Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Volcanoes!
Give young geologists an up close and personal look at volcanoes with a series of hands-on earth science lessons. Whether they are investigating the properties of igneous rocks, building their own volcanoes, or making fudge to model the...
Virginia Department of Education
Three Types of Rocks
Rock out with the second installment of a five-part series on earth materials and processes. Your budding geologists make observations of given rock samples and posit classification systems for rocks. They then learn about the accepted...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics: Fourth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
The pre-lab portion of the lesson introduces emerging geologists to the various layers that make up Earth. After completing a sheet on the identification of the layers, class members simulate plate boundaries and their...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics: Fifth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Fifth graders continue their investigation of the plate tectonics cycle with an exploration of the movement of Earth's crust. During the lab, young geologists conduct an experiment to discover the result of different types of stress...
Mr. E. Science
Volcanoes
What is the difference between a shield volcano and a cinder cone volcano? How does the flow of lava influence the type of rock that's formed? A presentation on different aspects of volcanoes answers these questions for middle school...
Mr. E. Science
Plate Tectonics
Get a detailed look at plate tectonics with a 14-slide presentation that highlights the Earth's layers, continental drift, seafloor spreading, the theory of plate tectonics, and boundary types. Each slide provides thorough explanations,...
University of New Orleans
Rock Cycle and Rocks Lab
Science rocks! Explore three types of rocks and the rock cycle with an igneous rocks experiment. Pupils discuss textures, composition, and learn how melts are formed from the Earth's crust. They weigh materials using a scientific scale...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics: Kindergarten Lesson Plans and Activities
This unit focuses primarily on plate tectonics and plate boundaries surrounding continents. It contains pre- and post-lab sections that walk young geologists through plate movements in order to visualize what's going on inside Earth.
Glynn County School System
Earth's Magnetic Field and the Moon
The surface of the moon has an amazing tale to tell. Learn about the moon's story with a PowerPoint presentation that describes the unique features of the moon's surface as well as explains its movement in relation to Earth.
Curated OER
Massif Mystery
After reviewing plate tectonic theories and the discovery of both the Atlantis Massif and the Lost City hydrothermal vents, earth science learners complete a worksheet and participate in discussions about what the types of rock found...
Curated OER
Exploring How Rocks Are Formed
Students examine the three types of rocks. They discover the processes that occur so each type of rock can be formed. They participate in activities to help them see how rocks are formed.
Curated OER
Volcanoes Vocabulary
In this volcanoes activity, students read 10 words pertaining to volcanoes. Students match these words to their definitions in another column.
Curated OER
Volcano Challenge
In this volcano facts worksheet, students respond to 14 multiple choice questions that require them to exhibit what they know about volcanoes.
Curated OER
Volcano Crossword
In this volcano crossword puzzle worksheet, learners use the 8 clues and the terms in the word bank to help them correctly complete the word puzzle.
Central Bucks School District
Igneous Rocks Lab
Searching for a simple igneous rocks experiment to assist pupils with rock classification based on texture and composition? In the activity, pupils view multiple rocks in various ways to determine texture and composition. They then...
Curated OER
The Same But Different
In this rock comparison worksheet, students read an information chart about common igneous rocks. Then students answer 7 questions about what they've read.
Curated OER
Rock Cycle Review
In this rock cycle worksheet, students review major concepts related to rock formation by answering 15 multiple choice questions and matching 15 terms to their definitions. Students identify 7 rocks as metamorphic, sedimentary, or...
Curated OER
Changes Inside Planets
Students relate meteorites to the mantle and crust of asteroids. For this planetary lesson students complete experiments to model the separation of light.
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics Study Guide
In this plate tectonics worksheet, students answer questions about plate tectonics including topics such as the lithosphere, the asthenosphere, rising and sinking convection currents, continental drift and the types of boundaries.
Curated OER
The Galapagos Spreading Center
Young scholars explore the basic concept of seafloor spreading. They describe the processes involved in creating new seafloor at a mid-ocean ridge. They investigate the Galapagos Spreading Center system.
Curated OER
Ancient Peoples of the Middle East
This is an excellent multidisciplinary lesson designed by Scientific American. It provides three creative activities--designing a garden, studying hieroglyphics, and writing poetry--relevant to the ancient peoples of the Middle East....
Curated OER
Mineral Magic
Students classify rocks and minerals according to their characteristics, after finding the similarities and differences of school supplies and pasta.
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.
Curated OER
Sedimentary Rocks
Fourth graders discuss the basic properties of rocks, the processes
involved in the formation of soils, and the needs of plants provided by soil. They write descriptions in their Science journal and identify and discuss each type of...