CHAPTER 5: EXTENDING INQUIRY WITH GEOTECHNOLOGIES IN THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM

What does the research say?

Geotechnologies are justified using one of the three explanations Support for spatial thinking Support for workforce preparation Support for extending scientific inquiry Recent National Academies Press publication, Learning to Thinking Spatially: GIS as a Support System in the K-12 Curriculum argues for the inclusion of spatial reasoning across the K-12 curriculum Spatial thinking is integral to everyday life and too often neglected in the curriculum (NRC 2006) Improving spatial thinking is a primary reason schools should consider integrating GIS as a primary tool across K-12 curriculum The Department of Labor has cited the geotechnical industry as one of the three fastest-growing technology industries in America this decade. The first listed priority for the geotechnical industry by the DOL is expanding the pipeline of youth entering the geospatial technology industry High school science instructors using geotechnologies will be supporting and extending classroom inquiries When geotechnologies are used as an instructional support in inquiry or problem-based learning, researchers have typically found improvements in both student attitude toward science and their ability to conduct scientific investigations (Kerski 2000; Olsen 2000) Improvements in student achievement can be seen in the accuracy of data analysis and the development of research conclusions within classroom scientific inquiry (Baker 2002; Crabb 2001) Without prior instruction in map-based data manipulation and representation, the effects of geotechnologies appear to be dramatically reduced (Doering 2002) GIS can aid in identifying expert learner traits in problem-solving and navigational strategies (Wigglesworth 2000) Incorporating GIS into a curriculum has shown mixed research results for improving recall of content knowledge (Kerski 2000)

Guidelines for Best Practice:

1) Prepare students to use maps and spatial analysis tools effectively a. Prepare to explicitly teach map reading and analysis activities prior to expecting students to use map-based analyses as a part of an inquiry b. Hang laminated maps on the classroom walls c. Have students find their home, school and popular hangout on a map or image of their hometown

2) Plan for phased-in instructional approach when using GIS to support inquiry a) Using a GIS in a classroom requires planning and a patient, stepwise approach to successful integration b) Presentation i. You or your students show maps from a science textbook or website to an audience ii. Audience does not interact with the map c) Exploration i. Students fool around with GIS software and data ii. Turn data layers on/off iii. Ex. Students may use a geographic data explorer to see in what watershed their school lies as a precursor to water quality study d) Analysis i. Data layers are compared and contrasted against one another e) Synthesis i. Creating new data layers and/or recombining existing data layers into new patterns ii. Students take knowledge previously learned about science and GIS use and apply the knowledge to a new, unknown situation f) Visualization i. Process of searching for new patterns within the data layers and includes the manipulation of the way map data are represented 3) Guide students through inquiries that are local in focus and bring in collaborations a) Inquiry investigations that have a deep roots in students communities elevate motivation through a sense of ownership in the problem and solution 4) Scale the technology with your personal comfort level and the schools technical capacity a) Step 1: Creating maps with desktop GIS or mapmaking website is a good first step b) Step 2: Moving students into internet-based mapping is often the next step in the technical progression c) Step 3: Downloading and installing a few GIS data viewer to school computers (Ex. Google Earth) d) Step 4: Purchasing and installing a full-fledged GIS

Did Humans Evolve?

Answer the following questions before completing the activity: (Engage) 1) What do the characteristics of the picture of a baby chimpanzee above have in common with a human?

(Explore) 2) What kind of information can fossils give to scientists?

3) Do you think humans have migrated over time? Why?

4) Do you think its possible for fossils to give evidence for human evolution? Why?

(Explain) At the heart of evolutionary theory is the basic idea that life has existed for billions of years and has changed over time. Overwhelming evidence supports this theory. Fossil evidence The fossil record provides snapshots of the past that, when assembled, illustrate a panorama of evolutionary change over the past four billion years. The picture may be smudged in places and may have bits missing, but fossil evidence clearly shows that life is old and has changed over time. Early fossil discoveries In the 17th century, Nicholas Steno shook the world of science, noting the similarity between shark teeth and the rocks commonly known as "tongue stones." This was our first understanding that fossils were a record of past life. Two centuries later, Mary Ann Mantell picked up a tooth, which her husband Gideon thought to be of a large iguana, but it turned out to be the tooth of a dinosaur, Iguanodon. This discovery sent the powerful message that many fossils represented Nicholas Steno's anatomical drawing of an extant forms of life that are no longer with us today. shark (left) and a fossil shark tooth (right). Steno
made the leap and declared that the fossil teeth indeed came from the mouths of once-living sharks.

Today we will look at a library of fossils that have been documented as being common ancestors of humans.

Where are human ancestors located and how has this changed over time?
This question is what scientists are digging to find out!
From skeletons to teeth, early human fossils have been found of more than 6,000 individuals . With the rapid pace of new discoveries every year, this impressive sample means that even though some early human species are only represented by one or a few fossils, others are represented by thousands of fossils. In todays activity, you will record fossil data from the following website http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/fossils which has already been opened up for you. The goal of this activity is to gather information about ancient fossils that have been discovered by scientists and to plot their locations found on Google Earth so we can observe the path humans and our ancestors have taken overtime. There are many ancestors of humans (homo sapiens) but we will only examine a few. When all data is collected, the points will be plotted and we will watch the tour on Google earth as a class and we will see if we can make any observations.

Homo sapiens Homo neanderthalensis Homo erectus Homo habilis

1) When you open up the website, a collection of fossils will appear. You will need to change the SPECIES to the species you were assigned. 2) There will be 2-3 pages of fossils depending on which you have been given. Copy down the following data on the table below a. Name of Fossil b. Where fossil was Discovered c. Age of Fossil NOTE: It is important that you write down the AGE of the fossil, not the date the fossil was found as this plays an important role in the TOUR we will be building. 3) Try to get information on 7-9 fossils copied down. When finished, number the fossils from oldest to youngest.

Species: ________________________________________
Number from Oldest to Youngest

Name of Fossil

City, Country Discovered

Age of Fossil

When you have gathered enough information, report the data to your teacher and they will enter the information into Google earth.

Concept Question:

(Explain) 1) Answer the research question include detailed analysis.

(Elaborate) 2) Would you be able to estimate where the evolution of human possibly began?

3) Thousands of years from now, where do you think homo sapien fossils (todays humans) will be found? Why?