My unit for earth science covers the development and classifications of minerals and rocks. As I am attempting to become a social science teacher, but currently teaching physics and earth science I decided to supplement the science with a little historical perspective. The use of the Bowen article is to familiarize the students with a face for those who studied and developed the scientific approaches and assessments to earth and its characteristics.
For my pre-assessment I had several of my physics students test out a potential pre-assessment for my earth science class. I asked my students to review/skim read an article about N.L. Bowen for the intro to my mineral and rock unit study. I provided the 8 physics students with a printout from the following link: http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/18/5/pdf/i1052-5173-18-5-10.pdf
I asked my physics students to then do a quick write about the article. Bowen is considered a "rock star" to the geo-sciences. My physics students responded in general that they had not learned of N.L. Bowen when they had earth science. Not one of the students could tell me before reading the article who N.L. Bowen was. After reading the article and doing a quick write summary of the article the students told me they would be interested in learning more about Bowen. My physics students are higher performing students than my earth science, not because of knowledge, but because of age and skill set. With this in mind I was not sure if my earth science students would be as intrigued by the historical perspective and information of the Bowen article.
I think using this article, an actual full read through and eventual research web quest into several of the historical leaders in the earth sciences would assist my earth science students with relating more closely to the material. Instead of learning that there was a man who developed this series for classifying and indicating the development of minerals in the formation of rocks, students could learn a deeper and more relatable perspective to geology.
I think in order to make this assessment more effective I would use the article along with the web quest style search for additional materials to introduce the students to mineral and rock history. I could then segway into the actual scientific classification and development of the rocks and minerals. I would also use the short video clip on the rock cycle for my students to be introduced to the rocky cycle. I have a video from BBC on the history of geology that discusses Bowen and Hutton (Men of Rock!!). I would supplement these two videos in as a portion of the lecture on rocks and minerals. I like to provide my students with note taking worksheets so that they can follow along to the video and remain engaged searching for information that is missing from the notes. My students are very visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learners, so using a video with a note taking worksheet with graphics helps them to assimilate the information more productively.
I was generally surprised that my physics students did not know who Bowen was because the text for the school, that they used as well, spends several pages discussing Bowen and his theories. I was generally expecting my physics kids to want to learn more and decided to share some of the earth science work with them. I offered a couple of my physics students a chance to do some extra credit in the class by assisting me in developing the web quest for the students to research earth science persons such as Bowen and Hutton. The students brought back several very interesting articles and graphics about the historical perspective of geology. I plan to incorporate these elements into the lesson and have the physics students join my classes a couple at a time to assist and guide students in their research efforts. The physics students can guide and assist their under class-men as well as supplement facilitation of the information thereby increasing their exposure to the material and reinforcing their own performance of understanding of the information that they helped to develop. I think the incorporation of the older students will also encourage students both with the assimilation of the material as well as spark their enthusiasm for the project and information. I will follow up this post with a review of how the unit was received.
Links to the videos mentioned in the post:
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