Learning Objectives for the week

• The surface of the Earth moves around through Plate Tectonics. 
• This has been happening for billions of years and the Earth’s surface has drastically reshaped itself continously. 

Clark was out on the First day of the semester: Students received back all of their submitted work from the previous semester including their Fall semester Final Exams. On this first day, students were instructed to watch the YouTube video: Orogeny of North America, which is a time lapse of continental drifting through the ages and to respond to the associated worksheet (see link at left). When Clark returned to the classroom, we discussed New’s Years resolutions, to become better students. Along with this discussion was the activity (at left) having students reflect on the Review guide Clark passed out prior to the test and the actual test itself. This highlighted both the fact that the test came directly from the Review Guide as well as the fact that ‘cramming’ for the test by using ChatGTP to ‘look up’ all of the answers on the review guide is no substitute for engaging with the class activities and discussions along the way. 

Learning Objectives for the week

• Rock Cycle (overview)
• Earth’s internal heat as the primary source for plate tectonics
• Layers of the Earth and how they work to distribute heat from the interior to the exterior. 
• Igneous Rocks as a ‘starting place’ to the Rock Cycle. The slower the cooling (the deeper the magma) the larger the crystals. 

This week began with a .ppt lecture on the structure of the Earth highlighting how Earth’s inner heat drives plate tectonics which in turn drives mountain building. From there we continued into looking at ‘piles of rocks’ which were platters of rocks placed in front of each group of students. Each platter had rocks with something in common. The students were asked to first draw the rocks (using colored pencils) attempting to capture interesting features as well as conjecture what the rocks might have in common. (we will rotate the platters of rocks around the room in future classes). Additionally, Clark placed in front of each students, solutions of Calcium Chloride and Sodium Carbonate. The students then poured one into the other and saw how Calcium Carbonate precipitated out of solution (which introduced a family of Sedimentary rocks called precipitates). We then attempted to filter out this CaCO2 for future analysis.

Learning Objectives for the week

• How Sedimentary rocks form
• The formation of the Grand Canyon. 

Monday was a holiday: (Martin Luther King Day).

On Tuesday, in preparation for an activity in which students study the geologic formations found in the Grand Canyon, we watched a video: Formation of the Grand Canyon. (students were required to take notes).

Rock cycle (Simple)    Rock Cycle (advanced)

When the Atlantic Ocean ripped apart a super continent. The MidAtlantic Ridge system

Video/discussion: Iceland Volcanoes

Geologic Time Scale

Learning Objectives for the week

• Zircons revisited. How these crystals contain radioactive isotopes and help us understand when certain igneous rocks formed. 
• Plate tectonics. This topic was the focus of the video Earth, the Inside Story. (available on Amazon Prime Video) 

On Monday, students worked on this worksheet: zircon coloring activity. 

On Tuesday, we did a chemistry lab which introduces students to oxidation and reduction reactions in chemistry. In this lab, we first made a solution of Copper Sulfate and then immersed sheets of aluminum foil which rapidly dissolved releasing huge amounts of heat. Along the way, the blue color of the copper solution turned clear as the copper precipitated out of solution.

On Thursday, we examined the filtrate containing various oxides of copper and then watched this short video:: Earth, the Inside Story. 

Learning Objectives for the week

• Continuation with chemistry of minerals
• Learning symbols of elements
• Poly atomic ions including Carbonates, phosphates and sulfates
• Percent Mass calculations. 

On Monday, we discussed percent mass. On Tuesday and Thursday, we worked on the Percent Mass assignment considering various materials in front of us (bone, crystals, shells, etc.) and determined what the percent mass (and therefor the mass of). of Oxygen in each item. Along the way, we considered various elements, polyatomic ions and different minerals that living creatures have incorporated into their body matrix. 

Learning Objectives for the week

• The Stratigraphic Record and Geologic Time

We began on Monday by simply finishing up the documentary from two weeks ago *The Birth of the Atmosphere” picking up where we left off, with the appearance of Oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. Clark emphasized that prior to this event (The Great Oxidation Event). all of Earth’s Oxygen was tied up in either rocks (Silicate minerals) or water.. once it was released however, it began to react with nearly everything.. the highlight of the film was the reaction with all of the dissolved metals in the oceans and the new appearance of acids such as carbonic Acids which began to accelerate weathering of the continents.

• Tuesday we returned to the concept of Geologic Time and the Stratigraphic Record. 
• Relative Dating of rock Layers
• Trilobites