Beyond Penguins's List: Web Seminar: Antarctic Earth Science

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, focuses on the basic characteristics of rocks and minerals, the types of rocks, the rock cycle, and the specimens found in the polar regions. The issue highlights lessons that allow students to observe rock and mineral specimens, perform classification exercises, and read to develop their content knowledge. This issue's Feature Story, "Reader of the Rocks," focuses on the discipline of geology and provides an opportunity for students to practice determining importance in nonfiction text.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, examines the forces that change the Earth's surface in the polar regions. Content knowledge articles and lesson plans include glaciers, volcanoes, erosion by wind and water, and earthquakes. The issue's Feature Story, "The Heart of Erebus," teachers students about Antarctica's active volcano while the associated templates provide support as they identify facts, ask questions, and make connections with nonfiction text.

This page provides information about an Antarctic Rock Box that teachers can borrow from the United States Polar Rock Repository at Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State University. The box includes rock and mineral samples and fossils (many of which are from Antarctica), hand lenses, scratch plates, an authentic field notebook, geology books, and a teacher's guide.

This article provides an overview of misconceptions that elementary students may have about rocks and minerals, how teachers can use formative assessment to probe for student misconceptions, and suggestions for correct scientific instruction.

This article pairs science and literacy lessons about rocks, minerals, and the rock cycle for grades K-2 and 3-5. Lessons are aligned to national science and literacy standards.

A web-based, interactive site for students to learn about sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. The site includes animations of rock formation, rock specimens (with color pictures and descriptive information), a lesson plan, and collaborative ideas for teachers, including a rock exchange between classrooms.

In this lesson for grades 5-9, students make a model of sedimentary rock layers to understand how rocks form layers and represent ancient environments.

In this lesson, a teacher models the formation of intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks by cooking pancakes on low and high heat.

This unit is an in-depth look at the formation of metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks. The students will use science, language arts, class discussions, activities, and math skills to come to an understanding of how rocks are formed, changed, and used today. This unit uses a variety of approaches to learning, including writing, modeling, experimenting, measuring, and testing. Scroll through the unit to find the activity "Changing Rocks" that was discussed in the presentation.

This nonfiction article is written for use with upper-elementary students (grades 4-5). Students read about Julie Codispoti, assistant curator at the United States Polar Rock Repository, located at Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center. The article provides an overview of Antarctic geology as well as geology as a career. It can also provide practice in determining importance in nonfiction text. Modified versions are available for students in grades K-1 and 2-3. Each grade level is available as a text-only document, illustrated book, or electronic book with audio narration.

This article provides an overview of the reading comprehension strategy, determining importance. It also includes links to templates that teachers can print and use with students as they read "Reader of the Rocks." The templates serve as guided practice in applying this strategy to informational text.

This article provides science content knowledge about erosion by glaciers, wind, and water, earthquakes, and volcanoes.

This article provides content knowledge about rocks, minerals, the rock cycle, and the geologic specimens of the polar regions.

This article pairs science and literacy lessons about erosion, glaciers, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Lessons are aligned to national science and literacy standards.

In this lesson plan, students create and observe a model of a glacier to understand how glaciers form, how they move, and the landforms they create.

This nonfiction article about the effects of glaciers is written for use with upper-elementary students (grades 4-5). Modified versions are available for students in grades K-1 and grades 2-3, or any student needing a simplified version. At each grade level, the article is available in three forms: a text-only document, an illustrated book, and an electronic book with audio narration. This text can be used to teach the reading comprehension strategy of visualizing.

This article provides an overview of the reading comprehension strategy of visualizing. It includes a template that teachers can print and use with students to practice visualizing while reading the informational text "Ice Sculptures."

This nonfiction article is written for use with upper-elementary students (grades 4-5). Students learn about Mt. Erebus, the world’s most southern active volcano. Modified versions are available for students in grades K-1 and grades 2-3, or any student needing a simplified version. Students in grades K-1 are first introduced to volcanoes in general, and then specifically Mt. Erebus. Students in grades 2-3 focus on Mt. Erebus in a simplified manner. Each grade level's text is available in three forms: a text-only document, an illustrated book, and an electronic book with audio narration. The text can be used to provide guided practice in identifying facts, asking questions, making connections, and reflecting.

This article provides an activity called F.A.C.T. It that engages students with informational text by asking them to practice identifying facts, asking questions, making connections, and reflecting. A printable template can be used in conjunction with the informational text "The Heart of Erebus."

This photo gallery allows teachers and students to browse polar images by keyword or by Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears issue. Each image includes credit and use information.