September 2007 Journal of Geoscience Education
Volume 55, Number 4
A 24 x 24 mm close-up photograph of a thin section of chrysotile or from the Lowell Mine located in north-central Vermont taken in cross-polarized light. Photo by Mickey Gunter.
A Standards-based Curriculum for Clay Science
Audrey C. Rule,
State University of New York at Oswego
Stephen Guggenheim,
University of Illinois at Chicago
A prekindergarten to 12th grade curriculum for clay
science is presented based on the Benchmarks for science
literacy and the National science education standards. These
clay concepts support learning in chemistry, physical
science, and Earth science and are divided into concepts
and activities for early childhood, elementary, middle
school, and high school students. Two studies
addressing facets of the curriculum show the utility of
the proposed clay concepts and suggested lessons. More
work is needed to define specific ideas students may
have about clay in the rock cycle, clay's role in everyday
products, what clay scientists do, and to test the efficacy
of the entire curriculum.
Full Text (Acrobat (PDF) 335kB Oct9 07)
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/sep07.html#v55p257
Developing Preschoolers' Science Vocabulary Through Clay Explorations
Carolyn A. House,
First Step Universal Preschool
The purpose of this study was to determine the
improvement in descriptive vocabulary of preschool
children as a result of lessons that focused on the physical
properties of clay. During a six-lesson art-science unit,
four and five year old children used familiar artificial
clay, unfamiliar modeling clay, mud, and natural potter's
clay to experiment with different techniques and to make
a pinch pot, which they subsequently glazed and had
fired. Throughout the lessons, descriptive vocabulary
was repeatedly modeled and reinforced. Two
pretest-posttest instruments were administered.
Students improved in demonstrating targeted
vocabulary words (e.g. pinch, bend, coil, flat) with a
mean of 50% of the students demonstrating each of the
sixteen words correctly on the pretest compared to 81%
on the posttest. Students were also assessed on
vocabulary used as they verbally described wet and dry
natural clay samples and unglazed and glazed ceramic
pieces. Again, students showed a significant increase in
speaking vocabulary. However, passive and
observational tasks, requiring little or no use of language
and vocabulary, revealed minimal acquisition of
targeted vocabulary.
Full Text (Acrobat (PDF) 303kB Oct9 07)
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/sep07.html#v55p267
Using Trade Books to Teach about Clay Minerals
Sharon Kane,
State University of New York at Oswego
Research shows that content area knowledge and
attitudes toward academic subjects can be enhanced
when teachers use trade books in their classrooms. This
article reports on an analysis of children's books relating
to the topic of clay minerals. Various genres, including
biography, fiction, informational books, how-to books,
and picture books, are represented. The literary works
described represent a wide range in terms of text
difficulty and sophistication of concepts, offering
opportunities for differentiated instruction. Teachers can
teach scientific concepts and facts related to clay through
stories, whether fictional or biographical. They can use
books providing directions for hands-on activities to
involve students in curricular projects with the goal of
increased academic achievement. The text, illustrations,
and photographs in trade books can motivate students to
learn about clay minerals and provide resources for
continued investigation.
Full Text (Acrobat (PDF) 268kB Oct9 07)
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/sep07.html#v55p274
Seventh Grade Students Learn about the Use of Clays in
Everyday Products
Mark E. Dubey,
Clary Middle School, Syracuse City Schools
Audrey C. Ruls,
State University of New York at Oswego
Clay minerals are widespread at the Earth's surface,
compose a large percentage of sedimentary rocks, and
are important components of many common products
including brick and tile, tableware, sanitaryware, paper,
paints, plastics, rubber, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Knowledge of the role of clay industrial products
supports attainment of science knowledge goals in
middle school (Rule and Guggenheim, 2007).
This simple pretest-intervention posttest study presents
effective examples of clay science activities for middle
school students that highlight the multiple uses of clay
minerals in common products and support learning of
other geoscience concepts such as crystal structure and
resulting physical properties of materials. A class of
twenty-one students at an urban middle school in central
New York State participated in the study. Student scores
on the pretest averaged 52% correct compared to 83%
correct on the posttest taken seven weeks later,
indicating the efficacy of the activities in teaching clay
science concepts. A written survey three weeks after
lessons had concluded showed students learned much
about clay properties and clay use in everyday objects
along with enjoying group work and the hands-on
materials with clues.
Full Text (Acrobat (PDF) 554kB Oct9 07)
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/sep07.html#v55p282
Project Based Learning Approach to Shale Diagenesis: A Better
Avenue to the Big Picture
Iris M. Totten,
Kansas State University
Matthew W. Totten, Sr.,
Kansas State University
This article describes an experimental six-month study
that was created to introduce first semester graduate
students to geological research in fine-grained rocks. The
study was conducted within a graduate-level Clastic
Diagenesis course where students examined the
mineralogical and chemical variability in shale samples
that crop out in regions of different thermal maturity
along the Ouachita Mountain Fold Belt. A project-based
instructional (PBL) approach was used with a driving
question of "what happens to shales during burial
diagenesis?" This approach was intended to give students
an opportunity early in their graduate studies to
participate in authentic geologic research. Each sample
was analyzed for the clay-mineralogy using XRD,
whole-rock chemistry using XRF, mineralogy of heavy
separates, character of the silt-sized quartz and feldspar,
and grain size of the non-clay fraction.
Qualitative data analyses from student interview
transcriptions revealed that based on their experience
with the Ouachita project students were able to approach
their own thesis topics, regardless of the subject area
with a more holistic and experienced scientific
perspective. The depth and quality of the research
questions they asked in their own subsequent research
was influenced by their exposure to the clastic diagenesis
problem-based project. Developing competency in the
analyses techniques was not the goal of this project but
rather developing an overarching understanding of the
process used when studying the diagenesis of
fine-grained rocks. Evidence that this was achieved is
demonstrated in the student's final presentation of the
Clastic Diagenesis project at a regional geologic meeting.
Full Text (Acrobat (PDF) 1.3MB Oct10 07)
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/sep07.html#v55p289
Preservice Elementary Teachers' Ideas about Clays
Audrey C. Rule,
State University of New York at Oswego
Clays are important industrial materials used for many
purposes because of their plasticity and other unique
properties. Clay science concepts can be used to
effectively support learning of foundational science
principles in elementary grades. Because preparation to
teach science affects the quality of a teacher's instruction,
this study examined preservice elementary teachers'
ideas about clays before and after lessons on clay science
that incorporated instructional approaches supported by
the literature. These teaching methods included viewing
a slide show of clay mineral structures and scanning
electron photographs of clay minerals, along with
explanations of the origin of clay minerals and their
properties; matching clay products to cards that
described the properties of clays employed by the
products; and playing a game in which participants
identified clay products in different rooms of a house.
Before instruction, most participants were familiar only
with ceramics as clay products, with less than half aware
that clays were naturally occurring materials.
Pre-instructional concepts of the geologic origin of clay
were similar for preservice teachers who "guessed" or
"reasoned" answers compared to those who said they
had learned the information previously. Participants
exhibited significant gains in knowledge of clay
properties for use in various products from pretest to
posttest.
Full Text (Acrobat (PDF) 334kB Oct9 07)
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/sep07.html#v55p310
Preservice Elementary Teachers' Images of Clay Scientists
Audrey C. Rule,
State University of New York at Oswego
Berislava Cavanaugh,
State University of New York at Oswego
Valerie Waloven,
State University of New York at Oswego
The Draw-A-Scientist test, a popular projective test in
use for decades, reveals the drawer's attitudes toward
science. This study examined and compared images of
"scientists" and "clay scientists" drawn by 87 preservice
elementary teachers before and after participating in
instruction about the origin of clay minerals and their
uses in everyday products. Images of "scientists" shifted
from stereotyped white male chemists in lab coats to an
increase in persons of color and females engaged in
outdoor science. "Clay scientist" images shifted from
white males working indoors or outdoors with clay or
ceramics to include more females, more everyday
clothing, and a broader range of clay products. The
effective clay science instruction included
pre-instructional assessment of student ideas, small
group discussions, structuring of activities, hands-on
concrete materials, visuals, and connections to real life.
Full Text (Acrobat (PDF) 223kB Oct9 07)
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/sep07.html#v55p321
Engaging First Grade Students in a Geoscience Campus
Jennifer Saltzman,
Stanford University
Adina Paytan,
Stanford University
We present a geology field trip for first grade students,
which includes four hands-on, age-appropriate activities
on rocks, minerals, soil and fossils. The content of this
program called Geokids adheres to the California
educational standards and fits the physical sciences unit
on sand, silt and clay for first grade. Over 600 students
from eleven schools participate yearly in Geokids which
is taught by university graduate and undergraduate
student volunteers. The feedback from both university
instructors and first grade teachers has been very
positive and we are in the process of expanding our
audience to include schools in lower income areas.
Full Text (Acrobat (PDF) 608kB Oct9 07)
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/sep07.html#v55p326
Departments
Research in Science Education: The Expert-Novice Continuum
Heather L. Petcovic,
Western Michigan University
Julie C. Libarkin,
Michigan State University
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/sep07.html#v55p333