GEMS Workshops

GEMS (Geological Environmental Mineralogical Science) workshops are for pre-service and in-service teachers of grades 3-8 with limited earth science background who are either planning to bring students to the Sterling Hill Mining Museum or who wish to learn how to integrate local historical resources into their curriculum.

MUSEUM ORIENTATION (3 hours)
A teachers’ preview tour of the mining tunnels, exhibit halls, and Rock Discovery Center focusing on the relationships between science, technology, and society and how they come alive at this historical zinc mine.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 5.1, 9.8
Fee:
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, and a packet of curriculum materials related to mining and minerals for each participant

BACKGROUND AND SITE WALK-THROUGH
A teachers’ preview tour of the mining tunnels, exhibit halls, and Rock Discovery Center paired with an in-depth exploration of the history, geography and science concepts related to mining in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Discussion will include how community resources can enrich a school’s curriculum. Participants will engage in hands-on activities.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 5.1, 6.4, 12.2
Fee:
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, hands-on materials, and a GEMS Teachers Guide for each participant

INVESTIGATIONS FOR GRADES 3-5 (3 hours)
For teachers of grade 3-5 who have a familiarity with the Sterling Hill Mining Museum and are interested in using the site as a source of direct instruction, integrating the field trip experience into the school’s curriculum. Participants try out a series of previsit, on-site, and postvisit activities for students and practice teaching them to other participants. Discussion includes adaptation of the activities to meet the particular needs of their students.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 1.2, 5.1
Prerequisite: Either “Museum Orientation” or “Background and Site Walk-Through”
Fee:
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, hands-on materials, and a GEMS Teachers Guide for each participant

INVESTIGATIONS FOR GRADES 6-8 (3 hours)
For middle school teachers who have a familiarity with the Sterling Hill Mining Museum and are interested in using the site as a source of direct instruction, integrating the field trip experience into the school’s curriculum. Participants try out a series of previsit, on-site, and postvisit activities for students and practice teaching them to other participants. Discussion includes adaptation of the activities to meet the particular needs of their students.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 1.2, 5.1
Fee:
Prerequisite: Either “Museum Orientation” or “Background and Site Walk-Through”
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, hands-on materials, and a GEMS Teachers Guide for each participant

ROCK DISCOVERY CENTER (In-Quarry Investigations) (3 hours)

Teachers of Grades K-8 preview their class’s visit to the Rock Discovery Center as a collecting site and then “walk through” a series of hands-on activities that will use the rocks back in the classroom. Includes a discussion of quarrying technology in the tri-state region and the uses of quarried rock.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 1.2
Fee:
Prerequisite: none
Includes: Instruction, a rock-collection set and a GEMS Teachers Guide for each participant

NEW JERSEY ROCKS AND SEDIMENTS (3 hours)
Teachers of Grades K-8 practice inquiry science as the “walk-through” a series a grade-specific, hands-on science activities using a collection of New Jersey Rocks and Sediments assembled by the New Jersey Geological Survey. Discussion includes how these activities can be implemented in the classroom as whole-class lesson, as small group activities, or in a student-directed learning center.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 1.2
Fee:
Prerequisite: none
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, and a NJ Rocks and Sediments classroom collection set and related Teaching Guide for each participant

Science Workshops

Science Workshops are for preservice and in-service science teachers of grades 7-12 and are taught by professional geologists. They are especially useful for biology, chemistry, and phsics teachers who plant o teach Earth science. Current earth science teachers will focus on the application of general principles to specific New Jersey examples.

NEW JERSEY PHYSIOGRAPHY & HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES (6 hours)
An exploration of the geography and economic geology of New Jersey and the local history of the Sterling Hill Mine. Discussions include how science content can be enriched by a school’s local resources.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 1.2, 5.1, 12.2
Fee:
Prerequisite: none
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, and a Sterling Hill Mining Museum Teachers Guide for each participant

THE GEOLOGY OF NEW JERSEY (6 hours)
A mini-course in how New Jersey has changed throughout geological history, including its volcanoes, its fossils record, and the effects of glaciers.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 1.2, 5.1
Fee:
Prerequisite: none
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, and a Sterling Hill Mining Museum Teachers Guide for each participant

FASCINATING FLUORESCENCE (6 hours)
A hands-on exploration of “glow-in-the-dark” fluorescent objects, including a tour of the Thomas S. Warren Museum of Fluorescence and underground tunnels to view fluorescent zinc ore in its natural habitat. Discussion included the many uses of fluorescence in commercial applications, stamp tagging, criminal forensics, and more.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 1.2
Fee:
Prerequisite: none
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, and a Sterling Hill Mining Museum Teachers Guide for each participant

TEACHING ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE THROUGH LOCAL ISSUES (6 hours)
Using the former zinc mine at the Sterling Hill Mining Museum as a jumping off point, participants explore environmental issues related to quarrying, mining, and land reclamation technologies from local, national, and global perspectives.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 12.2
Fee:
Prerequisite: none
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, and a Sterling Hill Mining Museum Teachers Guide for each participant

IN-QUARRY: THE GEOLOGY, HISTORY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF SURFACE MINING AND QUARRYING (6 hours)
Teachers explore former surface mining sites at the Sterling Mill Mining Museum and relate what they find to stone and gravel quarrying in New Jersey.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1
Fee:
Prerequisite: none
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, and a Sterling Hill Mining Museum Teachers Guide for each participant

INTRODUCTION TO FIELD GEOLOGY (6 hours)
Participants accompany a professional geologist to explore exposed rocks at the Sterling Hill Mining Museum and learn techniques and scientific methods of field observation, recording of information, and collection of samples.
NJ Standards for Required Professional Development: 1.1, 5.1
Fee:
Prerequisite: none
Includes: Admission to the Museum, instruction, and a Sterling Hill Mining Museum Teachers Guide for each participant

Customized Workshops

Customized workshops can be arranged for weekdays or weekends, March through December.

For College Groups: Undergraduate and Graduate
Instructors wishing to add a field experience tot heir science or education courses may request a program led by our staff.

For School Districts
We can accommodate the specific interests of your school district and provide in-service professional development for elementary, middle, or high school teachers.

For Home Schoolers
Groups of home schooling parents and their children can take a workshop together. Our staff will model interdisciplinary teaching, integrating math, science, social studies and reading activities suitable for a range of ages. This workshop included a storytelling component, “Stories for Storytellers,” featuring “The Adventures of Christopher Otter.”