STORY MAPS BRING FIELD TRIPS TO LIFE: DUTCHESS COUNTY, NY COLD CASE TO INSPIRE THE YOUNG GEOLOGIST

ArcGIS story maps can bring field trips to life for students in grades 5 through 8. Students become “geology detectives” working a 4.56 billion year old “cold case.” Equipped with an interactive field trip guide, the class examines evidence and clues that focus, in this case, on how the rocks and landscape of Dutchess County, New York were affected by the Taconic Orogeny. Through the use of this guide and a handlens students will learn about the geology around them. The trip can be traveled with one or multiple stops in a day. Students will read and see descriptions of various rocks types with pictures and a text description. The story map narrative has the reader, the student, asking the questions and getting in text helpful hints.

The GIS-based narrative is tailored to the geology of local parks, in this case nearby, user-friendly county and state parks with safe, well-maintained trails and parking. This is a tool that can be used by a whole class or by an individual student. It can be applied in a classroom setting for those unable to head out to the sites, or as a teaching aid for students before they head to the sites or to learn more about geology in other parts of the world. The goals are to promote interest in science by making geologic concepts accessible and fun, and to encourage learning outside the classroom.