Glaciers in the Classroom

I feel that my blogs have been a lot of information, so I wanted to take some time out before I write about case studies to suggest some tasks for students to do in the Classroom.

From experience I have from the classroom and research I been doing, I think that doing little activities half way through the topic is beneficial. It allows students to test their knowledge and highlight any areas there are unsure of before going any further. Also it allows the teacher to indicated any weaknesses in the students subject knowledge.

Task 1:- Discussion

I maybe should have highlighted this at the beginning, however here is just as good.
Before I teach my class anything about Glaciers or even mention the topic name, I think its always important to engage them first and see what they actually already know about a topic.

I would show a general image of a Glacier and ask them what they thought about it? and What they could see in the image? What topic they thought we were covering?

Its just a nice introduction to the topic and students get to share their own prior knowledge.

Task 2:- Match the Pair.

This activity means that students can independently or work as a group to figure out what pictures go with the explanations. For example I would give the students pictures of deposition and erosion features made by Glaciers and also a sheet of a brief summaries of how these features occurred. All the children have to do is match the pair.
It may be very simple and not the most hi-tech activity but I think its a quick task that allows children to step away from writing. Also it allows students to talk to each other about the topic and work as a team to understand the features.

Task 3:- Recap Slide

This slide  is just to recap the important information we should know before we move on. It allows needs to be a list but its to make sure every people understands the topic.


Task 4:- Practical Activities

I have indicated some practical activities that the students could do throughout older posts, however I am going to suggest them again and other options.

Different children learn better in certain ways, I tried to include images in my posts to engage the children who are visual learners. Although I think that Practical lessons/ homework will engage most of the class.

Challenge:- Present to the Class a study of an feature caused by deposition or erosion??

Having an open question like this allows the students imagination to go wild. They could present their work in the following:-

Power point presentations: - I think that these are a generally good tool across the board in all topics and all subjects. Giving the students a chance to be in charge of their own learning. Being able to present their findings in their own and choosing an area that interests them.

Models:- I think its such a great idea to allow students the opportunity to make things. Being able to draw or model a feature would be an interesting way for them to learn. It would make students really responsive to the topic and I think they will really enjoy it when they present their features to the class.