Scaffolding Content
When in the 7th grade students are introduced to the concepts of how different types of catastrophic events impact ecosystems such as floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes. They are taught the necessary concepts to analyze the effects of weathering, erosion, and deposition on the environment and to model the effects of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed. This is laying the groundwork for 8th grade when they will work on learning how natural events can impact Earth systems. They will also describe the historical development of evidence that supports plate tectonic theory and to relate place tectonics theory to the formation of crustal features.
In high school the students will go on to study how the geosphere continuously changes over a range of time scales involving dynamic and complex interactions among Earth's subsystems. This will include comparing the roles of erosion and deposition through the actions of water, wind, ice, gravity, and igneous activity by lava in constantly reshaping Earth's surface, explaining how plate tectonics accounts for geologic surface processes and features, including folds, faults, sedimentary basin formation, mountain building, and continental accretion and also evaluate the impact of changes in Earth's subsystems on humans such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, flooding, and storm surges and the impact of humans on Earth's subsystems such as population growth, fossil fuel burning, and use of fresh water.
Ideally, by the time the students reach high school they will have had an evolving knowledge base to learn about the more complex topics. Unfortunately, we have a student population that that can come from varying educational backgrounds. For example, the lessons on identifying crustal features in 8th grade also depend on the student understanding how erosion works which then leads up to the high school level where they will learn the impact of humans on Earth's subsystems. The student who has not received the earlier lessons is at a significant disadvantage and will have a greater difficulty understanding and retaining the content.
It has been shown that it takes about 10 years to truly master any field. The students who have had the previous course of study will experience less frustration than the students who have to work harder just to catch up to where their fellow students were at the beginning. This is one reason for using collaborative groups in Project Based Lesson. If one member of the group is behind in an area the rest of the group can be seen as a resource to help bring that student up to speed. Part of the PBL model is that ll members of the group must work on the project, so there is incentive to help bring everyone up to speed on the topic. Add to that a engaging scenario and the student can conceivably catch up to his or her peers.
Part of ascertaining how much review might be needed is the Know/Need to Know that is done at the start of the PBL scenario. The students work a as group to determine the Driving Question and also to determine their "need to knows" and thus determine the direction that their group's efforts will be taking. The end product is not supposed to be all the same, but rather each group has a different facet and so they are teaching the class their topic when they present their end product.
TEKS referenced:
7th grade:
(8) Earth and space. The student knows that natural events and human activity can impact Earth systems. The student is expected to:
(A) predict and describe how different types of catastrophic events impact ecosystems such as floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes;
(B) analyze the effects of weathering, erosion, and deposition on the environment in ecoregions of Texas; and
(C) model the effects of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed.
8th grade:
(9) Earth and space. The student knows that natural events can impact Earth systems. The student is expected to:
(A) describe the historical development of evidence that supports plate tectonic theory;
(B) relate plate tectonics to the formation of crustal features; and
(C) interpret topographic maps and satellite views to identify land and erosional features and predict how these features may be reshaped by weathering.
High school:
(11) Solid Earth. The student knows that the geosphere continuously changes over a range of time scales involving dynamic and complex interactions among Earth's subsystems. The student is expected to:
(A) compare the roles of erosion and deposition through the actions of water, wind, ice, gravity, and igneous activity by lava in constantly reshaping Earth's surface;
(B) explain how plate tectonics accounts for geologic surface processes and features, including folds, faults, sedimentary basin formation, mountain building, and continental accretion;
(C) analyze changes in continental plate configurations such as Pangaea and their impact on the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere through time;
(D) interpret Earth surface features using a variety of methods such as satellite imagery, aerial photography, and topographic and geologic maps using appropriate technologies; and
(E) evaluate the impact of changes in Earth's subsystems on humans such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, flooding, and storm surges and the impact of humans on Earth's subsystems such as population growth, fossil fuel burning, and use of fresh water.
When in the 7th grade students are introduced to the concepts of how different types of catastrophic events impact ecosystems such as floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes. They are taught the necessary concepts to analyze the effects of weathering, erosion, and deposition on the environment and to model the effects of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed. This is laying the groundwork for 8th grade when they will work on learning how natural events can impact Earth systems. They will also describe the historical development of evidence that supports plate tectonic theory and to relate place tectonics theory to the formation of crustal features.
In high school the students will go on to study how the geosphere continuously changes over a range of time scales involving dynamic and complex interactions among Earth's subsystems. This will include comparing the roles of erosion and deposition through the actions of water, wind, ice, gravity, and igneous activity by lava in constantly reshaping Earth's surface, explaining how plate tectonics accounts for geologic surface processes and features, including folds, faults, sedimentary basin formation, mountain building, and continental accretion and also evaluate the impact of changes in Earth's subsystems on humans such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, flooding, and storm surges and the impact of humans on Earth's subsystems such as population growth, fossil fuel burning, and use of fresh water.
Ideally, by the time the students reach high school they will have had an evolving knowledge base to learn about the more complex topics. Unfortunately, we have a student population that that can come from varying educational backgrounds. For example, the lessons on identifying crustal features in 8th grade also depend on the student understanding how erosion works which then leads up to the high school level where they will learn the impact of humans on Earth's subsystems. The student who has not received the earlier lessons is at a significant disadvantage and will have a greater difficulty understanding and retaining the content.
It has been shown that it takes about 10 years to truly master any field. The students who have had the previous course of study will experience less frustration than the students who have to work harder just to catch up to where their fellow students were at the beginning. This is one reason for using collaborative groups in Project Based Lesson. If one member of the group is behind in an area the rest of the group can be seen as a resource to help bring that student up to speed. Part of the PBL model is that ll members of the group must work on the project, so there is incentive to help bring everyone up to speed on the topic. Add to that a engaging scenario and the student can conceivably catch up to his or her peers.
Part of ascertaining how much review might be needed is the Know/Need to Know that is done at the start of the PBL scenario. The students work a as group to determine the Driving Question and also to determine their "need to knows" and thus determine the direction that their group's efforts will be taking. The end product is not supposed to be all the same, but rather each group has a different facet and so they are teaching the class their topic when they present their end product.
TEKS referenced:
7th grade:
(8) Earth and space. The student knows that natural events and human activity can impact Earth systems. The student is expected to:
(A) predict and describe how different types of catastrophic events impact ecosystems such as floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes;
(B) analyze the effects of weathering, erosion, and deposition on the environment in ecoregions of Texas; and
(C) model the effects of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed.
8th grade:
(9) Earth and space. The student knows that natural events can impact Earth systems. The student is expected to:
(A) describe the historical development of evidence that supports plate tectonic theory;
(B) relate plate tectonics to the formation of crustal features; and
(C) interpret topographic maps and satellite views to identify land and erosional features and predict how these features may be reshaped by weathering.
High school:
(11) Solid Earth. The student knows that the geosphere continuously changes over a range of time scales involving dynamic and complex interactions among Earth's subsystems. The student is expected to:
(A) compare the roles of erosion and deposition through the actions of water, wind, ice, gravity, and igneous activity by lava in constantly reshaping Earth's surface;
(B) explain how plate tectonics accounts for geologic surface processes and features, including folds, faults, sedimentary basin formation, mountain building, and continental accretion;
(C) analyze changes in continental plate configurations such as Pangaea and their impact on the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere through time;
(D) interpret Earth surface features using a variety of methods such as satellite imagery, aerial photography, and topographic and geologic maps using appropriate technologies; and
(E) evaluate the impact of changes in Earth's subsystems on humans such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, flooding, and storm surges and the impact of humans on Earth's subsystems such as population growth, fossil fuel burning, and use of fresh water.
