Suzi Shoemaker, Casa Verde High School

This talk will describe an effort to create innovative curriculum materials for the instruction of high school Earth Science. In 1998, I received training in how to teach physics using the Modeling Approach to Physics, and became convinced that this pedagogical approach can be more effective than the traditional use of textbooks, lectures, note-taking, memorization, and laboratories, etc. Generally, a Models Centered Approach to instruction requires that curricula: be activity based; concept rich; and nomenclature poor, with a well-defined concept flow. Over the past two summers I have worked on developing these materials. The products of this effort represent a concept flow using the rock and water cycles as a format, and curriculum materials covering the beginning units: maps, plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanic activity.

These curriculum materials are early in their development, but were piloted this spring at Casa Verde High School in Casa Grande, Arizona. Subsequent efforts will include the three rock types and their formation, as well as the beginnings of the water cycle topics. Questions have been raised about the inclusion of Astronomy and Paleontology, but no conclusion has been reached on how to best include (or not include) these topics.