OOGEEP Geology Teacher Workshop

Ohio middle school and high school geology and earth science teachers, we've got great activities for your classroom!

Earth's Layers: How did the Earth differentiate into its various layers? Which layers contain the underground reservoirs of hydrocarbons? Use modeling and graphic organizers to teach the composition, scaling and mapping of Earth’s layers.

Active Earth: From Continental Drift to Plate Tectonics
: What evidence do we have to support the plate tectonic theory? How has the movement of plates contributed to the production of naturally occurring economic resources like crude oil and natural gas? Use puzzles, “edible models” and maps to understand Wegener’s Theory of Continental Drift, relative plate motion and sea floor spreading.

Mineralogy: The Building Blocks of Our Rocks: 
What is a mineral and what properties distinguish one mineral from another? How do petroleum geologists determine the organic materials in source rocks that produce hydrocarbons? Grow mineral crystals and test for hardness, specific gravity and other properties that distinguish one mineral from another.

Rocks vs Minerals
: What distinguishes a rock from a mineral? What is the composition of source rocks for crude oil and natural gas? Identify and classify rocks using graphic organizers, physics and modeling.

Ohio’s Sedimentary Basins
: What processes are responsible for the formation of the bedrock found in Ohio’s sedimentary basin? How are these processes responsible for the Utica and Marcellus shales present in Ohio today? Create a sedimentary basin model, calculate weathering rates, and design graphic organizers to understand how sediments, organisms, structures and rocks vary between depositional environments.

Earth’s Energy Resources: 
What processes are carbon sinks and sources? What are Ohio’s energy resources? Create a model to track carbon flow, experiment to find out if carbon is stored in rocks and use a graphic organizer assessment to trace pathways of carbon cycles in the environment.

This workshop will provide Ohio’s educators with factual knowledge about the natural gas and oil industry—along with the history, science, and geology behind it—to take back to their classrooms. Career connections help educate students about the many opportunities available within this industry. Participants receive curriculum books that meet state and national standards and include background information and multiple hands-on activities for each unit. Teachers also receive supplies for many of the curriculum activities, and numerous other educational and resourceful materials.

Each workshop is worth .7 CEU credits and when applicable, teachers have the opportunity to attend field trips and acquire Ashland graduate credits.

Thanks to Ohio’s natural gas and oil producers, these workshops and materials are provided free of charge to Ohio educators!

Host or Publisher OOGEEP