Teacher Resources: Make Your Own Discoveries

Scientists use the geology of Earth craters to help them understand what has happened geologically on other planets. The reverse is also true - we can learn a lot about Earth craters by studying them other planets.

The following activities will build on the knowledge gained in the preceding modules and challenge the students to apply what they have learned. 

  • Encourage the students to be creative about how they report their research: write a newspaper article or develop a fact sheet? Develop a PowerPoint or podcast? 
  • The web links included in this module provide a beginning point for research – students should expand their research to other sources as well.
  • This module is intended to be open-ended, with the teacher deciding how to assess the final products.

Suggested Research Format

The final student product may include (but is not limited to):

  1. Statement on focus of research, and why it was chosen.
  2. Who is doing research on the topic? (scientists, universities, etc)
  3. Information/evidence that supports focus of research. How do we know what we know?
  4. Description of technology or work employed by scientists to gather research data.
  5. Images or illustrations related to the focus of the research.
  6. Conclusion: Re-statement of the focus of the research. Is the research on-going? Why or why not? What did the student learn? What new questions did it raise? 

Suggested Topics

The following classroom handouts provide suggested topics for student research:

 

Educational Standards Met

National Science Education

  • Standard A: Science as Inquiry
  • Standard E: Science and Technology
  • Standard G: History and Nature of Science

2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy

  • 1B/M1b Scientific investigations usually involve the collection of relevant data, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of imagination in devising hypotheses and explanations to make sense of the collected data.

National Educational Technology Standards

Standard 4 - Critical thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

  • Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools