1. What is Planet Diary?  Find it at planetdiary.com  Science current events for the classroom, by a teacher for students!  Engage students via natural disasters.  Strong focus on environmental issues.  In-depth classroom activities for rigorous exploration.  Extensive archives dating to 1999 ( 3,000+ journal entries!)

2. How Do I Use Planet Diary?  EARTH’S JOURNAL engages students with weekly science reports.  ACTIVITIES offer in-depth investigation of concepts & environmental issues.  EARTH’S CALENDAR kicks off week.  ARCHIVES track events over time.  LINKS encourage further research.

3. Earth’s Journal Option #1:  Assign for written homework.  Students present orally.  Use globe to build geography “muscles”!  Include writing prompts: The main idea is... This is important because... I learned that... One question I have is...

4. Earth’s Journal Option #2:  Write your own Planet Diary “Scavenger Hunt.”  Encourages critical thinking & concept development.  Develops writing skills.  Integrates math.

5. Classroom Activities:  In-depth exploration of concepts & environmental issues.  Guided webquests minimize unfocused online time.  Resources: USGS, NASA, EPA, NOAA, NSIDC etc.  Develop critical thinking & data analysis.

6. “Next Gen” PD Activities:  Online activity for every lesson in new Pearson middle school science program (= 268 activities!!).  Full answer key.  Strong state/regional focus.  Ready summer 2010!

7. Sample PD Activities for FL:  Florida’s River of Grass (Fresh Water: Water Underground)  Beach Erosion in Florida (Erosion: Waves)  Tracking U.S. Hurricanes (Weather: Storms)  Your State’s Rock History (Geologic Time: Geologic Time Scale)

8. Archives:  Database searchable by event type, date, and location.  Trace history or pattern of events. (e.g. Hurricane Katrina, West Nile spread, Indonesia quakes)  Use for research (archives go back to 1999).

9. Earth’s Calendar:  Fixed & variable date phenomena and events.  Fixed: meteor showers, hurricane season, & special days or weeks.  Variable: eclipses, full moon, etc.  Lists important historical events.

10. Web Links:  Cherry-pick best of the web to support all Planet Diary event categories.  Starting point for research & further exploration.