Cris Dewolf
9 Followers
Mecosta, Michigan, United States
About the store
Five years as a department of one at a small Catholic High School where I taught Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics, 32 years in public schools teaching Biology, AP Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, Earth Systems Science, Astronomy, Weather and Climate and Oceanography. Also two years as an adjunct professor at a community college teaching Astronomy and 28 summers at a boy's science and adventure camp in NEPA teaching Chemistry, Aquatic Biology, Astronomy, Earth Science, and Archery.
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Discovering Patterns in the Sky with Stellarium Web
Discover the constellations of the zodiac, learn about the Moon's cycle of phases, discover precession of the Earth's axis. All of this can be done with the online planetarium program Stellarium-web.
9th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Physics
NGSS
HS-ESS1-4
Using a Planisphere
Planispheres are a useful tool to navigate your way around the night sky. This activity leads your students through how to use them. If you need some and would rather not purchase them - do an internet search for "Uncle Al's Star Wheels. There are many sites that have the template for these build-your-own planispheres.
9th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Physical Science
Retrograde Motion of Mars
Stellarium is a useful free program your students can use to explore the night sky. With this lesson students can use the Right Ascension and Declination coordinates of Mars over a span of months to plot its position and learn more about how apparent motions like retrograde loops occur.
9th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Physical Science
NGSS
HS-ESS1-4
Birth of Planet Earth - Video Worksheet
A great video I found on YouTube on the formation of our planet. Perfect for a unit on the solar system. The worksheet I made to use with my students includes a key for any teacher who would like this resource for use in their classroom.
8th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, General Science
NGSS
HS-ESS1-6
Climate Change Modeling
You will be exploring how Earth’s climate responds to various climate forcing agents – including solar irradiance and atmospheric CO2. Solar irradiance is the amount of solar radiation, in watts per square meter, that reaches Earth’s surface. Once it reaches Earth, the amount of heating that takes place depends on the reflectivity, or albedo, of Earth materials. Clouds, ice, and snow all have high albedos and reflect a large amount of incoming sunlight. Other surfaces, soil, vegetation, and wat
9th - 12th
Earth Sciences, Environment, General Science
NGSS
HS-ESS3-5
The Reason for the Seasons
With this lesson, students will use the free online planetarium program, Stellarium web, to learn how changes in Earth's obliquity affects the amount of solar radiation we get over the course of a day and thus the amount of heating that occurs. This will help reinforce the concept of Earth's axial tilt being the cause of seasons - not changes in our distance from the sun over the course of the year.
9th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, General Science
NGSS
HS-ESS2-4
The Very, Very Simple Carbon Model
Through a simple online model, your students will learn about the relationship between average global temperature and carbon dioxide emissions while predicting temperature change over the 21st Century. Carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere at an accelerating rate as we burn fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) to fuel our industrial society. It, as well as other gases, is a “greenhouse gas” that absorbs long-wave terrestrial radiation, heating the lower atmosphere. Your students will exp
9th - 12th
Earth Sciences, General Science, Science
NGSS
HS-ESS3-1
, HS-ESS3-5
, HS-ESS3-4
Exploring the Solar Cycle
It's almost Solar Max for Cycle 25! Solar activity is increasing every day. Large sunspots can be seen with those safe solar viewers you saved from last springs eclipse. This activity has your students working with actual archival data sources on sunspot number - and using Google sheets - while they learn more about the solar cycle.
9th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, General Science
NGSS
HS-ESS1-1
Sky Phenomena - Transits and Occultations
The orbital motions of the Earth, planets, and their moons all contribute to observable phenomena. When Mercury or Venus cross in front of the sun from our viewpoint we get a transit. Occultations occur when one celestial body blocks our view of another. The moon often occults our view of planets or stars. The outer planets can occult our view of their moons and of stars. Knowing when an occultation will occur, and watching a planet or star “disappear” is a worthy activity for those of us enjoy
9th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, General Science
NGSS
HS-ESS1-4
Severe Weather Webquest - Winter Weather
The University Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), in Boulder Colorado provides many useful resources for students to learn more about our weather. Today, you will be visiting several pages on their website to learn more about Severe Weather. Be sure you answer each question appropriately. Some will require detailed, in depth sentences! Others, single words.
5th - 8th
Earth Sciences, General Science
NGSS
MS-ESS2-5
Severe Weather Webquest - Tornadoes
The University Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), in Boulder Colorado provides many useful resources for students to learn more about our weather. Today, you will be visiting several pages on their website to learn more about Severe Weather. Be sure you answer each question appropriately. Some will require detailed, in depth sentences! Others, single words.
5th - 8th
Earth Sciences, General Science
NGSS
MS-ESS2-5
NOVA Solar System - Storm Worlds
I use these video guides when I have to have a sub. Videos are selected that go with current topics students are studying in class. From PBS: Across the solar system, wild storms are raging. From globe-spanning dust storms, to monsoons of liquid methane, to monstrous storms with lightning bolts ten times more energetic than anything on Earth – our solar system is full of weird and wonderful weather. Explore the forces that create the truly awesome and extreme conditions found on our neighboring
9th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, General Science
NGSS
HS-ESS1-1
Global Climate Change Webquest
Over the last hundred years the climate of the earth has undergone some extreme changes due to human interaction. These changes continue today and are actually worsening as each day passes. Today you will be trying to identify the causes and the effects of global climate change, using data and information from NASA.
9th - 12th
Earth Sciences, General Science
NGSS
HS-ESS3-1
Severe Weather Webquest: Thunderstorms
The University Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), in Boulder Colorado provides many useful resources for students to learn more about our weather. In this lesson, students will be visiting several pages on their website to learn more about thunderstorms.
9th - 12th
Earth Sciences, Other (Science), Science
NGSS
HS-ESS3-5
NOVA: Can We Cool the Planet?
This is an excellent video for your climate change unit that clearly addresses the needs for solutions to the growing problem of carbon emissions and global warming.
9th - 12th
Earth Sciences, Environment, Science
NGSS
HS-LS2-7
, HS-ESS2-2
NOVA Solar System - Wandering Worlds
One of the latest series about our Solar System, NOVA's Solar System has some of the latest discoveries about the objects in our solar family. In this episode you will discover more about asteroids, Kuiper Belt objects, the Oort cloud, and more.
9th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, General Science
NGSS
HS-ESS1-6
, HS-ESS1-4
Classifying the Solar System
Our solar system consists of the sun, 8 planets, 5 dwarf planets, and numerous moons, comets, and asteroids. The dwarf planets were first recognized as a separate category of solar system object in 2006 after the discovery of other objects similar in size to Pluto beyond the orbit of Neptune. They include Pluto, Eris, Makemake, Haumea, and Ceres. Other trans-Neptunian objects have not been formally classified as dwarf planets – yet. These include Sedna, Quaoar, Salacia, and Orcus. The 8 planets
9th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, General Science
NGSS
HS-ESS1-6
NOVA Killer Floods Video Worksheet
Video worksheets such as these are excellent for use on days when you have a sub in your classroom. This video, found on YouTube, provides an excellent overview of how flowing water in major floods can dramatically make rapid changes in Earth's landscape. Could be used in discussions of catastrophism versus gradualism.
9th - 12th
Earth Sciences, General Science, Science
NGSS
HS-ESS2-1
NOVA Solar System - Volcano Worlds
NOVA's series - Solar System is a recent series documenting advances in our understanding of the planets and their moons found in our solar system. In this episode, your students will learn about geological activity that has been found across the solar system, and implications for the possibility of past or present life elsewhere other than Earth.
9th - 12th
Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Science
NGSS
HS-ESS1-6
, HS-ESS1-5
Exploring Earth's Climate
In this lesson your students will explore a computer model that was created by researchers at the University of Manchester, using it to investigate the role of various phenomena on shaping our planet’s climate. The software is called “Build Your Own Earth” and is found at http://www.buildyourownearth.com/index.html.
9th - 12th
Earth Sciences, General Science, Science
NGSS
HS-ESS3-5
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About the store
Experience
Five years as a department of one at a small Catholic High School where I taught Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics, 32 years in public schools teaching Biology, AP Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, Earth Systems Science, Astronomy, Weather and Climate and Oceanography. Also two years as an adjunct professor at a community college teaching Astronomy and 28 summers at a boy's science and adventure camp in NEPA teaching Chemistry, Aquatic Biology, Astronomy, Earth Science, and Archery.
Teaching style
Hands on, Inquiry Based.
Awards & shining teacher moments
Michigan Outstanding Earth Science Teacher 2012
Heart of MESTA Award 2023
SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors 2010
My own education history
B.S. and B.A. Central Michigan University 1982
Majors in Biology and Earth Science, Minor in ELA
M.A.T. in Biology CMU 1992, M.A.T. in Geosciences WGU 2015
Additional Coursework in Astronomy, GIS, Meteorology via
AMS Datastreme, NTEN, TLRBSE Program, THEMIS E/PO workshops
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