October: Geological Society of America

On Sunday, 10/10/2021, at the Geological Society of America meeting in Portland, OR, Josh Smith and student Kazuyoshi Myles Suzuki presented the preliminary results of a student project aligned to NGSS Performance Expectation 5-PS1-3.

Focused on an interesting science phenomenon related to sand exposed at the Desert of Maine in Freeport, the project is a standards-aligned, student-centered study of a geological material.

This study also represents the first time that the sands exposed at the Desert of Maine have been subjected to a grain-size analysis. So whereas this was a student project, it has yielded actual scientific results.

Citation:
Kazuyoshi Myles Suzuki and Joshua B. Smith*, 2021, Sand or Silt at the Desert of Maine: A Student-Centered Project Aligned to Next Generation Science Standard Performance Expectation 5-PS1-3. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 53(6): doi: 10.1130/abs/2021AM-369932.

October: Geological Society of America

On Sunday, 10/10/2022, at the Geological Society of America meeting Portland, OR, Sharon Cates and Josh Smith presented an overview of PSE’s DIG learning model and its applicability to student-centered explorations of geoscience phenomena.

The DIG model (Discovering, Investigating, and Generating Knowledge) is a student-centered learning cycle based on the three core dimensions and is rooted in the vision outlined in A Framework for K-12 Science Education.

Citation:
Sharon E. Cates* and Joshua B. Smith, 2021, A simplified student-centered lesson model for phenomenon-focused classroom activities aligned to three-dimensional science standards. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 53(6): doi: 10.1130/abs/2021AM-370804.

March: Geological Society of America

On Monday, 3/15/2022, Josh Smith, with Mela Heestand (Desert of Maine) and Deborah Perkins (First Light Wildlife Habitats), presented a description of the Desert of Maine at the GSA Northeastern Section Meeting.

The Desert of Maine is an exposure of glacial-aged sand in Freeport. Long-stabilized by vegetation, parts of the deposit were re-exposed in the mid-late 19th Century through agricultural activity, ultimately resulting in a striking field of migrating sand dunes in the middle of a New England forest.

Citation:
Mela J. Heestand, Joshua B. Smith*, and Deborah E. Perkins, 2021, The Desert of Maine: A Small “Dust Bowl” in Freeport. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 53(1): doi: 10.1130/abs/2021NE-361908.

March: Geological Society of America

On Monday, 3/15/2022, Josh Smith and Sharon Cates presented a paper at the GSA Northeastern Section Meeting. They discussed how dinosaur-aged rocks exposed in the Connecticut Valley of New England can be used as a middle school anchor to help students learn about plate tectonics and volcanism (specifically related to NGSS Performance Expectations MS-ESS2-3 and MS-ESS2-2).

Citation:
Joshua B. Smith* and Sharon E. Cates, 2021, Volcanoes of the Connecticut Valley: A Student-Centered, Phenomenon-Focused Exploration of Extensional Tectonics. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 53(1): doi: 10.1130/abs/2021NE-361794.