Friday, November 2, 2007

Glaciation and Glacier Erosion

Gradual Changes to Planet Earth
Grade 7
Source:
Website #1: http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupRenderCustomPage.asp? GroupID=12426&ResourceId=60796

Website #2: http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/art-18433/Erosion-by-the-Colorado-River-has-created-new-landforms

Description:

The first website is a series of animations/simulations that illustrate how water flows over land and what changes result.
The second website is a movie showing the Colorado River and what changes have occurred as a result of this river in the State of Utah.

Description of Integration Idea:

I would use these sites as a supplement to my Grade 7 Science curriculum. One of the topics covered is Planet Earth. Within this topic it is expected that students are able recognize gradual/incremental changes to the earth's surface. To aid student understanding of gradual or incremental change produced by river erosion I would the two sites listed above. After going through the animations and simualtions (Website #1) I would have the studnets watch the video on the Colorado River (Website #2). As Lethbridge has a river running right through the core of the city I would like the studnets to take what they learned from the websites and apply it to the Old Man River and make observations and predictions on gradual changes in Southern Alberta due to the Old Man River.

Planning and Preparation:

I would view all the links/ watch the video and make sure all of the student computers had the necessary software to view the video. I would have the students work in small groups to encourage cooperation. If the site didn’t work on a student’s computer that day, I would have them try another or break up that group and send each member to another group with a working computer.
Following each groups completion I would have them stay together to generate predictions and observations regarding the Old Man River. I would have the students work together to form a list of predictions and observations surrounding if and how the Old Man River will change landscape of Souther Alberta. In advance I will make a list of predictions and observations myself to anticipate what the groups will come up with. Once the groups are done I will bring them together as a class to make a complete class list. with this class list we will organize a field trip to the Old Man River. There we will document whether we think the observations and predictions are true. Pictures will be taken as evidence and the students will write a report on the Old Man River.

Subject Outcome:

1. Students will investigate and interpret evidence that Earth’s surface undergoes both gradual and sudden change (e.g., recognize earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides as examples of sudden change; recognize glacial erosion and river erosion as examples of gradual/incremental change)


2. Students will identify and interpret examples of gradual/incremental change, and predict the results of those changes over extended periods of time (e.g., identify evidence of erosion, and predict the effect of erosional change over a year, century and millennium; project the effect of a given rate of continental drift over a period of one million years).

ICT Outcome:

C.5: 3.2
C.1
C.7:3.2
P.5: 3.2