Category: Lesson Plan

Introduction and Required Materials

So the only materials required for this assignment is an interactive ARC-GIS online website that can be accessed here . The website was shown to me by the lovely Jessica Drake and is apart of the Nat-geo educator resources.

Instructions

• The first step of the lesson will be introducing the class very briefly to the type of plate tectonic boundaries. It is expected that most of the learners will have an understanding of these concepts but a brief review won’t hurt.
• Once complete with the review the class will be instructed to navigate to the Natgeo website to begin with the exercise. Please see the video below for the ARC-GIS online portion of the instructions.

Goal of Lesson

The main goal of this lesson is for students to use the map programming to create their own map with information they are interested about. The layers that can be added to the map are mainly to do with the natural world and Western environmental science so this tool would fit well into a science unit. The goal of this lesson is for the students to create a very very basic map of their own. However, the lesson is only using a fraction of the tools in the program. So if a certain tech savvy student comes along they can really take this assignment and run. Its also very handy that the website is public so It would be possible for students work on this type of assignment at home.

Evaluation

The evaluation of this lesson will be very basic and essentially pass/fail. We want students to find this lesson and topic engaging and interesting so having a decent amount of wiggle room for evaluation is key. As well using new technology can be daunting and frustrating so keeping the stakes low is key for this assignment. Essentially if a student hands in a screenshot of their map with 2 layers added and legend that is a pass. If the student chooses to go beyond that, it is more than welcome. A low floor high ceiling is the motto of evaluation for this lesson.

You, Me, and Tectonic Plates: A Brief Lesson.

By Rob Anthony 

Goal

Learners will understand the basic differentiations between the types of tectonic plate boundaries and the related hazards. Learners will be able to create and export a map with 2 layers of siesmic information shown. 

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to:

• Understand basic plate tectonics at a global scale. 
• Understand the different types of plate tectonics. 
• Be comfortable adding and removing different layers on ARC GIS online. 
• Find out if there have been any recent earthquakes in a chosen location.
  • Understand why or why not earthquakes happen in the chosen area. 
  • Create and export a basic map of said chosen location. 

Prior Knowledge & Learner Profile

The learners are university students and have an understanding of how to read maps, basic earth systems, and are comfortable navigating a new interactive website.

1. Learners will need to be comfortable with using and understanding a browser-based map program. 
2. Learners will need to understand how to interpret a web-based map and interact with multiple different layers of the map, including popups.

Delivery

1. Start with a basic lesson on plate tectonics.
   1. 4 types of plate boundaries 
   2. Hazards associated with the boundaries.
      
2. Together the learners and instructor will navigate to the Natgeo Mapmaker program and explore.
   1. Familizing everyone with the menu and legend. 

3. Instructor will show how to add and toggle different map layers on and off.
   1. Students will explore different map layers based on interest. 

4. Students will add 2 or more map layers to the program to create a map that shows a specific seismic phenomena. 

5. Students can fine tune their map by choosing (or not) to show legend, popups and zoom to a specific area.
   1. Teacher will help students with fine tuning map so that it is neat and legible. 

6. Students will export map as a PDF and post to their blog/website/print to hand in. 

Evaluation

• Learners will show their learning by creating a map of a specific area with 2 or more map layers added to the base map. 
• The map should show a specific phenomena related to the study of earthquakes, volcanic activity or geology.