- By Cassie Mundt
- Around Town
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The Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth announced the launch of a new series of Teacher-Friendly GuidesTM to Earth systems science in recognition of Winter Recess—Ithaca’s celebration of public school teachers and employees. Written for educators as content resources and curriculum supplements, the Teacher-Friendly GuidesTM facilitate inquiry-based education by providing the necessary background to explain scientific topics using familiar organisms and landscapes, from clams to corn and glaciers to gorges.
The Guides engage students in asking real questions about the origin of the world around them:
- Why does this place look the way it does? The Teacher-Friendly GuidesTM to the Earth Science of the United States offer a comprehensive review of local and regional geology, providing the perfect foundation for understanding the physical world in which we live—its past, present, and future. With a newfound understanding of local Earth science, students open the door to inquiry by applying learned scientific concepts and principles to situations in the everyday world around them.
- Why does this organism look the way it does? Nothing in biology can be fully understood without first understanding evolution. Evolution explains not only the features of both fossils and living organisms, but also where and when they lived, and how they contributed to the history of Earth systems. The Teacher-Friendly GuideTM to Evolution Using Bivalves as a Model Organism provides the background to teach evolution using clams, oysters, mussels, and their relatives. These familiar, attractive, and easily available specimens offer fascinating biological and cultural stories. Evolution Using Bivalves was developed in conjunction with the traveling exhibition Science on the Half Shell: How and Why We Study Evolution.
- How do tiny molecules help us unravel the secrets of life? The Teacher-Friendly GuideTM to the Evolution of Maize was developed in conjunction with the traveling exhibition Maize: Mysteries of an Ancient Grain. As one of the best examples of crop domestication and an excellent example of genetic inheritance, teaching with maize crosses many levels—from biology and anthropology to the importance of scientific methods and the impact of women in science.
The Teacher Friendly GuidesTM started with a printed version of the Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Geology of the Northeastern U.S., funded by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. It was published by the Paleontological Research Institution in 2000 and is still available at the Museum of the Earth.
It was followed by an online Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Geology of the Southeastern U.S. The National Science Foundation provided support for teacher professional development focused on the use of the Teacher-Friendly GuidesTM to facilitate inquiry-based teaching and learning.
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