For many students, the first--and sometimes only--chance to look through a microscope is in high school biology class, where they observe plant and animal cells up close. Even in college, few students use a microscope for a subject other than biology. Thus, it can be a surprise to learn that microscopes are a primary tool used to understand the…

Mineralogy is an essential component of Earth Science education, yet many students struggle to obtain adequate comprehension and knowledge of mineralogy during tertiary (postsecondary) degree programs. The use of educational games can be an effective strategy for science teaching as games provide an active learning environment that enhances…

Investigations that integrate concepts from geological sciences with biology and chemistry are rare. The authors present an investigation that introduces high school students to microbe-mineral interactions by tying together anaerobic respiration, reduction reactions, metal ion solubility, and groundwater pollution. During the investigation,…

Surveys of the earth science content of all secondary (high school) science textbooks and related publications used in England and Wales have revealed high levels of error/misconception. The 29 science textbooks or textbook series surveyed (51 texts in all) showed poor coverage of National Curriculum earth science and contained a mean level of one…

Some naturally occurring minerals possess a permanent magnetization. Certain processes such as sedimentation or kiln-firing can cause the particles in structures made of such materials to align themselves with the direction of Earth's magnetic field at the time. This direction has varied over the last few thousand years in ways that can be traced…

Describes a laboratory activity on plate tectonics which focuses on the connection between plate tectonics and the different types of volcanoes. Provides questions for discussion and includes suggestions for extending the activity. (ML)

Describes activities that take advantage of heavy snowfalls to study numerous geological concepts including sedimentation, precipitation, morphology and metamorphosis of crystals, compaction and cementation, fossilization, and erosion. (JRH)

Presented is an interpretation of the inward and outward growth and formation of plume textured geodes available from southern Brazil. Field occurrence, morphology of vesicles, growth history, closure of the agate shell, microscopic features, coherent reflection of light from convoluted surfaces, and accessory minerals of the inner cavity are…

This unit of instruction deals with the examination of minerals in the earth's crust and their formation into rocks. No prerequisites are required for enrollment in the course. The booklet lists the relevant state-adopted texts and states the performance objectives for the unit. It provides an outline of the course content and suggests…

This unit, one of a series being developed for Australian secondary school science courses, consists of a teacher's guide, two student booklets, a test booklet, and a student workbook which also contains answers to questions raised in the student booklets, and a answer sheet containing comments on the answers to the questions in the test booklet.…

Described is a field trip in which eighth grade earth science students map the rock types located on the side of a mountain. Pretrip preparation, equipment, procedures, and posttrip analysis are discussed. (CW)

The purpose of "Project Catalyst" is to enhance teacher competencies through academic-year workshops and two content-intensive summer institutes. The goals, eligibility and recruitment, selection criteria, format, and preliminary evaluation for the program are discussed. (CW)

Strategies that can be used to revitalize geoscience education are discussed. Stressed are the ideas of providing voluntary assistance to science and science teacher education and program diversification. (CW)

The causes for many of the colors exhibited by minerals are presented to students. Several theories of modern physics are introduced. The nature of light, the manner in which light interacts with matter, atomic theory, and crystal structure are all discussed in relation to the origin of color in minerals. Included are color pictures of many…

Describes a British secondary school's use of a spectrometer to identify minerals. Discusses the origins of mineral spectra, the preparation of the specimen, the actual spectroscopic scanning, and the interpretation of the spectra. (TW)