1 Geoscience Education and the History of Geology
Thursday, 23 March 2006
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
STANDARDS FOR GEORGIA'S NEW HIGH SCHOOL EARTH SYSTEMS COURSE
Paper number: 1-3
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:25 AM – 8:45 AM
Authors
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Julie BartleyGustavus Adolphus College Geology Department, Saint Peter, MN
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Rebecca DodgeState Univ of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA
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Paul VincentValdosta State University, Valdosta, GA
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Terrie KielbornCarroll County Schools, Villa Rica, GA
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Gail MarshallCollege of Education, University of West Georgia, Villa Rica, GA
Abstract
Draft performance standards for a new Georgia high school Earth Systems course have been posted for public comment at http://www.georgiastandards.org/science.asp.
The six content standards cover:
- Composition and formation of Earth systems
- Plate tectonic influences on geologic features, materials, and hazards
- The actions of water, wind, and gravity to create landforms and landscapes
- The use of rock relationships and fossils to reconstruct the Earth's past
- The interaction of insolation and Earth systems to produce weather and climate
- The ways in which life responds to and shapes Earth systems
The standards have been correlated to the National Science Education Standards and to Benchmarks for Science Literacy.
Part of the rationale for the high school course is the recent move of Middle School Earth Science in Georgia from eighth to sixth grade. After the standards and their subordinate elements are presented, time will be allowed for discussing strategies to interest local school systems in offering the high school course.