Course Description
Science is a process of observing and studying things in our world. Many of these observations can’t be explained easily and therefore present problems. Science involves trying to solve these problems. Science is a process that enables us to understand our world.
The focus of this particular science course is Earth’s geology. Geology is defined as the study of the origin, history, and structure, of the solid earth, and the processes that shape it. In order to have a thorough understanding of geological concepts and processes, I believe it is necessary to have a basic understanding of the three other branches of Earth science, which include astronomy, meteorology, and oceanography. Thus, we will spend part of the year studying those areas, but will spend the majority of our time on geology.
This one year course explores the foundations of Geology in the following related topics / fields:
Investigation and Experimentation, Earth’s place in The Universe, Dynamic Earth Processes, Energy in the Earth System, Biogeochemical Cycles, Structure and Composition of Earth’s Atmosphere, and California Geology.
Throughout this course, it is my intention to impress upon young people the delicate interactions of the ocean, the earth’s surface, and climate, and how these interactions reshape our world. Furthermore, as a result of completing this course, students will not only learn about the earth, but intrinsically gain an appreciation of their world and surroundings. To this end, information will be presented to students through lectures, discussions, demonstrations, laboratory activities, group activities, videos, guest speakers, computer/internet sources, and voluntary field trips.