past:
present:
A
solid foundation in science education empowers learners of all ages.
In the beginning, the plan was to develop a unit of study that would allow
us to pursue science as inquiry with the Zavala Young Scientist Class.
Todd and I hoped that by incorporating the theme of "energy"
into our year long curriculum from the beginning, and making all parts
of the project intermingle with the 5th and 6th grade curriculum, we could
delve deeper into the topic.
Todd wove the energy theme into his lesson plans before school started. The kids spent the first part of the year studying electricity and how it is generated, then moved into exploring different forms of energy and how they are generated.
The role of the Nature and Science Center was to support this study with coordinating and providing transportation for field experiences as well as to relate the project to the ANSC exhibits. The title of "Power of the Past" came from the desire to relate the energy theme to the new "Dino Pit" exhibit, which will highlight significant fossil finds in Texas. The connection would be that dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures were living when some of the abundant fossil fuels in Texas were being formed. (We learned that these fossil fuels were actually formed even earlier than the time of most dinosaurs).
Energy
fuels our lives in countless ways.
As our study of energy progressed, activities in the classroom included
lots of research and experimentation about energy. Field trips included
trips to local power plants. Power plants in and around Central Texas
generate energy from 5 of the 6 kinds of energy studied. Only geothermal
energy is not generated in Texas.
The Austin Nature and Science Center contributed to the study of the past through a Minerals, Rocks and Fossils field trip in which students learned about 3 kinds of rocks and how they are formed. As part of this program, students found many marine fossils in a local creek. The field trip to Bamberger Ranch focused on Geology of Central Texas and activities exploring sauropod and theropod dinosaur tracks found on and near the ranch. Students learned that they could infer the leg length, overall size and speed of travel from measuring tracks in a dinosaur trackway.
A
community's energy supply is related to its environment and its people.
The kids have explored energy of the present in some detail. As we continue
our study for the rest of this school year, we will spend more time exploring
dinosaurs and how paleontologists know what they know about these creatures.
We will relate this to the Texas fossils that will be highlighted in the
ANSC "Dino Pit" exhibit. The exhibit will provide casts made
from the real fossils for visitors to discover in a dig site. All of the
real fossils are housed at the Texas Memorial Museum of Science and History
on campus at the University of Texas.
We have learned that fossil fuels are not the remains of dead dinosaurs, but studying what the landscape was like at the time of the dinosaurs and the process of fossilization can give us an understanding of how fossil fuels formed and why they are so abundant in Texas.