speculated about the results they expect to get. After this lab, their data will be shared with other lab sections, which will have collected similar data at other sites along the same river. Each research group will present their preliminary data to the class during a later lab meeting, and the class will discuss how the different types of data relate to one another. The project culminates in a final paper (one per research group).
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This is a homework assignment used as preparation for a group research …
This is a homework assignment used as preparation for a group research project. Students graph annual discharge data from a local river by hand, and compare the discharge patterns from the stream above a reservoir with those below the dam. This exercise gives students practice graphing a small amount of data by hand, and gets them thinking about ways graphs can be used to help interpret data.
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This group research project serves as the focus for our introductory Earth …
This group research project serves as the focus for our introductory Earth Systems Science classes. Each of four to six lab sections of 15-25 students collect discharge, sediment load, and water chemistry data from a different site along a local river, and compare their data to that collected in previous years and at other sites along the river. The project incorporates topographic map reading and graphing as well as collecting and analyzing data, and presenting the results in oral and written form. Labs on rocks and minerals use samples from the project area to encourage students to make connections between the solid Earth and surface processes.
Each component of the Florida River Project is described below, with a link to the activity sheet and related files.
Topographic Maps: Integrated Florida River project Florida River Project: Minerals in the field Florida River Project: Sedimentary and metamorphic rocks lab Florida River Project: Plotting discharge data Plotting Florida River Data Using Excel Florida River Project: Measuring discharge, sediment, and water chemistry
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The Florida River Project is a semester-long project involving (1) an individual …
The Florida River Project is a semester-long project involving (1) an individual project in which students pose a scientific question and use existing data to test their hypothesis, and (2) a group project in which students collect and present data associated with stream monitoring.
Outcomes of the individual project include: - Practice applying the process of science - Graphing and interpreting data - Making an argument supported by quantitative evidence. - Communicating a scientific argument in writing. - Supporting a scientific argument using appropriate formats (especially graphs and tables)
Outcomes of the group project include: - Collecting field data (discharge, sediment load, water chemistry) - Presenting data orally. - Discussing preliminary interpretations of data.
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This activity is a field investigation where students make observations, formulate a …
This activity is a field investigation where students make observations, formulate a question, construct and collect data on that question on stream flow on the Crow River in Central Minnesota
The lab starts with a short lecture on the scientific method, after …
The lab starts with a short lecture on the scientific method, after which students observe the results of a flume run that includes skeletal clasts. They form hypotheses about how bone clasts (or any clast for that matter) move and are deposited by a flow, then the students test their hypotheses by running a flume trial. The hypothesis tests take place in small groups (3-5 students), and the lab ends with homework where students use the information they learned from their hypothesis tests to interpret a fossil assemblage. As such, this is a wonderful activity for introductory geology classes, could be used effectively with minor adjustments for advanced paleontology, taphonomy, and forensic physical anthropology classes.
Between 70 and 75% of the Earth's surface is covered with water …
Between 70 and 75% of the Earth's surface is covered with water and there exists still more water in the atmosphere and underground in aquifers. In this lesson, students learn about water bodies on the planet Earth and their various uses and qualities. They will learn about several ways that engineers are working to maintain and conserve water sources. They will also think about their role in water conservation.
In this activity, students will use a tutorial on the U.S. Environmental …
In this activity, students will use a tutorial on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website to learn about how surface water is treated to make it safe to drink.
This is one component of the Source to Sink Mini Lesson Set …
This is one component of the Source to Sink Mini Lesson Set Continental margins are phenomenal places to study the modern sedimentary cycle because sediment in margin regions has been routed from mountains (source) through river systems to the sea (sink); in some cases, sediment has continued across continental shelves and been delivered to the deep sea. The goal of this mini-lesson is to let students explore the characteristics of some key regions in the modern sedimentary cycle to identify and relate the variables that control source-to-sink systems. Which areas are eroding most rapidly and why? Which systems are responsible for the most rapid transfer of sediments from continents to the oceans? How do the characteristics of river systems affect the properties of the sediments they discharge? How can we apply our knowledge of these modern source-to-sink systems to the ancient sedimentary rock record?
This project is used instead of a final exam in an upper …
This project is used instead of a final exam in an upper level undergraduate course in Applied GIS. A student may propose their own project, or choose one from a list from the instructor. A brief proposal must be approved by the instructor before the project can begin. Students will construct a working, query-able database, use appropriate imagery, and use it to analyze a problem, understand cause and effect, and show changes with time. A final report must be submitted with all supporting documentation in digital form. Students also give a PP presentation in one of the last class meetings.
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Students work with data bases and GIS to develop saturated thickness maps. …
Students work with data bases and GIS to develop saturated thickness maps. Each data base consists of observations made by drillers where they have encountered the High Plains aquifer base and the annual water-level measurements taken in wells screened in the High Plains aquifer by field technicians.
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Focusing on air, water, land and life, this video describes how these …
Focusing on air, water, land and life, this video describes how these components are connected in the Earth system through the flow of energy, cycles of water and biogeochemistry. Methods of studying the Earth system, ranging from field observations to analysis of satellite images are discussed. This video is one of the 24-part instructional video series describing scientific protocols used by GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment), a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program.
This video highlights students taking scientific measurements to support investigations in atmospheric …
This video highlights students taking scientific measurements to support investigations in atmospheric science, hydrology, soils, and land cover. It shows students reporting data through the Web, creating scientific visualizations for analysis, and collaborating with students and scientists around the world. This is one two introductory videos in the 24-part GLOBE video series. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program.
This video highlights students taking scientific measurements to support investigations in atmospheric …
This video highlights students taking scientific measurements to support investigations in atmospheric science, hydrology, soils, and land cover. It shows students reporting data through the Web, creating scientific visualizations for analysis, and collaborating with students and scientists around the world. This is one of two introductory videos in the 24-part GLOBE video series. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program.
During this activity, the instructor introduces a miniature watershed, named a GeoSandbox, …
During this activity, the instructor introduces a miniature watershed, named a GeoSandbox, to provide a conceptual bridge between the schema created in the soup can water budget activity and the schoolyard watershed activity to follow. Students introduce known quantities of water to the GeoSandbox using spray bottles and measure the resulting surface flow and infiltration. The concepts of topography and land use are also introduced. Additional instructional materials are provided to firmly establish the concept of a watershed for students who need the support.
This exercise posits a hypothetical situation: you would like to purchase land …
This exercise posits a hypothetical situation: you would like to purchase land that will provide your family with opportunities to fish and swim in a stream on your property. Additionally, you would like the land to afford some privacy. In order to find such a place, you need to locate land for sale that has a stream running through it and you want to confirm that the stream water is clean. The following activity illustrates how one can locate land with particular characteristics and also assess surface water quality for local bodies of water. The data you will use might pertain to any location where streams flow through residential areas.
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This two-week long laboratory exercise examines the linkages between the endogenic (tectonic …
This two-week long laboratory exercise examines the linkages between the endogenic (tectonic and isostatic) and exogenic processes that created the Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) landscape. The landform analysis portion of the exercise focuses upon recent basaltic volcanism and the Menan Buttes, the St. Anthony dunes and the fluvial drainage patterns that developed in the region.
GetWET Water Education (Special Training Required for teachers prior to use, read …
GetWET Water Education (Special Training Required for teachers prior to use, read about the requirements on the linked page). The Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center collaborates with CSU faculty, National Parks and citizen science programs to translate their current scientific research into unique STEM experiences for students in the form of Educational Kits that can be checked out. Each kit contains just about all of the materials needed (minus common things like water and paper towels) to explore some really interesting scientific research topics.The kits are available for teachers and informal educators in Colorado to check out for a duration of a week by submitting either a local pickup form or a delivery form available at the linked website. This kit is provided free for educational use. This Kit is available in Spanish.
The Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center at Colorado State University presents …
The Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center at Colorado State University presents a visualization of global temperatures created using the Scratch coding platform from MIT. The visualization is designed to support the Educational STEM Kits that can be checked out for classroom use at this site: http://cns-eoc.colostate.edu
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