EARTH 520
Plate Tectonics and People

Summary and Final Tasks

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I chose a case study to highlight the Neat-o Interdisciplinary Idea for this lesson: Forensics. I like introducing the subject of mineralogy this way because I think it is more exciting to see a real-life example of why you might want to know how to classify rocks and minerals rather than just memorizing a list of classifications, vocabulary, and chemical formulas.

While memorization does have its place and studying science does require learning some new vocabulary, putting these ideas into the context of a true story can make learning seem less burdensome and more like a discovery process--don't you agree?

Reminder - Complete all of the lesson tasks!

You have finished Lesson 5. Double-check the list of requirements on the Lesson 5 Overview page to make sure you have completed all of the activities listed there before beginning the next lesson.

Tell us about it!

If you have anything you'd like to comment on, or add to, the lesson materials, feel free to post your thoughts to our next Teaching/Learning discussion. For example, are you grateful that you were not unlucky enough to stumble onto some traffickers while hiking in Mexico in the 1980s?