Writings and Publications
of Glenn Simonelli


Geology:
Climate Change: Winners and Losers
A series of web-based lessons for elementary and middle school students about the potential effects of anthropogenic climate change.

Sedimentology, Geochemistry and Paleobiology of a Pennsylvanian Marginal Marine Depositional Environment, Mansfield Formation, Indiana, by Glenn A. Simonelli, Claudia C. Johnson, Erika R. Elswick, Erle G. Kauffman, Cortland F. Eble, and Stephen T. Hasiotis.
 
My masters thesis, updated and edited for publication by the Indiana Geological Survey.

Education:
A Validation Study of Elementary Science ISTEP+ Scores
My education dissertation: a statistical analysis of 1,500+ standardized test scores of elementary school children, in which I conclude that test-taking ability, as evinced in 3rd grade language test scores, has a much greater impact on science test scores than schools or individual teachers.

Science Lessons:
Life in Space: An astronomy/Astrobiology Unit for Upper Elementary and Middle School Students
A series of lesson plans for teachers, it includes the units "Colonize the Solar System" and "Build Your Own Planet."

So What All Is Out There, Anyway?
An introduction to the Life in Space lessons.

Practical Uses of Math and Science (PUMAS)
Several math and science lessons on a peer-reviewed web site for teachers maintained by NASA. 
Modeling the Motions of the Earth, Moon and Sun
The Cause of the Phases of the Moon
The Cause of the Earth's Seasons
The Rubber Band Problem
The Mathematical Implications of Lying

Electronic:
First-Year College Students' Ideas About Astronomy: A Pilot Study
Published in the Astronomy Education Review. The link takes you off site.

Books:
A Validation Study of Standardized Elementary Science Test Scores

ISBN 978-3-8383-0817-3. Basically, my dissertation repackaged in book form. Available, at an outrageous price,  from Amazon.com, AbeBooks.com and Barnes & Noble.com, among others.

Ossining Times:
    Volume 1:
        Number 1 - September 5, 2013

Sunnyside Life:
     Volume 1:
          
Number 1 - August 7, 2011
          Number 2 - October 10, 2011
          Number 3 - July 4, 2012
          Number 4 - December 23, 2012

North Country News:    
    Volume 1:
        Number 1 - August 24, 2007
        Number 2 - September 28, 2007
        Number 3 - October 30, 2007
        Number 4 - November 26, 2007
        Number 5 - December 22, 2007
        Number 6 - February 2, 2008
        Number 7 - March 1, 2008
        Number 8 - March 30, 2008     
        Number 9 - May 11, 2008
        Number 10, July, 13, 2008
    Condense

    Volume 2
        
Number 1 - August 5, 2008
        Number 2 - September 20, 2008
        Number 3 - November  2, 2008
        Number 4 - December 21, 2008
        Number 5 - March 31, 2009


    Volume 3 - January 12, 2010

    Volume 4
        Number 1 - January 9, 2011
        Number 2 - July 11, 2011

Stories:
The Fight on Packing Day Evening
Actually, this story has never been published, but this seems like a good place to include it.

Student Writing:
The End-Permian Extinction
An essay raising the possibility that a supernova explosion initiated a series of events that led to the great end-Permian extinction. 
(I no longer believe this to be the explanation. I'm now convinced it was a bollide impact.)

Paleoecological Constraints on the Possible Nature of Life on Mars
This essay suggests that any life on Mars might still be below the Darwinian Threshold.

Tectonics of the Aegean/Anatolian Region
An early essay showing off my lack of expertise of geophysics
.

The Paleogeography of Early Tetrapods as Reflected in the Tetrapod Database

An examination of the geographic distribution of Devonian and Carboniferous tetrapods.

The Planet Temperature Calculator
Technical report on the development of the Planet Temperature Calculator used in the "Build Your Own Planet" lessons.

Home
Last Updated: January 26, 2024
glenn.simonelli@gmail.com