Curated OER
Earth Movers
Students read an online article about an earthquake and follow up with a series of discussion questions about earthquakes. They answer questions in their science journals about continental drift, plate tetonics, and their influence on...
Curated OER
Ecology And the Conservation of Natural Resources
Students study Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift and how the continents were connected in one large land mass called Pangaea. They examine plate tectonics and the theory that the earth's surface is composed of large moving...
Curated OER
Oceans Socratic Questioning
High schoolers participate in a whole class discussion of ocean-floor structures and plate tectonics. They respond to prompts in a structured sequence that lead them to conclusions about the role of plate tectonics in the creation of...
Curated OER
Earthquakes- An Introduction
Sixth graders investigate the concepts related to creating an understanding of how earthquakes occur. They participate in a variety of activities that are tied to each other and focus upon the principle of plate tectonics. Then students...
Curated OER
It's Going to Blow Up!
Get your ocean explorers online, reading articles about submarine volcanoes. They answer a series of questions and take a geometery challenge in which they calculate how much of a volcano has been blown away. Make sure to explore several...
Curated OER
The Ocean Floor
Practice reading comprehension by approaching oceanography through 2 pages of informational text. The text compares the ocean floor to the Grand Canyon to gives students perspective, and gives a brief coverage of the earth's crust and...
Curated OER
The Great Continental Drift Mystery
Pupils stud the concept of Pangaea by using Wegener's clues to construct a map of the continents joined together. They determine how fossil distribution can be used to enhance the study of continental drift. They locate the...
Curated OER
Volcano!-Is That a Volcano on Your Plate?
Students explore how and where volcanoes form. They also explore how the interactions between oceanic and continental crust create volcanoes and other mountains and earthquakes in a simulation activity using cardboard of two thicknesses.
Curated OER
What about Continental Drift?
Fifth graders research the Continental Drift by researching for evidence of continental movement. The teaching explains the theory of plate tectonics and the Earth's magnetic field. They conclude the lesson by watching the video of "In...
Channel Islands Film
Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 2
Why are Torrey pines only found in La Jolla, California and on Santa Rosa Island? Class members examine images of Torrey pines from these two locations, noting the similarities and differences, and then develop a demonstration model that...
NOAA
Into the Deep
Take young scientists into the depths of the world's ocean with the second lesson of this three-part earth science series. After first drawing pictures representing how they imagine the bottom of the ocean to appear, students investigate...
Consortium for Ocean Leadership
Nannofossils Reveal Seafloor Spreading Truth
Spread the word about seafloor spreading! Junior geologists prove Albert Wegener right in an activity that combines data analysis and deep ocean exploration. Learners analyze and graph fossil sample data taken from sites along the...
Curated OER
Early Earth History
In this earth history worksheet, students answer 12 questions about geological time, the eras of Earth, the changes taking place in early Earth and the life present during the eras. They also answer 2 questions about the Paleozoic Era.
Curated OER
Cruising the Mantle
Students explore the plate boundaries of the earth. Through the use of video, internet and hands-on activities, students examine the types of plate boundaries. They create a model to illustrate the movement and interaction of the...
Curated OER
Continental Drift
Students simulate convection waves using a model. In this earth science lesson, students explain the effect of plate movements to Earth's geography. They use the internet to find answers to graphic organizer questions.
Curated OER
Earth's Plate Tectonics
Students identify the different layers of the Earth. In this earth science lesson, students create a model of the crusts and continents. They explain how plates movement cause earthquakes and volcanoes.
Curated OER
The Dynamics of Plate Tectonics
Simple lab and modeling activities can help your students understand the movements of the Earth's crust.
Curated OER
Mastering the Keyboard
Sixth graders view an animated program showing how the continents fit together millions of years ago. In groups, they compare and contrast the distribution of rocks and fossils based on how the continents fit together. After reading a...
Curated OER
Pangaea Puzzle: Exploring the Tectonic Forces That Shape the Earth
Sixth graders follow in the footsteps of early scientists as they put the pieces of Pangaea back together and discovered the forces that create the variety of landforms and sea-floor features of our Earth.
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics
Students simulate the three types of plate boundaries using robots. In this earth science lesson, students explain how earthquakes and volcanoes are formed. They collect real-world earthquake data and plot them on the map.
Curated OER
Solid Earth Socratic Questions
Learners participate in a whole class discussion to relate what they know about earthquakes to the processes of plate tectonics. They respond to prompts that lead them to conclusions about the layers of the earth.
Curated OER
A Look at the Geological History
In this geological history worksheet, students draw a cartoon strip to sequence how the North American continent grew. Students use information about continental drift to sequence events of how the different continents were formed.
Curated OER
Volcano! Is That a Volcano on Your Plate?
Students investigate where volcanos come from. In this volcano lesson, students watch videos do Internet research and participate in experiments to discover the cause of volcanos.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Action at Plate Boundaries
Students diagram the spreading of the ocean floor. In this earth science lesson plan, students read an article on plate boundaries of the ocean. Students are expected to diagram the oceanic convergent boundary, and give a written...