Unit 2 calendar: when each block runs
Meeting dates for each block in Unit 2, by rotation
Block A rotation B rotation
Block 1 Thu Oct 15 Fri Oct 16
Block 2 Wed Oct 21 Fri Oct 23
Block 3 Mon Oct 26 Tue Oct 27
Block 4 Wed Oct 28 Thu Oct 29
Block 5 Fri Oct 30 Mon Nov 2
Block 6 Tue Nov 3 Wed Nov 4
Block 7 Thu Nov 5 Fri Nov 6
Block 8 Tue Nov 10 Wed Nov 11
Block 9 Thu Nov 12 Fri Nov 13

Your section follows one rotation, A or B. Check which one you are in and read that column.

Anchor question
What story does a landscape tell, and how do you read it like a geologist?

Unit 2 launches Thread 4: Science-Policy-Public. For the first time, students write for a non-student audience: a hypothetical Greater Chennai Corporation planning meeting. The format choice (≤1500-word written, ≤6-min annotated Google Earth video, or large infographic) is deliberate UDL design: the rubric is identical across all three, so the deliverable assesses landscape-reading thinking, not writing stamina.

It also continues Thread 1: OPVL with new source types: USGS, Geological Survey of India, ISRO Bhuvan satellite data, historical Google Earth imagery, and Chennai-local news. The geological-time perspective added in Block 3 lets students compare evidence across timescales their U0 + U1 sources never spanned.

Nine blocks, nine locations, one new AI partner (the Field Geologist). The summative, the Landscape Reading, is the structured biography. The planning-audience share-out in Block 9 is the second defense in the year-long defense arc and the first one with a non-academic audience role.

The nine blocks

Block 1: Weathering
How rocks break down. Mechanical vs. chemical weathering, with tropical chemical weathering as the local relevant case. Photo-ID activity on 8 unfamiliar field photos.
A: Thu Oct 15 · B: Fri Oct 16
Block 2: Erosion
How Earth moves itself around. Water / wind / ice / gravity as agents. Marina Beach satellite sequence (2005-2025) as the worked example.
A: Wed Oct 21 · B: Fri Oct 23
Block 3: Rivers as Landscape Sculptors
River systems vocabulary. Cooum + Adyar case study. OPVL practice on three contested sources. Discussion: channelization or restoration?
A: Mon Oct 26 · B: Tue Oct 27
Block 4: Coasts
Where land meets ocean. Longshore drift, wave erosion, monsoon storms. Marina Beach + Mahabalipuram coast: two coastal stories.
A: Wed Oct 28 · B: Thu Oct 29
Block 5: Tropical Landscapes + Chennai Context
Why tropical landscapes are different (laterites, monsoon sediment cycles). Landscape Reading assigned today; students start considering their location choice.
A: Fri Oct 30 · B: Mon Nov 2
Block 6: Field Photo / Map Analysis
Lock your location. In-class work with Google Earth, historical imagery, and curated photos. Conferencing rotation + peer-check protocol.
A: Tue Nov 3 · B: Wed Nov 4
Block 7: Worked Example + OPVL
Ms. Jayanthi/Mr. Ignash demos a complete Landscape Reading live. OPVL practice on your primary source. The highest-leverage teacher move of the unit.
A: Thu Nov 5 · B: Fri Nov 6
Block 8: Drafting + Peer Feedback
Full work day on the Landscape Reading. Conferencing rotation. Structured peer feedback round. Final submission format locked.
A: Tue Nov 10 · B: Wed Nov 11
Block 9: Share-Out + Unit Close
Landscape Readings submitted. Class share-out: 3 min + 2 min Q&A each, class plays the planning audience. Unit reflection + connect-forward to U3.
A: Thu Nov 12 · B: Fri Nov 13

Assessment

AI partners for this unit

Resources for this unit