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Geology and the Battle of Gettysburg

Unit Plan

Geology and the Battle of Gettysburg

Objectives

In this unit, students connect the geologic history of Pennsylvania to the tactics of the Battle of Gettysburg. Students will:

  • investigate the geologic history of the Gettysburg battlefield.

  • analyze the Gettysburg battlefield in terms of the rock cycle.

  • connect battle tactics of the Gettysburg campaign to the geologic history of the battlefield.

Essential Questions

  • What causes the great variation at Earth’s surface?

  • How do energy transformations explain that energy is neither created nor destroyed?

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Formative Assessment

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    Multiple Choice Items:

    1. During the Battle of Gettysburg, what determined the Union army’s defensive position?

    A

    cultivated fields

    B

    hills and ridges

    C

    city limits

    D

    plains and rivers

    2. Which Earth process shapes patterns of highs and lows in the Earth’s surface?

    A

    differential weathering

    B

    global warming

    C

    magnetic reversal

    D

    lunar cycles

    3. Which of the following results from recycling of Earth’s surface into the Gettysburg basin?

    A

    geologic faults

    B

    dinosaur extinction

    C

    sedimentary rocks

    D

    earthquakes

    4. The formation of the Gettysburg sill is associated with which geologic process?

    A

    mountain building

    B

    regional uplifting

    C

    sediment depositing

    D

    continental rifting

    5. What produced the Gettysburg basin?

    A

    river bed erosion

    B

    glacial grooves

    C

    heat transfer

    D

    mountain destruction

    6. Which one of the following shows Earth’s history?

    A

    geologic cross section

    B

    road map

    C

    satellite image

    D

    shaded relief map

    7. Earth’s recycling of mantle material produced what kind of surface feature in the Gettysburg battlefield?

    A

    road

    B

    plain

    C

    valley

    D

    hill

    Multiple Choice Answer Key:

    1. B

    2. A

    3. C

    4. D

    5. C

    6. A

    7. D

    Short-answer key and Scoring Rubrics:

    8. Is there a connection between the process by which Pangaea split apart and the Battle of Gettysburg? Explain your answer.


    Points

    Description

    2

      The student provides both a connection and an explanation:

    • Connection answers will vary; example: the rifting of Pangaea set the stage for the Battle of Gettysburg.

    • Explanation must be logical and support the connection; example: the rocks that underlie the ridges and valleys in the battlefield were formed during the rifting of Pangaea; the Union army successfully defended these high areas to win the battle

    1

      The student provides either a connection or an explanation.

    0

      The student provides neither a connection nor an explanation.

    Performance Assessment:

    Create a poster showing what you have learned about Earth’s history and the Battle of Gettysburg. Your poster must include:

    • a sketch of the battlefield showing

    • the Gettysburg sill
    • the location of the Union army

    • how the sill gave the Union army a tactical advantage

    • how at least two of Earth’s processes helped create the tactical advantage

    Performance Assessment Scoring Rubric:

    Points

    Description

    5

    The student completes all five of the requirements:

    • sketch of the battlefield showing

      • the Gettysburg sill

      • location of the Union army

    • how the sill gave the Union army a tactical advantage

    • how at least two Earth processes helped create a tactical advantage

    4

    The student completes four of the requirements.

    3

    The student completes three of the requirements.

    2

    The student completes two of the requirements.

    1

    The student completes one of the requirements.

    0

    The student demonstrates lack of understanding or does not attempt to complete the assessment.

DRAFT 05/26/2010
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