EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 15
What do a cheetah, Audi commercial, and air have in common? They're all topics of an engaging inquiry-based, hands-on workshop for educators about background knowledge, reading strategies, the CER model, and argumentative writing. The...
Other
Science4 Us: Materials
Students use a dichotomous key to sort materials into natural and man-made and sort further using the adjectives rough and smooth; this activity builds both science and language skills as students classify materials and build deeper...
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Buildings and Earthquakes
Do you think you can build a house that can withstand the shaking from an earthquake? In this activity, students design and construct model building that will be tested on a shake table with a force sensor. Activity includes questions...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Let's Build the Earth!: The Structure of the Earth's Crust and Interior
In this activity, students will make observations then construct a "sample" model representation of the Earth's layers. They will compare and contrast the movement and material in each layer explaining the location and what it contains.
Other
Massachusetts Department of Education: Sunlight Warms Earth's Surface
This unit contains a series of lessons that allow students to explore the effect of sunlight on Earth's natural surfaces of sand, soil, rock, and water. In addition, students explore how the color and material of a surface affects how...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Earth and Space Science: When Continents Collide
Material to begin an exploration of plate tectonics and mountain formation. An hour-long video is accompanied by learning goals, an outline and overview, details on metamorphic rocks and mountain building, and ideas for teaching this...
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Mountain Building
In this interactive tutorial you will learn how pressure creates stress and strain on rocks. Learn how different types of strain are produced by different plate tectonic settings, and explore the different types of mountain ranges and...
Other
Cal Earth the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture
Founded and directed by the internationally renowned architect and author Nader Khalili, this institute works to create homes from the earth using such materials as sand, clay, and dirt. Its mission is to create tree-less places for...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: What's Down There?
Students build a model to learn about the cycle of erosion and deposition by water and wind which deposits layer upon layer of rock, soil, and organic material to the surface.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Building a Barometer
Students investigate the weather from a systems approach, learning how individual parts of a system work together to create a final product. Students learn how a barometer works to measure the Earth's air pressure by building a model out...
PBS
Pbs Kids: Science Rocks: Build a Tent
This site provides instructions on how to build a tent including materials needed. It focuses primarily on a model tent but gives hints to adapt it to an outdoor tent that could provide shelter from the weather.
PBS
Nova Teachers: The Day the Earth Shook: Classroom Activity
Challenge your students to design a building that will withstand an earthquake. Using materials like 3x5 cards and paperclips, students design three different buildings and test their effectiveness.
NASA
Nasa Earth Observatory: Land Cover Classification
Learn about the important resources our land offers us: food, water, oxygen, building materials, and more. Discover how scientists have been mapping land for years trying to prevent disasters and to collect environmental information.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Rock Cycle
Through five lessons, students are introduced to all facets of the rock cycle. Topics include rock and mineral types, material stresses and weathering, geologic time and fossil formation, the Earth's crust and tectonic plates, and soil...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Survive That Tsunami!
Students use a table-top-sized tsunami generator to observe the formation and devastation of a tsunami. They see how a tsunami moves across the ocean and what happens when it reaches the continental shelf. Students make villages of model...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Create Shade to Protect From the Sun
For this fun activity, students will get creative with craft materials. They will figure out how to protect an "animal" and its territory from getting too hot in the sun. What will they build to keep their animals cool?
Curated OER
Unesco: Ghana: Asante Traditional Buildings
To the north-east of Kumasi, these are the last material remains of the great Asante civilization, which reached its high point in the 18th century. Since the dwellings are made of earth, wood and straw, they are vulnerable to the...
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Speedy Shelter (Pdf)
This is a hands-on challenge to invent a sturdy emergency shelter that's easy to build. Provides a full list of materials with ideas on how to build, test, and redesign it if necessary. Activity focuses on the engineering design process...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms
WGBH in collaboration with NASA presents digital media resources you can use to teach topics in K-12 Earth and Space Science. These free resources are organized into four grade bands. Each resource emphasizes engaging students in...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Get Down and Dirty: How Does Soil Change With Depth?
What covers less than 10% of the Earth's surface, yet is a vital natural resource for terrestrial life? What filters ground water and supports most of our food production, not to mention the production of building materials and paper?...
Other
Geology.com: Rocks: Rocks: Igneous, Metamorphic and Sedimentary
Rocks hold the history of the earth and the materials that will be used to build its future. This website holds a treasure of information regarding igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.