Exciting Earth Science Investigations for grades 5 – 9 

Hands-on Physical Science Workshops for Grades 5-9 Science and Mathematics Teachers

Sponsored by

Salem State College Collaborative and CPO Science

Location:         Peabody High School, Peabody, MA

Date:               March 22, 2007

Time:             8 AM to 2 PM                                                    

Cost:               $30 – Member Schools              $125 for Non-Member Schools 
                               See website www.salemcollaborative.org for member list.
Workshop Series Instructor: TBA

Description: This workshop will benefit Earth Science Teachers – and also generalists and special education teachers that would like to be able to answer those great science questions like “Is the Earth closer to the sun during summer?” This workshop will feature a series of wonderful hands-on, age-appropriate explorations of many different earth science topics. We will use innovative, student-friendly bathymetric maps to explore plate tectonics – and you don’t even have to know what a bath map is! We will also create topographic maps and discuss strategies to help students understand and appreciate the variety of landforms encountered every day. My favorite investigation is one called “Why DO we have seasons?” – This will involve globes, solar cells, and excellent data collection that reveals the truth about the seasons – in an unforgettable way. Want to help students understand moon phases? Tides? This workshop is for you!

Correlation to MA Frameworks

Subject Area

Grade 6 – 8

High School

Earth Science

1. Recognize, interpret, and be able to create models of the earth’s common physical features in various mapping representations, including contour maps.

5. Describe how the movement of the earth’s crustal plates causes both slow changes in the earth’s surface (e.g., formation of mountains and ocean basins) and rapid ones (e.g., volcanic eruptions and earthquakes).

9. Describe lunar and solar eclipses, the observed moon phases, and tides. Relate them to the relative positions of the earth, moon, and sun.

11. Explain how the tilt of the earth and its revolution around the sun result in an uneven heating of the earth, which in turn causes the seasons.

1. Matter and Energy in the Earth System

Central Concepts: The entire Earth system and its various cycles are driven by energy. Earth has both internal and external sources of energy. Two fundamental energy concepts included in the Earth system are gravity and electromagnetism.

 

3. Earth Processes and Cycles

Central Concepts: Earth is a dynamic interconnected system. The evolution of Earth has been driven by interactions between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Over geologic time, the internal motions of Earth have continuously altered the topography and geography of the continents and ocean basins by both constructive and destructive processes.

 

Technology/Engineering

1.  Materials, Tools, and Machines

Central Concept: Appropriate materials, tools, and machines enable us to solve problems, invent, and construct.

2.  Engineering Design

Central Concept: Engineering design is an iterative process that involves modeling and optimizing to develop technological solutions to problems within given constraints.

1. Engineering Design

Central Concepts: Engineering design involves practical problem solving, research, development, and invention/innovation, and requires designing, drawing, building, testing, and redesigning. Students should demonstrate the ability to use the engineering design process to solve a problem or meet a challenge.

 

Registration Information:

Please register online at our website www.salemcollaborative.org or email the following information to Jim Kearns at registration@salemcollaborative.org. If you have registration questions, please call Jim at 781-771-4860.

Make checks or Purchase Orders payable to CPMSIE and bring it to the Workshop

DEADLINE to sign up for a CPO workshop is one week prior to the workshop.