TESTA News… Update!

March 2017

Friendly Reminders and News

S P E C I A L that came in after the last P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T:

Tailings…  Fossil Hunt ______ Professional Development Check out the latest information below. Opportunities

Have you renewed your membership? TESTA membership runs from CAST to CAST.

Please renew today if your membership has expired!

Membership form is located at the end of this publication. our membership?

TESTA membership runs Have you renewed your membership?

TESTA membership runs

from CAST to CAST. Please renew today if your membership has expired!

from CAST to CAST. Please renew today if your membership has expired!

Texas Earth Science Teachers Association

Fossil Hunt Saturday – March 18, 2017 Brownwood, Texas

Explore the Pennsylvanian Period with Lexy Bieniek, TESTA President. We will study the formation of sedimentary rocks and use fossils to learn about the Pennsylvanian environment in Texas. Fossils can be collected for the classroom. Experts will also be available to identify those fossils. For collecting - bring zip-lock bags, hand shovels, garden trowels, flat screw drivers, carrying bucket, notecards/book and sharpies. Folding hand carts/wagons are also useful. For yourself – bring snacks, drinks, wet wipes, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, cameras, appropriate clothing and shoes, and anything else you might need. Lunch will be at a local restaurant.

Field Trip Fee - $15.00. Liability waiver must be signed before participation. We will be driving to various sites around Brown County and will be parking along roadsides. Hotel, transportation and snacks/meals on own.

Please register by Wednesday, March 15, 2017. Lexy Bienek - 936-520-3907 or Kathryn Barclay - 281-460-2026. [email protected]

Meeting location and time will be given upon registration.

Hope to see you there!

Houston Geological Society Teacher of the Year – www.hgs.org

This award has been established to honor individuals whose extraordinary efforts or unique contributions are in earth science education. Recipient receives a $500 cash award, wall plaque and will be invited to a HGS Event to receive these items. The HGS Teacher of the Year will be encouraged to apply to the GCAGS and AAPG Teacher of the Year Programs which offer greater cash bonuses ($1500 and $5000 respectfully)

Requirements

All applicants must adhere to the following requirements in order to be considered for the Houston Geological Society Teach of the Year Award:

o Minimum of 3 years full-time U.S. teaching experience at any K-12 level. o Teaching at least one unit per year on natural resources. Natural resources are defined as earth materials used by civilizations past and present such as:

o Organic materials such as petroleum, natural gas, coal and oil shale.

o Inorganic substances found in the Earth such as mineral ores, building stone and aggregate.

o Energy resources from the Earth such as fossil fuels, geothermal energy.

o Teaching should include the scientific study of these resources, their origin, discovery, extraction, and historic and present use. It should also include the preservation of the environment, reclamation, the conservation of resources, and the use of earth science knowledge in decision-making. o The unit will be evaluated on depth and breadth of concepts (resource origin, discovery, processing, usage, and reclamation), creativity of presentation and balanced treatment of information regarding societal need and environmental issues. Please include the length of the unit.

Materials:

You will need four documents to complete this application.

1. Your teaching philosophy and methods of the teaching of natural resources (both content and pedagogy). (1-2 pages)

2. Description of the unit you teach. (1-2 pages)

3. Letter(s) of recommendation from a colleague

4. Letter(s) of recommendation from an administrator.

Submission All Documents must be submitted to the Houston Geological Society by April 1, 2016. This will assure processing and publication of the selected HGS Teacher of the Year in the June Issue of the HGS Bulletin. Documents can be submitted as hardcopy or electronically. Hardcopies should be mailed to the Houston Geological Society, Attn: Awards Committee, 14811 St. Mary’s Lane, Suite 250, Houston, Texas 77079-2916. Electronic documents can be sent to the Award Chairman at [email protected].

Proposed Amendments to the Science TEKS

At the January/February 2017 State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting, the SBOE approved for first reading and filing authorization proposed amendments to the science Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Kindergarten – Grade 8 and certain high school courses. The proposed amendments would streamline the science TEKS with a recommended implementation date of the 2017-2018 school year. The SBOE is scheduled to consider the proposed amendments for second reading and final adoption at its April 2017 meeting.

The official public comment period for the proposed amendments to streamline the science TEKS is now open. Please note that the SBOE has specifically requested feedback regarding the amount of time to provide instruction in the proposed student expectations. Specific feedback related to the time needed to teach individual concepts would be helpful.

To view the proposed amendments and submit public comments, visit http://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/Laws_and_Rules/SBOE_Rules_(TAC)/Proposed_State_Board_of_Edu cation_Rules/.

Proposed amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 112, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Subchapter A, Elementary, Subchapter B, Middle School, and Subchapter C, High School

Public Comment Period: March 3, 2017– April 18, 2017

Earliest Possible Date of Adoption: April 2017 SBOE meeting

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Earth and Space Science for Educators

The Center for Lunar Science and Exploration (CLSE) at the Lunar and Planetary Institute and NASA’s Johnson Space Center is looking for 10 teams of highly motivated high school students and their teachers to participate in a national standards-based, lunar/asteroid research program for the 2016-2017 academic year. CLSE is one of nine members of the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. Supervised by their teacher and advised by a scientist, teams undertake student-led, open-inquiry research projects that engage them in the process of science and support the goals of SSERVI. At the end of the year, four teams compete for a chance to present their research at the NASA Exploration Science Forum held at the NASA Ames Research Center in July 2018. Participation in the ExMASS program is free. Interested teachers should complete the online application no later than 5:00pm Central Time, March 31, 2017. Selected teachers will be notified no later than April 21, 2017.

For more information, please visit ExMASS webpages. For questions, please visit the ExMASS FAQ page or contact Andy Shaner at [email protected].

LPI's Cosmic Exploration Speaker Series This year's presentations feature LPI scientists discussing their research and how their work supports NASA's solar system science and exploration efforts. On Thursday, April 13, Patricia Craig presents Mars: Are We There

Yet? at 7:30 p.m. central time; the presentation will be streamed live.

The Great American Eclipse Presidential Awards for Excellence Preparing for the August 21 Total Solar Eclipse? in Mathematics and Science Teaching NASA has information, videos, and more. Nominate grades 7-12 mathematics and science teachers or submit your own application. Nomination deadline: April 1.

For Your Shopping Pleasure Over Spring Break1

We are back from our 25-day shopping trip at the International Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show where we restocked for our 2017 inventory needs by hunting down the industry leaders for new and exciting treasures. It took 3 trucks to bring back most of what we accumulated, and we can't wait to share it all with you! Many items are one of a kind creation from Mother Nature, so be sure to come early for the best pieces available. There will be special pricing on some of our most popular items like Arkansas Quartz clusters, Rose Quartz and Amethyst tea lights, loose moldavite, and select vendors. Below we have featured some of the new products we found.

We'll see you Saturday morning at 10:00!!

This year Kyanite seemed to be everywhere. We brought back Kyanite blades, barrels of beautiful blue Kyanite in pure white quartz, a new tri colored Kyanite and an eye catching new aqua blue color Kyanite called Paraiba Kyanite. We were able to buy another batch of natural Quartz Lazer wands from the same vendor as last year. We scored a find of clear double-terminated Tibetan crystals that were hand-picked from a 1980 private collection. Shungite is still being incorporated into new styles and configurations for everyone to add in their lives. Lastly, we are excited to have found a new vendor who will be working with us to create new Himalayan Salt lamps, tools and decor for your home, office and altars.

MINERALS

All Types of Rough Minerals Polished Pieces & Quartz Crystals Chakra Tools We bought home several minerals We restocked several specialty types in natural forms including A variety of finished products such of quartz including another lot of Hemimorphite, new colors as Wands, Spheres, Pyramids, Lemurian Seed Qtz, Singing Laser of Kyanite, Eudialyte, Morganite, Hearts, Flips, Polished Stand Ups, wands and Diamantina Laser Wands, Zircon, Purpurite, Dolomite, Ulexite, Angels, Pendulums, Freeforms, great Pink Himalayan Qtz Vogels, new Grape Chalcedony, Dravite, Rain Runes, Palm Stones, Obelisks, Clusters, Sprouting Qtz w/ Phantons, Forest Jasper, Turquoise, Spanish Bowls, Boxes, Slices, Eggs, and Green Prazym Qtz, Elestials, Double Aragonite, Mimetite, Diopside, Skulls have all been restocked. We Terminated Tibetan Qtz, Lithium Boulder Opal, pieces of Dendritic also found a vast assortment of new Qtz, Chrome Qtz, Super 7, Enhydro Psilomelane, Rainbow Moonstone, Reiki and Chakra Tools to assist Qtz and Lighting Struck Lemurian Spectrolite, Stichtite, Auralite, you. As a special treat this year, we Qtz. This time we found Aura Qtz in Conichalcite, Apache Tears, ExLg brought back carved Dragon Skulls Cobalt Blue, Sunset and Opal colors. Green Fluorite in many different minerals. Plus, we We were able to restock our supply Octahedrons, and finally, more Gaia restocked special requested stones of Black Tourmaline in Qtz that Stone from Mt St Helen. including Shungite, Preseli everyone has been requesting. (Stonehinge) Stone, Ocean Jasper, Rhodochrosite, Lepidolite, Rubellite and Green Opal. JEWELRY & WORKING STONES

For The Collectors & Rare Finds Special Sparkles & Popular Demands Energy Pouches Come by to find the elusive Lightning Strike Lemurian Qtz as We expanded our selection of Unusual finds for the collectors pendants, and you must see the new Herkimer jewelry and restocked our include new larger Moldavite pieces and ever unique Thulite and Pink Moldavite jewelry across the to select from and more A-grade Apophyllite jewelry. We also board! We also replenished jewelry Herkimer crystals. Specimen pieces welcome back these harder to find in these ever-popular stones: of beautiful emerald-green Dioptase, stones in various jewelry pieces Moonstone, Labradorite, and Yellow Garnet nodules were including Emerald rings, Tourmaline Tourmalinated Qtz, and Druzy found along with Aquamarine rods, and Sapphire in every color, Qtz. With several new jewelry gemmy Rhodonite, untreated Blue Precious Opal, Sugilite, Larimar, vendors, we will also be offering Topaz, Dumortierite in Qtz and new Lithium Qtz pendants, Pyrite brand new styles of gemstone Tri-color and Paraiba Kyanite pendants and rings, and Banded necklaces! Lastly, we were able to rough. Of special note is the new (Chevron) Amethyst. find more Baltic Amber jewelry as elusive Alexandrite that we have in- well as the in high-demand Baby stock! Teething necklaces! LIFE TOOLS, DECOR & ACCENTS , AMETHYST & CITRINE

Decorating With

Life Enhancement Amethyst & Citrine Home & Office Accents Tools We brought back the two most We purchased several items for We have nature accents for your favorite and powerful energy your altar and life space such as home and office including: crystals, Amethyst and Citrine, in a statues of Bhudda, Ganesh and iridescent copper splashes, Large wide variety of sizes and styles Kwan Yin in multiple sizes and Celestite specimens, new Selenite including Dark Uruguayan Amethyst materials, plus Tingsha, Bell, Dorje shapes and large Quartz top hearts on custom stands, open free and Mala accessories. We've added polished table lamps, natural stone form Amethyst and Citrine new finds such as Lotus Burners, Gem Trees, an array of Himalayan Cathedrals, cut base standups for Quartz and Selenite Grids, hand- Salt lamps and various sizes of Bug desktops, and Lg Qtz top polished carved Sri Yantra's, Boji Pairs, and & Butterfly collages. Some new Lamps. This year we bought extra from Peru authentic Chumi nature office accessories include pieces of the beautiful dark Black Sets. We replenished our Tibetan Coral, stone and wood bowls, USB Amethyst and found a few more bowl selections and added more Salt Lamps, Petrified Wood stand- "baby" Amethyst cathedrals that "Happy Drums" in various sizes. ups and large Megalodon Teeth. can be yours for under $100. KIDS , TEXTILES & MUCH MORE

For Education & Fun Textile Buys Misc. New Buys

We restocked our Educational We expanded our new clothing and New selections for the store include materials including Mineral Kits for textile purchases to include more: Stain Glass Sun Catchers, Natural teachers and collectors as well as Dresses, Men's Shirts, Yoga Pants, Wood Limb Walking Canes, Mineral Packs for school projects Skirts, Blouses and Tops, Sarongs, Titanium cubes, eggs & wands, including Igneous, Metamorphic and Scarves and colorful Tapestries. We small Pyrite concretion nodules and Sedimentary Rocks. MORE fun also brought back those lovely felt finally, back by request, more items for the kids were added purses everyone loves and Dowsing Rods. We restocked our including Fossil Packs, Megalodon restocked our Medicine Pouches in sprays, incense and sage area Shark teeth, Obsidian Arrowheads various Leathers and Bunny adding new Lema Chodpa Tibetan and many fluorescent minerals. Fur. Plus if you feel like frolicking, incense and more Copal options, our Fox Tails are fully restocked as plus a wider selection of feathers to well! choose for hat decorating and altar smudging.

DEPOT DEALS Buys New Supply of By The Pound More Agates Drilled Minerals

We are excited to announce NT is For our creative natural stone More rough materials arrived including: now the sole distributor for the wire wrappers and jewelry makers rough Dugway material, Jet, newly discovered River Crossing the Depot has restocked their Aquamarine, Shungite, Black Moonstone, Condor Agate. To enhance drilled natural stone, cabachon Dendritic Opal, Labradorite, Rose Qtz, our developing Agate and bead supply including Herkimer Diamond material, Mookaite, selection, we purchased Druzys, Metals, Fossils, natural Peridot, and Thulite. New "special" materials including: Kerrusian Qtz points, Aura points, and over materials include Utah Lace Opal, Agate, Bou Hamza Agate, Plume 50 other polished minerals. Plus Kyanite in Qtz, Black Tourmaline in Qtz Agate, Condor Agate from we restocked our Fluorescent and rough Kunzite. We also brought back Argentina, Agua Nueva #1, mineral selection with affordable more break away Choya geodes from Laguna, Madagascar Agates, specimens in eye-popping colors. Mexico, Rock Candy Geodes and Druzy's more Mozambique Agate with with hollow pockets. lavender color plum, Parlelas Seam Agate, Apple Valley Agate and Island Black Moss Agate. We now have more than 60 varieties of Agates in our Depot.

Nature's Treasures, 4103 North Interstate 35, (Between 38 1/2 & Airport), 512-472- 5015, Austin, TX 78722

CAST 2017 – Houston, Texas

We need presenters for the TESTA Strand for CAST 2017- Please contact me if you would like to be a part of the TESTA Strand of workshops or short courses. Past presenters we would love to have you present again and we always welcome new presenters!

Key Dates to Remember:

April 17, 2017 - CAST Proposal Site Closes! Scoring Rubric – 2017 is not up yet - http://www.statweb.org/?page=CAST2016_Scoring

TESTA Share-a-thon –

Saturday morning of CAST always brings the annual Share-a-Thon. This year over 100 attendees blasted through the room in their quest to “grab it, get-it, and go”.

Sharing a great activity, lesson or lab that you do with your students during the Share-a-Thon is a great way to be a part of CAST and be a presenter without doing a full workshop or short course. Remember that being a presenter at the conference is a great way to help out your peers as well as represent your school and district at a state conference. Linda Ruiz McCall, Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, with items for the Share-a-thon attendees.

If you would like to be a part of the TESTA Strand of workshops, short courses or the Share-a- thon, please contact Kathryn as soon as possible to submit your proposal. [email protected]

Teacher of the Year Nominations!

items – Resume and a Letter of Recommendation from a Every year at CAST, we honor our TESTA colleague or administrator, and a brief essay on your Teacher of the Year. Applications are cur- philosophy of teaching. rently being taken to be considered for our 2017 Award. Requirements for Teacher of the Year are as follows: Applications should be submitted electronically to –  Be a member of TESTA [email protected]  Teach earth science units and/or

classes in a Texas public or private Applications are due by August, 2017. school for a minimum of at least 3 years. The selected Teacher of the Year will be recognized during the TESTA luncheon at CAST with an engraved plaque,  Apply by submitting the following $300.00 award check, and complementary tickets to the luncheon.

Earth Day is April 22nd Climate Education Week April 22 – 29, 2017

Earth Day 2017’s Campaign is Environmental & Climate Literacy

Education is the foundation for progress. We need to build a global citizenry fluent in the concepts of climate change and aware of its unprecedented threat to our planet. We need to empower everyone with the knowledge to inspire action in defense of environmental protection. Environmental and climate literacy is the engine not only for creating green voters and advancing environmental and climate laws and policies but also for accelerating green technologies and jobs. This Earth Day, gather with your community for an Environmental & Climate Literacy Teach-In or another project focused on education. We are launching Earth Day and Teach-In toolkits that will lay out the steps for holding a successful event. Go to www.earthday.org for additional resources that you can use in your classrooms.

Earth Science Teacher Leadership Academy (Elementary and Middle School Teachers) Week-long academies, partially funded by ExxonMobil, are held in the summer months in Houston annually. Two academies, one each for K-5 and middle school, provide teachers with inquiry activities, instructional resources, access to research facilities, and leadership development activities.

2017 K-5 and Middle School Earth Science/STEM Teacher Leadership Academy ExxonMobil Exploration and the American Geosciences Institute are pleased to announce that they will be holding the ninth annual national Leadership Academy in Earth science and STEM for elementary school teachers June 25-30, 2017 for elementary teachers and July 16 – 21, 2017 for middle school teachers . The program will be held in Houston, and begins with a reception and dinner on the evening of Sunday and concludes at noon on the last day.

The academy will provide teachers with Earth science content, hands-on activities, resources and real-world science experiences that they can use with their students in the classroom and with their colleagues in professional development settings. The program will be residential in Houston, and all academy-related travel, lodging, and subsistence costs will be covered by a grant from ExxonMobil. We have space for up to 25 participants and encourage teams of three or four to attend from each state or school district (although this is not a requirement).

In the year following the academy, participants are asked to extend the program’s impact by conducting one or more teacher professional development workshop sessions at local, regional, and/or national science education meetings. Preparation for these sessions begins during the academy.

Topics covered during the 40 hours of the workshop will include:  Introducing Earth system science to students;  Teaching Earth science with an emphasis on STEM and Science & Engineering Practices;  Investigations to help students understand the Nine Big Ideas in Earth Science (From the Earth Science Literacy Principles);  Teaching the seven Energy Literacy Principles;  Resources for teaching Earth science (e.g., Earth Science Week Kits, and many others);  The work of geoscientists in the energy industry;  Planning, conducting and evaluating successful Earth science and STEM workshops.

We encourage science supervisors and principals to nominate teachers for the Academy by the priority review date of March 10, 2017.

We are looking for teachers who have the potential to become science professional development leaders in their home school districts. Please send names and e-mail contact information for nominees to Juliet Crowell, Education Pro, American Geosciences Institute, at [email protected]. Please use the subject line “K-5 Teacher Leader Academy Nominee”. A link to the online application form will be sent to each candidate. We will be asking the nominees to send in three items with their completed application form:

1. a current curriculum vitae or resume that includes their contact information, educational preparation, teaching and other work experience and any professional development training they have received and/or experience in conducting workshops; 2. a letter of interest expressing why they would like to attend the academy; 3. a letter of recommendation and commitment from their principal or other school administrator stating why the nominee is seen as a good choice for this program, and that the teacher will be permitted to conduct professional development workshops for their peers within the next year.

More detailed information about travel will be sent to the teachers selected to attend. Please feel free to send questions to Juliet Crowell, Education Programs Manager, [email protected].

EARTH Magazine Now Available on Kindle

The American Geosciences Institute announces its flagship publication, EARTH Magazine, is now available direct from Amazon.com on the Kindle. Now, the latest EARTH issue can be delivered to your Kindle each month automatically, providing yet another way to access EARTH’s timely news and niche content. Visit http://a.co/5yVCeAW to sign up for a free trial from Amazon.

The March 2017 issue of EARTH is now available, featuring our cover story:

Saving Mongolia's Dinosaurs and Inspiring the Next Generation of Paleontologists - Some of the world’s richest fossil locales are in Mongolia: For instance, you can find dinosaur fossils every few steps in the country’s Flaming Cliffs. But many Mongolians have no idea their country has such a treasure trove of dinosaurs because the specimens are often removed and displayed in other countries. One Mongolian paleontologist is working to change this paradigm by introducing children to dinosaur science and rebuilding Mongolia’s fossil collection. Click here to watch a video preview.

The March issue contains numerous stories from around the world. Preview a new documentary about Florida’s aquifers in this month’s edition of Geomedia. Or read how ants may have “invented” agriculture in Fiji more than 3 million years ago. For these stories and more, and to subscribe directly, visit the EARTH website.

Texas Through Time – Lone Star Geology, Landscapes, and Resources

Reviewed by: Kathryn Barclay

The Texas Through Time – Lone Star Geology, Landscapes, and Resources is the most recent publication by the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG). It is a beautiful book written by noted geoscientist Thomas E. Ewing, formally of BEG and owner of Frontera Exploration Consultants. With over 500 full-color photos and illustrations along with its broad explanations of the forces that shaped Texas, this book is destined to become the “bible” for both amateur and professional geologists in Texas. As a middle school science teacher and a member of the Texas Earth Science Teachers Association, I have found the book to be of great benefit as a resource for supplementing my content knowledge for the geology of Texas. I can also see that the book will serve as an excellent textbook for high school and college level courses that focus on the unique aspects of the geological events over time that formed Texas landscapes and natural resources. The book opens with a wonderful chapter on the “Landscapes of Texas” which will urge many readers to start planning the ultimate road trip to take them from the coastal plains to the Llano Country uplift, on through the Edwards Plateau and to the mountains and basins of West Texas and on through the Pecos Valley on our way to the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle. In the “Great Places to View Texas Geology” section in the Appendix, the book highlights different routes that one could take to view the great diversity in geologic features the state has to offer. In the “What is Geology?” and the “Texas in Space and Time” chapter the book does an excellent job of giving a brief overview of basic geologic concepts – igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and the rock cycle, relative and absolute dating, the fossil record and geologic time and tectonic cycles. These sections are not designed to be an in-depth study of the featured concepts since they apply to all geologic functions around the world. Where this book shines in in the later chapters with it’s very in-depth, focused and research-based explanations of Texas’s geologic history. The bulk of this book is focused specifically on the geologic formation of Texas going back to the Precambrian basement and then progresses though time to the last 20,000 years and the arrival of the first humans, the Paleoindians, in Texas. Each section consists of a very detailed description of the geologic forces at work in shaping the geologic and landscape features as well as the fossil history of the areas. What is also very nice is the detailed diagrams, illustrations and photos that accompany each section that allows the reader to visualize the information presented. I especially like that the book frequently has photos that provide a visual support for the diagrams presented in the text and features specific locations in Texas where one could go and see the example highlighted in the book. The last third of the book focuses on how the unique geological features impacted human development and settlement while dictating the uses of the landscape and resources. This section also examines the Earth resources of soils, metals, minerals, petroleum, natural gas and other energy resources and their economic impact for Texas. The book closes with a look at the Earth impacts and hazards that the geology contributes towards natural phenomena such as flooding, erosion, sinkholes, subsidence and earthquakes in our environment. As a middle school teacher, without an extensive geology background, the Glossary is excellent in that the terms are clearly written and easy to understand by a layperson. I also found the diagram of the Major Geologic Events of Texas on the inside back cover to be a nice summary of the events that have impacted Texas’s geological history. At 431 pages, this book is a big and pretty heavy tome to cart around in your car on a road-trip. It makes me wish that there is an electronic version available for that purpose. Overall though, this book will be a nice addition to my resource library and yours as well. This book is available at the BEG website for $35.00 in softback or $49.95 hardback.

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Study of Place: Available Now! An ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Supplemental Curriculum for Grades 5-8

Study of Place is a collection of two, approximately two-week-long environmental science modules for middle-school students. The Teacher Guide and Student Guide are available from the Apple iBook Store.

Antarctic Exploration explores the relationship between the expanse of sea ice and seasonal change, framed by the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 expedition to Antarctica and how, when his ship became icebound and was crushed to pieces, he and his crew survived before being rescued 2 years after their journey began. o Oceans Currents Exploration explores the mysterious Gulf Stream, framed by the story of Benjamin Franklin's quest to explain why English ships carrying mail to the American colonies took two weeks longer to cross the Atlantic than colonial merchant ships going the other way.

When designing the two modules, we did the following: 1. We set learning in the context of specific geographical locations. Places are purposely selected from the global context to help students see their world as an interconnected system. 2. We put a human face on Earth science. Each module begins with a compelling dilemma set in an historical event that illustrates the connection between the physical environment and human activity, e.g., the influence of seasonal changes in sea ice on Shackleton’s early 20th-century expedition to the Antarctic. 3. We gave inquiry a leading role. Students carry out extended investigations that help them understand the historical dilemma. These investigations are carefully designed to introduce students to key Earth science concepts and to give them skills and strategies for working with visual data. 4. We embedded assessment in each module. Each chapter contains an assessment opportunity and scoring rubric. Brief checks for understanding are included as well. We expect these will both enhance learning and inform teaching.

Each chapter consists of a series of activities, including:

 Getting Your Bearings—a short reading on content and its relevance to the related story  Exploring and Discovering—a student learning activity  Looking Closer—a student learning activity that builds upon Exploring and Discovering  Applying What You’ve Learned—an assessment item

The Study of Place eBook set was developed by TERC, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is based on a web- based curriculum of the same name, which was also developed by TERC, Inc. and was funded in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect views of the National Science Foundation.

Check out these great activities and lessons from the Lunar and Planetary Institute. To access go to - http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/step/

Earth and Space Science Classroom Activities and Resources

Free middle school classroom activities and resources to meet Earth and space science standards: plate tectonics, lunar phases, seasons, and more.

STEP a NASA-funded project, assembled Earth and space science classroom activities and resources while working with Houston area educators to provide professional development in Earth and Space Science to thousands of teachers. Each Earth and space science topic includes hands-on activities, some inquiry activities, and powerpoints and additional resources.

Topics:

Weather and Climatic Interactions This topic addresses TEKS 8.10 (a,b,c) and connects strongly to physical concepts of energy transformation, light, absorption, and seasons.

Rock Cycle: Processes of Rock Formation and Erosion This topic covers TEKS 6.10 (B and D) and supports 8.9 (C).

Components of the Solar System An overview of the Solar System and scale activities, definitions and misconceptions, and an introduction to gravity.

Lunar Phases This topic addresses TEKS 8.7 B, regarding demonstrating and predicting the sequence of events in the lunar cycle.

Seasons This topic addresses TEKS 8.7A, regarding modeling and illustrating how the tilted Earth revolves around the Sun causing changes in seasons. Students should understand the scale of the solar system and the Earth’s revolution around the Sun before this topic is addressed.

Tides This topic addresses TEKS 8.7C, relating the position of the Moon and Sun to their effect on ocean tides. Students should understand the cause of lunar phases, and have an introduction to the concept of gravity, before tackling this topic.

Electromagnetism, light-year, spectroscopy, imaging This topic addresses TEKS 8.8 (C and D) with activities to build student understanding of the spectrum, light years, and how we measure distances.

Characteristics of objects in the Solar System Looking at the planets, moons, Sun, comets, and asteroids: discussing with respect to images and spectra.

Cracking Up: Plate Tectonics Explore the relationship between landforms, earthquakes, and plate tectonics, through an examination of the data.

Characteristics of the Universe These resources and activities are geared toward meeting the 8th grade TEKS 8.8 A-E, and build upon the content included in Components of the Solar System and Electromagnetism, Light Year, Spectroscopy.

Nature of Science These resources focus on understanding how science works and what a hypothesis and theory are. Living in the Solar System This topic includes TEKS 7.9 A and B, and connects to and reinforces 6.11 A and C.

Natural Resources and Ecosystems This topic includes TEKS 7.8 A, B, and C — the impacts of natural catastrophes on ecosystems; watersheds; and weathering, erosion, and deposition by Texas ecoregion.

Planning a Workshop This topic included discussions on planning workshops, with a focus on the 1 hour CAST workshops.

Topographic Maps and Satellite Images This topic covers TEKS 8.9 (C), including using and interpreting topographic maps and satellite images.

NASA's Spot the Station When will the International Space Station (ISS) fly over your city? NASA's Spot the Station widget will tell you what day and time the ISS will be visible from your location. Below is information for the Houston, Texas area. You can sign up for e-mail or mobile text alerts and be notified of opportunities to watch the ISS fly overhead!

The National Earth Science Teachers Association will be traveling to Iceland July 6, 2017 to July 14, 2017! The land of fire and ice, Iceland is an Earth scientist's dream, abundant with majestic waterfalls, active volcanoes, expansive lakes, winding rivers, massive glaciers, and vast mountainous and uninhabited terrain. CEU's or graduate credits are available for this 9-day immersive experience sponsored by NESTA. Go to the NESTA website for more information about this great travel opportunity.

Photo – TESTA members on the TESTA Iceland Trip – 2010.

NESTA publications serve the K-12 Earth and Space Science classroom teacher. This journal is available at http://serc.carleton.edu/nesta/publications/index.html

These include:

 a peer-reviewed quarterly journal, The Earth Scientist  monthly E-News that keeps you informed about NESTA and ESTA events, teacher and student opportunities, (e.g. fellowships, grants, contests, awards, and more) along with current issues in Earth Science research.

TESTA is an Affiliate of the National Earth Science Teacher Association

TESTA Grant!

Got a great idea for an Earth Day project or lesson for your students? Need money to implement your idea? Check out the TESTA Grant for up to $500.00 in funding for non- consumable materials that are needed!

To apply for a grant, simply submit a short proposal of your plan and explain how the funds will be used to teach Earth Science based lessons to your students.

Please note: TESTA grant funds are not to be used for field trips, consumables, travel or

TESTA Iceland Trip - 2010 professional development. However, other sources of funding are acceptable for that portion of the activity. Preference will be given to proposals that will have a large student impact over multiple years.

Katy Rock Shop

Thank you to the Katy Rock Shop for your continuous support of the Texas Earth Science

Teachers Association! Every year this business donates approximately $500.00 worth of rocks, gems, and fossils to our annual Rock Raffle at CAST!

They also give a 20 – 30% teacher discount!

Please support the business that supports us!

535 Pin Oak Rd Katy, TX 77494

Regular Hours Tues-Sat:10am-5pm Sun-Mon: CLOSED http://www.katyrockshop.com/

TESTA Leadership -

“If you teach science on Earth, Elected Officers:

President - Alexia Bieniek you are an Earth Science Vice - President - Kathryn Barclay - Fort Bend ISD Secretary - Vacant Teacher!” Treasurer - Lisa Stone - Fort Bend ISD

Appointed Positions:

Membership Chair - Lale Bilir - Fort Bend ISD Rock Raffle Chair - Vernon Dye - Waco ISD Webmaster - Christine Shupla - LPI

Board of Directors:

Gail Gant - St. Johns School - Houston, TX Dr. Linda Knight - Retired - Dallas, TX

Contact Us! [email protected]

The Texas Earth Science Teach- ers Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization, founded in 1984, whose mission is to facilitate and advance excel- lence in Earth and Space Science education. NESTA's purpose is the advancement, stimulation, ex- tension, improvement, and coordi- nation of Earth Science education at all educational levels. TESTA is an organization made up of and governed by classroom teachers, and extends its influence through association with other profession- al societies and organizations. We always welcome new members -

Join TESTA today!