Educator Resources for "Corals Make Endangered List"

For general information about using Science Bulletins in your classroom, refer to the Science Bulletins Educators' Guide.

Exploring In-Depth

Present the topic discussed in the snapshot to the class.  Discuss what students already know about the subject, focusing on the information in the snapshot.

Present the activity students will conduct.  Call on students to offer hypotheses on what their investigation will prove.

For example: For EarthBulletins, present this question to students: Is the Earth a dynamic planet?  That is, are continents, mountains, and oceans fixed or are they constantly changing?  If so, how do we know this? 

After students have discussed the question, call on them to relate what they know about volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.   Ask whether scientists can predict when an earthquake or eruption will occur, and if so, what tools or technologies they use to make their predictions.  Explain that, each week, the EarthBulletin posts a map of the world showing the volcanic and earthquake activity for the week.  Tell students that, as a class, they are going to track and record this activity.  After three months they will analyze their data to determine whether they can draw any definitive conclusions.

Call on students to submit hypotheses about what conclusions they think this data will show.  Briefly discuss the hypotheses and post them on the bulletin board.

Explain that, each week, two students will record data from EarthBulletin on volcanic and earthquake activity. Using red pushpins for volcanic activity and blue pushpins for earthquake activity they will indicate on the map where this activity occurred. On a sheet of paper posted by the map, students will record the date and location of each activity, as well as the severity of each earthquake.

Review data students have gathered, look for patterns.

For example: Continuing with the Earth Bulletins, after a month, have students examine the map. Ask if they can see a pattern or if they can draw any conclusions. Review the hypotheses as a class and eliminate those that are no longer viable.

Choose three pairs or three small groups of students. Assign an Astro, Earth, or Bio snapshot to each group. (Astro snapshots present cool images from space; Earth snapshots document volcano and earthquake activity throughout the world; Bio snapshots provide environmentally related images.)

Instruct students to view the current snapshot, and to prepare a short briefing for presentation to the rest of the class. Discuss with students when each snapshot will be updated and make sure students schedule a time they can use the computer. If computer access is difficult, suggest students use their home computers or the computers available in the school or public library.

Working with their partner or with their group, students should discuss what they learned from the current snapshot and how they plan to present the information to the class.