Phase I of the Peabody Fellows in Earth Sciences, funded by the National Science Foundation, began in January 2009. The program's focus is to adopt a place-based approach to interpret landforms that result from constructive (e.g. volcanism) and destructive (e.g. erosion) geologic forces, in the state of Connecticut and across the Earth. This exciting professional development program offers middle school teachers the chance to pilot innovative curricula and innovative, hands-on, inquiry-based learning methods that link geology with Connecticut’s science standards. Phase I included three separate institutes during the summer of 2009.
Phase II, which began in August 2010, added a Virtual Field Investigation component based on feedback from teachers about the difficulties of actually getting students out of school and into the field. In addition, phase II increased our geographic reach across Connecticut, with three separate institutes during the summer of 2011 in three different parts of the state.
A curriculum guide and accompanying kit of specimens and materials has been produced that includes information and classroom activities on: Geologic Time; Structural Geology (plate tectonics, faulting/folding, volcanic activity in Connecticut, glaciation, drainage basins); and Current Landforms in Connecticut and illustrative field sites. All are linked to national and Connecticut science standards.
Click here for the Connecticut Geology Guide curriculum and accompanying program materials from Phase I.
Virtual Field Investigations are being developed during fall 2011 and spring 2012 and will be posted to this site when complete.
For more information, please contact Jim Sirch, Project Director firstname.lastname@example.org
Peabody Fellows in Earth Sciences has been supported by the National Science Foundation, through grants from the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO-0807864 and GEO-1034969) to Principal Investigators Jay J. Ague and Jane Pickering.