INFUSION OF INTEGRATED EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE ACTIVITIES INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULA: A SELECTION OF THE BEST PRACTICES FROM THE IMEGS PROGRAM

Institutes for Middle Grade Science Education (IMEGS) is a three-year Math & Science Partnership funded partnership with eleven West Tennessee LEA's providing instruction in Earth and Planetary, Life, and Physical sciences, along with corresponding on-line courses in classroom application. Two-week intensive Earth and Planetary institutes were run during the summers of 2005 and 2006, with additional meetings and instruction using Blackboard technology throughout the fall semester. Standards-based activities in astronomy included: (1) “Night Observations” using planispheres to identify constellations and telescopes to look at various celestial objects, (2) “Sextants and Sundials” using those instruments to observed the motion of celestial objects and how they mark time (3) “2-d Solar System” model that illustrates the layout of solar systems objects to scale (4) “Astronomy on Computers” using Starry Night Middle School to illustrate astronomical phenomena not easily observed directly (5) “Astrophotography” activities to understand how photographs of astronomical objects are made. Geologic activities included (1) “Exploring Coon Creek” walkabout of the type locality to formulate basic questions of physical geology, (2) “Rocks of Ages” activities in identifying sedimentary sediments and rocks, (3) “Two TenneSeas” activity on reconstructing a Devonian carbonate marine environment with a Cretaceous clastic marine environment in the same area, (4) “Tennessee State Fossil” activities focused on fossil anatomy and paleoecology, (5) “Geohistorical Timeline” construction of two 30foot long summary time lines of Earth's physical and biological history, (6) “PSI-PaleoScene Investigations” – CSI style reconstruction of a fossil assemblage based upon clues preserved, (7) “Impact-cratering on Earth” highlighting the connections between geology, paleontology, and astronomy. Many of the activities have been translated into middle school activities by the participating IMEGS teachers.