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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mohs Hardness Test

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders listen as they are told about another way to classify rocks; by their hardness. They observe the Mohs Hardness Test overhead, discover how the test works, and then use materials such as pennies, butter knives, nails, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Engineering For The 3 Little Pigs

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students engage in a lesson which demonstrates the importance of rocks, soils and minerals in engineering and how using the right material for the right job is important. The students build three different sand castles and test them for...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gold Fever

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young scholars read the story Gold Fever about the Gold Rush and write journal entries as if they were miners. In this Gold Rush lesson plan, students also pull out rocks from a back, and if they pick a gold one, they have struck it rich!
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crinoids: Flowers f the Iowa Seas

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Young scholars study the rocks and fossils associated with the geologic landscape of Iowa. In this rocks and fossils lesson, students examine fossils that would be found in the Iowa landscape that show evidence of marine invertebrates...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rockin? Chalk (Integrating science - make own chalk)

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students use plaster of Paris, talc, and cornstarch to create their own chalk. They hypothesize what mixture of ingredients produce the "best" chalk. Students discuss what they think are the characteristics of the "best" chalk.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moh's Scale of Hardness

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate how to use Moh's Hardness Scale. For this geology lesson, students examine several minerals and develop a hypothesis about which mineral is the hardest. Students use the Moh's Scale Identification Chart to determine...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How is Gold Found in the Ground?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders participate in a series of activities designed to simulate mining for gold. They pan for "gold" and create a safe tunnel.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Amazing metals: Nevada quarter reverse

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Nevada's nickname is "The Silver State" and metal is what this lesson is all about. Pupils will make a T-chart to discuss the differences between metals and minerals, then write and explain the properties of metal. They will get into...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Good Vibrations Remote Sensing data Collection: Thermal Emission Spectrometer

For Teachers 4th - 8th
The Mars Global Surveyor spent two years creating a mineral map of the planet Mars using thermal emission spectrometry. To help young astronomers understand this remote sensing instrument, have them simulate how data is collected and...
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California Academy of Science

What Kind of Geologist Am I?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Transform your class into young geologists as they learn about six different branches of geology. Using the included geology career descriptions and picture cards, learners work in small groups deciding which tools and locations fit...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"101 Amazing Earth Facts" Game

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students read for comprehension, work cooperatively to learn "101 Amazing Earth Facts," and compete as teams in a Jeopardy-like game.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Disappearing Rocks

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore the causes of erosion and observe how different surfaces erode differently. They recognize erosion and predict what type of erosion caused it. In addition, they predict the outcomes of erosion on different materials.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

BOWEN'S REACTION SERIES

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students research Bowen's Reaction Series and recreate the process in an experiment which details the crystallization sequence of minerals that can be observed in nature.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Surface Water and Groundwater

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students examine distribution of water and minerals. In this surface and groundwater lesson, students conduct an experiment with fresh and salt water making hypothesis and drawing conclusions about minerals. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossil Inferences

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use their knowledge about fossils to arrange fossil pictures in sequence from oldest to youngest. They explain how fossils can be used to make inferences about past life, climate, geology, and environments and discover...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SCRUMPTIOUS SOIL

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students engage in investigations that lead to the discovery that earth materials consist of rocks, soils, water, and air. They build models of soil profiles, using breakfast cereal and other edible materials. They observe how water...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's in the Soil?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine soil to find its contents, and how much water and air they can measure.  In this soil composition lesson, 4th graders perform three experiments and record their results.  In one experiment they examine the soil for...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building Up, Breaking Down

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students investigate how rocks are modified into construction materials. In this building up and breaking down lesson plan, students explore what happens to building materials over time and how people modify natural materials. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crystal Growing

For Teachers K - 12th
Students explore the different phases of a crystal.  In this mineral instructional activity students grow their own sugar crystals using a sugar recipe. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soil Composition

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students examine soil. In this soil composition activity students participate in soil sedimentation and filtration activities. The students discuss what non-living and living things are in soil and why it is so important.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using HyperStudio

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Second through eighth graders use the software "HyperStudio" to create a presentation of their choice on Native American lifestyles. One thing I like a lot about this lesson plan, is that the young scholars are the ones who get to choose...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You are the Archaeologist

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Kids can practice their observation and evidence-based argument skills with a fun and engaging look at artifacts. With a given set of objects, each child will sketch and describe the object, then partners work together to determine...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Take a Stab!

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Your geology class practices taking core samples of a potato to examine the stratigraphy. This is a terrific modeling lesson that helps youngsters visualize strata that cannot be seen from the surface of the ground. The directions...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Discovering Rainforest Locations

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
How many rainforests are there, where are they, and do global factors effect their locations? These are great questions that have great answers. Children in grades four through eight use several different maps to determine why...

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