Click here for the one page information sheet that I hand out on the first day of class.
See the Lab Schedule for information about the lab topics and quizzes.
Exploration of the solid Earth, its atmosphere and oceans, and the Earth's place in the solar system. Geology 8T is part of the Liberal Studies elementary subject matter program for students who are preparing to be K-8 teachers in California. This class explores the natural science portion of the curriculum through classroom-ready activities that emphasize investigation. You should come out of this class with a sound knowledge of general Earth Science, the processes of science, and ideas and materials to use in your own classroom settings. Laboratory three hours. Prerequisite: GEOL 8; may be taken concurrently.
The class is taught through hands-on activities. The course material is designed to be learned in class, therefore it is essential that you attend all classes. Many of the activities you will do are appropriate for children in K-8 classrooms, however, we will tackle them at a higher intellectual level. The only text for this class is the Geology 8T lab manual, available in the bookstore. You must bring it to class each week. Additional information about each lab topic is available through links on the Lab Information Page (click on the topic) to supplement what is included in your manual.
I will be using SacCt so that you can keep tabs on your grades and also for announcements. You can log in to SacCT at https://sacct.csus.edu/. You will need your saclink account and password in order to log in. If you are new to SacCt, then you can get information about it at this link: http://www.csus.edu/sacct/.
Grading will be broken down as follows:
Collected lab work may include any of the following:
What is collected will vary depending on the lab activities we do, however work for each lab period will be equally weighted.
All worksheets should be turned in prior to leaving lab.You may discuss your thinking about the worksheets with each other but your answers should be written individually –> identical answers constitute plagiarism and all involved will receive a zero for that question.
I will grade and return all worksheets the following lab period.
Late worksheets must be turned in no later than the BEGINNING of the following lab period.
IF YOU MISS CLASS YOU STILL HAVE TO TURN IN THE WORKSHEETS COLLECTED DURING THAT LAB PERIOD- plan to do that by the following Tuesday for the least impact on your grade. Information about each week's topic is linked through the Lab Information Page. I also post the worksheets that I ended up collecting at the end of lab on the Lab Information Page.
Some graded worksheets may be rewritten once for a higher grade, but only if they were originally handed in on time (during lab or by Tuesday after lab). You need only rewrite those parts on which you lost points (not the whole worksheet). When you do your rewrites please take into account any comments that I may have made on your original assignment. Hand in your original graded work with your rewrite. Rewrites are due one week after the graded assignments were returned and will NOT be accepted later than that.
There will be a short quiz at the beginning of class almost every week, starting in week 3. Detailed information about each quiz will be posted through quiz links on the Lab Information Page one week prior to the quiz date. If you miss a quiz you must contact me (bjmunn@csus.edu) to arrange to take the quiz BEFORE the next class period, otherwise you will receive a zero for that quiz.
Many hands-on activities have been developed for this class. It is essential that you participate in each activity in order to experience first hand the Earth Science learning outcomes of this course. You will receive credit for each activity that you complete in class (this will comprise your 10% activity participation grade). I will give you one "sick day" by dropping your one lab period's worth of participation scores - however, YOU MUST STILL DO THE COLLECTED WORKSHEETS AND QUIZ FOR EVERY LAB PERIOD, WHETHER YOU WERE IN CLASS, OR NOT.
It is impossible to make up a lab unless you arrange to attend a different lab during that same week. If you miss class, check to see what worksheets were collected (posted on the Lab Information Page) and turn those in to me before the beginning of the next class period (best to slip it under my door by 3 pm the following Tuesday, Placer Hall 1018). See the late work information above. In order to do the worksheets well, be sure to read about the activities in your lab manual, review the information posted for each topic on the Lab Information Page, speak to a classmate, and e-mail me if you have specific questions (bjmunn@csus.edu). If a quiz was taken during the lab that you missed, you will have to make that up before the next class session (contact me right away to arrange a time sometime before the next class meeting).
If you have a disability and require accommodations, you need to provide disability documentation to Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD). For more information please visit the Services to Students with Disabilities web site. They are located in Lassen Hall 1008 and can be contacted by phone at (916) 278-6955 (Voice), (916) 278-7239 (TDD only) or via email at sswd@csus.edu.
Please discuss your accommodation needs with me after class or during my office hours early in the semester.
I expect respect to be shown both to me and to your classmates. I encourage you to actively confer with other students because you can learn a lot from each other (both by explaining something and by having something explained to you). HOWEVER, I expect all work that you turn in to me to be WRITTEN IN YOUR OWN WORDS, copying directly from one another is a form of plagiarism.
Cell phones and other electronic devices should be stowed away during lab. I will not hesitate to put your phone or device into temporary storage for the duration of the lab period if you cannot resist the allure of electronics during class time.
It is essential that you do your own work in this course. You will work collaboratively with other students during class, however, all of your assignments must be your own work. As a teacher, it is critical that you develop a strong sense of academic ethics that you can pass on to your students. All instances of academic dishonesty will be dealt with harshly, with consequences that range from a grade of F, to referral to the Office of Student Affairs for disciplinary action.