14
The TESTA Share-A-Thon is an excellent way to partici- pate in providing professional development to teachers without committing to a full workshop. We are always in need of members to present— the more the better. This is a great way for new teachers to start building your PDAS as a presenter at a State con- ference. Please contact us if you would like to be a part of the Share-A-Thon. Thank you to everyone who answered the call to present a workshop or short course at CAST 2015 in Fort Worth. Hopefully all proposals were submitted on time and will be accepted by the proposal committee. Notifications of acceptance are slated to be sent out on July 15 th . If everyone who contacted me sub- mitted their proposal and they are ac- cepted, we should have 11 workshops and three short-courses as part of our strand. This will be a fantastic display of our members earth science knowledge and our commitment to providing quality professional develop- ment opportunities to Texas teachers. TESTA will be at the following conferences this summer! Central Texas Mini-CASTAustin, TX—June 13, 2015 TESTA Fossil HuntBrownwood, TX—June 14 & 15, 2015 Brookhaven Community Col- lege— (Dallas) - Geology on the Bus North Sulphur River— June 16, 2015 Panhandle Math & Science Conference - WTAMUCanyon, TX. - August 4th & CAST 2015 Strand: INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Central Texas Mini-CAST 2 TESTA Fossil Hunt 2 Get On The Bus! 6 Panhandle Math & Sci- 7 Groundwater to the Gulf 7 Lunar & Plane- tary Institute 10 AGI 11 Summer Happenings! SUMMER 2015 The TESTA Tailings SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: CAST 2015 prepa- rations Upcoming Events— Check inside for more details!

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Page 1: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

The TESTA Share-A-Thon is

an excellent way to partici-

pate in providing professional

development to teachers

without committing to a full

workshop. We are always in

need of members to present—

the more the better. This is

a great way for new teachers

to start building your PDAS

as a presenter at a State con-

ference. Please contact us if

you would like to be a part of

the Share-A-Thon.

Thank you to everyone who answered

the call to present a workshop or short

course at CAST 2015 in Fort Worth.

Hopefully all proposals were submitted

on time and will be accepted by the

proposal committee. Notifications of

acceptance are slated to be sent out on

July 15th.

If everyone who contacted me sub-

mitted their proposal and they are ac-

cepted, we should have 11 workshops

and three short-courses as part of our

strand. This will be a fantastic display

of our members earth science

knowledge and our commitment to

providing quality professional develop-

ment opportunities to Texas teachers.

TESTA will be at the following

conferences this summer!

Central Texas Mini-CAST—

Austin, TX—June 13, 2015

TESTA Fossil Hunt—

Brownwood, TX—June 14 & 15,

2015

Brookhaven Community Col-

lege— (Dallas) - Geology on

the Bus North Sulphur River—

June 16, 2015

Panhandle Math & Science

Conference - WTAMU—

Canyon, TX. - August 4th &

CAST 2015 Strand:

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE:

Central Texas

Mini-CAST

2

TESTA Fossil

Hunt

2

Get On The

Bus!

6

Panhandle

Math & Sci-

7

Groundwater

to the Gulf

7

Lunar & Plane-

tary Institute

10

AGI 11

Summer Happenings!

S U M M E R 2 0 1 5

The TESTA Tailings S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

CAST 2015 prepa-

rations

Upcoming Events—

Check inside for

more details!

Page 2: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

P A G E 2

TESTA Fossil Hunt!

TESTA will be presenting

three workshops during

this conference. One will

be on the Physical and

Chemical Properties of

Minerals for Identifica-

tion. Another workshop

will be basically the same

format but will cover Igne-

ous, Sedimentary, and Met-

amorphic Rocks along with the

Rock Cycle. The last workshop

will focus on Topography. TES-

TA will also have a table in the

Local Resources room to pro-

vide information about our or-

ganization.

For more information or to reg-

ister - http://www4.esc13.net/

science/minicast/

plan is to stay the night in

Austin and then drive to

Brownwood on Sunday morn-

ing of June 14th. There are

a couple of good collecting

sites between Austin and

Brownwood that we do not

want to miss. We plan to be

in the Brownwood area on

Sunday afternoon. We will

then collect in the Brown-

wood area the rest of the

day. (Continue—page 3)

Lexy Bienek, TESTA

President, has invited

TESTA members to join

her in Brownwood, TX for

a fossil hunt around

Brown County. Due to

health issues, we were

unable to schedule the

trip during Spring

Break. TESTA is going

to be busy at the Mini-

CAST in Austin on Satur-

day, June 13th. So the

Family and

children are

welcome!

T H E T E S T A T A I L I N G S

Page 3: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

Fossil Hunting ...

P A G E 3 T E S T A T A I L I N G S

We will then stay Brownwood on Sunday

night and then collect again on Monday

morning. Our plan is to stay at the Gate

One Inn in Brownwood. We stayed there

last time and the rooms are large, clean and

cheap! Here is their website:

http://www.gateoneinn.com/

There are many sites around the area to

collect at and where we go will be dependent

upon how full the lake is at the dam and how

areas have dried out after all of the rain.

The goods news is that all of this rain

should have exposed lots of new fossils!

Our plan is leave on Monday afternoon and

drive on to Dallas to join the “Geology on

the Bus” trip to the Sulphur River being

conducted by Brookhaven College on Tues-

day, June 16th. As far as we know at this

time, this trip is still on with the hope that

the river will be accessible.

Please read on the next page about this ad-

Older children are welcome, but you MUST supervise them closely as we will be in some

areas where you can get hurt (or worse) if you are not careful. There will be some very

steep and rocky terrain that can have falling rocks that we will be collecting fossils from

so be careful. Depending on the weather, you may also find some hazardous Texas critters-

-such as rattlesnakes, scorpions, spiders, red ants, etc. You will need to keep an eye out if

it is warm.

Where is Brownwood and how do I get there?Brownwood is located in Brown County in

north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on

your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online. I usually find my

way to TX Hwy 36 via I-10 or US 290. I take Hwy 36 to the Belton/Temple area, then US

190 over to Lampasas, then US 183 (which merges with US 84 at Goldthwaite) to Brown-

wood. You can choose your own route depending on what you want to see and where you

want to stop along the way. I like to look for fossil collecting opportunities along the way.

There are some obvious places in Copperas Cove and just south of Lometa. There are Zeb-

ras in Zephyr. It is approximately 290 miles from Houston. It takes roughly 5 hours to

drive from Houston, depending on your starting point and how many stops you make on the

way.

What you need to know!

Page 4: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

Fossil Hunting ...

P A G E 4 T E S T A T A I L I N G S

How much does it cost?

This trip is free, but you are responsible

for your own transportation, food, and

lodging costs. You might want to get a

group together to carpool, share an ice

chest for lunch stuff and drinks, share a

hotel room, etc. This is just a group getting

together to see what we can find – nothing

formal! We will all meet up at a set loca-

tion and then caravan to the collecting sites.

I want to come, what should I do? Email

me or call me at 281-460-2026 to let me

know. Use my personal email since school

will be out - [email protected]

Where do I stay?

There are several hotels in Brownwood and

the Flagship Inn out by Lake Brown-

wood. There also are camping options at

Lake Brownwood State Park. Google it and

make your reservations based upon your

needs and budget. We stayed last year at

Gate One Inn and it was fine. Has a large

pool too so bring your suit! Breakfast is on

your own, lunch is whatever you pack and

bring (although we ended up at a local burg-

er joint last year) and we will probably

meet up somewhere for dinner on Sun-

day night.

What will I find there?

Primarily fossils of sea life, including urchin pieces,

gastropods, bivalves, corals, brachiopods, the

occasional rare shark tooth, sponges and other

goodies, and possibly some plants from the

Pennsylvanian period. There possibly could be some

Permian fossils and Cretaceous fossils too.

If you want to see a lot of pictures of fossils and trip reports from some of past HGMS

trips there, go to http://www.thefossilforum.com/ and search the Hunting Trips forum for

Brownwood. I think you probably have to be signed in to view most of the pictures, so

create an account and sign in. You'll like it.

Crinoid Stems from our last

hunt!

Page 5: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

Fossil Hunting ...

P A G E 5 T E S T A T A I L I N G S

What do I need to take with me?

Appropriate clothing: Check the weather

forecast for Brownwood before you leave.

You may need T-shirts and shorts, long

sleeve shirts and jeans to keep the sun off

of you. Be prepared. Seriously, bring extra

shoes—it could be very muddy or dry or

both depending upon the site. I usually

take more than I need, but I have it if I

need it.

DO NOT FORGET SUNSCREEN AND BUG

SPRAY!

Collecting gear: Boots or old shoes, clothes

that you don't mind getting permanently

dirty, knee pads (a personal favorite),

gloves, lots of Ziploc bags in assorted sizes,

pill bottles or small plastic containers,

buckets (whatever you might need to put

fossils in), boxes of some sort to keep in

the car to empty your bucket into between

sites. backpack, screwdriver or small

pointy trowel, small garden trowels and

food strainers are handy as well, rock ham-

mer (if you like to bang on rocks), aluminum

foil or some other method of packing small

and/or delicate fossils. It is good to have

index cards and a marker for identifying

the fossil and noting the collection loca-

tion. These can go into the Ziploc bag with

fossils. We used a collapsible wagon last

year to haul the stuff and it was very wel-

comed!

Other Stuff: a cooler, plenty of water to

drink, snacks, lunch, sunscreen, hat, wet

wipes/wet washcloths for cleaning up after

the hunt, small first aid kit for scrapes,

camera, whatever else you want or think

that you will need. Collapsible chair? Throw

it in the car.

Page 6: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

Get on the Bus to the Sulphur River!

P A G E 6 T E S T A T A I L I N G S

Brookhaven College Geotechnology Institute Field Course

North Sulphur River Fossil Hunt

GEOLOGY On The Bus! Tuesday, June 16 8 a.m. to 5 p.m

Earth Systems Science enrichment for classroom teachers, informal educators and Master Natu-ralists

For Details Contact: Melanie Gamble, 972-860-4269 or [email protected] Registration ends June 11 To Register Call: 972-860-4715 Course: ENGG # 1091-24106

Website: http://www.brookhavencollege.edu/geotech/

Join our experienced geology guide for a fos-sil collecting trip to the North Sulphur River near the community of Ladonia. This area contains an abundant and diverse fossil assemblage from the Cretaceous through Pleistocene Period and offers collec-tors the opportunity to acquire local material. The trip will include a discussion of the geolo-gy of the North East Texas area in which you will be collecting, a description of the paleo environments based on fossil identification and an overview of geologic time. Weathering and erosional patterns also will be discussed during the drive to the collecting site.

Trip Gear: Wear sturdy shoes that can get wet or bring boots. Warning – River access is steep and requires sturdy shoes or boots – No Flip Flops!

Consider bringing change of dry footwear and Pants. • Bring hat, sunglasses and sunscreen Bring backpack, sharpie, pencil and plastic bag for specimens Bring small trowel, hiking staff and camera if desired

Participants receive: * 0.9 Continuing Education Units and a certificate from Brookhaven College * Informative notebook including classroom activities * Pertinent TEKS/STAAR related information * “Fossil Collector’s Guidebook to the North Sulphur River” * Geological Highway Map of Texas

Page 7: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

Panhandle Math and Science Conference

P A G E 7 T E S T A T A I L I N G S

West Texas A&M University and Region 16 ESC

Canyon, TX

August 4—5, 2015 (Tuesday & Wednesday) - 9 AM to 4 PM This two-day conference will bring together K-12 mathematics and science educators from across the Pan-

handle, South Plains, and surrounding areas. It is the first union of the WTAMU Panhandle Area Mathe-

matics and Science Conference, the Region 16 Mathematics Conference, and the Region 16 Science Con-

ference.

TESTA is planning to present some workshops and have a booth at this conference. We are also planning

to have a side trip to Palo Duro Canyon either before or after the conference. Let us know if you want to

participate!

For more information: http://www.wtamu.edu/academics/math-and-science-conference.aspx

To register for this workshop, go to:

http://coloradoriver.org/newsite/our-programs/redbud-

educational-program/groundwater-to-the-gulf/

Page 8: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

Groundwater to the Gulf—continue...

P A G E 8 T E S T A T A I L I N G S

Page 9: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

Groundwater to the Gulf—continue...

P A G E 9 T E S T A T A I L I N G S

Don't forget - Pluto Encounter July 14 -

Look for events in your city!

New Horizon spacecraft left

Earth in 2006 and is quickly ap-

proaching its fly-by of the icy

dwarf planet and its moons.

Its closest approach will occur

on July 14th, 2015.

Page 10: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

There are upcoming Earth and space science events and professional development

workshops here in Houston that may interest you:

Free Summer Earth and Space Science Workshop for 8th grade at

LPI

August 5-7, 2015: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/workshops/ESS/

The Lunar and Planetary Institute, working with members of the STEP program, will

be offering a series of free workshops August 5-7 for 8th grade science teachers

and middle school science student teachers (and pre-service teachers); topics include

lunar phases, tides, seasons, topography, and characteristics of the universe. Regis-

tration will be on a space available basis.

Just 4 Teens at the HMNS

http://hmns.org/teenscience

This Summer, the Houston Museum of Natural Science offers two high energy, pro-

ject intensive programs for teens who love doing science and making their own discov-

eries. Create your own computer game, analyze fossils, explore the cosmos and the

ocean floor. With the Museum's world renowned exhibit halls as their classroom, stu-

dents will create real projects with real data. Teachers, please contact Carolyn

Sumners directly ([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>), if you have any

questions about those classes.

Mars Through Time Workshop for High School Teachers

July 13-16, 2015 http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/workshops/mars/

Mars Through Time is a four day high school teacher professional development train-

ing focusing on Mars science and exploration and the nature and process of science,

which will be conducted at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. Participants

explore the relationship between technology and science using the history of Mars

exploration as an example. Participants also learn about and discuss the nature and

process of science with each other and invited speakers. Registration is free. Travel

stipends are available for select participants based on need. The application period

closes May 15, 2015.

P A G E 1 0

Page 11: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

Other Happenings….

If you are interested in implementing the Next Genera-

tion Science Standards (NGSS) in Earth and Space Sci-

ence, you are invited to participate in a free webinar at

4pm EST, June 9. The webinar represents the next

stage in efforts by AGI, the organizer of Earth Science

Week, in collaboration with the National Association of

Geoscience Teachers, to strengthen implementation of NGSS.

A month ago, more than 50 geoscience education leaders came together to share ide-

as about how to support the implementation of NGSS. This webinar is designed to ex-

pand involvement by initiating a community conversation about networking opportuni-

ties, actions at all levels, and how best to engage the geoscience community through

Town Hall Meetings at the conferences of the Geological Society of America

(November 1-4) and the American Geophysical Union (December 14-18).

Go online for "Webinar: Maintaining the Momentum - Networking and Actions by Geo-

science Stakeholders to Support NGSS Implementation." The webinar is free, but

registration is required. The deadline for registration is June 7. Learn more at

https://nagt.org/nagt/profdev/workshops/ngss_summit/follow_on/index.html.

Don't wait until fall to prepare for Earth Science Week 2015 (October 11-17)! Now is

the time to plan your activities. Take this opportunity to make a wish list: How would

you like your students to celebrate Earth Science Week?

You can promote this year's theme - "Visualizing Earth Systems" - by preparing ac-

tivities that help your students explore visual representations of data on the geo-

sphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Start with the exciting classroom

activities featured on the Earth Science Week website at http://

www.earthsciweek.org/classroom-activities.

Leading up to the October celebration, you'll see more and more Earth Science Week

events, both local and nationwide, listed online at http://www.earthsciweek.org/

upcoming-events. For more ideas, read about successful past events at http://

www.earthsciweek.org/highlights or see recommendations on how to get involved at

http://www.earthsciweek.org/event-planning.

P A G E 1 1

Page 12: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

Other Happenings….

What is energy? Where does energy come from? How much energy do humans use?

Free, interdisciplinary education materials and videos are available to answer im-

portant questions like these - and to foster a more energy literate nation.

AGI's Center for Geoscience & Society has produced corresponding education mate-

rials, including videos in English and Spanish, student and teacher guides, a "quick

start" guide to energy literacy, lesson connections, and guidance on aligning energy

literacy lessons with the Next Generation Science Standards. Also, AGI provides

links users to many resources available through AGI member societies and partners

such as Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development (SEED) and Switch En-

ergy Project.

Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education resources, avail-

able on the U.S. Department of Energy website, are available at http://energy.gov/

energyliteracy. For information on and resources of the Center for Geoscience & So-

ciety, please visit http://geocntr.org/.

National Fossil Day:

Exploring the past in your future! The National Park Service and AGI are col-

laborating to kick off the sixth annual National Fossil Day during Earth Science Week

2015. On Wednesday, October 14, you and your students can participate in events

and activities taking place across the country at parks, in classrooms, and online.

Ever look at a fossil and see into the past? Understand why paleontologists

protect the locations where fossils are found? Know what fossils can tell you about

climate change? National Fossil Day resources and activities help you answer these

questions, celebrating the scientific and educational value of fossils, paleontology,

and the importance of preserving fossils for future generations.

Look for fossil-themed activities and materials in the Earth Science Week

2015 Toolkit. And stay up to date on emerging resources and events through the Na-

tional Fossil Day website at http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/nationalfossilday/.

For instance, the program's 2015 logo features the chalicothere, a large her-

bivorous mammal, standing in a prehistoric prairie grassland. To compliment this

year's logo, the theme of the monthly feature article is "Cenozoic Era Life and Land-

scapes." For information about the logo and more, visit http://nature.nps.gov/

geology/nationalfossilday/nfd_2015_artwork_fossils.cfm. Download logos at http://

nature.nps.gov/geology/nationalfossilday/nfd_logo_intro.cfm.

P A G E 1 2

Page 13: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

In Other TESTA News...

P A G E 1 3 T E S T A T A I L I N G S

HGS Recorded Videos Available Online

Most of these videos are oil and gas related but there are also good

videos on Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Geology!

https://www.youtube.com/user/

HGSGeoEducation/videos

You can subscribe to the free YouTube Channel using this link to receive notices of the

latest HGS recorded meeting videos.

On a sad note - Longtime TESTA member, Stanley Perkins of M.R. Wood Center for Learning in Fort Bend ISD passed away of pancreatic cancer in May. He attended the University of South Alabama and the University of Houston. Stan taught all secondary school science clas-ses at the District’s Alternative School since 2001. In addition to his interest in the earth scienc-es and support of TESTA, Stan enjoyed listening to folk music, American Mathematical Society, and supported EarthEcho International.

TESTA’s 2014 Teacher of the Year, Mary Jean Tykoski of Cooper Junior High School

in Wylie, TX was a finalist for the Edward C. Roy, Jr. Award for Excellence in K-8

Earth Science Teaching.

Given annually at the NESTA meeting at NSTA, AGI's Edward C. Roy, Jr. Award rec-

ognizes one classroom teacher from kindergarten to eighth grade for leadership and

innovation in Earth science education. The award is named in honor of Dr. Edward C.

Roy, Jr., who was a strong and dedicated supporter of Earth science education. To

learn more, please see www.americangeosciences.org/education/awards/roy.

Page 14: Summer Happenings!north central Texas on US Highway 84. There are multiple ways to get there, depending on your own personal preference. Pull out your map or look at a map online

Free Galileoscopes for teachers! Must be sent to school address... For

P A G E 1 4