MTLE Earth and Space Science (Grades 9-12) case studies
MTLE Earth and Space Science (Grades 9-12) · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Earth and Space Science (Grades 9–12) test is one of the content-area examinations listed in the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Examinations (MTLE) program, which is how Minnesota verifies subject-matter knowledge for teacher licensure. It is intended for candidates seeking a Grades 9–12 license to teach Earth and space science, and it sits alongside other secondary science content tests such as Life Science, Chemistry, and Physics. The MTLE Earth and Space Science (Grades 9-12) case studies are 5 cases and about 3,139 words.
1The Distance–Season Misconception in a Ninth-Grade Class
At the start of a ninth-grade Earth and space science unit, a teacher gives a 10-item diagnostic to 24 students. On the item 'Why is it warmer in summer in Minnesota?', 17 students choose 'Earth is closer to the Sun in summer,' 4 choose 'Earth's tilt changes so the Sun is higher,' and 3 choose 'the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun.' Follow-up interviews show many of the 17 can recite that Earth's orbit is elliptical and that perihelion occurs in early January, yet they still explain summer warmth with distance.
683 words, about 3 min2Mineral Identification with Conflicting Student Data
During a 45-minute mineral identification lab, 28 ninth graders rotate through seven stations. At station 4, students record for Sample 7: hardness 6.5 (scratches glass, not quartz), pinkish color, white streak, two cleavage planes meeting at about 90°, vitreous luster, and no reaction to dilute HCl.
608 words, about 3 min3Forecasting a Frontal Passage Before a Track Meet
An Earth science class is analyzing 18 hours of data from its rooftop weather station before a regional track meet. At 6:00 a.m., pressure is 1018 hPa, temperature 22°C, dew point 12°C, wind from the southwest at 8 km/h, and cirrus clouds cover 20% of the sky.
638 words, about 3 min4Classifying a Plate Boundary from Earthquake Depth Data
A class examines a U.S. Geological Survey earthquake catalog for a 500-km-long region.
621 words, about 3 min5Two Stars, One H-R Diagram, and a Misleading Apparent Brightness
In an astronomy lab, students compare two stars. Star X has a blue-white color, a parallax of 0.020 arcseconds, and an apparent magnitude of 5.0.
589 words, about 3 min