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The Grand Canyon - Science Teacher Perspective



The Grand Canyon - A Science Teacher's Perspective




This Christmas vacation my husband, son, and I went on a camping trip into Arizona. Obviously, we had to go see the Grand Canyon, and were very excited to show our 9 year old son such an amazing place. My first (and last) trip to the Grand Canyon was as a college graduation gift from my husband when we were dating, in 2002. I remember thinking that the word "Grand" didn't convey the enormity of the space. My son and I were trying to invent new names for it, and could not think of any word that could quite capture the size. Ginormous....?


I teach 8th grade Physical Science, and have, in the past, taught 7th grade Life Science, but I have not once taught 6th grade Earth Science. My school district has decided to keep the middle school science curriculum subject specific as we transition into NGSS, so I continue to teach Physical Science and not an integrated course. I tell you this because I do not have a background in Earth Science. I do not teach it, I have never taught it. I do not know the struggles of the curriculum, I do not know the sequence of learning that makes the most sense, I do not know the story line.

I do know that over 5 million people a year go visit the Grand Canyon. 5 MILLION. Every year, 5 million people flock to the Grand Canyon to witness the beauty and grandeur that is erosion and weathering. 5 million people each year are enchanted with the phenomenon that is the earth's processes. 5 million people, yearly, cram into Grand Canyon National Park so that they can enjoy Earth Science.

What does this number tell us as science teachers? What can we possibly glean from this as classroom teachers?

We can easily see that people are enchanted by the Earth's beauty. We can glean that large numbers of people are interested in natural phenomenon. As science teachers, we can leverage the natural interest and awe of these beautiful places to engage student interest and extend their learning. Earth Science teachers have the most glorious job of getting to use the natural wonder and glory of our Earth, to teach the science processes that govern our Earth.


While standing on the edge of this truly Grand Canyon, I could not help thinking how lucky Earth Science teachers are.
 I'm pretty lucky too.



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