Earth Science Week 2015

Since 1998 the American Geosciences Institute has conducted an Earth Science Week in early October.  Each year the focus is on a different topic in earth systems science.  This year the week runs from October 11-17, though the activities are useful year-round and will be available the 2015-2016 academic year.

The theme of this year’s “week” is  “Visualizing Earth Systems”.  As the website states, “Earth Science Week 2015 focuses on the theme of “Visualizing Earth Systems,” exploring visualization methods ranging from traditional charts, graphs, diagrams, illustrations, and still images to videos, computer-generated animations, and 3D-printed creations. The celebration’s learning resources and activities are engaging young people and others in investigating many ways of visualizing Earth systems.”

The calendar of events, topics and “Did You Know” features, arranged month by month, can be downloaded at http://www.earthsciweek.org/sites/default/files/Calendar/2015-2016%20calendar/AGI_1516Calendar_061015.pdf

Activities are tied to the Next Generation Science Standards and the earlier National Science Education Standards.  A searchable database of classroom activities can be found at http://www.earthsciweek.org/classroom-activities  In addition, a comprehensive grouping of educational activities can be found at http://www.earthsciweek.org/educational-resources  There are resources in citizen science activities and materials written in Spanish as well as English.  It is not too late to order a toolkit on a variety of topics.

When I was still in the adult education classroom, I used these great materials throughout the year.  The language and graphics are age neutral, and the activities are easily adaptable for adult education learners.  There are many suggested activities and resources that include skill development in reading, writing, and numeracy, while learning about relevant science topics.  Have others of you used these materials in teaching and learning?  Please tell us about it!