Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Northeast Front Range Math/Science Partnership

2006 Institutes:

Earth & Space Science

Teachers in all five partner districts are eligible for this institute.

This class addresses basic concepts that are relevant to teaching Earth and space science in Colorado. Our planetary home provides the story that ties the course together into a coherent whole.

The course will:

• Foster development of content knowledge in geology, meteorology and astronomy.
• Model inquiry-based teaching and learning strategies.
• Include classroom activities and discussions, lab and field work.
• Emphasize writing to learn and evaluating evidence to draw scientific conclusions.

Instructors: Sandra Laursen, CU Boulder, and Marsha Barber, Jeffco (retired, marshabarber@mywdo.com)

Location: North Arvada Middle School / Jeffco Schools
July 5-7, 10-13, 17-19, 2006
(Map to the school, PDF)

Follow-up Saturdays:
August 26-27 (overnight field trip), September 9, September 30, October 21, 2006
Locations will include: CU Boulder campus, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Jeffco Schools Mt. Evans Outdoor Lab (specific dates at each location to be announced).

Tentative 2006 syllabus (PDF)

High school teacher Jonna Gentry points out contact between ancient granite and much younger sandstone at Red Rocks Park.

Teachers study granodiorite outcrops in view of the Continental Divide