More Properties

The second lecture/lab of our geology class:  Properties 2, magnetism and conductivity.
We began with a scavenger hunt, looking for materials to test.  The list suggested rocks, but it also included some natural materials, including grass, leaves, twigs, and more.

Lessons learned:  Metals conduct electricity.  Some metals and alloys are attracted to a magnet, but not all. Most other things do not conduct electricity.

Big lesson:  A negative result is as worthwhile as a positive result.

Some highlights in photos:

Selecting some test specimens.

The magnet and specimens

The test site for conductivity:  Switch, C cell, light and clips.  The specimen will complete the circuit. 

Wax does not conduct.

Data collection is neat and organized.

Do leaves conduct?

No!

But aluminum foil does!

 Next session:  Testing rocks and minerals for hardness, streak, etc.  By the time we are done, identifying rocks and minerals will be a simple, practical exercise.

Earth Science and Geology in Photos (part 1)

Trip, Paul and Annika meet the Dep. of Agriculture in Bighorn


Road cut with geological reference marker (note that ubiquitous Red Bed layer in the rock common to this era)



Devil's Tower




Sulfur on the cave ceiling



Cave with molybdenum deposits




Black Hills



A long way from Sagamore Hill



Badlands


Paul hides the "E" in Butte--haha.


Park rangers share fossil digging tips


Petrified sand dunes


Learning about "big" by the Snake River


Another national park full of geology



Getting to know the former locals



Samples on display


The Great Salt Lake


Copper mining


Mining museum



Lava beds in Idaho

Earth Science from the 9th Grade Curriculum

Earth Science, the study of the earth, is a high school introduction to geology. It is usually the first of the sciences taught in high school, though some high school programs omit it all together. While I avoid any traditional geology text books, I believe that plenty of reading, accompanied by excellent field work, can provide any student with enough background to excel in continued study of geology.

Listed below are some living books on geological topics, and some basic books which can act as a spine for the study. A review book, like Barron's Let's Review Earth Science, can provide the student with alternative explanations, exercises, and final exams at a reasonable price.

For field work, you're in luck! You live on the Earth! Finding a place to observe geology, the study of the Earth, should be easy! The tough thing is recognizing geology under a city or suburban landscape. The roadside geology books (see below) are a great way to see what your state has to offer geologically without going to far, if you can be satisfied with the geology that surrounds you. Here on Long Island the only real rocks are glacial erratics (the rocks scraped off the mountains to the north and carried here during the ice age). Sure, I'd love to study volcanism, but post-glacial geology is local, so it has become my specialty. Maybe your area has volcanoes, or a glacier, or caves, or beaches, or petrified forests, or badlands, or impact craters, or geysers...whatever is there, work with it. Each environment has geologically interesting features. Find out more about your region at the US Geological Survey site.

If you are interested in making a collection, make sure you have permission of the land owner. Use a rock hammer to take small samples of larger rocks so your collection fits into your home or garage.

Resources:

Travel if you can!! Use the Roadside Geology series:

Roadside Geology Series:

		Massachusetts
		Maine
		No. and Central California
		Utah
		Idaho
		New Mexico
		Washington
		Arizona
		Baja California (includes biology!)
		Texas
		Colorado
		Alaska
		New York
		Oregon
		South Dakota
		Hawaii
		Wyoming
		Yellowstone
		Vermont and New Hampshire
		Virginia
		Indiana
		Louisiana
		Montana
		Pennsylvania
		Ontario

Read free online booklets from the USGS:

Rock collecting

Gemstones

Gold

The Interior of the Earth

Our Changing Continents

Volcanoes of the United States

Birth of the Mountains

Geology books abound. Here are a few from my bookshelf:

• The Seashell on the Mountain is the story of Bl. Niels Steno. This is a secular account, but the story is good!
• The Practical Geologist is an excellent book for beginners, with all you need to know about rock formation and identification. Ideas, demonstrations, and more!
• The Control of Nature, and Basin and Range (also available via Audible and is perfect for long car rides)
  by John McPhee (McPhee is wonderful, expressing scientific thought in layman's terms)
• Volcanoes in America's National Parks by Barbara and Robert Decker (travel and learn!)
• Earthshaking Science: What we know and What we don't Know about Earthquakes by Susan Hough
• Longitude : The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel
• Exploring the Earth With John Wesley Powell by Michael Elsohn Ross (quick, good biography for young children)
• The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons by John Wesley Powell
• Beneath Our Feet : The Rocks of Planet Earth by R. H. Vernon
• Melting the Earth : The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions by Haraldur Sigurdsson
• After the Ice Age : The Return of Life to Glaciated North America by E. C. Pielou
• The Secret Life of Dust by Hannah Holmes (It's everywhere!)
• Volcano Cowboys by Dick Thompson (brave guys...)
• Earth in Turmoil : Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Their Impact on Humankind by Kerry Sieh

Updated to add:  Doorway of Amethyst from Ye Hedge School.


Get out and make earth science real for your students! Be equipped, too. Prospector's gold pans, rock hammers, field bags (these are great!), goggles and more, available from Amazon.

High School for Two--9th Grade Version

It just dawned on me: I will have two students at home for high school this fall. This has never happened, due to Trip's detour to private high school. Now, freshman Paul will be joining Annika-the-junior. This ought to be fun.

I already posted my literature study for 9th grade; it's the same study I did with Libby 6 years ago.

As for the rest of the subjects, I suppose I'll use good old Jacobs' for Algebra, and of course he'll be heading back to German school one afternoon a week.


Paul, as Capulet


Viola lessons, theory and composition, and orchestra continue.

The rest?

Intensive hands-on earth science with a focus on glacial geology is my usual plan for 9th grade. More on that here.

For social studies, we are planning on American history with an emphasis on the election this fall. The kids will be volunteering for a congressional campaign, and get an insider's view into the process (the older kids already went out to collect signatures to get the candidate on the ballot--go Frank!). We shall see what spring brings. I am hoping for field trips!

Paul was confirmed this year, so we shall probably move onto an intensive bible study.

Did I miss a subject?

9th Grade Literature

9th Gr. Literature

9th grade, first semester:
Before we read any new books for high school, we will study the familiar--fairy tales. As these books are familiar, we need not re-read them all, but we will use them as examples as we study literary criticism. Using several resources, including A Landscape with Dragons, The Natural History of Make-Believe and The Oxford Companion To Fairy Tales (each used carefully and critically), and C. S. Lewis' Of Other Worlds, we examine all our past reading of children's literature with a mature eye. Since we have read many of the selections we will discuss, I have chosen annotated editions (not study guides!!) to enhance our understanding of the stories we will discuss. We will endeavor to answer the following questions:
Who are the great authors? What inspired them?
Where do stories come from?
What is a moral?
What is the difference between a myth, a folktale, and a fairy tale?
What influences a folktale?
What are the unique thematic features of folktales?
Can a folktale "go wrong"?
We will also attempt:
To make a new tale from an old one.
To write an "original" fairy tale.
Other Resources:
Aesop
Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes
Annotated Mother Goose
Cinderella Stories from many traditions (Amazon "listmania" list)
Bulfinch's Myths (includes Greek, Roman and Norse myths)
Annotated Classic Fairy Tales
"The Ethics of Elfland" from Chesterton's Orthodoxy (e-book)
The Rumplestiltskin Problem (six different original re-tellings)
The Magic World (E. Nesbit borrows and excels!)
The Annotated Hobbit (with hints and history)
Books from my Children's Fantasy page
9th grade, second semester:
We will familiarize ourselves with some great fictional tales, both ancient and modern. Using the skills we developed during our analysis of fairy tales, we will discuss these stories and the influence they have had on literary traditions as well as the traditions by which the writings themselves were influenced. Clearly, we will not cover everything ever written, but we will try to cover a diverse selection of tales in the Western Tradition.
The Odyssey (adaptation) or The Odyssey (translation)
Beowulf
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Phantastes
Lewis' Space Trilogy
Till We have Faces
Watership Down
Fahrenheit 451