Tours, Educational Inservices, and Classroom Workshops
Author: Joseph Kerski
Geographer
Box 25046 - MS 507
Denver, CO 80225-0046 USA
Tel 303 202 4315
This working
list of classroom exercises, teacher inservice topics, and tours has been
developed by the staff of the US Geological Survey's Rocky Mountain Mapping
Center in Denver, Colorado. The
mission of the US Geological Survey is "Science for a Changing World.”
As part of that mission, the mapping employees provide tours of their
working facility, and have developed classroom exercises suitable and teacher
inservice topics for all grade levels and backgrounds.
These exercises are conducted in the student's school.
The inservices could be conducted at the USGS mapping facility in Denver,
Colorado, or at the teachers’ school. This
document describes these classroom exercises, teacher inservice (workshop) topics, and
tours.
To set up a
tour, educational
inservice, or in-class workshop, or for more information:
Contact: Staff
Cartographer
US Geological Survey
Box 25046 - MS 508
Denver CO 80225-0046 USA
(303)
202-4113
FAX
(303) 202-4020
I.
Tours
http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/public/outreach/tours.html
The USGS
Rocky Mountain Mapping Center, located in building 810 on the Denver Federal
Center, is a facility where 350 professionals use geographic information
systems and image processing packages to create computerized and paper maps
and other representations of the earth's terrain, serve as the distribution
center for over 60 million maps and publications, and serve customers by
distributing map data, aerial photographs, satellite imagery, and a wide
variety of other data used in making decisions about the earth.
These decisions range from choosing a hiking trail, planning for and
mitigating natural disasters, locating a business, to ensuring a safe water
supply for our nation.
Tours are
given for Grade 6 and higher, should be scheduled several months in advance,
and may include some or all of the following areas:
Digital
Collection
Production site where digital mapping and terrain data is collected, verified, and made available to the public on a variety of computer equipment.
Digital
Revision
Production
site where digital mapping data is revised in a monoscopic or stereoscopic
mode from digital aerial photographs, and paper maps are produced from the
digital files.
Earth
Science Information Center
Customer
service area where USGS staffpersons answer questions and assist data users
with aerial photographs, maps, satellite imagery, computer programs, and other
products.
Map Distribution and Storage Facility
Over
50 million maps, books, open files, and other publications are stored under a
single roof in a 17-acre building, representing the largest map storage and
distribution facility in the world.
Spatial Technology Laboratory
Facility
where computerized spatial data and geographic information systems are used for
research projects such as energy exploration, seismic studies, development of
new mapping techniques, and land use change analysis.
Other
facilities within the building for which tours are available:
National
Ice Core Laboratory
The
National Ice Core Laboratory is the only storage and curatorial facility of its
kind in North America. It provides
scientists with the capability to conduct examinations and measurements of ice
cores and it preserves the integrity of these samples in a long-term repository
for present and future scientific investigations. Polar glacier ice from Antarctica and Greenland is an
excellent recorder of climate history, and is the only continuous, direct
recorder of paleoatmospheric composition known.
Work conducted on these cores has provided detailed annual records of
climate and weather variations for the past 250,000 years.
Public concern about global climate change resulting from natural and
human causes can be addressed by analyses of ice cores.
Tours include an explanation of the facility where 30,000 feet of ice
cores are stored.
Rock
Core Research Center
Over
1.4 million linear feet of rock core are stored and held in this world's largest
rock library. Preservation of rock
cores and drill samples represents an enormously valuable resource for the
entire earth sciences community. Up
to 2,000 scientists per year from around the world access the collection per
year. The facility's holdings are
valued at a replacement cost of $10 billion.
Tours of the Core Research Center include a section of the library, the
educational rock room, the thin sample room where 15,000 sections are stored,
and the rock cutting machines.
Tours of the
Center are subject to the availability of the staff, and are generally
restricted to middle school and older students.
Tour groups must go through a secure checkpoint upon entering the Denver
Federal Center. Tour groups must be
accompanied by a USGS employee. Some
sections of the mapping center are not available for tours. Tours require between 1 and 3 hours, depending on the areas
of the mapping center that the tour group wishes to view.
II.
Teacher Inservices
USGS
education outreach staff have been working with the educational community for
many years. USGS resources are used by educators in the following
subjects: environmental studies, geology, biology, hydrology, geography,
history, and mathematics. The following list represents a sample of the
types of inservices that the staff has conducted over the past several years:
The
Use of USGS Resources in Social and Physical Science Education
The
USGS education program provides a means of connecting science and social studies
teachers with the nation's largest scientific agency. This program
includes real-time scientific data on the Internet, sets of teacher lessons on a
variety of science topics, and a wide variety of topographic and thematic maps,
posters, and other publications. Through this hands-on inservice, teachers
will understand the extent of the available resources and how to connect with
the education program. They will work through standards-based educational
lessons and will receive a number of samples of USGS educational materials.
The primary subjects covered will be geography, mathematics, earth science, and
life science, but can be tailored to the needs of the participating school
districts.
The
Implementation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing, and
Global Positioning Systems in Social and Physical Science Education
Coincident
with renewed interest in geographic education are a number of social and
educational trends that encourage the application of GIS technology and methods
to primary and secondary teaching. Constructivism, interdisciplinary
studies, authentic practice and assessment, school-to-work programs, performance
standards, project-based learning, and an emphasis on inquiry-based methods are
encouraging educators to adopt GIS into geography, history, and science
instruction. This inservice introduces the capabilities of the technology,
and how the technology can be used in education, including results from USGS and
other GIS work with middle and high schools.
III.
In-Class Exercises and Presentations
All
USGS presentations are modular in nature and can be expanded, contracted,
simplified, or made more complex depending on the time available for the
presentation, requirements of the teacher, and the education level of the
students. The presentations cover the following subjects:
Career
Planning in the Geosciences
Cartography
Geographic
Information Systems (GIS)
Geography
Geology
Global
Positioning Systems (GPS)
Internet
Tools and Technology
Mineralogy
Paleontology
Photogrammetry
Population
Remote
Sensing of the Environment
All
presentations have a dual emphasis:
1
- hands-on activities.
2
- the relevance of geoscience to solving real-world problems.
The
number of modules included can be varied to make the total length of workshop
anywhere between 45 minutes and 3 hours. The presenter will leave the
teacher with:
1)
USGS sample educational pamphlets, circulars, posters, and maps; for example, on
earthquakes, volcanoes, mapping techniques, collecting rocks, Denver's geologic
setting, gold, minerals, historical maps and photographs, satellite imagery,
geographic information systems, water quality, water resources, energy gases,
natural aggregate, deserts, and “Elevations and Distances in the United
States.”
2) Classroom exercise packets that the teacher can make use of for future
instruction.
|
Name |
Description |
|
Grade |
Time
Required |
|
Aerial Photo Interpretation |
Discussion of the use of
aerial photography in mapmaking; the opportune flight height, film type,
time of year, time of day, and the logistics of flying aerial photography;
students will identify Mile High Stadium, Elitch's, and other landmarks,
and make estimates of time of day and year that photographs were taken. |
photo of aerial camera; set
of Denver area aerial photographs |
2 through college level |
10 to 20 minutes |
|
Aerial Photo Stereo Interpretation |
Discussion on the importance
of stereo imagery to mapping; how stereo imagery is flown; students will
look through stereoscopes at various landscapes and discuss what they see. |
stereo photographs and
stereo images; stereoscopes |
5 through college level |
15 to 20 minutes |
|
Careers In Geosciences |
Discussion of: 1.
what geosciences are: geography,
cartography, oceanography, paleontology, seismology, geology, volcanology,
2.
examples of what geoscientists do each day on the job; 3.
how to prepare in junior high and high school for a career in the
geosciences; what subjects to take: computer
science, other sciences, geography, math, English. 4.
how to prepare in college for a geoscience career; possible majors:
geography, cartography, physics, geology, computer science. 5.
how to find jobs in the geosciences; show job announcements;
discuss strategies and resources. |
pamphlets and other career
information from scientific societies, educational institutions, and
government agencies; examples of geoscience journals, job announcements;
skills needed. |
2 to 7: emphasis on what geoscientists do; 8 to 12: emphasis on preparation for college; college: emphasis on how to find
employment in geosciences |
10 to 30 minutes |
|
Cartographic Data Collection
and Applications |
35mm slide show
demonstration of manual and digital cartography; how cartographic data and
maps are collected, revised, and distributed. |
need a screen at the school |
4 through college level |
15 minutes |
|
Caving |
Exploring Caves Teachers
Packet activities, plus an examination of maps covering karst terrain and
a description of adventures from USGS cavers. |
|
3 through college level |
55 minutes |
|
Creating a topographic map
from set of elevations |
Opportunity for students to
create their own topographic map by drawing contour lines given a set of
elevations; discussion of methods of creating contour lines. |
8.5x11" paper with
elevations |
5 through college level |
15 minutes |
|
Electing The President (Elementary School) |
Big Places and Small Places:
Analyzing the 1992 Presidential election map; staging mock
election. |
|
3 through 5 |
60 minutes |
|
Electing The President (Middle School) |
What Makes a Winner?:
Analyzing the 1992 Presidential election map and discussion of
polls and electoral process; geographic influences on elections. |
|
6 through 8 |
60 minutes |
|
Electing The President (High
School) |
Who Elected The President:
Analyzing historical electoral and popular vote maps from 1796 to
1992. |
|
9 through 11 |
60 minutes |
|
Exploring Maps |
8
Lessons on 4 Themes:
Location: 1)
Tools of The Ancients: Making
instruments and measuring latitude and longitude. 2)
A Place In Time: documenting changing characteristics using maps.
Navigation: 3)
Make a Mercator Projection: Transforming
the globe to a flat sheet. 4)
In The Wake of Lewis and Clark:
following a trail.
Information: 5)
On The Trail of Knowledge: Plotting
data on maps to see spatial relationships. 6)
Maps with a Spin: Making
thematic maps that convey a message.
Exploration: 7)
Mapping the Third Dimension: Making
and using a stereoscope. 8)
The Landscape of a Novel: Mapping
imaginary spaces. |
|
4 through 8 |
1) 130 minutes 2) 2 50-minute class periods 3) 2 50-minute lessons 4) 10 minute segments over 1
month 5) 1 50-minute class 6) 3 50-minute lessons 7) 2 50-minute lessons 8) reading time plus 1
50-minute class |
|
Fly-through of Earth's
Surface |
Laptop computer
demonstration with projector containing an animated fly-through of any
area of interest (area of interest has to be pre-loaded from a digital
elevation model and generated from VistaPro software).
Currently, Golden CO and Eagle River AK exist. |
Need a screen at the school |
All |
3 minutes |
|
Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) |
Laptop computer
demonstration with projector using ArcView (digital line graphs, digital
orthophotographs, digital elevation models, digital raster graphics);
discussion of what geographic information systems are and their
applications in government, sciences, and business.
Applications include analysis of zoning, floodplains, and crime.
Discussion of how GIS changed the USGS in terms of the types of
data it provided (analog vs digital), types of customers (recreational vs
technical), how data is provided (hardware, software, media, work-cell vs
assembly line), political support for programs (contracting, outreach),
and employee changes in the workplace (TQM, task forces, hierarchical). |
need a screen at the school |
3 through college level |
10 to 55 minutes |
|
Global Change |
3
Lessons: 1)
Dendrochronology (tracking time via tree rings). 2)
Where Land, Air, and Water Meet (Change and Cycles). 3)
An Island Home (discussion of the earth as our home) |
|
4 through 6 |
1) 55 minutes 2) 45 minutes 3) 2 or 3 50-minute lessons |
|
Global Positioning Systems
and Coordinate Systems |
Discussion of
latitude-longitude, public land, and UTM coordinate systems.
Demonstration of GPS technology. Students estimate lat-long and
elevation of their school, then use GPS outside of the school building to
record position and elevation via satellite.
Comparison and discussion of differences between GPS reading and
those the students estimated from the maps. |
|
5 through college level |
50-60 minutes |
|
Internet |
On-line, live link to the
Internet with laptop computer and projector; discussion of what the
internet is; uses of the internet with emphasis on geosciences resources;
internet tools (World Wide Web, telnet, file transfer protocol, e-mail). Examples include real-time earthquake data and real-time
stream flow data. |
Need an Internet connection
and a screen at the school |
5 through college level |
20 to 60 minutes |
|
Landforms of the United
States |
Slide show illustrating
landforms, together with topographic maps.
Exercise involves asking students how the landforms evolved, and
how they will look in the future. What
are the human influences on landforms?
How do landforms reflect their physical environment?
How do landforms impact human systems? |
slides and maps |
all |
1 class period |
|
Map Adventures |
7
Lessons on 7 Themes: Poster showing different
views of the same place (a park) with a story about a girl named Nikki who
embarks on a hot air balloon ride. Lessons
include: Lesson 1:
View from the Ground--helps students think about how they view the
world and the perspective with which they are most familiar. Lesson 2:
View from a Higher Point--Provides an opportunity for students to
think about how objects change in appearance depending on the perspective
from which they are viewed. Lesson 3:
View from Overhead--Introduces the concept of maps and helps
students understand the overhead view presented by most maps. Lesson 4:
Symbols and Legends--Helps students become familiar with the
concept of symbols and how to use a legend. Lesson 5:
Learning Directions on a Map--Helps students think about direction
and relative location. Lesson 6:
Map Grids--Helps develop skills that students need to understand
absolute location--where things are on the earth's surface. Lesson 7:
Map Scale--Introduces students to the concept of measuring
distances on a map and measuring the size of objects. |
Aerial poster and lessons;
teacher's guide included |
K through 3 |
6 to 7 50-minute class
periods |
|
Map Comparison |
A discussion and comparison
of different types of maps: hydrologic,
topographic, planimetric, geologic, thematic..., including a discussion of
differences in scales, mapmaking techniques, content, dates, and
projections. |
set of USGS maps and maps
produced by other organizations |
4 through college level |
10 to 30 minutes |
|
Map Mysteries |
A sample of topographic maps
from a variety of areas in the USA, each with a set of mysteries about the
physical or human-built environment.
Examples: What is the feature in Callaway, Nebraska (meteor
crater)? Why is New Orleans
below sea level? Why is there
an ancient river running through Ohio?
Why is the settlement pattern so regular in Grinnell, Iowa?
Why are the streams displaced in California's Carrizo Plain (along
San Andreas Fault)? How and
when did an earthquake form Earthquake Lake, Montana?
What is the climate like in Antelope Peak, Arizona and why are the
slopes so uniform? |
set of USGS topographic maps |
2 through college level |
20-50 minutes, or could be
expanded to several class periods |
|
Mars Fractal Landscape |
Laptop computer
demonstration with projector containing a digital elevation model of Mars
collected by the USGS; capability to interactively move through landscape
based on fractal geometry. |
need a screen at the school |
All |
3 minutes |
|
Overview of Digital Spatial
Data Collection and Applications |
Laptop computer
demonstration with projector containing a Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow
of digital line graphs, digital elevation models, digital orthophotoquads,
and digital raster graphics; with applications of these products in
science and business; discussion of core and framework data and the
evolution of mapping sciences. |
need a screen at the school |
All |
15 minutes to 45 minutes |
|
Population Studies |
The USGS and the Bureau of
Census created a digital street map for the entire USA that can be merged
with demographic data suitable for analyzing neighborhood changes in
ethnicity, age, household type, and other characteristics. |
|
7 through college |
55 minutes |
|
Rocks
and Minerals |
Rocks
and Minerals Geology
of Colorado Plate
Tectonics History
of the Earth |