By the end of the nineteenth century, the momentum for the idea of a more practical education better suited to life in a modern, technological world brought the first educational reform movements in the nation. Concurrent reform efforts at the state and national levels influenced both the historical development of Earth science education and the…

A nation-wide symposium on geology teaching was held in Spain, focusing on various aspects of geology curriculum and instruction at the secondary and college levels, including sessions on geology museums and the history/philosophy of geology. Indicates that a nationwide network of interested teachers was organized to update high school teachers.…

Presents the case for the use of bogs as ideal sites for hundreds of interdisciplinary lessons that combine chemistry, geology, various branches of biology, and wetlands archaeology. Includes general guidelines to aid in the design of interdisciplinary bog studies. (DDR)

Presents the results of a survey on volcanism completed by secondary students (N=1000) in Northern Italy. Findings indicate that these students, who live in a non-volcanic area, firmly believe that their area is volcanic. (DDR)

Concepts, definitions, and activities are provided for a science unit on the water cycle and the problem of flooding. (SJL)

Presents the Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) instructional module on Sea-Floor Spreading and Transform Faults. The module includes activities and materials required, procedures, summary questions, and extension ideas for teaching Sea-Floor Spreading. (SL)

Discusses how the topic of cratering can be used to help students develop inquiry skills. Details five activities that focus on the nature and processes of cratering. (DDR)

Discusses the long running debate on teaching evolution in public schools. Recommends using the 5E teaching cycle of engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate to show that scientific concepts and theories can be fundamental. (Contains 20 references.) (YDS)

Describes the history of development of a typical Crustral Evolution Education Project (CEEP) instructional module on Sea-Floor Spreading. (SL)

Offers advice on planning geology field trips as well as related sources of information. Focuses on a visit to study geological features in the North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire coast. (DDR)

This paper focuses upon the process of using curriculum and instructional frameworks to develop a curriculum unit in the earth sciences. The work stems from a graduate level seminar in science education which required participants to use a curriculum framework to design a unit of individualized science instruction. This research was guided by…

Provides a description of a program in Maine that emphasizes the relevance of earth science to students' everyday lives with classroom activities that address real societal issues such as wise management of habitats. Includes two of the activities from the curriculum materials. (DDR)

Describes Jigsaw Teaching, a cooperative learning approach, in relation to mineral identification. This technique may also be applied to rock identification. Students work in groups of four and learn to identify 20 minerals, becoming an "expert" on five of them. Helping to teach other students reinforces what each student has learned.…

Provides a listing of readily available sources of materials for secondary earth science teachers desiring to develop their own instructional modules. (SL)

Reviews The Best of BAESI: Earth Science Activities & Recommended Resources from the Bay Area Earth Science Institute. The Best of BAESI is divided into two parts. Part I contains 19 classroom activities on topographic maps, rocks and minerals, earthquakes, volcanoes, and plate tectonics. Part II describes resources and identifies government…