VOLUNTEERING FOR A LOCAL EIGHTH GRADE CLASS FIELD TRIP IN NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA: AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE THE AREA’S DYNAMIC GEOLOGY

Organizers of an eighth grade science and history field trip invited geoscience faculty to lead segments of the trip that focused on the area’s dynamic geology. Along with stops at two sites of geologic merit, the two-day-long field trip consisted of visits to sites of local environmental, scientific, and historical significance such as the French Creek Nature Center, Edinboro’s planetarium, and the Erie Maritime Museum.

Walnut Creek in Asbury Woods Nature Center and the shore of Presque Isle State Park – both in Erie, PA – were selected as the geology stops because each site clearly depicts the area’s geologic past and its current dynamic nature. During each day, four groups of ~25 students stopped for an hour-and-a-quarter tutorial on the geology specific to the site. As part of the stop, we designed worksheets for the students to complete while they were at each site. Each worksheet asked students to observe, document, interpret, and speculate on their surroundings. Students inquired. Reese led students along Walnut Creek, and his worksheet focused on topographic map skills, Paleozoic bedrock geology, Pleistocene glacial history, and modern stream dynamics. These topics provided a springboard for discussing geologic time, Appalachian tectonics, and long-term change. Zimmerman was based at the Presque Isle peninsula where he had students observe the ever-changing shoreline of Lake Erie. Students also examined air photos of the peninsula to view how it has changed over a 50+-year duration, especially after the construction of breakwaters offshore. At the end of the trip, worksheets were collected to be evaluated, for plausibility as well as for level of student participation.

This field trip provided ~200 Parker Middle School students with an educational experience that could not be achieved in their earth sciences classroom. It also provided Edinboro geoscience faculty the opportunity to showcase the dynamic nature of the geologic processes that shaped and continue to modify the area. Though the sites selected for this field trip were specific to northwestern Pennsylvania, schools anywhere can and are encouraged to join forces with nearby academic institutions, museums, nature centers, and parks to design interesting, informative, and activity based field trips that take advantage of the local surroundings.