Key Concepts

• Meteorite impacts play a major role in Planetary evolution
• The tectonic activity, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere remove traces of impact craters over time
• Meteor impact affect proportional to meteor size and speed
• Meteor impacts may have caused major biological extinctions

Student Misconceptions

• Meteorites are hot when they hit the earth. In truth, small meteorites are cold when they hit Earth.
• A meteor’s great speed is enough to melt its outside layer, but any molten material will be quickly blown off, and the interior of the meteor does not have time to heat up because rocks are poor conductors of heat.
• Students often confuse the terms asteroid, comet, meteoroid, meteor, meteorite. (Shooting stars are meteors which burn up in the earth’s atmosphere & meteorites are meteoroids which impact the earth’s surface creating an impact crater.)

Student Prior Knowledge

Potential and kinetic energy, asteroids, comets, meteors, age of the earth, and some knowledge of what is meant by the conservation of energy.

Assessment Strategies

Here are a number of strategies and activities you might use to help uncover student misconceptions, the level of student learning and areas students might need further instruction.

Pre-Assessment

Pre-Assessment and Embedded Assessment Activity

Teachers can provide the students with a KWL chart for this lesson on “Cosmic Collisions”. A sample KWL chart is provided below; however, it is recommend that teachers develop a chart which addresses the instructional and learning needs of their students.

Students fill in the first two columns prior to viewing the video and doing the activities and complete the last column after completing the unit of study.

Often students don’t know what to write in the W column of KWL charts so there are some inquiries already inserted in the sample KWL chart.

Students may also need some assistance to identify what they already know about impact craters and energy transfer. Teachers can lead the class in a discussion and have the class make a list of what they already know. Concepts that should appear in the K column should include key ideas found in ‘prior knowledge’ section above. From this list some students may form their own questions as to what they want to learn.

The last column can be filled in by the students as the work through the lesson as an embedded assessment strategy. Used in this way, students are able to keep track of their learning. What they learn may contradict some of their prior knowledge. When this occurs you should ask the students to explain why they have changed their opinion. Having students explain what they have learned will help to correct their prior misconceptions.

Possible ‘What I want to know questions’:

1. 1. How much space debris (space dust, asteroids) hits the earth each year?
2. 2. How big must an asteroid be to make a three-mile wide crater?
3. 3. Why does the moon seem to have many more craters than the earth?
4. 4. Why are impact craters so well preserved on the Moon?
5. 5. Has a large asteroid ever hit near where I live?

KWL Chart

Possible Pre- and Post-Assessment Strategies:

• Use an Origami Student Response System (See paper folding student response instructions and sample.)
• Here are three multiple choice questions you can ask your students prior to viewing and discussing the video. We suggest you adjust and/or add more questions to best address the needs of your students.

Students are each given the Origami Student Response System and fold the paper to show their answer to each question. After the teacher asks each multiple-choice question, each student holds up his or her response by folding the paper so that the answer is facing the teacher. After you have completed this unit of study you can revisit these questions to authenticate student learning.

QUESTION SET

1. 1. Many geologic processes can drastically change Earth’s landscape. Which of the following is a process that does NOT significantly change Earth’s surface?
   1. Erosion caused by running water
   2. Impact craters from meteorites
   3. Mountains leveled by glaciers
   4. Formation of caves
2. 2. Impact collisions can cause significant changes to Earth. Which of the following is a change that may have been caused by the impact of a large space object?
   1. the movement of the tectonic plates
   2. extinction of species
   3. global warming
   4. volcanic eruptions
3. 3. The amount of energy given off in an impact collision depends on two main factors. What are those factors?
1. the mass and velocity of the objects
2. the impact angle and the mass of the objects
3. the distance traveled by each object and the impact angle
4. the composition of the soil and the mass of the objects

ANSWERS: 1D, 2B, 3A

Origami Answer Sheet for Students

Post-Assessment

In the teacher video Dr. Keith Milam, Ohio University, suggests four student activities you can do with your class. Each of these activities can serve as an authentic assessment strategy. Have your students work through the activities and report out their findings.

1. Craters on the Earth and Moon – Have students answer the three questions in this activity and discuss their conclusions with their classmates.
Exercise1_Craters on the Earth and Moon.pdf

2. The Effects of Impact – This is a rather lengthy activity with multiple steps, questions and conclusions to be drawn by the student. We suggest you have the students work in groups and post their conclusions on poster paper. Students should enter into a discussion as to why they have come to their conclusions and explain. While each group worked independently, it is anticipated that every group will eventually drawn the same general statement, conclusion, based on their work.
Exercise2_The Effects of Impact.pdf

3. A Virtual Visit to Two Impact Craters – Have students work through the multiple steps and questions. Before any group moves from Step 1 to Step 2, teachers should carry on a class discussion on their answers for question 1. Before moving on to any further steps students should discuss their conclusions with their classmates and come to a group consensus on a mutual response.
Exercise3_ Virtual Visit to Two Impact Craters.pdf

4. Unit of Study Developed by Ohio Department of Education
Lesson Title: Meteors and Earths’ Changing Force – page 3 of this document offers an extended response post-assessment strategy as well as a scoring rubric.

Standards

Science and Mathematics Academic Content Standards

Benchmarks - Grade Level Indicators Addressed in Video and Related Activities:

Grade 8 Earth and Space Science Standard: Earth Science

Benchmark E

Describe the processes that contribute to the continuous changing of Earth’s surface (e.g., earthquakes, volcanic eruptions…).

Grade Level Indicators 4 and 13

1. 4. Describe the effect that asteroids or meteoroids have when moving through space and sometimes entering planetary atmospheres.
2. 13. Describe how landforms are created through a combination of destructive (e.g., weathering and erosion) and constructive processes (e.g., crustal deformation, volcanic eruptions and deposition of sediment).

Grade 8 Mathematics Standards: Patterns, functions and Algebra

Students use patterns, relations and functions to model, represent and analyze problem situations that involve variable quantities. Students analyze, model and solve problems using various representations such as tables, graphs and equations.

Benchmark C and D

1. C. Translate information from one representation (words, table, graph or equation) to another representation of a relation or function.
2. D. Use algebraic representations, such as tables, graphs, expressions, functions and inequalities, to model and solve problem situations.

Grade Level Indicators 7

Use symbolic algebra (equations and inequalities), graphs and tables to represent situations and solve problems.

Grade 8 Mathematics Standards: Data Analysis and Probability

Students pose questions and collect, organize, represent, interpret and analyze data to answer those questions. Students develop and evaluate inferences, predictions and arguments that are based on data.

Benchmark B, E, and F

1. B. Evaluate different graphical representations of the same data to determine which is the most appropriate representation for an identified purpose.
2. E. Evaluate the validity of claims and predictions that are based on data by examining the appropriateness of the data collection and analysis.
3. F. Construct convincing arguments based on analysis of data and interpretation of graphs.

Grade level Indicators 1, 2, 7, 8, 9

1. 1. Use, create and interpret scatterplots and other types of graphs as appropriate.
2. 2. Evaluate different graphical representations of the same data to determine which is the most appropriate representation for an identified purpose.
3. 7. Indentify different ways of selecting samples, such as survey response, random sample, representative sample and convenience sample.
4. 8. Describe how the relative size of a sample compared to the target population affects the validity of predictions.
5. 9. Construct convincing arguments based on analysis of data and interpretation of graphs.

Science and Mathematics Standards

Addressed through Suggested Teacher Interaction with Students

Science and Technology

Students should recognize that science and technology are interconnected and that using technology involves assessment of the benefits, risks, and costs. Students should build scientific and technological knowledge, as well as the skill required to design and construct devices. In addition, they should develop the processes to solve problems and to understand that problems may be solved in several ways.

Scientific Inquiry

Students develop scientific habits of mind as they use the processes of scientific inquiry to ask valid questions, and to gather and analyze information. They understand how to develop hypotheses and make predictions. They are able to reflect on scientific practices as they develop plans of action to create and evaluate a variety of conclusions. Students are also able to demonstrate the ability to communicate their findings to others.

Scientific Ways of Knowing

Students realize that the current body of scientific knowledge must be based on evidence, be predictive, logical, subject to modification, and limited to the natural world. This includes demonstrating an understanding that scientific knowledge grows and advances as new evidence, is discovered to support or modify existing theories, as well as to encourage the development of new theories. Students are able to reflect on ethical scientific practices and demonstrate an understanding of how the current body of scientific knowledge reflects the historical and cultural contributions of women and men who provide us with a more reliable and comprehensive understanding of the natural world.

Mathematical Processes

Students use mathematical processes and knowledge to solve problems. Students apply problem-solving and decision-making techniques, and communicate mathematical ideas.