Powerpoint template for scientific posters Swarthmore College

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Making Interdisciplinary Connections Geology
and Archaeology in the Peloponnese
Drew PatrickFox Lane High School Geosciences,
Bedford, NY 10506 Project Site
http//web.bcsdny.org/flhs/science/greece
The Content Students engage in this study using
Google Earth as the primary instructional tool.
Google Earth is a geographic information system
(GIS) with an ever-expanding array of multimedia
capabilities. For this project, I incorporated
text, images, image and map overlays, video,
Voicethreads, flash objects, and hyperlinks into
Google Earth placemarks. Groups of placemarks are
bundled as kmz files, which are linked from the
project web site, and also directly from Word
documents that students can download. In turn,
each placemark is associated with a specific task
outlined on the assignment document. Students are
asked to make observations, interpretations, and
to draw inferences leading to the development of
a systematic understanding of the interplay
between the landscape and its potential to
sustain communities. Examples of both the Google
Earth content and project documents are
highlighted below.
Student Outcomes In addition to completing the
assignment documents that accompany the Google
Earth tours, students are expected to respond to
the essential questions upon completion of the
learning experience. This could be accomplished
through discussion, in writing, or a combination
of both. In addition to this, students should be
able to answer the question, What factors were
important for the establishment of an Ancient
Greek city-state? Once these questions can be
addressed by individuals, the directions for
future discussion and/or research are varied. For
example, students might try to transfer this
information to the present by addressing the
question, What would the most important
considerations be if you were to start a new
city? Alternately, attention could be paid to
the potential hazards of the region. The
extensional nature of this area means frequent
earthquakes, and the potential for tsunamis.
Further, post-World War II population increases
mean more and more people are at risk. Finally,
there are a host of technology skills that can be
explored and developed through this experience.
Students could be challenged to create their own
virtual tours, focusing on another region of the
world, or their own home location.
Introduction While the interplay between
archeology and geology seems relevant and
important to scholars, this connection has often
been overlooked at the high school level. In New
York, for example, many ninth grade students are
concurrently enrolled in courses in earth science
and global history. However, there has been
little interdisciplinary alignment with respect
to the impact that the environment has had on
people, or the relationships between human and
physical geography. The goal of this project is
to enable high school students and teachers to
begin to explore this relationship through a
virtual investigation of the Peloponnese region
of Greece in order to uncover the impact that
geology has had on civilization. By challenging
student thinking about the interrelationship
between land and people, more lasting and
meaningful connections will be possible. The
work presented here is the result of a five week
field collaboration with Dr. Guy Sanders,
Director of Excavations at Ancient Corinth,
American School of Classical Studies Athens.
Field work was conducted at sites throughout the
Peloponnese, though particular attention was paid
to Ancient Corinth and the immediate vicinity.
The images and video captured in the field are
the primary sources used in these investigations.
The manipulation possible in Google Earth
enhances students abilities to see particular
features being studied. In this case, a placemark
opens up to a picture aligned to the same view as
in Google Earth. Students are able to see the
land-satellite connection before delving into
an exploration of the cause of these fans, the
source material, and so forth.
References Hayward, C.L. Geology of Corinth The
Study of a Basic Resource. Higgins, M.D.,
Higgins, R. A Geological Companion to Greece and
the Aegean. 1996. Cornell University Press,
Ithaca, NY. Leeder, M., Andrews, J., Collier,
R., Gawthorpe, R. McNeill, L., Portman, C., Rowe,
P. 2007. Classic Geology in Europe 11 The Gulf
of Corinth.Terra Publishing, Hertfordshire,
England. Leeder, M.R. L.C. McNeill, et. al.
2003. Corinth rift margin uplift New evidence
from Late Quaternary marine shorelines.
Geophysical Research Letters. 30.
1611-1614. Sanders, G.D.R., Whitbread, I.K.
1990. Central Places and Major Roads in the
Peloponnese. Annual of the British School at
Athens, No. 85. Sanders, G.D.R. 1984.
Reassessing Ancient Populations. The Annual of
the British School of Archaeology at Athens, Vol.
79. Sanders, G.D.R. 1992. George Finlay in
Lakonia and Arkadia. Lakonian Studies in honour
of Hector Calling, Jan Motyka Sanders, Ed.
British School at Athens. Siddall, R. The
Geology of Corinth An Ancient City, Natural
Disasters and Material Resources.
(preprint) Whitbread, I.K. Clays of Corinth The
Study of a Basic Resource for Ceramic Production.
Essential Questions Greece in general, and the
Peloponnese in particular, serves as a remarkable
natural laboratory for geologists, geographers,
and archaeologists alike. With an extensive
collection of archaeological sites dating from
the Bronze Age (3,000 BC), a wealth of natural
resources (agricultural, mineral, etc.) and a
dynamic tectonic setting, this region can help us
to understand the relationship between people and
their surroundings over a very long period of
time. Perhaps we might even learn lessons from
these studies to inform our own decision
making! The purpose of this series of
investigations is to explore how geology has
impacted the development of civilization in
Greece from pre-history to the present.
Specifically, students use evidence uncovered
through visiting sites in the Peloponnese region,
ancient and modern, via Google Earth in order to
address the following essential questions ? How
has geography impacted the establishment,
development, and collapse of Greek
civilizations? ? How has the relationship between
people and their environment changed over time?
NYS Standards Connections Earth
Science Standard 4 Key Ideas 2 3 Many of the
phenomena that we observe on Earth involve
interactions among components of air, water, and
land. Matter is made up of particles whose
properties determine the observable
characteristics of matter and its
reactivity. Standard 6 Interconnectedness/Common
Themes Through systems thinking, people can
recognize the commonalities that exist among all
systems and how parts of a system interrelate and
combine to perform specific functions. Standard
7 Interdisciplinary Problem Solving The
knowledge and skills of mathematics, science, and
technology are used together to make informed
decisions and solve problems. Social Studies
(Global Studies) Methodology of Global History
and Geography B. Geography- Exploring the impact
of geography on the past and present Human/physica
l geography Movement of people and goods
Environment and society What impact does
geography have on history? How do physical and
human geography affect people and places? Unit
One Ancient World- Civilizations and
Religions A. Early Peoples What was the
relationship between peoples and their
environment? What does the use of tools tell us
about a society? C. Classical Civilizations-
Greek Civilization How did geography affect the
rise of city states in Greece?
Below, a sample page from one of the assignment
documents illustrates some of the specific
connections between the NYS Earth Science content
and the features explored in the lesson. The
procedures clearly guide students, both in the
Google Earth environment, and on the assignment
documents themselves.
Vouraikos river fan delta, town of Diakofto,
northern Peloponnese.
Lesson 1 Exploring the Geographic and Geologic
Setting
This lesson challenges students to first become
familiar with the geography of the region,
eventually narrowing the focus to the Gulf of
Corinth and the northern Peloponnese. Students
use their NYS Earth Science Reference Tables to
explore the tectonics of the region from a very
broad perspective. Students then look at the more
complicated reality (data from Geophysical
Research Letters) with the goal of describing the
tectonic environment using their own language.
Gulf of Corinth
Acknowledgments Special thanks go to Bedford
Central School District for funding the
Educational Development Leave that enabled me to
complete this work. I am indebted to Dr. Guy
Sanders, Director of Corinth Excavations,
American School of Classical Studies at Athens,
who was both inspirational and incredibly
generous with his time and resources during the
five weeks I was in Ancient Corinth. His
impressive commitment to diverse perspectives and
approaches to the study of Ancient Corinth is
exemplary. Finally, I also thank Dr. Ruth
Siddall, Department of Earth Science, University
College London, for invaluable assistance through
her written work and consultation.
Lesson 2 Evidence for Active Tectonism
Building on the foundation of the first lesson,
this experience focuses student attention on the
evidence that supports the interpretation of the
Gulf of Corinth as a continental rift zone.
Specifically, students visit locations that
provide examples of important regional processes,
including the formation of marine terraces,
fan-deltas, and notched sea stacks.
These images assist students to develop an
understanding of faulting, fan-delta development,
and marine terrace uplift.
Lesson 3 Ancient Corinth
For further information Please contact
apatrick1258_at_bcsdny.org with questions or
comments. The lessons and kmz files described in
this poster can be found at http//web.bcsdny.o
rg/flhs/science/greece/ A link to this poster
can be found on the same site.
Lesson 3 finally brings students into the world
of Ancient Corinth. By exploring aspects related
to the water supply, pottery and tile making,
agriculture, and transportation, a picture of the
reasons to choose this site to build a city-state
emerges. The strategic geographic location,
steady water supply, vines and olives, and ample
clay supply provide the backbone for a
sustainable community.