Introduction: This module leads pre-primary and primary grade students and teachers through activities and to resources which will help them learn about basic geology and which will help them internalize the basics of scientific inquiry.

Aim: This module will allow students to explore the basic principles of geology and introduces or reinforces an understanding of scientific inquiry.  It compiles a selection of the best geology sites for the use of preprimary through intermediate teachers, students, and parents.  We hope students will be empowered to take control of their learning.

Rationale: This curriculum web should meet the needs of most elementary school teachers who need to gain practical skills in using web-based modules as a tool for teaching science.  Providing students a curriculum web allows students to have the feel of surfing the web while limiting their access to irrelevant sites.

Audience: Our audience is preprimary through intermediate students, teachers, and parents.

Prerequisites: Students must have access to the Internet and a basic comfort level with browsing the web.  Students should be able to read the text or have someone read it to them.  Users should have some understanding of the basics of scientific inquiry.

Subject Matter: This curriculum web will focus on some aspects of geology; specifically, geological time periods, the composition of rocks and fossils, layers of earth, soils, earth processes, and plate tectonics.

Goals and Objectives:

• Students will be able to access relevant information using web links and the resources provided.
• Students will understand the following parts of a science experiment:  problem; hypothesis; materials; procedure; observations/data; conclusions.
• Students will construct a timeline showing the relationship of geologic time periods.
• Students will be able to better classify and enjoy looking at their own rock collections.
• Students will demonstrate an elementary understanding of the formation and ongoing processes of earth-building.
• Students will explore the Web and learn about certain areas in geology by successfully completing (80% or higher) the activities in the curriculum web.
• Teachers and students will share a common experience on the Web and gain confidence in using the Web.
• Teachers will understand the fundamentals of teaching science, will be able to use a W web-based module as a teaching tool, and will have a number of resources available from the module to use in teaching a geology unit.
• Teachers will feel comfortable instructing students in the area of geology by guiding their students though the curriculum web.

Instructional Plan:  This module contains a variety of activities covering rocks, minerals, geological time periods, fossils, earthquakes and
volcanoes.  There are hands-on activities, quizzes, written summaries.  There is a teachers' guide link on each page so teachers may access a list of references, and suggested methods and strategies for science instruction, in general.
 

Materials: The materials needed for this module are as follows:
a computer within Internet access, black and assorted colors of construction paper, scissors, pencils, chalk, vinegar, Epsom salt, Slinky, sand, collection of minerals and rocks (can be obtained from the Harris Educational Center at the Field Museum) and from Ranger Rick's NatureScope series, Geology: The Active Earth.

http://www.col-ed.org/cur/science.html
http://quizbox.com/builder/
http://www.barrysclipart.com/Home/
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibit/geology.html
http://www.discovery.com/exp/earthjourneys/earthjourneys.html
http://www.mamasminerals.com/
http://www.owu.edu/~mggrote/pp/geology/geology.html
http://volcano.und.edu/
http://www.discovery.com/exp/dinoparks/dinoparks.html

Assessment and Evaluation:  The assessment is project-based.  The student will search for earthquakes within the parameters suggested by their teacher.

Appendices:

Resources:
Glossary: