STEM for Teachers
Tsunami!
How does the depth of an ocean affect the speed of a tsunami's waves? Use Jell-o, graham crackers, and marshmallows to model the effects of an underwater earthquake and its resulting tsunami. The lesson includes hands-on activities,...
Curated OER
Weather
Students explore the earth's atmosphere, weather, and climate. They begin class with a discussion about weather patterns, atmosphere, and the layers of the earth. After the class discussion, students rotate through four stations to...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Lithosphere, Hydrosphere & Atmosphere
Three of Earth's spheres are introduced to your earth scientists: lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. Each are described with text, while a combination of photographs and computer images are displayed. One of the best ways to use...
Curated OER
The Ozone Layer
In this ozone worksheet students complete an interactive activity on the thinning of the ozone then answer a series of questions on the earths UV rays.
Kenan Fellows
Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Energy Resources
Is one type of energy inherently good or bad? Young scientists explore energy resources in a week-long unit. After extensive research, groups create powerful position statements and presentations supporting their energy resource of choice.
Royal Society of Chemistry
Rock Types 2
All rocks include two or more minerals but greatly vary in appearance. The online interactive encourages scholars to match the rock types to the facts they know about each. They then complete three grid puzzles reviewing the same...
Curated OER
Layering the Air
Students study the layer of the atmosphere. In this instructional activity on the atmosphere, students discuss the composition of the air around us and how the atmosphere was formed. Students create a scale model of the layers of the...
Curated OER
King of the Mound
Learners investigate water as an agent of change. They conduct an experiment involving a mound of soil, observe and record any changes that occur when ice melts on the mound of dirt, and create a drawing of the changes that take place...
Curated OER
A Scale of the Earth
Students create a scale model of the different eras, periods, and epochs of Earth's 4.6 billion year history. In addition to different time periods, other major events will also be added to the model from fabricated radioactive decay...
Curated OER
Inside Earth
Pupils study the makeup of the earth, including the core, the mantle and the crust. They compare the temperatures and thicknesses of each layer. In pairs, they make a model of a cross-section of the earth out of modeling clay.
Wilderness Classroom
Ocean Life
Our oceans are composed of many complex relationships. Young oceanographers explore relationships between organisms, understand the world ocean's currents, and discover the effects of water pollution and how it behaves. There are...
Curated OER
How Coal Was Formed
Learners consider four diagrams of the Earth's crust, and decide which diagram best fits with the four descriptions on the instructional activity. A simple, yet effective teaching tool.
University of Wisconsin
Infiltration Test: Exploring the Flow of Water Through Soils
Soil scientists gain experience with an infiltrometer can to determine the infiltration rates at different locations on campus. If you are using the entire unit, the class has already analyzed water flow and soil types, so they should...
Curated OER
Earth Composition and Plate Tectonics
Students investigate the composition of the interior of the Earth through a teacher lead lesson. They study the theory of plate tectonics before creating a model of the earth's interior. They use a hard boiled egg to synthesize a model...
Curated OER
Volcanoes: Sixth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Bring a set of pre-lab, lab, and post-lab lesson plans on volcanoes to your earth science unit. Sixth graders explore the three types of volcanoes found on Earth, plot the specific locations of these volcanoes on a map, and...
Curated OER
Jeopardy
Providing an interactive experience, this Jeopardy-style game leads players through a review of scientific concepts. The presentation covers topics such as sound, the Earth's layers, magnetism, and the states of matter. This would be a...
Curated OER
Deep Thoughts
Students examine what lies within the Earth. They research and create scale models illustrating the layers of the Earth and write skits advocating a travel plan to send a probe into the Earth's mantle.
Curated OER
The Volcano Factory
Students examine the process of tectonic plates and why the Mariana Arc is active with volcanoes. They create a model of the Mariana Arc out of clay.
DiscoverE
Core Sampling
Simulate soil sample assemblages. Individuals create soil layers in a cup. They then use straws to collect core samples from these layers. What information can they glean from the core samples, I wonder?
Curated OER
Snack Tectonics
Yum! Using graham crackers, dried fruit sheets, and frosting, tectonics technicians demonstrate the different types of plate boundaries. If you want to encourage youngsters with an activity that is both educational and edible, then this...
Museum of Science
Worm Farm
It is not a barrel of monkeys—it's a jar of worms! Scholars create a worm farm in a spaghetti sauce jar. Pupils layer moist soil, sand, and oatmeal to create a habitat for worms. Individuals place worms into the habitat, cover it with...
University of Southern Indiana
Manifest Density
There's a lot content packed into the four lessons of this physical science unit on density. From salad dressing to the water cycle and hot air balloons, these lessons engage students in hands-on activities that explore real-world...
Curated OER
Happy Lesson: The Earth's Crust
This PowerPoint provides a multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank format for reviewing vocabulary and related content following an "earth's crust" science unit. The information is concise and age-appropriate and the font and colors are...
Curated OER
Earth's Dramatic History
Students create a timeline. In this Earth's History instructional activity, students research the history of life on Earth and use the information collected to create a timeline. Students also answers the provided discussion...