EDG 759 Teaching Regents and Honors Earth Science
Instructor: Len Sharp
Course Description
This course offers a potpourri of activities commonly taught in a regents earth science classroom such as rocks, minerals and fossils, topographic maps, glacial features, plate tectonics, the water cycle, weather and climate(global warming), earth history, asteroid impact, extinctions, landslides, earthquakes and volcanoes. The in class activities and discussions will be supplemented by three field trips: (1) Glacial and Natural History of Tully Valley, (2) Gorges of Ithaca (Tremain SP and Taughannock Falls) plus a fossil/museum visit at the Paleontological Research Institute and Museum of the Earth, and (3) possibly Herkimer Diamonds or an excursion to the north country for Rocks and minerals or Jamesville Quarry. The course will sample activities from a variety of teacher-tested sources such as the Federal Emergency Management Association's (FEMA) Seismic Sleuths (Earthquake activities), the SETI Institute's Voyages Through Time (Evolution of the Universe, solar system and life), GLOBE (students and scientists working together on environmental issues), and Project ASTRO (astronomy). This course is designed to allow new and veteran teacher of earth science to gain insights into what are relevant labs that relate to the national and state earth science standards as well as to observe firsthand some of the classroom activity in the field.
Instructor Information
Len Sharp holds a master’s degree in earth science and education from Syracuse University and is a co-author of Earth Science, Geology, the Environment, and the Universe (Glencoe), a high school text which meets national and New York state teaching standards. Len Sharp recently retired after nearly 40 years from Liverpool High School. Sharp served on the committee that designed the seven standards for math, science and technology currently used in New York state. He was also member of the Earth Science Core and Performance Test writing committees. Sharp was honored with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching, past president of National Earth Science Teachers Association and Science Teachers Association of New York as well as being a past board member of NSTA, FEMA, SETI, Globe, Population Connection and NASA. The Climate Project has trained Sharp as a presenter. He has presented numerous times at local, state, national and international conferences. Sharp also holds a Certificate of Advance Studies in Administration/curriculum from SUNY @ Brockport. |
