Blog Review

I thoroughly enjoyed Adriana Rodriguez blogs on modules 7 and 8...I only wish I could write that fluently. I chose to read her blog because I wanted to get a perspective from the southeast. I appreciated the fact that she found the TD resources as useful as I did. I am also jealous as I have not yet had the opportunity to visit the Chena Hot Springs. I just completed a small unit on radioactive decay and my students that had been to Chena found it intriguing as to how that water is heated! I also thought it was exciting that she had used a lot of her own pictures to prove her point and to add interest to her blog. It was of interest to me to find that in her area in southeast Alaska that climate change is beginning to impact the health of the deer offspring. Overall I felt that Adriana made great points backed up by data and other resources. Great job Adrianna!

The other blog that I chose to comment on was Franklin from Noorvik. It was cool to read his blogs coming from a completely different part of the state. Living in southcentral, it was interesting to read Adriana from southeast and Franklin from the Kobuk River area. He commented that the native people are seeing thinner sea ice arriving later and leaving earlier every year on the coastal villages. Storms are getting more vicious and homes, even at higher locations in the village, are in peril. As was mentioned in a prior blog, "those who contribute the least to the climate change problem, are being effected the most". A sad but true scenario! Franklin's comment of the negative impact of climate change in the Northwest Arctic villages is a discouraging but required task...those people are already challenged by the "modern world", and now are facing additional pressure from the changing climate. They are struggling to keep their cultural traditions, homes and lives intact. Thanks for your comments and enlightenment!

Module IX...The Crysphere: Terrestrial Ice

Essential Question: How are climate, terrestrial ice and Alaskan indigenous cultures all connected?

Explore

I had to give the "A Drop in the Bucket" a try...here are my answers, correct answers in parenthesis (it's obvious that I did not peek)... __928___ drops are in the oceans and inland seas (972)
__45___ drops are in glaciers (21)
__20___ drops are in ground water and soil moisture (6)
__2___ drops are in the atmosphere (<1)

1000 drops total...did not do well as a geology teacher...yet another tool for my toolbox!

I know this one is going to get the best of me but here it goes...

"1000 Snow Flakes"
__885___snow flakes in Antarctica (914) an eye popper for me!
__86___snow flakes in Greenland (79)
__20___snow flakes in N. America (3)
__3___snow flakes in Alaska (1)
__4___snow flakes are in Asia (2)
__2___snow flakes in S. America, Europe, Africa, New Zealand and Irian Jaya (<1)
1000 snow flakes total...missed the numbers again but have come to realize that as a lifelong learner, the more surprises, the greater the fulfillment! I have also realized that about the time that I retire is when I will have the most science knowledge and probably be at the top of my teaching game!

What a great activity...for me, a real test as to what I don't know! I am anxious to try this Monday with my students (it's now Thursday and after testing my students on this, they were as surprised as I was at the numbers)...cool thought activity with an important underlying concept. This has real "wow factor" as to how much fresh water is solidified in Antarctica! A few of the reasons that Antarctica is so cold is because of it's elevation (it has a higher average elevation than any other continent), albedo...mostly covered by ice and snow so infrared radiation reflection is high, extremely dry...a by product of cold air (the colder the air, the less moisture it can hold), it is surrounded by ocean so the interior of the continent does not have the moderating influence (specific heat capacity) of water and among other reasons, the angle of the sunlight is such that very few photons fall onto a large area, even in summer(December)...the same concept as northern Alaska in the summer(June).

Explain

If you are looking for Antarctica data give Discovering Antarctica teachers area, along with the rest of the site, a look as it has a wealth of information about the continent. Another site with cool facts and pictures is coolantarctica! Our Alaska students can learn a lot from the study of climate below the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle, from a temperature standpoint, is a mirror image of our southern most continent...global and localized climate change have and will effect both poles in similar ways.

When assisting students with the understanding of geologic time, I have had great luck using "Understanding the Geologic Time Scale" activity put out by the University of Texas. I start with the second activity of Relative vs. Absolute Time and then go back to the Football Field activity. Of course the old stand by is effective also...draw a long line across the longest board available and start labeling...I like to start by having three students come to the board and place a line where the first life appears, dinosaurs died and where humans appear...a great discussion starter! Yet another visual is done by Carl Sagan-The Cosmic Calendar found on you tube. I use this with my 10th & 11th graders in Geology.

Extend

"The Big Melt"...check out a 3 minute National Geographic video clip about Mongolia showing the rate to which the ice there is diminishing. The photographer Jonas Bendiksen of Norway stated that, short of the north and south pole, "the mountains around the Tibetan Plateau hold more snow and ice than anywhere on the earth." He also states that this "ice is melting faster than anywhere else on the planet." This plateau is the source point for all of Asia's major rivers, which provides water for over a billion people. He comments on the people that live in Tibet but also those that live up to 500 miles downstream. Their pasture lands are disappearing due to climate change. In Delhi, India, some peoples day starts at 3am, standing in line, waiting for water! The people there are trying to shore up their embankments to protect what little water they receive. Quite a scenario...well worth a look!
The Big Melt--Global Warming is an interesting resource that discusses what global warming is, how the greenhouse effect works and data that seems to be science based. There are also many links on the page that add to education of climate change.

"Documenting Glacial Change" from Teachers Domain was so impressive for me that I had to place the picture in my blog. What an impressive/convincing way to show what has happened to some of Alaska's glaciers over the past few decades! You tube has a video called Take AIM at Climate Change...I am not much for rapping but this puts across a great message..."AIM" stands for Adapt, Innovate, Mitigate!

Another interesting concept of glacial activity is following a rock that rolls off of a mountain and ends up on the top of the accumulation zone. It will then be buried by storms and thus move down into the glacier. As it approaches the firn limit it then moves along with the glacier and then "rises" back to the surface at the zone of ablation--it does not really rise, the snow over it melts so it appears to rise to the surface. Really cool!!

Another well done video on you tube is done by NASA... "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOAFp0fZzDo" speaks to nearly all of the concepts discussed in this course...well worth a look!

Evaluate

I have very few Alaska Native students, maybe a half dozen per year, but have come to appreciate the underlying concept of this course. I have been enlightened to the fact that even though climate change definitely has a greater effect on our Alaska native cultures, but it does effect us all in one form or another. The TD resource called "If the Ice Melts" distinctly shows that climate change may not just effect Alaskans, but also a large percentage of the rest of the worlds population.

As Clay commented in his March 23 email, I too have gained a wealth of new resources working through this course that I have incorporated into my lessons, but also "borrowed" some from others blogs...many thanks to all of you for sharing resources that will liven up my presentations and ultimately increase the "quality" of information that I know will benefit my students!

Module VIII...The Cryosphere: Arctic Sea Ice

Essential Question: How are Arctic sea-ice, climate and culture all connected?

Explore:

The concept of "albedo" is evident here in Alaska in March (which, by the way is the month that "grinds" on me the most). The sun shines, it is higher in the sky, but the snow just hangs around! The gorgeous sunshine and thermal energy, just reflects off of the snow and goes right back into space...before moving up here I would plant my tomatoes in March!

On a more serious note, I found the TD presentation on "Earth's Cryosphere: The Arctic" revealing as I grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Utah and did not know that permafrost existed there!

I also found the Tom Wagner (NASA) clip to be very informative and plan to integrate that clip into my Geology course under the concept of climate.
This module and most of this course contains many activities that I have used or still use in my physical science, physics and geology courses. It has been a great refresher for me as to the activities that I have left out the last few years, along with providing new ones for the future. The activity involving the black and white container, with the heat lamp, is a classic exercise to show how black (and other dark colored objects) are better absorbers (the reason something is black is because it absorbs all light, thus nothing is reflected) and emitters of infrared radiation (thermal energy).
The animation to the right shows the concept called "Black Body Radiation". It represents a theoretical body that absorbs ALL of the light that enters it, when reality shows us that 100% absorption just does not exist in nature. The link above is worth a closer look if you are a physics teacher...it contains a number of "high level" topics of discussion with graphs that are nicely done!

This animation also helps us to understand what is going within an eye when we see the "deer (or other critter) in the headlights"!

Another important point to bring up with students is the difference between heat, thermal energy and temperature. An school building sized iceberg contains a lot of thermal energy, though the temperature is lower than it's surroundings, which is released to the environment when it melts...melting is a "cooling" process...energy from the environment (80 calories per gram) goes into the melting of the iceberg. The age old question of what has the most thermal energy...a hot cup of coffee or an iceberg is a great starting point for the discussion. One more discussion question is why 2000 degree C sparks from a sparkler don't burn...high in temperature but very low in thermal energy. Heat is a term that is used loosely..."someone turn up the heat"...can't be done, but we can turn up the thermal energy...heat is the transfer of energy due to a temperature difference...touch a hot or cold piece of metal and heat transfer occurs!

I like to use the wood stove as an example when discussing the concept of thermal energy absorption and emission. (It is also a great way to introduce the three forms of thermal energy transfer...conduction, convection and radiation.) Other than stoves that are used as a decoration (like the one on the left), wood stoves are black...inside and out! Two of the same model of stove, give me the black one if I am using it to warm the air in a room!

Explain:

In a previous blog I discussed the phase change chart...so simple to use in a classroom, yet so complex when it is applied to climate. It helps us understand how thermal energy is stored and released through the different seasons, along with how small global temperature increases or decreases can have such a dramatic effect on cultures that live at latitudes near or above the arctic circle. The subsistence lifestyle if these people is such that they need ice at certain times of the year to acquire food and they also need open water at other times for the same purpose.

Extend:

Consider how the lack of sea ice could change the way everyone on the planet lives, let alone those who rely on it! The pictures above are 1979 and 2003 polar ice cap images...quite dramatic difference!

Evaluate:

This module has reminded me of the effects of the loss of sea ice...global ocean rise, difficulty of cultures who use it for hunting/travel is diminished, and overall global temperature increases, and has educated me on the decrease of the salinity of the oceans...for me the question would be "how will that effect the life that exists in the oceans?". We all know how closely we are connected to oceans, from global temperatures to hurricanes, drought, the number of people who live near oceans and make their livelihood there, and more! I suppose the next couple of decades will tell the story!

Module VII...Earth's Changing Climate

Essential Question...How is Earth's climate connected to its geological, biological and cultural systems?

Explore:

A fun and interesting site for introducing the solar system, along with some of our neighboring extra solar system objects is found in a history channel interactive. Note that several of the elements most commonly found in the solar system are hydrogen, helium, carbon and nitrogen.

Stephen Hawking's Universe: An Answer to Everything

I like to use Stephen Hawking's Universe with my physics students...this you tube video is a great introduction to Hawking's views...Hawking is attempting to find the "theory of everything" by combining Relativity with Quantum Mechanics. It also includes some of Einstein's work.
This you tube video describes how our solar system came to be from just a cloud of gas and dust. Combine nebula dust and gas with supernovae remnants, along with gravity, then fusion at the center of the rotating "cloud" and a solar system is born.

Explain:

I find it interesting how the views differ from one source to another when it comes to the number of stars in a galaxy and to the number of galaxies in the universe. When obtaining my master's from the University of Colorado, the numbers used were approximately 400 billion for both. Another interesting piece of data they use is a comparison with the number of stars with the grains of sand on all of the beaches of the earth. Beach sands...10^18 and stars in the universe...10^22. These numbers are difficult for anyone to wrap their head around...beginning with me! "Universe Today" and "Extreme Space" has numbers that are similar to the ones mentioned above. Very cool statistics to use when introducing the vastness and huge numbers used as we discuss stars, galaxies and the universe!

From universe to atoms...quite a jump, but directly connected! Where and how is the matter that makes up the universe created...STARS...through the method of fusion. What is fusion? Fusion is the process that energizes stars. It is the reaction in which two atoms of hydrogen combine together, or fuse, to form an atom of helium. (Atoms besides hydrogen, fuse together in stars to make other atoms up to and including iron...atoms above iron on the chart are fused in supernovae explosions) In the process some of the mass of the hydrogen is converted into energy...up through and including iron on the periodic table. Above iron energy is absorbed so the process slows, resulting in a dying star. The easiest fusion reaction to make happen is combining deuterium (or “heavy hydrogen) with tritium (or “heavy-heavy hydrogen”) to make helium and a neutron. Deuterium is plentifully available in ordinary water.

Extend:

There is a great diversity of beliefs concerning the age of the Earth and the rest of the universe, with the age of elements being an integral part of that puzzle:

*Most estimates based on a literal interpretation of the Bible, and in particular the belief that the Book of Genesis refers to a 24 hour day, cluster around 6,000 years, 2,000 years for both the age of the Earth and of the rest of the universe. These dates of creation are based on various and diverse interpretations of the Bible.
*Belief in a "young Earth" continued among scientists, until the early 18th century, when it became obvious to most researchers that geological processes were exceedingly slow, and must have been accomplished over incredibly long periods of time. A 5,800 year old earth simply was not possible. A hundred years later, investigators studying Egyptian remnants found that the civilization of Egypt began earlier than the time assigned for the creation of man. Once limited from the time constraints imposed by the young Earth concept, progress in geology and other earth scientists advanced by leaps and bounds.
*Most estimates of the Earth's age, based on actual measurements and calculations, are clustered around 4.5 billion years. Scientists further believe that the earth's crust solidified about 3.9 billion years ago. Parts of the universe itself are much older, dating back to the big bang, some 15 billion years ago. Such estimates are accepted by most old Earth creationists, by essentially all geologists, biologists and other earth and life scientists.

Carbon...also known as the element of life is the next topic. I begin atomic structure of atoms by describing how "empty" they are. I describe this concept by taking a Hydrogen atom and enlarging it until the proton is the size of a dime...where would the electron be? Place the proton on the fifty yard line of the football field and the electron would go around the goal posts. 99.9999% nothing! I take my thumb and index finger and call it my neutron shooter and pose the question..."if I fire my neutron through my students, lined up back to back, what are the chances that the neutron would go through everybody without hitting a thing! I also state that there are as many atoms in one human breath as there are number of breaths in the atmosphere of the earth. I use these examples to try to give my students an idea of not only how small they are, but also to reinforce the concept that it takes many, to say the least, to create a tiny dot with a pencil on paper.

We then use the element Carbon to express the concept that atoms are only borrowed...we all have a few carbons in our bodies that were borrowed by Hitler, Einstein, George Washington and everyone else who came before us. The Carbon Cycle helps us to understand the that the atoms that make up our bodies are only on loan and then put directly back into the cycle, but also the fact that atoms do not age! They will remain what they are "forever", unless they go through another fusion or fission process. I also like to point out that the food we eat for Calories (energy) comes from something that was once alive...ALL life as we know it is carbon based! As Carl Sagan stated, "we are all made of star dust". We (humans, animals, plants, the earth itself, our sun, stars, etc.) are all connected directly to the rest of the universe...we are the result of previous star life and death!

Evaluate:

The Teacher's Domain descriptions of how the elements needed for life were/are created (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc) and the rise of greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere (especially carbon dioxide) following the industrial revolution and in particular in the last couple of decades, shows clearly that humans are givers and takers when it comes to the concept of "our place in the universe" and directly on our earth's atmosphere. The testimonies of native people as to how their subsistence culture is changing or has changed, not by choice but by necessity to maintain their style of life, as a result of global temperature increase should make us all realize that no matter where we live on this earth, if we choose to ignore or blame greenhouse gas increases on mother nature, we will all eventually be effected in one form or another. As was stated in a previous module...it really is a disgrace to mankind that those who contribute the least to greenhouse gases are effected the most by them!

Teacher's Domain is beginning to change the way I teach...more technology integration is not only a great asset from an informational perspective and lesson plan viewpoint, but I have found that students are more engaged when GOOD technology is built into my lessons...my low performing students seem to rise even more! Thank you TD!

Module VI..Atmospheric Systems

Essential Question...How are the Earth, atmosphere and cultures all connected?

Explore:

Here is an intriguing bit of information that I had not considered...it is a great example of how animals and atmosphere are connected. When contemplating the subsistence lifestyle of many Native Alaskans, the topic also has implications on native culture. A study was done on the effect of whaling and the atmosphere. Dr. Andrew Pershing from the University of Maine said "Whales, like any animal or plant on the planet, are made out of a lot of carbon." "And when you kill and remove a whale from the ocean, that's removing carbon from this storage system and possibly sending it into the atmosphere." I believe that it is impossible to explain atmospheric phenomenon without including oceanic concepts. The vast amounts of carbon being used by living things, along with oceanic currents (and other factors), play a role in atmospheric temperature and thus makes the oceans an integral part of the "atmospheric system". In the studies initial calculations, the team worked out that 100 years of whaling had released an amount of carbon equivalent to burning 130,000 sq km of temperate forests, or to driving 128,000 Humvees continuously for 100 years. These numbers are astonishing, though the subsistence whaling done by Alaska Native groups would only represent a small fraction in these numbers, it would still have an impact. I write this, not to imply anything negative for the whaling subsistence practice, but to assist in the understanding that what we do in and with our oceanic biomass has an effect on our atmospheric conditions and greenhouse gases percentage, specifically carbon amounts in our atmosphere. It goes without saying that worldwide illegal taking of whales and the countries that do not regulate the amount of whales taken would presently be the largest contributors of this dramatic "deforestation" of the oceans!

Explain:

In both my Geology and Physics courses I have students compare Earth's atmosphere with that of Venus. Astonishing to consider a nearly constant temperature (night or day) of about 350 degrees C coupled with an atmospheric pressure 92 times that of earth!

I also discuss the greenhouse effect in terms of an automobile with its windows up tight on a hot summer day. For example, we have all heard the news stories of people leaving their children or pets in a vehicle while they run into a store. They have been driving with the air conditioner on so the vehicle is cool. Those that I have seen interviewed state something similar to "the baby was asleep and the car was cool. When I came out of the store, which took longer than expected, the baby/pet was dead." High frequency infrared from the sun is transmitted through the glass. As the interior of the vehicle (seats, floors, etc.) begin to warm they emit lower frequency infrared back into the air in the automobile that does not transmit through the glass and exit the car...it is reflected by the glass and is trapped inside the vehicle with a resulting dramatic temperature increase that can kill. Knowing a little applied physics can be beneficial to those who take the time to learn and possibly tragic for those who don't! (A little common sense is also a good practice!)

Personally, like any other technology (or nearly anything for that matter), it becomes exciting when I understand what its uses are for and figure out how to use it...case in point is this GE snapshot (now that I have learned the process) of South America on March 4th, 2010. It distinctly shows the convection cells moving towards and away from the equator...in this case (southern hemisphere) the colder air from the Antarctica area flows toward to equator (2nd Law of Thermodynamics...thermal energy always flows, unless energy is put into the system, from higher temperature to lower temperature) and the warmer, closer to the equator air, moves up in latitude (down in relation to the equator) as it moves towards the South Pole. The Polar Front Jet Streams are quite obvious in this image! I am dumbfounded when I see and am able to use this type of technology...when I went through school, including college, without the use of even a computer, let alone the internet, I realize how students today have so much information readily available at their fingertips. The data at our disposal, nearly instantly, both now visual (satellite photos) and now proven, by today's technology, is mind boggling!

Extend:

Above is a beautiful picture of our Mt. Redoubt taken on February 17, 2009. Another consideration for atmospheric carbon is volcanic activity. We know geologically that volcanic activity has been globally fairly consistent over that past several millennia as humans have been recording events. How much does this add to our climate change in relation to human activities...namely the burning of fossil fuels. According to the United States Geologic Survey and the U.S. Department of Energy's Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC), while 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide was released by volcanoes on land and underwater volcanoes (which is a lot), the global fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions for 2003 was 26.8 billion tonnes. Conclusion...volcanic activity contributes less than 1% of the carbon dioxide to the atmosphere that the burning of fossil fuels.

Evaluate:

Even after 18 years of teaching Geology and Physics, along with having a personal interest in the concepts, I am still in awe as to how thin and fragile our atmosphere really is. I have for many years stated to my students, as was read in this weeks module, that we live at the bottom of a (relative to the diameter of earth) "shallow" ocean of air. It helps students to better understand density, air pressure and how close we live to "real space". The notion of how small it is versus it's complexity is challenging to teach and often difficult for students to comprehend. The idea that what one country contributes to the atmosphere, effects the atmosphere of the entire earth, thus could and is by many believed effecting cultures today. The concept of climate change is most pronounced in the upper latitudes of the northern hemisphere, thus is effecting cultures that have existed for centuries and requiring them to change their way of life in order to survive. Northern (especially) Native Alaskan communities (several TD video clips) have changed the way they go about maintaining their subsistence life style and because of living off of the land have been put in harms way as the oceanic and atmospheric currents bring with them industrial pollution from the southern, more populated regions. Climate change has also resulted in hunting manner...boating farther out into the Arctic and Bering to find walrus and other species that they require for foodstuffs are just the beginning of what is happening today!

Module V...How are climate, cultures & oceans connected?

Explore:

By total coincidence I am currently using part of this week to introduce my Physics students to the concept of specific heat capacity! I used a few of the segments of this weeks blog as part of my lesson...what really struck me was that I had taught this concept for many years, but had never put into a "global" or "cultural" context. I have often used the winter and summer extreme temperatures of Nome vs. Fairbanks in my discussions though(even though the Bering Sea usually freezes near Nome so summer highs are more extreme than winter lows)...we all know that Fairbanks is colder in winter and hotter in summer, even though they are both at about 64 degrees north latitude and only a few hundred miles longitude apart.
Nome temperature averages/records compared to Fairbanks temperature averages/records is a great comparison because students know where they are and are fairly familiar with the towns. The record temperatures are about 10 degrees F higher in summer and about 10 degrees F lower in winter in Fairbanks! Another good comparison is Anchorage vs. Glennallen.

I use a step by step lab with my Physical Science students...I tried pasting and this was the best I could come up with. If someone is interested in the "printable/table" version please email me and I will be glad to attach and return to you!

Specific Heat Lab--Transfer of Energy
Objective:
Students will use lab measurement skills to find the specific heat of several unknown materials.

Materials Required:
1 100 ml graduated cylinder per group of three students
1 Aluminum block/piece
Other “unknown” materials
1 Celsius thermometer or temperature probe
1 large Styrofoam cup

Procedures:
1) Place EXACTLY 150 grams(ml) of water from bucket in the insulated cup using a graduated cylinder
2) Record temperature of bucket water in the table.
3) Go to your teacher and ask for the one of the objects—do aluminum first to prepare yourself for the unknowns.
4) Have your teacher place the object in your water and read you its temperature—record this in the table.
5) Allow the water and object to come into “thermal equilibrium”—about 3 to 4 minutes and record final temperature.
6) Remove the object from the water, dry it, mass it and record the results. Pour water in sink!
7) Repeat procedures 1 through 5 for each object.
8) Clean your work station.
9) Complete the data table by using the formula: specific heat(c) equals energy (cal.) divided by mass x change in temperature: c = Q / m∆T also…Q = mc∆T

**Remember**-- by understanding that the amount of energy lost by the object(Q) is equivalent to the energy gained by the water(Q), you can easily calculate the specific heat of the unknown object! I use the following objects...
Aluminum
Cylinder (nylon)
Bolt (brass)
Nut (iron)
Ball (lead)
Stone (basalt)
Bar (copper)

Yet another fun activity is to fill a paper cup with water and try to burn the cup with a torch. We all know from those camping trips as kids (even big kids) that the water boils and as it boils evaporation occurs and only the exposed top of the cup will burn. My students could not believe that the water balloon in the "Oceans of Climate Change" you tube video would not pop...I love it when students question what they see or hear, so of course we had to put it to the test..even my seniors could not believe it! A simple but very "cool" demo.

Explain:

The specific heat capacity of water plays a huge role in our earth's "thermal energy" balance and dynamics as is shown in this module. Couple that with fluid dynamics (oceans and atmosphere) and the constant mixing and motion of these fluids, and the result is a very complex system. The effect from a cultural standpoint is the number of humans that live near oceans...easy to understand near the equator and assisted by the information in this module...fluid dynamics elsewhere at greater latitudes.
Another major component of global heating and cooling is expressed in the "Reasons for the Seasons". I remember my first summer solstice in Alaska as I went out to measure my height to shadow ratio just for curiosity. Even in southcentral Alaska my shadow is longer than I was tall (comparing the ratio with what it is in 37 degrees north with that of 60 north)...and watching the sun go "around" the sky, rather that "over" the sky was interesting to observe. Fewer photons results in less energy received and thus a lower increase in the surrounding temperature which plays a big part in the climate of the area.

Albedo is an interesting concept also, especially when discussing latitudes that are above or below the "critical angle". At a certain angle light is totally reflected from a surface (here we are concerned with water). At certain latitudes and times of the year the infrared wave energy from the sun that strikes an ocean surface is reflected back into space with no increase of water temperature. Yet another (of the many other) consideration is the "phase change" of water. The energy required for melting solid water and released when changing from a liquid to a solid play another role in this very complex global energy concept...the reason that lakes are the last to freeze over in the fall and the last to melt in the spring are those same lakes!

Extend:

I found the "Gulf Stream" you tube video of particular interest...I did NOT know that Ben Franklin was originally commissioned to map those streams nor the process he went through to create his maps. This and several other of the clips were very helpful to me this week in driving home the concept of thermal energy. In Geology one assignment I use is to assign my students to choose a dozen sea side cities...six from the Atlantic and six from the Pacific and they all have to be at least fifteen degrees difference in latitude. They then, using oceanic currents and latitudes, describe the climate of the cities and explain WHY they are that way. I am excited as I continue to learn more tricks on Google Earth and know my future lessons will be more engaging for and meaningful to my students than just pointing to places on a map!

Evaluate:

The Teachers Domain and You Tube presentations in this module were extremely useful in visualizing several difficult and challenging concepts, from oceanic currents to the Coriolis effect. I look at these and don't know how I have gotten those concepts across to my students in the past(maybe I had failed)...I know future lessons will be much more "understandable" using these digital (and already created!) resources. When I found the sea surface temperature plug-in, I could not resist taking a snapshot...

Finally, another great interactive to exemplify the greenhouse effect is from PHet. Try adjusting the amount of greenhouse gases to really drive home the concept of global atmospheric warming and how those gases effect temperature. In my opinion this is the best website for Physics interactive resources. It also has chemistry, earth sciences, biology and mathematics interactives...I would highly recommend taking a look if you are not familiar with the site already!

FINAL PROJECT...EXPLORE ALASKA!

ESSENTIAL QUESTION FOR FINAL PROJECT...

How can digital resources and effective teaching methods be used to integrate Alaska Native ways of knowing and Western scientific methods in order to create greater understanding of, and interest in, geosciences for students?

• Below is a lesson created to introduce and develop the concept of glaciers, along with an understanding of the effects they have or had on not only our physical earth, but some of it's effects on humanity. It is intended for a 9-10 grade level earth science or geology course. More specific goals are found in the objectives portion of the lesson...
  
  How Do Glaciers Effect the Earth’s Surface?
  

Objectives:

• Students will learn what glaciers are, characteristics of a glacial valley and the glacier life cycle.
• Students will develop an understanding of how glaciers form a glacial valley and their importance in fresh water provision to cultures below.
• Students will be able to determine if a valley is a river valley, glacial valley and/or possibly both.

Subject Area and Suggested Grade Level:

• Earth Science, Geology and Glaciation for grade levels 9-10

National Education Standards:

• Interactions among the solid earth, the oceans, the atmosphere, and organisms have resulted in the ongoing evolution of the earth system. We can observe some changes such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on a human time scale, but many processes such as mountain building and plate movements take place over hundreds of millions of years.

Time Needed: two hours of class time, more if extensions are desired.

Background Information:

A foundational concept of Geology/Earth Science is how the earth’s crust is always changing due to weathering and erosion. An important part of this concept on parts of our earth’s continents is glaciation. The earth’s crust is being continually changed in valleys where glaciers presently exist. The changes that occur are only evidenced over a long period of time and/or after the glacier no longer exists. Many of Alaska’s and lower 48 states valleys are the remains of glacial activity during the last ice age. Students should know how to make observations which will give them evidence, and then be able to illustrate in order to visualize how glaciers have changed the overall shape of the valley in which they currently exist or once existed in.

Materials:

• Snow at a temperature just below freezing in order for it to be easily made into snowballs—a 5 gallon bucket should work for a 25 student class.
• Small rocks and sticks
• Several football sized chunks of soft sandstone or other fairly soft rock type
• A large shoe box for sand—about 3 cm of sand in the box is enough
• Hand-lens for each group
• Paper to record data, record observations & answer questions
• Internet access and printer






Suggested Lesson Plan:

1) Show the you tube video “glacial erosion”

2) Discuss how a glacier forms, with it's life cycle. A very dramatic You Tube video is called "Collapse of a Glacier", take a look! If you have the time and need more information, any/all of the "other resources" listed below have a wealth of information about glaciers!
3) Discuss the shape of glacial valley versus a river valley and ask students to describe on their paper why they look the way that they do and how the process works. Use the site USGS "Alaskan Glaciers" to show examples during the discussion. Also question the class as to what they have heard or seen about climate change. How would a rise in global temperature effect the life span of a glacier and the number of glaciers, along with the cultural connection of fresh water needed to maintain a certain lifestyle in a place where glacial runoff is the main source of fresh water? Show the Teacher's Domain video clip "Climate Change Impacts Alaska Glaciers".

4) Divide into groups of four. Each member of the group should be assigned a duty; leader, recorder, glacier creator and earth’s surface creator. Have the recorder write the groups’ hypothesis as to what will happen to the sand and the rock as their “glacier” is rubbed against their surfaces.
5) Using the snow, make a glacier about 2 cm thick and 10 cm wide. When making the glacier, be sure to have students add a couple of sticks and a few pebbles to the underside of the mix. Make the glacier as solid and compacted as possible!

6) Use the glacier to create a valley in the sandbox. Take notes (using correct terminology) on what is observed; shape of valley, any grooves or notches and any other unusual phenomena. Then smooth out the sand in the box, put one end of the box over your textbook and pour 50 ml of water on the textbook end. Record your observations.

7) Make another glacier, this time round and very solid (a hard snowball). Again include the sticks and rocks. Carefully observe the surface of the rock sample you have using the hand-lens prior to scraping your glacier on it. With as much force as possible without breaking the glacier, vigorously rub the “glacier ball” over the surface of the rock many times. Make another observation of the surface and record your findings—again use the hand lens.

8) Students should summarize their findings upon completion of the activity on the paper which includes their observations...stress the use of the correct terminology & assist where needed.


9) Finally, go to Google Earth and take an "Alaskan Motorcycle Trip". During the trip, which can be done quite quickly, take three snapshots of valleys on the way. First a river valley, secondly a glacial valley that no longer contains a glacier and thirdly a glacial valley that presently contains a glacier. Paste the snapshots onto one page per group and collectively compare and contrast the three valleys on the paper next to the three snapshots. While on GE, have the group take one more snapshot of a mountainous area containing a large glacial valley. The Chugach Mountains contains many of areas...the pic should contain(labeled properly by the group members), at least one of each of the following...a cirque, an esker, both medial and lateral moraine, a horn, an arete, a hanging valley and a tarn. Lastly, the group should write at least two comments in reaction to what they heard in the TD video from #3 and as a group, create two questions about glaciers that they have, but were unable to answer...use this as part of the activity conclusion discussion.

**Glacier vocabulary...(a general and not complete list, add or delete as desired)
alpine glacier, continental glacier, flow, gravity, cirque, valley, piedmont, tidewater, advance, retreat, mass balance, ablation, accumulation, moraines, arete, crevasse, esker, erratic, glacial striations, till, terminus, hanging valley/glacier, headwall, tarn and tongue.

Possible Extensions:

1) Take a trip to a glacier, observe the ice, and test its hardness at different elevations in the glacier itself.
2) Go on-line and have students draw and label two “glacial valleys” that they have been to or may have only heard of. Have students find pictures of glaciers on the internet that have dark stripes in them and write a paper as to what is causing the phenomenon.
3) Have students write a paper on “blue ice” that is found in glaciers and why it appears that color.
4) Students could also describe five examples of changes in the earth’s crust of their local area. This could be right in their home-town or within their home state. Students could identify whether the changes observed are natural or man-caused type of changes.

Other Resources:



A couple of other great internet resources for understanding glaciers are;

• "Glacier Power" from the University of Fairbanks


• "Glaciers and Icefields" from the Tongass National Forest


• "All About Glaciers" by the National Snow and Ice Data Center

Evaluation:

• Observe the written findings for each group and discuss any misconceptions found in their write-up.
• Quiz students on parts of a glacier, its color, hardness, crevasses and dark lines. There could be questions regarding length, thickness, color, age and speed at which they travel. Also include, to the depth of your lesson, a physical diagram of a glacial valley to be labeled using proper terms.
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Course Conclusion...My Answer to Essential Question


I believe the use of technology is the answer to the essential question...data collection, TD resources, Google Earth, legitimate You Tube Video, other internet resources and testimony from Native Elders, brings Western Science and Alaska Native views together. I learned much from listening/reading what was presented to us by Teacher's Domain concerning the Alaska Native way of teaching and their view of the world.
Combining decades of native observations & information with data that has been collected by Western Science increases my understanding (I believe it does the same for students) and creates a better overall picture of what is happening climatically for not only Alaskans, but for all humanity present and future!

On a personal note, Teacher's Domain has become an integral part of my Geology, Physics and Physical Science courses...thank you TD for making my job easier and most importantly increasing the engagement and effectiveness of lessons for my students!

Week 4...Earthquakes

Essential Question: How do stories of cataclysmic events help inform students about geosciences and cultures?

Explain:
Historic events, from primitive to Mt. Vesuvius, to our 1964 Alaska Earthquake, to the recent Haiti tragedy, all add to students understanding of the unimaginable quantity of energy that can is unleashed due to a sudden shift in the earth's crust. From the destruction of Pompeii, to the creation of the Hawaiian Islands by Maui the fisherman, history and stories, play a role in students understanding of geology and culture. From the havoc that occurred in Seward, Kodiak, Valdez and other coastal communities in 1964 Alaska and the death and destruction of the 2004 Indian Ocean quake, with the resulting tsunami, along with the recent Haiti quake, we learn that culture...where we live, for whatever reason, our "living" planet plays a part in our lives. Our proximity to subduction zones and/or faults determines the how much it effects us.

Extend:
Nearly the entire southern portion of the state of Alaska sits on the edge of the North American Plate. The Pacific Plate is being pushed northward due to convection currents from the mantle resulting in what is known as a subduction zone. As the Pacific plate is pushed northward it subducts under the North American Plate at the Aleutian Trench, which thanks to Google Earths ruler, I now know to be over 2600 miles long!

A continuous "creep" or slow consistent movement of this subduction provides Alaska with an average of about 50 to 100 minor earthquakes per day(Alaska Earthquake Information Center)--most small in magnitude. On occasion though, the Pacific Plate "sticks" and strain builds up to the point of a sudden shift, releasing energy in the form of seismic waves..."big earthquake"! Most major earthquakes, on our globe, occur on or near subduction plate boundary zones such as ours. An additional result of this plate movement is Alaska's volcanic activity which forms the Aleutian Chain. The Wrangells are also a result of plate movement, though they are constructed (uplifted) due to a folding action that occurs where boundaries are "smashed" together. Yet another result of tectonic movement is faulting. The diagrams below are from the Alaska Earthquake Information Center...the top diagram shows Alaska Seismicity of 1898 to 2002...the bottom diagram shows Alaska's major fault lines. Faults are places where action of natural stress in rock on one side of the fracture (fault) is moved with respect to the rock on the other side.

More devastating destruction occurred, from the 1964 Alaska earthquake, because of the tsunami waves that were produced by the quake. The July of 1964 National Geographic magazine has some incredible stories and photos of Alaska's Good Friday quake--I picked up my copy on ebay for $2. Many seaside communities were forever changed and some even relocated as a result of the quake and the ensuing tsunamis. Earthquakes, tsunami, and volcanoes should be, and are, of particular interest to Alaskans as we live "with" them--they play a factor in our work, play and should be a major planning concept when it comes to family/community emergency preparation plans.

I now realize what I, and more importantly my students, have been missing by my lack of utilization Google Earth as an instructional tool. Google Earth is effective for establishing connections between different places and people. Our department has just acquired a set of laptops, along with wireless internet. I annually begin my Geology course with the interpretation, understanding and use of maps. Google Earth will assist my students on properly determining distances, latitude and longitude, topography and the like. Using "paper" maps, with the combination of Google Earth, will develop a better understanding of what mapping is and I believe increase the validity of the use of mapping. It will raise the understanding of how people live and assist in the perception of the resources available in an area because of topography and location. I have a SmartBoard which will add to the effectiveness of Google Earth, especially for use in Geology as it will enable students to follow along on their paper maps and laptops with what I may be demonstrating/explaining utilizing the SmartBoard.

I have already integrated P and S waves into my Physics smartboard lesson (did not do that until just this week) when introducing the concept of waves...I know this will be more engaging for my students and create a higher level of interaction/understanding between the lesson and the learner. A compare/contrast activity of P and S waves versus transverse and longitudinal waves will be more coupled, with a result of a higher level of understanding! A great site for Alaska seismology information/data is http://www.aeic.alaska.edu/html_docs/faq.html
Another suggested site is http://express.howstuffworks.com/wq-earthquake.htm

Evaluate:
The materials of this module have reinforced and enriched my knowledge of the constructive and destructive forces involved with living near a plate boundary or hot spot. It has helped me better understand the personal/cultural side of these types of events both historically and in the present, along with attempting to comprehend what the future may hold. Google Earth has taken me places that I have never been. The wealth of information that I am now aware of is exciting. The instructional tools that Teacher's Domain has to offer is nearly endless and very user friendly. I know the quality of lesson delivery will be visually and conceptually enhanced and with confidence I can say that this will benefit my students understanding of some of the geologic cataclysmic events of the past and augment what they should know about our planet, along with the possible effects it may have throughout their lives.

Week III Landscapes

Module III...part I & II
I was born and raised in the mountain west. I spent much of my free time in the very mountainous country north of the small town where I was raised. After using Google Earth to do some "exploring", I now realize that those mountains were even more steep and rugged than I remember. I was astonished as to the amount of mountains that I had never heard of, let alone been anywhere close to. There are also many more watersheds that I remember. To the east and west of the community is high plateau, rolling hill/desert type terrain. My biggest surprise from GE was the terrain to the south of town...I thought it was just a flat, "desert" landscape and now know that it is every bit as rough and rugged, though not as high in elevation, as the area to the north. Looking at the surrounding areas of my home town helped me to realize why a settlement started there back in the late 1800's. Not only is it a valley, nestled in a mountainous area, but the largest river in the area flows nearly through the middle of town. Being a relatively dry environment, early settlers would have found more game near the river and had the water resource, along with large relatively flat floodplain areas, which would ease the growing of crops.
It is interesting also to note that 280 miles to the south(the GE ruler is handy), in the Grand Canyon, the geologic time layers are the same but "upside down". In the Grand Canyon the farther down you go from the top, the older the layers...law of superposition. My home town it is just the opposite. The higher you go up the mountains the older the rock layers. A great folding took place there millions of years ago, literally turning over the mountains from "uplift" and the result today is the turnover of the rock layers. The rock layer in my home town is the same layer you find on the rim of the Grand Canyon and at the top my home town mountains, at about nine thousand feet, is the same layer found in the bottom of the Grand Canyon! Very interesting to a Geologist!
We are fortunate today to have GPS, Google Earth and LandSat, etc., to give us the information on a chosen scale that was not available to us just a few decades ago. These technologies allow us to know where we are, what it looks like and using Google Earth, allows us to explore virtually anywhere we want on earth from a computer screen. I am excited for next years Geology with lessons that will enable my students to become intimately associated with Google Earth on both a local and global scale! I begin my course with map reading and what a fantastic way to learn latitude and longitude...select "view", then "grid" on GE(for those who may not know already) and the lat/long grids are now on the globe...really cool!

I chose to explore Hoonah, as the southeast is an area I have yet to physically visit. The community is nestled among mountains and is right on the side of a bay. The mountains between Hoonah and the Pacific Ocean provide a "break" from the vast storms that come off of the Gulf of Alaska. There would be plentiful berries, fish, crustaceans, deer and bear as food and clothing resources locally which would benefit indigenous people. Early people here would have relied heavily on boating for travel and food gathering. GE assisted me in becoming familiar with an area that I had only heard of. What a wonderful tool to use while teaching about the early inhabitants of Alaska and particularly Alaska as it is such a huge area!
Module III, part III
Living on the Kenai Peninsula and being fortunate to teach Geology I now see what I have been missing by not using GE in my lessons. We live on the edge of the Pacific subducting plate and thus the folded/uplifted Kenai mountains to the southeast and the "line" of volcanoes on the northwest. I find particular interest in the ability on GE to show what is going on right under our feet! Among the many lessons I found on TD were "1964 Alaska Earthquake" and "Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!"...these are geared to high school level and very well designed. The visual aids, rather than my verbal aids, will be much more effective as I describe why our local geology is the way it is today.
Module III, partIV
In Alaska, I believe that most cultural connections to physical landscapes are those of fishing. I am sure that hunting plays a key role also, but water systems and salmon cycles seem to be the main connection with the people and where the communities are located. Elders instruct and edify their stories and history today as it was done for their generation. I found it interesting how the "school teachers" in Chevak were taught the same traditions and customs by the native elders that the elders would pass on to their native progeny. Non-native teachers are brought into the bush schools to educate mostly native students and native ways were important enough to the native people that they would educate non-native "new teachers" about thier ways. I am sure with the intent of having the "new teachers" realize that native ways were as important, if not more, than western ways. I know living in an urbanized area here on the Kenai, young people do not have the respect for the land and it's resources that youth who are raised in the "bush" have. We just go to the local supermarket and buy what we need for the most part...very little is taken naturally and for the most part, I know our youth have little respect and "understanding of nature" that students living mostly off of the land would present!

"The Universe"

Being someone who is very interested in space studies, I chose to comment on the "Common Ground" portion of the Venn diagram shared by "Traditional Native Knowledge" and "Western Science" with the topic of "Universe is Unified".

Western Science has traced time of the universe back to the "Big Bang". The farthest back look in time (earliest actual photograph of the universe) that we currently have is the image of the cosmic background microwave radiation that is said to be at a time when the universe was about 300,000 years of age. Before that (an even younger universe), the theory states that there was a rapid inflation of space and time, but due to not yet formed "matter" as we know it today, no frequencies of light were "released" from the universe. Our "Western Science" states that the entire universe started as one singularity and thus today's universe, with its billions of galaxies, billions of stars, etc. and of course our earth, both physical and biological, are all from the same origin.

We, the earth itself, with everything in and on it, are made up of specific combinations of atoms. Carl Sagan called this "stardust", meaning different atoms are the result of just one of the many cycles of nature, the stellar life cycle. (The Handy Astronomy Answer Book by Charles Liu) Nature, from the largest galaxies to the smallest sub-atomic particles, are an organized phenomena that has been observed and tested by scientists for decades.

Traditional Native Knowledge is similar to Western Science as Alaska's Native Elders have taught about a holistic point of view...the connection of everything. For centuries, village Elders have shared their vast array of accumulated knowledge and life wisdom through stories and demonstrations. They speak of the universe as a system that is intertwined and intratwined with itself and the importance of cycles to maintain a balance in nature. The stars have a spirit along with the grasses and all nature in between.

Like Western Science, Alaska Native Elders have attained their knowledge of the natural world by observation and testing in the form of application of their knowledge for centuries. (Teacher's Domain)

I teach in a community where there are very few Alaska natives and look forward to reading other views, especially those class members from communities who are predominantly Alaska native.