Activity Summary

Students consider the sudden release of a tremendous amount of kinetic energy when an extraterrestrial object strikes the Earth. They write about the effects that such a collision might have on the land, atmosphere, water, and living things. Students then read descriptions of the actual effects of impact events and the evidence these leave behind. In small groups, they study satellite images that show possible evidence of impact events. They select one or two of these images to interpret for the class. In their interpretations, they explain how the image does or does not show evidence of an impact event. To demonstrate their understanding of the role of impact events in shaping the Earth, students write a series of guidance questions for a field expedition to determine whether or not a given landform is an impact crater.

Grade Level: 5-8

Time

Two class periods (about 90 minutes) with pre-activity assignment and post-activity learning assessment as either homework or class work

Goals for Student Learning

Students will:

• Describe the effects of extraterrestrial objects upon the Earth's topography, atmosphere, and living organisms
  
• Describe the role of satellite technology in helping scientists to identify evidence of impact events
  
• Describe why and how science is an ongoing process of discovery

 

National Standards

Benchmarks for Science Literacy
4C 6-8 #2. Some changes in the Earth's surface are abrupt (such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions) while other changes happen very slowly (such as uplift and wearing down of mountains). The earth's surface is shaped in part by the motion of water and wind over very long times…

The activity can be linked to teaching this benchmark:
4E 6-8 #2. Most of what goes on in the universe…involves some form of energy being transformed into another. Energy in the form of heat is almost always one of the products of an energy transformation.

National Science Education Standards
Earth and Space Science Standard for Grades 5-8: The earth processes we see today…are similar to those that occurred in the past. Earth history is also influenced by occasional catastrophes, such as the impact of an asteroid or comet.

The activity can be linked to teaching this standard:
Transfer of Energy Standard for Grades 5-8: Energy is a property of many substances and is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and the nature of a chemical. Energy is transferred in many ways.

 

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Thursday, August 14, 2003