Linking Geology, The Environment and Language Development
Antoinette (Toni) Barela
INTRODUCTION
This curriculum can be taught to most middle school students. For the past thirteen years, I have been teaching 6th grade in an inner-city middle school with a high percentage of students identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP) based on their scores on the Language Assessment Scale (LAS). Our LEP students generally are monolingual in their native language. Other LEP students may have had several years of ESL, Bilingual or English instruction, but their reading and writing ability scores in English fall two or more years behind their chronological age. There is also a high percentage of students whose oral language makes them appear bilingual in social settings, but whose academic skills in both languages are underdeveloped. These students appear to be ready for academics, but their proficiency level in either language is usually categorized as "survival skill" level. Ninety-eight percent of the school’s total student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch. Many students live with single parents and/or grandparents. Even with weak skills, sixth graders are often very eager to learn new information and please their teacher. Through the use of an interdisciplinary geology curriculum unit on Albuquerque and its geologic factors, as the Bilingual Language Arts teacher I plan to focus on English and Spanish language development of geologic terms with my students. One of my goals is to help students respect and care about their environment.
My student population usually consists of a group of twenty to twenty-five students selected mainly by their LAS scores and their Gates McGinitie Reading Test scores. Usually one-third of the group speaks and reads monolingually in Spanish, another third have some beginning to emergent reading and writing skills in English, and the final third fall into the "Bilingual" category described in the earlier paragraph.
The students, their families and the communities often place emphasis on their
different birth origins (i.e., Mexico vs. New Mexico). When this dynamic remains the focus
of the students, negative relationships and problems develop in school, on the playground
and in their neighborhoods. My goal is that as the students learn the many ways we are
connected geographically, they would choose to create more positive relationships that may
extend into their communities. With this in mind, I created this curriculum unit to
provide information that encourages the students to focus on these physical factors which
connect them to the earth, to the communities and to each other.
NARRATIVE
Students can gain much by developing an appreciation for the geological evidence they see everyday. The overall goal of this curriculum unit is to introduce students to the record of Earth's past. By completing this course, they will learn how geologists have shown that Albuquerque was once covered with ice and water thousands to millions of years ago. Students can also learn, by using the Columna Estratigrafica (Geologic Time Line), the physical evidence of the changes that occurred on earth as the planet evolved. They also will recognize that humans have inhabited the earth for only a relatively short time, and they can become more familiar with the many positive and negative impacts humans have made on the environment during this time. Throughout this unit, students can learn to trace their past by finding the geologic evidence left behind of earth's history. They can become detectives looking for clues in the geological formations surrounding them. They will record their thoughts and ideas in journals in an activity that will encourage them to use the new vocabulary presented while learning about such concepts as sedimentary layers, rock formations, aquifers and the causes of faults and earthquakes. By teaching about our past, I hope to inspire an awareness of current ecological issues and how they impact everyone.
As a Bilingual Language Arts teacher, I do not feel that I have a strong enough background or general knowledge in the history of geology. Therefore, I felt it important to include my initial thoughts and reactions as to why this curriculum is important to me; thus allowing me to understand why I felt it was necessary to teach this topic to my students. Although I feel it is important for the students to gain some geological historical background, the language differences make it necessary to limit the amount of historical information presented to my students. Hopefully, the unit will get them thinking and wondering about improving and saving the earth for themselves and future generations as it has done for me.
In prehistoric times, many people experienced and explained nature as the manifestation of gods expressing various emotions toward man. Today, many explanations for natural phenomena come from modern science, but many of the mysteries remain. Often science discovers an answer to one question, but in doing so, more questions arise. For example, scientists can explain the causes of volcanic eruptions, but they cannot necessarily predict exactly when a particular eruption will occur. In a sense, Earth is a fragile, constantly changing organism made up of a core mantle and an outer thin crust. Yet the changes that occur on the earth when there is an earthquake or volcanic eruption can alter the environment so much that a plant or animal can become endangered or eventually extinct. As far as we know Earth is the only planet in our solar system that sustains life. In the past, when scientific explanations for certain phenomena differed from explanations provided by religion, problems inevitably arose. Scientists began to use the scientific method exclusively as a way to offer proof for their theories. This method requires a prior adherence to no particular principles or ideas that cannot be subjected to rigorous, objective scrutiny. Due to the use of the scientific method, theories that provide answers are more acceptable today; however, they still only provide theories much of the time.
In more modern time, the Industrial Revolution provided many people with a better life.
At the same time it is the cause of some serious environmental problems. For example,
industrial emissions have depleted the Earth and its inhabitants of the protective ozone
layer. Human population growth, urbanization and overuse of the land through agricultural
practices has caused many animals and plants to become endangered. We worry about the
quality and quantity of the drinking water we require for survival as a species. We worry
about the quality of the air we breathe and the effect excessive pollution will have on us
and future generations. We question what effects the misuse of our earth and its resources
will have for all humans. It is important for all of us to recognize that in the short
time that humans have inhabited the earth, in comparison to the length of the geologic
time scale, the magnitude of changes, misuse of resources, and pollution that industry and
technology has put upon our population and planet may have caused irreversible damage.
LESSON PLANS
Day 1-Introduction
Objective: To determine students’ general prior knowledge about New Mexico and geology
To introduce the topic of geology and New Mexico, I will have an exploring exhibit on a table in the front of the room. Items that relate to the topic (i.e. various rock and lava samples, leaves from native trees and shrubs, pictures and/or photographs of land formations, maps of hiking trails, map of New Mexico, etc.) will be scattered on the table.
One student from each group of three or four students will select three items to take back to their group. Each group will discuss these items, identify them and decide how these items are important to New Mexico. One group member will act as scribe and record the answers to the following questions:
1. What is it?
2. Where did it come from?
3. What is its purpose or function?
4. What did it teach you about New Mexico?
Another student from each group will be the reporter for the group. His or her job is reporting the findings to the whole class.
To end this activity, the students will do a ten minute journal writing addressing the topic "One thing I learned today was...".
Day 2-4 Vocabulary
Objective: To introduce, discuss the meanings of and begin learning the vocabulary words in both English and Spanish
The following list of words would be written on two separate blackboards. The English speaking students would begin with that list while the Spanish speaking students would use the Spanish list. Using the Spanish/English glossary provided, the students will define the words and illustrate each word. Because the list includes about one hundred terms, the students would work on twenty-five at a time. This may take longer than three days.
To avoid the "I can't draw" syndrome, before beginning individualized work,
the students will play Pictionary in small groups. This allows students to demonstrate how
to draw ideas and lessen other students’ fears of drawing. In addition, it will
reinforce all of the students' understanding of the words and the definitions.
| absolute dating | datacion absoluta |
| acid | Swede |
| acid rain | lluvia acida |
| alluvial fan | abanico aluvial |
| aquifer | acuífero |
| basaltic | basáltica |
| basin | cuenca |
| big bang theory | teoría de la gran explosión |
| caldera | caldera |
| cave | caverna |
| cementation | cementación |
| Cenozoic Era | Era cenozoica |
| chemical weathering | meteorización qu’mica |
| climate | clima |
| compaction | compactación |
| composite volcano | volcán compuesto |
| conservation | conservación |
| continental drift | deriva continental |
| crater | cráter |
| crust | corteza |
| deforestation | desforestataci—n |
| desert | desierto |
| Earth | la tierra |
| earthquake | terremoto |
| endangered | en peligro de extinci—n |
| epoch | época |
| era | era |
| erosion | erosión |
| extinct | extinto |
| extrusive | extrusiva |
| fault | falla |
| fault-block mountain | montaña de bloques defallas |
| flood plain llanura | alluvial |
| folded mountain | montaña plegada |
| foliated | foliada |
| fossil | fósil |
| fracture | fractura |
| gem | gema |
| geologic time scale | escala del tiempo geológico |
| geology | geolog´ia |
| glacier | glaciar |
| global warming | calentameinto global |
| granitic | granítica |
| greenhouse effect | efecto de invernadero |
| gully erosion | erosión en barrancos |
| hazardous waste | desecho peligroso |
| hydrosphere | hidrosfero |
| inner planet | planeta interior |
| ionosphere | ionosfero |
| igneous rock | roca ígnea |
| index fossil | fósil guía |
| landfill | vertedero |
| lava | lava |
| lithosphere | litosfera |
| magma | magma |
| mantle | manto |
| meander | meandro |
| Mesozoic Era | Era mesozoica |
| metamorphic rock | roca metamórfica |
| mineral | mineral |
| normal fault | falla normal |
| outer core | núcleo externo |
| ozone layer | capa de ozono |
| Paleozoic Era | Era paleozoica |
| Pangaea | Pangaea |
| period | período |
| ph scale | escala de ph |
| plain | llanura |
| plate | placa |
| plate tectonics | tectónica de placas |
| plateau | meseta |
| population | población |
| pollution | contamiación |
| Precambrian time | era precámbrica |
| principle of superposition | principio de sobreposición |
| radiometric dating | datación radiométrica |
| recyclable | reciclable |
| reforestation | reforestación |
| relative dating | datación relativa |
| reverse fault | falla invertida |
| rill erosion | erosión en regueras |
| rock | roca |
| runoff | aqua de desague |
| sanitary landfill | vertedero controlado |
| sediment | sedimento |
| sedimentary rock | roca sedimentaria |
| shield volcano | volcáno de escudo |
| soil | suelo |
| soil profile | perfil del suelo |
| species | especie |
| strike-slip fault | falla transformante |
| transform fault | falla de transformación |
| uncomformities | discodancias |
| upwarped mountain | montaña plegada anticlinal |
| volcanic mountain | montaña volcánica |
| volcanic neck | cuello volcánico |
| volcano | volcán |
| water cycle | ciclo del agua |
| water table | nivel hidrostático o capa freática |
| weathering | meteorización |
Day 5-Letter Writing
Objective: To write a formal business letter requesting information
After reviewing the form for a formal business letter that hangs in the front of the classroom, the students will select an address that is written on the blackboard. Then they will write a letter requesting information on their topic. Letters will be addressed and mailed immediately.
Addresses:
| 1. U. S. Forest Service, SW Region 570 Gold Ave., SW Alb., NM 87102 |
5. AIMS Education Foundation P. O. Box 8120 Fresno, CA 93747 |
| 2. National Audubon Society 613 Riversville Road Greenwich, CT 06831 |
6. Project Wild P. O. Box 18060 Boulder, CO 80308-8060 303-444-2390 |
| 3. N.M. Bureau of Mines & Mineral Res. N.M. Tech 801 Leroy Socorro, N.M. 87801 |
7. Education Resource Sandia National Lab. P.O. Box 5800 Alb., N.M. 87185 |
| 4. Dr. Les McFadden UNM Dept. of Earth & Planetary Sci. Alb., N.M. 87131 |
Day 6-Design Book
Objective: To create a Mountain Shape Book (see Fig. 1) to keep facts, observations and personal thoughts/journaling and teach the parts of a book
Materials will be placed on front table for students to choose from to make a book. They will design a cover and cut blank or lined paper in the shape of the cover. They will make a title page, a dedication page, a table of contents page and leave the rest blank. Example activities for the book may include journaling, note-taking, a story section, drawings, a poetry section, etc.
Day 7-Storywriting
Objective: To write a story utilizing new vocabulary words and concepts learned about New Mexico geology
Students will brainstorm about ideas and words that relate to New Mexico landforms, geologic history and any information received from letter writing activity. Each student is to write an individual story, but they may peer edit and/or critique each other's stories.
Day 8-Vocabulary Review
Objective: To review in several different forms the vocabulary words presented during the first week of the unit
The activity involves three learning stations. In one area the students play Pictionary using the blackboard and a stack of vocabulary words written on index cards. In another area, the students play a "Concentration" memory card game. Materials include index cards with the definitions and words from the dictionary they made. There is a set in English and a set in Spanish. The goal of the game is to turn two cards over at a time and try to match the word and its definition. In the third area, the students participate in the drawing of a class mural. The students use all the definitions and words practiced in the other two areas of the room. When a student gets to this activity, they pick a card that names a vocabulary word. They must find a way to illustrate the word that will incorporate itself into the overall idea of the mural. A variety of art supplies (i.e. pastels, watercolor, crayon, marker, etc.) will be available to the students.
Day 9 (and on)
Lessons that reinforce new vocabulary words and review previously presented words will continue
as the social studies/science teachers finish up their units. This may include poetry
writing, journaling, repeating earlier activities, note-taking and/or reporting on
materials received in response to the letter writing activity.
CULMINATING ACTIVITIES
1. Field Trip to Rio Grande Nature Center
a. tour by rangers
b. scavenger hunt *
*Divide class into 4 or 5 homogeneous groups. On a sheet of tag board, tape six plastic bags labeled with instructions of what students are to look for during the scavenger hunt. Tag board should be titled "Remember to respect the ecosystem." Place tag board instructions on a clipboard for each group. Instruct one student from each group to take a bag and the hunt begins. (See Figure 2 for the instructions at the Nature Center and Figure 3 for the instructions at the Sandia Mountains.)
c. lunch
d. guest speaker to talk about the importance of the bosque, the cottonwood forests, and their ecosystems
2. Field Trip to the Sandia Mountains (Elena Gallegos Open Area)
a. tour by forest ranger
b. scavenger hunt (* in Activity 1)
c. lunch
d. guest speaker to talk about the formation of the mountains over time and the importance of the mountain ecosystems
3. Field Trip to Coronado Monument
a. self-tour of area
b. journaling/sketching period
c. lunch
d. guest speaker to discuss the influence of human inhabitance on the Albuquerque Basin
and its ecosystems
EVALUATION
The social studies and science teachers will create their own tests evaluating the students’ knowledge of vocabulary and concepts presented. As the Language Arts teacher, I created a rubric to score the students’ ability to identify the 8 parts of a book and to score the finished product of the letter writing activity. The general scoring criteria is as follows:
Parts of a book--Using their social studies text, the students will orally identify the title page, author, publisher, dedication page, copyright date, table of contents, glossary and index. Grades will be assigned as 8 of 8 correct=A, 7 of 8 correct=B, 6 of 8 correct=C, 5 of 8 correct=D. Business letter format--I will evaluate the finished letter before mailing for the correct placement of the heading, inside or business address, salutation, body, closing and signature. Grades will be assigned as 6 of 6 correct=A, 5 of 6 correct=B, 4 of 6 correct=D. Envelope--I will evaluate the correct placement of the mailing address and return address on the envelope. If it is correct, the student receives an A.
STUDENT ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Amato, Carol J. The Earth. Smithmark Publishers, Inc. 1992.
This book gives a
background of the study of the Earth with a geology background explaining beginning
theories to the present ecological movements.
Church, Jok. Beakman's World: A Visit to the Hit TV Show. A TV books, Inc.
Production. Kansas City, Missouri. 1993.
This book is a useful
resource for students to find the answers to specific questions. It also gives amazing
facts and has experiments on different science
topics for
students to complete.
Cole, Joanna. The Magic School Bus, Inside the Earth. Scholastic, Inc. New York,
NY. 1987.
This book is a series
that uses Ms. Frizzle's class to teach about the formation of the earth and different
kinds of rocks.
Feather, Jr., Ralph M. and Susan Snyder. Earth Science. Glencoe. New York, NY.
1999.
This is a middle school
earth science text.
Gibbons, Gail. Planet Earth, inside and out. Wm. Morrow and Co., Inc. New York,
NY. 1995.
This book has
illustrations and vocabulary which describes the earth inside and out.
Markle, Sandra. Earth Alive. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. New York, NY.
1991.
This book describes the
constantly changing earth with reasons and the effects of the changes.
Oxlade, Chris and Corinne Stockley. Usborne Science and Experiments: The World of
the Microscope. Usborne Publishing Ltd. Saffron Hill, London. 1989.
This book centers
around the uses of a basic optical microscope. It also has a wonderful glossary that
students could use as a reference. There are activities
and
projects that the students would apply what they have learned.
Sipiera, Paul P. I Can be a Geologist. Childrens Press. Chicago, Illinois. 1986.
This book can be used
for vocabulary definitions with simple illustrations of the vocabulary. It could also be
used to show students that they can have a
career in
geology.
Smith, Bruce and David McKay. Geology for Young Scientists. Franklin Watts. New
York, NY. 1992.
This is a book that shows
projects and experiments that help students understand and explore aspects of the Earth,
its age, plate tectonics, earthquakes, and
hydrogeology.
Spencer, Guy J. Let's Take a Trip: A Living Desert. Troll Associates. Mahwah,
NJ. 1988.
This book describes the
plants and animals found in the Sonoran Desert.
Stille, Darlene R. The Ice Age. Childrens Press, Inc. Canada. 1990.
This book describes
"The Ice Age" and the effects it had on the earth.
Symes, Dr. R. F. rocas y minerales. Toppan Printing Co. Londres. 1992.
This book gives a
description of the earth and its composition in Spanish.
Van Cleave, Janice Pratt. A+ Projects in Earth Science. John Wiley & Sons,
Inc. New York, NY. 1998.
This is a book filled
with sample science projects that students could use to learn more about geology.
World Book International. Nuestromundo en peligro. Scott Fetzer Co. London.
1995.
This is a book written in
Spanish that addresses the earth in danger of extinction because of over population and
other signs of urbanization and its effects on
the environment.
TEACHER ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Enger, Eldon D. and Bradley F. Smith. Environmental Science, A Study of
Interrelationships. Wm. C. Brown Co. Dubuque, IA. 1992.
This book describes the
various ecosystems and how they are interrelated.
Feather, Jr., Ralph M. and Susan Snyder. Earth Science. Glencoe. New York, NY.
1999.
This is a middle school
earth science text.
Merritts, Dorothy. Environmental Geology: An Earth System Science Approach. W.
H. Freeman and Co. New York, NY. 1998.
This book approaches
earth science using human views and studies of the earth.
Mills, George and John Aitken. Scientific Problem Solving. Fearon Teacher Aids.
Edinburgh, Scotland. 1985.
This is a book with
activities using scientific problem solving.
Molles, Jr. Manuel C. Ecology, Concepts and Applications. McGraw-Hill Co.
Boston, Massachusetts. 1999.
This book describes the
interactions between land, water, and earth's populations and the effect the earth has on
an ecological system.
Samples, Bob. Director of Project Wild Materials. Aquatic Project Wild. USA.
1987.
This book is an
interdisciplinary supplementary of environmental and conservation issues with experiments
and projects.
