Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell

About Terry Lee Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell holds a bachelor's degree in English from Cal State Fullerton and a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Cal State San Bernardino. She also holds a certificate for Interior Design Level 1 from Mt. San Antonio College. She has been an educator in the Corona Norco Unified School District for more than 30 years.

Alaska’s Aurora Borealis offers opportunities for science instruction

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Nothing offers opportunities for learning better than travel, whether to destinations that are near or far. Travel allows the student—and the teacher who practices lifelong learning—to fully experience a locale with all the senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. And one of the most fascinating destinations for travel for both students and teachers is Alaska.

Alaska offers wonderful natural environments for scientific study and observation. On a recent trip to the state, I explored several excellent opportunities for learning that teachers could share with their students. The most spectacular of these is the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis.

Of course, most teachers are unable to escort their students on a field trip to observe this magnificent natural phenomenon, but students can still learn about it from some excellent resources online. A brief description of the science behind the Aurora can be found on the website of the US Government’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Another brief explanation of the phenomenon can be found on the website of National Geographic. Information about predicting Northern Lights in Alaska, including a question and answer section, can be found on this website for the Geophysical Institute sponsored by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. You could also share this three-minute YouTube video of the Northern Lights that was recorded at about the same time of our visit:

 

My husband, Hal, and I were fortunate to observe the Aurora while we were in Fairbanks. We had to select a night with little cloud cover in the sky, travel about a half-hour’s drive away from the city in order to escape the lights of the city, and wait until the later hours of the night. We also had to dress head-to-toe in protective snow gear to shield us from the cold temperatures. But we were well-rewarded for our effort.

Author Terry Lee Marzell (left) and her husband, Hal (right), enjoy the spectacular phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis on a recent trip to Fairbanks, Alaska. The experience offers opportunities for science instruction for students of all grade levels. Feb. 10, 2024. Photo Credit: Robert FrankevichPhoto Credit: Robert Frankevich (Our Alaskan tour guide)

One of the surprising aspects about the Northern Lights that we learned is that we thought the colors were better perceived by the camera than by the naked eye. This observation opens the door for an informative lesson about the human eye,  how rods and cones in the eye function, and how these functions affect our visual perceptions. Despite the limited ability of our human eyes, we were amazed by the beauty of the stunning Northern Lights, not to mention the glittering starscape in the sky above us.

Remember, too, that Alaska is not the only place where the Aurora can be observed. There are terrific viewing spots in Canada, Iceland, and Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Finland. And there are also the Southern Lights, also known as the aurora Australis, which can be seen in Antarctica, New Zealand, and parts of Australia.

I hope this blog post helps educators in the Lower 48 share the science and the beauty of this spectacular display with their students, no matter what the grade level. Enjoy!

The Wild West tamed by frontier schoolmarms

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The American Wild West was tamed, in part, due to the talented and dedicated women who served diligently as frontier schoolteachers. These pioneering women who became teachers during this period of our nation’s history were indeed a special breed.

At the turn of the 19th century, women were expected to be completely dependent upon their husbands, fathers, or other male relatives. It was extremely unusual, and not at all encouraged, for a woman to support herself and function independently. Nevertheless, many intelligent and self-reliant women in search of personal freedom and adventure joined the Westward movement as schoolmarms.

The stereotype of a frontier schoolteacher was that of an unattractive spinster or a prim and proper young miss. In reality, she was often neither of those. Many of these ladies came from influential and affluent Eastern families. A few of them were filled with burning ambition, and others were seeking a better life, and perhaps some were seeking a husband of like ambition. In general, though, these intrepid women were dedicated practitioners of their profession. Despite primitive working conditions, uninviting classrooms, low wages, and overwork, these stalwart women introduced literacy, culture, and morality to the roughneck communities they served. A few of these teachers became missionaries, others became suffragettes, and one of them—Jeannette Rankin of Montana—even went on to become the first woman to be elected to represent her state in the United States House of Representatives!

Our society owes these heroic frontier schoolmarms a great debt. Read more about pioneer teachers in my book, Chalkboard Champions, available through amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. Click on the link to find out how to get a copy of the book. Enjoy!

Celebrating Women’s History Month

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Throughout the month of March, teachers all over the country will be celebrating Women’s History Month with their students. The annual observance features women’s contributions to history, culture, and society, and has been celebrated in the United States since 1987. Here’s a list of some resources and materials teachers might want to examine for inclusion in their Women’s History Month lessons.

The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) provides many resources for Women’s History Month, such as articles, online exhibits, virtual field trips, and classroom resources. You can also find information about women history makers and biographies at this site.

Have a look at the teaching resources available at Scholastic.com. On this site teachers can find women’s history month articles, book lists, lesson plans, and online activities for grades K-12.

Some of the resources available at www.history.com include background information on the annual observance, and photo galleries of important women figures in history, divided into such categories as women in politics, sports, the arts, and science, There is also a dandy timeline of milestones in women’s history, a list of famous firsts in women’s history, information about women’s suffrage, and more.

Take a look at the website www.womenshistory.gov, which is currently offering online exhibitions about women’s suffrage, Rosa Parks, Native American women artists, and more. The website is supported by the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Gallery of Art, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Still need more? Here’s a list of additional resources compiled by Edutopia, an offshoot of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. Includes links to websites that offer lesson plans, printables, digital exhibits, primary sources, and STEM materials.

Enjoy!

Civil Rights activist Septima Poinsette Clark: “The Mother of the Movement”

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Teacher Septima Poinsette Clark was an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s. In fact, she was often called “The Mother of the Movement.” Photo Credit: Bob Fitch photography archive, © Stanford University Libraries

Septima Poinsette Clark was an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Martin Luther King, Jr., often called her “The Mother of the Movement.” In fact, this remarkable educator earned the Martin Luther King, Jr., Award in 1970, the Living Legacy Award in 1979, and the Drum Major for Justice Award in 1987.

Septima was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on May 3, 1898. Her father was born a slave, and her mother, although born in Charleston, was raised in Haiti and never experienced slavery. After Septima graduated from high school in 1916, she didn’t have the money to finance her college education. Nevertheless, she landed a position as an elementary teacher in a school for African American Gullah children on John’s Island in South Carolina’s Sea Islands. By 1919, Septima returned to Charleston to teach sixth grade at Avery Normal Institute, a private academy for Black children. Before long, Septima became involved with Charleston’s NAACP, which inaugurated her involvement in Civil Rights activities. In the 1940s, Septima was finally able to return to school, taking summer school courses to earn her college degree. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Benedict College and her Master’s from Hampton University.

In the 1950s Septima found herself working at the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tennessee. She was instrumental in fighting against Jim Crow laws by organizing citizenship schools to teach underprivileged African Americans basic literacy skills, voter registration techniques, and the history of the Movement. At Highlander, Septima served as the director of workshops, trained teachers, and recruited students.One of the participants in her workshops was Rosa Parks. Shortly after participating in the Highlander workshops, Rosa helped launch the now-famous Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Septima Clark passed away on John’s Island on December 15, 1987, of natural causes. This talented and dedicated teacher was 89 years old.