SLO 1 - Scientific Method, Solar System, Earth Interior, Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Minerals
=---------= The Scientific Method =---------=
This short video does a good job of introducing the broad concepts of the scientific method, but deeper elaboration is needed.
This Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail clip demonstrates how the scientific method is used by the angry mob to determine if the woman is a witch.
=----------= Solar System =----------=
Planet Names and Order:
This video, an animation based on the song from Blue's Clues, can help teach about the planet names and order in our solar system. It was actually this Blue's Clues song that taught me about the solar system; surprisingly, I still use this song today when thinking about the order of the planets. The song is a little bit outdated, having come out in 1997. Pluto is included as a planet in the song, but the current official designation of Pluto today is a dwarf planet, having been "demoted" (reclassified) in 2006.
A short worksheet about ordering the names of the planets. Answer key is also included.
=---------= Earth's Interior =---------=
Creating a physical earth like this out of Styrofoam is a good/easy visual representation of the layers of the earth.
Alternatively, a harder project would be to create a food item (cake/pudding/icing) that represents the physical nature of the layers. With icing/pudding being the liquid layers and cake being the solid layers. This would have the added benefit of eating the project when it's complete!
Earth's Interior Quiz.docx=-----------= Plate Tectonics =-----------=
The Graham Cracker activity we tried in class worked really well. Here is a YouTube video showcasing the different types of plate boundaries.
Using your hands is a great way to demonstrate the different boundaries of Plate Tectonics. Images used from www.usgs.gov
Plate Tectonics Quiz - Kahoot!
This screen recording of the Kahoot! game shows the questions and the answers. Unfortunately, without paying for an account, I cannot share the actual game publicly to this website.
=----------= Earthquakes =----------=
This video does a good job of briefly and quickly talking about the basic concepts behind earthquakes. One thing to clarify is that the ground does not rub back and forth on transform boundaries.
Slinkys are really useful and can be used to represent P-Waves and S-Waves. This video demonstrates how the slinky would move but it would entertaining and engaging to use a real slinky instead of watching a video.
This hands on activity looks interesting and can be used to show how waves, specifically P-waves, move during an earth quake. I have seen a video of this project working; however, my own attempt to recreate the box didn't yield positive results.
If the box fails to meet expectations, an alternate activity could be building a homemade seismograph: measuring the different waves caused by earthquakes. Image from https://www.scientificamerican.com/
=-------------= Minerals =-------------=
Use Lego/Duplo Bricks to represent different crystal structures. Two minerals might be similar in structure, but vary in color or other factors. This can be explained by the different material making up the structure. Using different color bricks to represent different materials will demonstrate how minerals with similar structure are still different (Quartz vs Rose Quartz).