Project 2 - Book of Time
(Due, Friday, March 12)

Throughout the quarter we have been using books as a metaphor for the history of the Earth – where the letters are minerals, the words are the rocks and fossils, and the pages are strata.  In a sense, the chapters of this book of time can be divided into the major Periods and Epochs of the geologic timescale.  As a final project for this class we will be writing an abbreviated version of this “Book of Time”, with an emphasis on the Phanerozoic Eon (the last 540 million years).  Each person in the class will be assigned one of the chapters (Periods or Epochs) to write, and each person will edit one other chapter.  Your job is to get into your geologic time machine (i.e., do some research, or use your TARDIS if you have one) and compile a basic overview of the period/epoch you have been assigned. In the end we will combine the final drafts of all the chapters together to form one large “Book of Time” – a fitting conclusion to the material covered in the class.

Download Word Template Here (.doc file)

Your Chapter should include the following sections:

Title - (Be creative but be sure to include the name of the Period/Epoch)
Under the Title include the absolute age range of the Period/Epoch

Summary - This is the only section of the report that will be written in full paragraph format. It should summarize the highlights of the outline below in 400-600 words. Grammar, spelling, etc. are important. Write this last

Outline of Earth History –See attached template for details. This outline should have at least 15 different bullet points on it in the various sections below. Bullet points should be more than a couple of words – for example, don’t just say “hot” under the section climate.  Say something more descriptive such as, “climate was warmer and drier than it had been at any other time in the Paleozoic – this was due to the size of the continents at the time”.

• Geology
• Climate
• Oceans
• Life
• Additional Information
• Pop Culture References (extra credit)

Annotated References

              Include a list of at least three references you used to construct this report, using the reference format provided for the Rock Report Project (also available online).  Annotate each reference by writing a 1-2 sentence description of the resource. Wikipedia does not count as a reference and your report should not just be a repeat of what is on Wikipedia!

Figures

              In addition to the text, I would encourage you to insert some figures and/or images n your chapter.  These figures should be relevant to your text and include a caption.  Be sure to cite the sources for figures.  All reports should include a plate map form that period/epoch.  Other figures are encouraged but not required.

Format – Download the template (sample provided / electronic copy on the web site), and insert you’re report.  Be sure to remove all the instructions and include all the parts. And remember, USE YOUR OWN WORDS! Otherwise it is plagiarism. Be sure to proof read your work – quality is important. Without figures, the summary and outline should probably end up being 2-3 single spaced pages.

Due Dates (beginning of class):

Report: Friday, March 12 – Turn in two copies of your report. One copy will be randomly distributed to your classmates for review. The other goes to me. (45 pts)

Edits: Wednesday, March 17 – Review the accuracy of the report you have been assigned and make corrections. (20 pts)

The Chapter of the Book of Time you have been assigned is:

• Cambrian Period – Olivia, Michael W.
• Ordovician Period – Amber
• Silurian Period - Colin
• Devonian Period - Ashleigh
• Mississippian Period - Casey
• Pennsylvanian Period - Mason
• Permian Period – Vance, Binsu
• Early Triassic Period - Tyler
• Late Triassic Period - Radcliffe
• Early Jurassic Period – Megan
• Late Jurassic Period - Ben
• Early Cretaceous Period – Larisa
• Late Cretaceous Period – Chelsea, Michael D.
• Paleocene Epoch – Daniel, Keegan
• Eocene Epoch – Tony B.
• Oligocene Epoch – Austin
• Miocene Epoch - Stephanie
• Pliocene Epoch – Anthony C.
• Pleistocene Epoch – Q, Mikko
• Holocene Epoch - Merissa

Edits (Due, Wednesday, March 17)

Each person has been assigned another student's copy of Project 2. Your job is to review and edit the copy you have been assigned. You should edit primarily for content - do a little research of your own and make sure there are not any major events that are missing or significant errors. In addition, you should comment on an grammatical errors, as well. For credit you will turn in:

• marked up (edited) copy of the original paper you were given
• 1/2 page (about 400 word) summary of your review - comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the paper and any general comments about the review

To do this well, you need to do some research to make sure that you can accurately assess the project you are editing!

Be sure to but your name on the line that says "reviewed by".

Sample Reference Format

References should be written as follows (and followed by annotation):

For a Magazine or Journal:

Author’s Last Name, First Name, Year of Publication, Title of Article: Title of Journal, v.volume, n.number, p.page numbers.

Example

Alley, Richard A., and Bender, Michael L, 1998, Greenland ice cores - Frozen in time: Scientific American, v. 278, n. 2, p. 80-85.

For a Book:

Author’s Last Name, First Name, Year of Publication, Title of Book, Publisher, Where Published, number of pages.

Example

Chernicoff, Stanley and Fox, Haydn A., 2004, Essentials of Geology (3nd edition), Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 390 pp.

For the WWW:

Author’s Last Name [if known], First Name, Last Date Updated [if known], Title of Page, <URL> (date accessed).

Example

Viens, Robert, 10 September 2005, Geologylink, http://www.geologylink.com (5 May 2006).

Project 1 - Rock Report
(Due, Wednesday, January 27)

Over the first few weeks we have been talking about the “language of geology” and learning how to “read the rocks”.  For our first project, I am giving you a bag of 7 rocks.  Your job is to identify the 7 rocks based on what you have learned in class and then write a short (150 - 200 word) summary of the story that each rock tells us about geologic history.  Part of the grade for your project will be based on presentation – how well the rocks are displayed and linked to your text.  This does not have to be fancy (we can discuss some ideas in class).  However, this is your chance to be creative – in addition, I will give some extra credit for rock presentations that go above and beyond the minimum.

For each rock you should be sure to include the following information:

Identification

Name this rock – be as specific as possible. (You may use the tools from the classroom to test different properties.)

Description

Give a one or two line description of the rock – be sure to include comments about its composition and texture.  Note any structures or fossils, too, if they are present.

“Translation”

Give a one or two line interpretation of what this rock tells you about the geologic history of the area it was found. Be as specific as possible.

Additional Information

Describe examples of some places each rock is found and what it is used for (if anything). Include any additional information you find interesting – origin of the name of the rock, etc.

Annotated References

List any resources (books, websites, etc.) to write your interpretation and/or additional information section, be sure to site them as a list of references at the end of the project. Use the reference format illustrated below.  Annotate each reference by writing a 1-2 sentence description of the resource (in other words, what information did you get from this resource). I expect all reports will have at least 2 references.

The format you use for the text can vary depending on your presentation, but should be include 150-200 words for each sample.  Be sure to use your own words – otherwise it is plagiarism! Grammar and spelling are important – so be sure to edit your work. You may also include images or other visuals to help illustrate your answers. Remember, I will reward creativity with extra credit! I will not tell you if your ID is correct or not – that part is up to you – but feel free to ask me questions about your observations and descriptions of the rock samples. I will help guide you in the right direction.

Grade

Rock Report – 42 pts - 6 pts for each rock (including all the sections described above) If you ID a sample incorrectly, I will still give credit for being consistent on the remainder of the description.

Presentation and Bibliography – 10 pts (plus bonus for creative and well-done presentation)

Sample Reference Format

References should be written as follows (and followed by annotation):

For a Magazine or Journal:

Author’s Last Name, First Name, Year of Publication, Title of Article: Title of Journal, v.volume, n.number, p.page numbers.

Example

Alley, Richard A., and Bender, Michael L, 1998, Greenland ice cores - Frozen in time: Scientific American, v. 278, n. 2, p. 80-85.

For a Book:

Author’s Last Name, First Name, Year of Publication, Title of Book, Publisher, Where Published, number of pages.

Example

Chernicoff, Stanley and Fox, Haydn A., 2004, Essentials of Geology (3nd edition), Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 390 pp.

For the WWW:

Author’s Last Name [if known], First Name, Last Date Updated [if known], Title of Page, <URL> (date accessed).

Example

Viens, Robert, 10 September 2005, Geologylink, http://www.geologylink.com (5 May 2006).