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Petrified Wood Mystery
Goals and Objectives
Goals
- Introduce students to Computational Science and Modeling tools.
- Facilitate students making connections between math and science.
- Through a variety of computational tools and cross curricular activities, the students will understand and demonstrate the petrification process and apply critical thinking skills to conceptionalize the mystery behind petrified wood.
- Students will be able to describe the process of petrification.
- Students will be able to describe the five variables that affect the process of petrification.
- Students will be able to name factors that determine how long it takes for petrification to occur.
- Students will be able to distinguish between the three types of rocks (Igneous, Metamorphic and Sedimentary)
- Students will be able to identify the various stratum within a sedimentary formation
- Students will recognize that models involve simplifying assumptions and simulate processes.
- Students will be able to identify minerals based on physical properties.
- Students will identify mineral characteristics through tactile experimentation.
- Students will be able to identify the primary minerals commonly found in fossilization.
- Students will calcuate absolute age using radioactive dating fomulas for both Carbon14 and Uranium 238.
- Students will identify absorption and distribution of minerals through a Netlogo water percolation model..
- Students will simulate the petrifcation process using the Stella Model and manipulating variable data.
- Student will recreate the scenario of the petrified piece of wood through a culminating project of choice.
- Students will be able transfer the aquired knowlege and skills to other areas of study.