Essential Question: How is Earth's climate connected to its geological, biological and cultural systems?
Explain
“The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; the wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, they return again. All things are full of labor; man cannot express it.” Ecclesiastesastes 1: 5-8a
I could not express the concepts in this week’s module as eloquently as King Solomon, so I used his quote. The last sentence captures the essence of Module VII.
Our dynamic universe and planet is living. The complexity of cycles, even positive feedback types, to stars creating the elements to the microbial factories is fascinating. All of this makes me want to learn more, and possibly, regret not working in a science field. It is very apparent that things seen and unseen are hard at work producing material that affects earth’s climate.
I learned a lot from this week's module, and added several TD resources to my folders. I didn't know that H and He are the foundational gasses for forming all of the known elements on earth. The video does a super job of showing how this works. I wish I'd found this out earlier in my teaching career. I think it would have helped my students better understand the earth's elements and the periodic table.
Cultural Connections:
It is very difficult to study ancient Athabaskan culture, beyond the 1700’s, because the microorganisms have played their role in the cycling of matter and energy so well. The Athabaskan's used organic material for practically everything: birch for boats, cooking/eating tools, moose and other animals for clothing, wood for housing structures. They traded for some items and used others like claws, teeth, and bones for amulets, etc. But, finding much evidence of their daily life has been difficult because their resources were mainly organic, and thus the artifacts are likewise organic and have decomposed.
There are several Native stories concerning how things came to be or how they will be. One of the most extensive is the story of Maniixaq. It is an Inupiaq, northwest Alaska, story and it is quite long, but worth the read. A great read aloud for older students. This connection is tied to the science on Module VII through the quest for “intelligence”.
Extend
Technology:
“..and a flash of light filled the cosmos…” Evidence for the Big Bang would be a great introduction for students to the Big Bang Theory as well as the periodic table. Modern technology lends validity to science. Technology has advanced theories to where scientist can prove a hypothesis. This is huge in light of what someone like Galileo had to endure just because he did not have the technology to prove his theories.
Creating Inquiry:
The question: How do we know is important. Teachers should not spew scientific "facts" as if the facts are gospel. Students should always be made to question/hypothesize. Teachers and Students also need to consider that as new information is gained, old ideas will be impacted, and the current science "facts" may change. For example, when watching the TD video The Origin of the Elements , students should ask: How do scientist know what elements are being emitted from a super nova? The answer is not in the video. It comes in reading the background essay: "...two elements produce the same colors and line positions along a spectrum. By using instrumentation that reads light signatures from far away — a technique known as spectroscopy — scientists today know with great certainty which elements a planet or a star, or even a star's dispersed remnants, contains." This keeps inquiry alive, and advances thinking – pushing the limits instead of just receiving information verbatim.
Evaluate:
I found the resources in this week's module very useful for myself and my teaching. I will definitely use the videos and the background essays. The explanation of greenhouse gasses and the greenhouse effect on earth's climate were outstanding.
Resources:
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Maniixaq As A Boy listening to
the bird who guided him to
"intelligence".
Maniixaq
Three Colleague
Ernestine Hayes I loved her quote from Module IV when she talks about events that have impacted earth through time. ...and some within a history so distant that it is the earth alone who tells the stories
Tracy R. Pulid
I loved her Module VI comments and resources. I especially appreciated her comments about the freezing and thawing due to the Chinook winds.
Dominic (Nick) Pader
Very good blog about the Arctic haze and the accumulation of "scuz".
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