Geo- Explorer Curriculum
Week 1- Introduction- Tour of Dynamic Earth, and investigating earth processes, such as
the rock cycle.
Activities include:
 Investigating different sands under a microscope
 Hands- on erosion and weathering activities
 Making edible rocks of all types
 Mineral ID
Project 1 and 2- Processes and Mapping- (Following group meetings 2 and 3)
After 3 separate outings to research several sections of an area, students will have the
opportunity to either topographically map the spaces and draw a story of the processes
that shaped this area, or they can map it with GIS and explore curiosities that differ
between the sections.
Week 2- Mapping and Seismology- Learning about earthquakes, what causes them, and
how they are measured. Also exploring topographic maps and identifying rocks through
grain size, type minerals, and classActivities include
 Kinesthetic seismic wave game
 Triangulation of waves
 Building a seismograph
 Topographic map reading
 Rock ID
Week 3- GIS- Introduction to GIS program.
Activities include
 Introduction
 Usage
 Data Input
 Creating Layers
(This will be more accelerated that the science explorers because it is part of the geoscience curriculum in school)
Projects 3 - Weather- (Following group meeting 4)Through the learning of EdGCM
and weather workshops, students will create models and predict weather changes for the
future.
Week 4 – EdGCM program and Weather- Students will illustrate the effects global
warming through learning the edGCM program and the effects that weather has on our
local environment.
Activities include:
 Introduction to EdGCM program


Global Warming Model
Creating Barometers
Project 4- Earth’s Circumference- (Following group meeting 5) Students at
various sites will measure shadows cast by a meter stick and compare their results first
used by Eratosthenes over 2000 years ago. From this data students will be able to
calculate the circumference of the earth.
Week 5 – Planetarium- Identifying planets in the night sky along with constellations and
how to navigate using star maps.
Activities include:
 Making a model comet
 Hands- on Meteor impact activities
This will also followed by a night meeting with planetarium staff for Sky Watch.
Project 5- Environmental Surveying- In the field, students will test water, soil,
and tree populations and record results in GIS to illustrate their findings. They will
research the results to conclude what factors have affected them.
Intermittent Field Trip OppurtunitiesDr. Gates Field trip with Dr. Gates where they will apply the previous lessons.
Essex County Env. Ctr. - Sift through water and mud to find macro- organisms and test
water quality.
Caves- Tying in the lessons throughout the year, explorers will have a chance to see
erosion, water ph, and geological features in person.
Goodard Space Flight Center- Tour research facilities and explore museum while
learning about moon exploration.
AMNH- Explore human evolution through the Hall of Human Origins. Also, students
will get a close look at dinosaur fossils on display in the Fossil Halls and what goes into
preserving them