Kortz and Smay bring their highly successful lecture tutorial approach (Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Geoscience) to easy-to-implement resource for any introductory earth science course. The brief activities here get students actively involved in the practical application of earth science concepts, while helping them navigate common pitfalls and misconceptions. Activities are built around questions that increase in conceptual difficulty as students progress. Easily incorporated in any class setting and size, the tutorials require no technology and no change in the syllabus, and are compatible with any introductory earth science text.
Table of Contents:
Intro to Earth Science
What Do Earth Scientists Do?
Earth’s Rocks
Minerals and Rocks
Rock Categories
The Rock Cycle
Identifying Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rock Mineral Size
Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Depositional Environments
Metamorphic Rocks
The History of Metamorphic Rocks
The Rock Cycle and Plate Tectonics
Earth’s Processes
Earth’s Surface Features
Weathering
Landslides
Flood Curves
Groundwater
Water Table
Groundwater Contamination
Glacier Movement
Glacier Budget
Scientific Hypotheses of Dinosaur Extinction
Density
Earth’s Interior and Plate Tectonics
Tectonic Plates and Boundaries
Seafloor Ages
The Age of the Crust
Divergent Boundary Features
Subduction Features
Movement at Convergent Plate Boundaries
Outer Layers of Earth
The Outer Core
Magma Source Depth
Hot Spots
Earthquake Intensity and Magnitude
Locations of Earthquakes
Tsunami
Volcano Types
The Earth Timeline
Earth’s Ocean
Plate Boundaries in Oceans
Features on the Ocean Floor
Ocean surface circulation
Ocean layers
Longshore Current
Tides
Spring and Neap Tides
Earth’s Atmosphere and Climate
Weather Vs. Climate
Layers of the Atmosphere
Simple Atmosphere Circulation
Prevailing winds
Fronts
Climate Change and Carbon Dioxide
How the Greenhouse Effect Works
The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming
The Greenhouse Effect and the Ozone Hole
Consequences of Global Warming
Alternative Energy Sources
Auroras
Earth in Space
The Universe Timeline
Representing Our view of the Sky
Star Locations
Star Movement
Star Motion and Zenith
The Cause of the Seasons
Lunar Phases
Planetary Positions
Rocky Inner Planets Vs Gaseous Outer Planets
Missions
Relative Sizes in the Universe
Rock Types on Other Planets
Volcanoes on Other Planets
Planet Surface Features
About the Author :
Karen Kortz has been teaching a variety of introductory geoscience classes at the Community College of Rhode Island for ten years and received the 2008 Biggs Award for Excellence in Earth Science Teaching. Karen received her Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island, her M.S. from Brown University, and B.A. from Pomona College, all in geology. Her research interests include geoscience education research, and in particular, students conceptions of rocks and plate tectonics and ways to reduce their misconceptions. Karen has led multiple workshops, both on national and local levels, on student misconceptions and teaching pedagogy.
