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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cruising the Mantle

For Teachers 7th - 9th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mountain Blows its Top

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students replicate a volcanic eruption. In this volcanoes lesson, students follow the provided procedures to show and describe how the inflation of a bulge led to the eruption of Mount St. Helens.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Plate Tectonics: Kindergarten Lesson Plans and Activities

For Teachers K Standards
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.
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Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Volcanoes: Third Grade Lessons Plans and Activities

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Discover how rocks are formed from volcanoes during a geology pre-lab activity. Third graders describe the volcanic rock samples and creating a model of Mt. Lassen, located in California. The lesson culminates in a discussion about how...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crustal Sinking

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students measure the rate of sinking of a test tube into a beaker of "glop", representing a model of the interaction between the Earth's crust and upper mantle. This task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth: the Apple of Our Eye

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students dissect an apple to model the percentage of land on Earth that can be used as a food-producing resource. They use fractions to determine the habitable and agriculture area of the apple.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students study the different types of volcanoes and how they erupt.  In this volcano lesson students identify where volcanoes are most prevalent and options for predicting eruptions. 
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Lesson Plan
Ocean Explorer

The Volcano Factory

For Teachers 5th - 6th
The tectonic processes that have resulted in the formation of the Marianas Arc, and the Marianas Trench are explored. Groups of pupils access websites that give them a wealth of information about these formations. Each group must prepare...
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Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Happy Landings: A Splash or a Splat?

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Huygens spacecraft landed on Saturn's moon Titan in 2005, making it the farthest landing from Earth ever made by a spacecraft. For this hands-on activity, the 12th installment of 22, groups explore how density affects speed. To do this,...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

By Air, Land, or Sea: The Formation and Location of Our Natural Resources

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Coal forms from the ancient remains of plants that were alive on Earth before the dinosaurs! Scholars use their t-charts from the previous lesson over resources and research to determine if their information is correct. Through analysis...
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PPT
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Curated OER

A Theme Is...

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Colorful contemporary images contained in a PowerPoint presentation will capture the attention of class members and model for them the how to distinguish between the subject and the theme of a work. A great want to introduce this...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Formation of Rain

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students sequence the steps leading to the formation of rain, and design a model to represent these steps. This task assesses students' abilities to classify, generalize, infer, interpret and communicate data, and construct a pictorial...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Volcanoes Grow

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students study volcanoes including rock fragments, ash, aerosols and gases.  In this volcano instructional activity students divide into groups and build models of the three major types of volcanoes. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hike Preparation

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine hiking preparation.  In this hiking lesson students plan and pack a bag for a day hike, explore wildlife safety, and investigate the teamwork involved in a group hike.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Water Cycle Game

For Teachers K - 5th
Learners study the path and forms of water through Earth. In this water cycle lesson, students role-play water as it moves throughout the Earth. Learners play the water cycle game and complete various stations to learn about water forms...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcanoes

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students explore the formation of volcanoes. In this earth science lesson, students build their own volcanoes in the lab using different materials. They identify the different types of volcanoes.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stick-Slip Movement

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders operate a model to observe the type of motion that occurs at a fault during an earthquake. They explore the effects of several variables. Students measure movement, calculate averages and plot and graph information.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading the Shapes of Volcanoes on Earth and Mars

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students compare and contrast the volcanoes of Earth and Mars, and examine specific volcanoes on Mars. They model the processes that create cone and shield volcanoes, and measure the slope angles of cone and shield volcanoes.
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Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Volcanoes: Fifth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities

For Teachers 5th Standards
Fifth graders explore volcanoes and the rocks they produce using the Internet. The lab portion of the lesson prompts young scientists to compare and describe igneous rocks. Next, they critique a pair or more of books on volcanoes in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquake Formation

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore earthquakes. In this natural disaster and engineer career education lesson, students identify features of the earth's surface that increase the likelihood of an earthquake. Students use visual aids to locate the earth's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Continental Drift

For Teachers 7th - 8th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Different Minerals

For Teachers 7th - 9th
In this minerals worksheet, learners read about the relationship between elements, rocks and minerals. They experiment using 6 different colored gumdrops to represent 6 common elements. Students construct gumdrop and toothpick models of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Planet: Sea Secrets

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students identify ocean features and draw a profile using data points on a map. Through discussion and research, they discover the importance of oceanography and plot a profile of the ocean floor in search for a vessel full of precious...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Much Oxygen Is In The Air?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
In this science worksheet, students take a close look at the composition of air while focusing on the content of oxygen. They use clay to model the amounts.